“Keep your edge hidden…” Mihawk quietly repeated the phrase to himself.
Kael smiled.
He settled back comfortably onto the throne fixed atop the black metal vessel as it drifted across the open sea.
For once, there was a rare sense of freedom in his eyes.
“A swordsman should learn from his blade.” His voice carried easily over the waves.
“A sword doesn’t need to show its edge at every moment.” “What matters is knowing when to keep it hidden.” “When you’re still, give nothing away.” “When you move…” Kael’s smile deepened.
“Make it count.” It was an insight born from his own path in swordsmanship.
A system notification immediately appeared.
[You have passed on your understanding of swordsmanship.] [Wisdom +100] [Swordsmanship Insight +100] Swordsmanship had long since become more than simply learning how to swing a blade.
At its highest levels, it meant understanding the world around you.
Understanding people.
Understanding yourself.
Kael had already seen far more of life than most people his age.
And as the years passed, with more lives depending on him and more responsibility resting on his shoulders, he had naturally become steadier than other young men.
Now, with a flask of wine, a sword at his side, and a small vessel beneath his feet, he could finally travel the sea without worrying about everything back home.
Train his swordsmanship.
See more of the world.
Gain experience.
It wasn’t a bad way to spend some time.
Five years had passed since Kael first took control of those empty ruins.
Back then, Black Rose Castle had stood alone in a dead kingdom.
Now, more than three thousand people lived beneath its protection.
And that number continued to rise every year.
For the first time in a long while, Kael felt he could relax a little.
This trip, he had brought plenty of liquor with him.
Ten more jars of Peach Blossom Dew from the castle’s reserve.
Ten jars of Sangluo Wine.
Ten jars of Tusu Wine.
And one exceptionally precious jar of Ninefold Golden Nectar.
With those aboard, he and Mihawk once again headed toward Sabaody.
…
Seven days later.
As they moved closer to the waters surrounding Sabaody Archipelago, traffic increased sharply.
Pirate ships.
Merchant vessels.
Marine warships.
And strangely enough…
The number of damaged ships drifting across the sea had also begun to rise.
Every single one shared the same condition.
The crews were alive.
The ships were not.
Each vessel had been sliced cleanly in half.
The cuts were so smooth that anyone examining them felt a chill run down their spine.
Wood.
Metal.
It made no difference.
Everything had been severed as easily as paper.
Before long, rumors began spreading through both Marine intelligence channels and the underground taverns used by pirates and information brokers.
Two mysterious swordsmen had appeared on the sea.
No one knew who they were.
But their strength was terrifying.
And apparently, they didn’t need much of a reason to attack.
If a ship blocked their route…
They cut it in half.
Pirate ships.
Marine ships.
It didn’t matter.
Merchant vessels, strangely enough, were always left alone.
Soon, half of Sabaody was speculating about the identity of the two unknown swordsmen.
…
Inside Shakky’s Rip-off Bar in Grove 13, Shakky’s eye had been twitching ever since she first received the reports.
Even after closing for the day, she was still staring at the stack of intelligence spread across her table.
“It couldn’t be Kael…” She rested her chin on one hand.
“Could it?” Right now, Marine Headquarters was unusually undermanned.
Most of its major forces had deployed elsewhere, leaving Fleet Admiral Kong as the primary figure holding Marineford.
If a legendary pirate crew decided to attack at a time like this, the Marines could suffer serious losses.
Naturally, that meant pirates around Sabaody were having the time of their lives.
With fewer Marines available to suppress them, the lawless zones had become even livelier than usual.
But even that wasn’t attracting as much attention as the two mysterious swordsmen wandering the sea.
Shakky stared at another report.
Then footsteps stopped outside.
The door opened.
A young man with unruly black hair stepped inside.
Requiem rested at his waist.
A warm smile spread across Kael’s face.
Behind him walked Mihawk, silent and aloof as ever.
The contrast between the two brothers was almost ridiculous.
Kael carried himself with an easy warmth—relaxed, pleasant, and approachable.
Mihawk was the complete opposite.
He had the cold, distant air of someone who preferred to be left alone.
One look from those golden eyes was enough to make most strangers uncomfortable.
“Shakky.” Kael smiled brightly.
“Good to see you again.” Mihawk gave a small, polite bow.
“Hello, Shakky.” Shakky stared at them.
Then at the reports.
Then back at them.
“Oh.” “So it really was you two.” She tilted her head.
“What happened?
Nothing important back home, so you came out to cut ships in half for fun?” Kael laughed.
“Who goes sailing specifically to cut people down?” He shrugged.
“They were just blocking my way.” That wasn’t the entire story, of course.
Quite a few sailors had spotted the strange little vessel drifting across the sea and started leaning over their railings to stare, whistle, and shout at them.
Apparently, seeing two people traveling on what looked like a floating coffin was too strange to ignore.
Unfortunately…
Curiosity had consequences.
Shakky sighed.
“So, what brings you here?” Her eyes narrowed playfully.
“Don’t tell me you came all this way just to deliver my liquor.” “That’s part of it.” Kael had left their vessel at Grove 60.
He and Mihawk had personally carried a large crate containing ten jars of Peach Blossom Dew to the bar.
They set it down by the entrance.
What Shakky did with the liquor afterward—and how badly she overcharged her customers—was none of Kael’s concern.
Shakky opened the crate and immediately smiled.
“Now that’s what I wanted to see.” She paid the agreed amount without hesitation.
45,000,000 Berries.
With high-denomination notes available, the amount wasn’t particularly difficult to handle.
Kael took the money.
Then placed all of it on the table.
Shakky froze.
“…You’re leaving it?” Mihawk also looked at him.
What was Kael doing now?
Kael smiled.
“Mihawk and I are continuing our journey.” “So use this money for me.” He handed Shakky a list.
“Buy everything written here.” “Use whatever’s left as hiring expenses.” “Then rent a cargo ship and have everything sent to Kuraigana Island.” “Oh?” Shakky took the list.
Then she smiled.
There it was again.
That side of him.
The money wasn’t for himself at all.
The list included funds for opening and maintaining safer shipping routes.
Stone for expanding Black Rose Castle and constructing ordinary homes.
Money to hire experienced shipwrights.
Experts in farmland irrigation and water management.
And one name written separately from all the others.
Tom.
The legendary shipwright of Water 7.
Shakky knew exactly who he was.
The actual expenses listed here probably wouldn’t even reach ten million Berries.
The difficult part wasn’t the money.
It was convincing the right people to come.
Which meant Kael wasn’t really asking her to spend forty-five million.
He was asking her to use her connections.
Everything else could be saved.
Different wording.
Same favor.
Kael pulled out an envelope.
“There’s also a letter for Tom.” He handed it over.
“Give it to him personally.” Then his eyes narrowed playfully.
“And don’t read it, Shakky.” Shakky laughed.
“Fine.” She accepted the letter.
Then she looked at Kael for a long moment.
For years, this man had carried Black Rose Castle on his shoulders.
A ruined kingdom.
A younger brother.
Thousands of people with nowhere else to go.
And now…
It finally seemed like everything he had built was beginning to grow beyond simple survival.
Shakky smiled faintly.
What a good man.
Add to library.
Send some Power Stones.