“Look!
There it is!” “Lord Kael’s ship is back!” “Everyone, quiet down!
He’s here—at least try to look presentable!” Hundreds, perhaps over a thousand people, had gathered at Kuraigana Island’s harbor.
The port itself was enormous, though ruins still surrounded much of it.
Broken stone and collapsed structures had piled up in places, forcing the crowd closer together.
There weren’t enough people to create the overwhelming spectacle of a great city.
But their enthusiasm more than made up for it.
As the Arbiter reached the harbor, Quinn took command of the guards serving as sailors and helmsmen, guiding the vessel into the narrow inlet leading toward Kuraigana’s shipyard.
The shipyard was still small.
Only twelve craftsmen worked there, and most were hardly master shipwrights.
They were young men who had only recently moved beyond the apprentice stage and acquired some real experience.
But given enough time, they would improve.
Kael stepped onto the harbor beneath a wave of cheers.
Once the cargo had been unloaded, he had the winter supplies brought forward—meat, firewood, charcoal, and other necessities.
Everything would be distributed according to registered households.
That was one of Kael’s rules.
Every household needed a registered head of household.
That person would be responsible for the household and, if the family contributed especially well to the community, could occasionally receive tax reductions.
The taxes themselves were minimal.
Kael wasn’t trying to squeeze money out of the people.
They existed mainly to establish structure and responsibility.
Kael looked over the gathered residents and smiled.
“We’ve prepared everything you’ll need for winter.” “So go home and enjoy a warm season with your families.” Cheers immediately rose again.
Under the protection of the castle guards, Kael returned to Black Rose Castle with Mihawk.
The next few months would be devoted to the island’s usual annual work.
New farmland needed to be cleared.
Fresh recruits had to be selected.
And the existing guards would begin another round of advanced training.
In previous years, Kael had personally overseen almost everything.
This year was different.
With Quinn around, Kael finally had someone capable enough to shoulder part of the burden.
The strongest young men selected from the population would enter the castle guard.
Those who distinguished themselves among the guards could then graduate into the island’s elite unit.
That unit would be trained personally by Kael.
The program had begun two years ago.
So far…
Only one person had qualified.
Quinn.
His specialty was close-quarters combat—powerful fist techniques combined with raw physical strength.
Despite his enormous frame, Quinn was surprisingly agile.
He had developed a peculiar movement technique that allowed him to close the distance almost instantly, slip around an opponent’s blind spot, and finish with a spinning kick from behind.
Kael had given the move a name.
Dragon Tail Sweep.
It was brutally effective.
…
“I’ll leave the rest to you, Quinn.” “Leave it to me, my lord.” Quinn smiled confidently.
“I’ll make sure we pick out the best recruits.” “This year’s harvest was good.
There should be plenty of promising young men.” He knew Kael would have other matters to deal with.
Kuraigana Island was preparing to expand.
And expansion meant one thing above all else— People.
If the territory wanted to grow, Kael would eventually need to establish ties with other nations and bring in more settlers.
In truth, despite being located on the unpredictable Grand Line, Kuraigana Island had a relatively favorable climate.
The magnetic fields of the Grand Line were chaotic.
Weather could change without warning.
Yet Kuraigana remained surprisingly suitable for long-term settlement.
Kael turned his attention toward the Swordsmanship Achievement System.
Among the higher-ranked achievements displayed there was one carrying the Divine-grade designation.
Revival.
It was an achievement that ran directly against the existing order of the world.
Naturally, its difficulty was enormous.
But from the very beginning, Kael had already decided that he would complete it.
He had personally lived through the destruction of Shikkearu.
His system had only awakened near the final stage of the war.
By then, even though he had fought off more than three thousand attackers and preserved Black Rose Castle…
It had never felt like enough.
Invade a kingdom.
Destroy it.
Then call yourself righteous afterward.
Kael had already seen through that kind of hypocrisy.
If he hadn’t become strong enough when he did…
Neither he nor Mihawk would likely still be alive.
…
A month passed.
After another sparring session, Mihawk found himself on the ground after only three exchanges.
Kael offered him a hand and pulled him back up.
“Mihawk.” “Hm?” “Want to go traveling again?” Kael smiled.
“This time, somewhere farther away.” Mihawk hesitated.
“Not really—” “No.” Kael cut him off immediately.
“You do.” Mihawk stared at him.
Kael continued with complete seriousness.
“A swordsman can’t spend his whole life staying in one place.” “You need to travel.” “Meet other fighters.” “Accept challenges.” Of course, the real reason was much simpler.
Kael wanted to go out.
And traveling alone was boring.
Mihawk’s hawk-like eyes immediately lit with determination.
He nodded firmly.
“I understand, Brother!” “I won’t refuse anyone who challenges me!” Kael smiled.
Excellent.
And just like that, Mihawk once again followed his brother out to sea, his eyes bright with anticipation.
This time, however, they didn’t take the Arbiter.
Instead…
Mihawk found himself staring at what appeared to be a huge slab of black metal floating on the ocean.
A throne had been mounted at its center.
The entire thing looked disturbingly similar to a coffin.
When Mihawk first saw it, his expression became complicated.
It didn’t exactly look lucky.
Then Kael demonstrated how it worked.
And Mihawk’s skepticism vanished.
“Watch carefully.” Kael stood atop the vessel.
“Use your sword aura to control your body.” “Your feet determine direction.” “Then use your aura to influence the current beneath you.” Mihawk stared intently.
Kael drew in a breath.
Then his entire body tensed.
“Hah!” Boom!
A burst of sword aura erupted behind him.
The sea exploded.
Three overlapping waves rose one after another, spraying white foam high into the air.
The strange black vessel immediately surged forward.
Mihawk’s eyes widened.
Kael looked back at him with a grin.
“See that?” “This is called…” “No-Sword Style.” Mihawk froze.
“No…” He blinked.
“No-Sword Style?” Everything he thought he understood about swordsmanship seemed to crack all over again.
“You can use swordsmanship…” “Without a sword?” This was ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
Kael laughed.
“A true swordsman doesn’t stop being a swordsman just because his hands are empty.” His gaze shifted toward the open sea.
“Some swords remain sheathed.” “Others bare their edge.” “But either way…” “The swordsman himself is the blade.”
Add to library.
Send some Power Stones.