"What's going on? My techniques actually don't work on this enchantment!" Bone Erosion muttered in disbelief. He stared at the undisturbed wall of purple-black smoke. His Sakura Fall sword technique, which had once sliced through the iron hull of a Marine warship, hadn't even left a scratch. The sword qi he unleashed didn't explode on impact it was as if the barrier had absorbed the attack, like Blackbeard's Yami Yami no Mi pulling everything into darkness.
"I'll give it a shot," Rin said, stepping forward and nodding at Bone Erosion. He'd been observing how the barrier reacted and decided to try something different. Since direct attacks weren't working, perhaps his Devil Fruit ability his Shine-Shine Fruit, a Logia-type could offer an alternative. "If physical strikes don't work, maybe light can bypass it."
With that, Rin transformed into a beam of radiant golden light, his body shifting into photon form as he activated his Logia powers. Like Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit, this allowed him to travel at light speed. His intention was to phase through the barrier like light passing through mist.
But just as he reached the edge of the purple-black smoke, something unseen pushed back—violently. The barrier didn't just stop him; it rejected him. Rin's light-form was hurled backward like a misfired cannonball and slammed into the ground with a dull thud.
"Ouch!" he groaned, rubbing his head. "Even my light form can't get through?" He sat up, dazed, and looked at the border again. That shouldn't be possible not unless the barrier was imbued with advanced Armament Haki or had some special sealing property that even light couldn't penetrate.
"Don't waste your strength," Bone Erosion said calmly, not even opening his eyes. "Whether it's sword qi, Logia intangibility, or transformation techniques they all get shut down at the wall." His tone was matter-of-fact, as if he'd already accepted the trap. He'd seen enough during their earlier attacks to know this wasn't something brute force could overcome.
"So, what then? We just sit here and wait?" Rin asked, watching Bone Erosion now seated cross-legged, quietly studying the enchantment like an old monk from Wano.
"What else do you expect me to do? Dance for your amusement?" Bone Erosion chuckled. Even trapped, his sense of sarcasm was fully intact. With one eye closed, he tilted his head slightly and began to rest, focusing his breathing like a samurai in meditation.
"If we're stuck like this, then tell me about your past," Rin said suddenly. Curiosity had been gnawing at him ever since they met. How did a man with such immense swordsmanship someone whose aura reminded him of legends like Oden or Mihawk end up as a wandering ghost, a remnant trapped in a place like this?
"No. I'm not in the mood to relive old regrets," Bone Erosion said firmly, not even flinching at the request. The weight in his voice made it clear there was pain buried in those memories, and he had no desire to dig them up.
"C'mon, it's not like we've got anything better to do right now," Rin pressed, determined to hear the story. He figured this was the perfect moment quiet, isolated, and far from the chaos of the outside world. He wasn't going to let the old man dodge this.
"I said no. You're better off not knowing." Bone Erosion opened a single eye and fixed Rin with a tired stare, one filled with scars from another life. "Some things should stay buried."
"Fine, don't tell me then," Rin said with a sly smirk, not giving up. He walked over to the side, picked up his Thunder Judgment Blade, and started practicing swings. The weight of the blade, charged with both lightning and light, crackled as it moved. He wasn't just idly swinging it was his way of showing he'd wait for the old swordsman to crack.
Like Zoro waiting for Mihawk to acknowledge him, Rin knew that persistence sometimes broke stronger walls than force.
And after closing his eyes on the side and focusing his spirit, Bone Erosion sat silently, letting his breathing calm. But after a few moments of stillness, he noticed that Rin had gone completely quiet. He opened his eyes slowly at first curious to see what the boy was doing. The sight that greeted him stopped him cold.
Rin stood in front of him, quietly swinging the Thunder Judgment Blade, the movement steady and natural, his stance grounded in discipline. The lightning around the blade shimmered faintly, and for a split second, Bone Erosion's eyes widened. In that moment, it wasn't Rin he saw but Ward, his son, long gone from this world.
"Ward…" Bone Erosion's voice cracked as his eyes welled up. The tears didn't fall, but they shimmered at the corners. This boy his posture, the way he held the sword, the fire in his expression it was as if time had turned back, and he was seeing his son again. The resemblance wasn't only physical it was in the aura, the presence. It rattled him.
"Uncle Bone Erosion… now you can tell me your past," Rin said gently. He'd noticed the older swordsman's change in expression and stopped his practice, sensing the weight of unspoken memories.
"…Decades ago, when I was just a minor swordsmith, barely worthy of the title of 'Jianhao'…" Bone Erosion's voice softened as he surrendered to memory, his gaze distant. "I'll tell you."
---
Decades ago…
In a small, wind-swept village just east of Shimotsuki Village one of the old samurai settlements stood a modest home built of straw and clay. Inside, a woman moved gracefully about, cleaning up after the morning meal. Her name was Linnana, and she was humming softly as she folded a worn cloth.
Outside, her husband practiced his swordsmanship in the dusty courtyard, his hands gripping the hilt of a katana wrapped in old white cloth. His name was Passat, a wandering ronin who once served as a retainer in the Flower Capital before abandoning politics for peace. Now, he trained daily obsessively refining his "Bone Fang" sword style until his muscles trembled from fatigue.
"Linnana, is the food ready?" Passat called out, lowering his blade after another round of strikes. Sweat dripped down his brow, but his grip never wavered as he walked toward the house.
"It's ready but you always practice like that, you're going to train yourself to death!" Linnana scolded gently, placing dishes on the low wooden table. She shook her head as she saw his shirt soaked through again. "Even Zoro wouldn't push himself like you."
"Training every day keeps the spirit sharp," Passat replied, patting his arm with a grin. "Besides, if I ever face someone with Conqueror's Haki, I'll need every edge I can get."
"Enough talk. Come eat before it gets cold," Linnana said with a sigh, though a small smile betrayed her fondness for his stubbornness.
Just as the two sat down to eat, a sudden knock knock knock pounded against their door fast, frantic.
"Who could that be?" Passat stood, wiping his hands, and moved to the entrance. As he opened the door, a man stumbled in wounded, limping, one eye bruised shut. Blood trickled from his shoulder, staining the mat.
"Please… I need shelter," the man gasped. He wore tattered robes from a dojo Passat didn't recognize, though there was a strange crest on his back a coiled dragon wrapped around a sword.
"Who are you?" Passat asked, stepping between the man and his wife, hand unconsciously drifting toward the katana near the wall. "You're injured are you being pursued?"
"I'm not a criminal, I swear," the man replied desperately. "But they're after me. They want something something I have."
His hand clutched tightly at a small leather pouch strapped to his side, as if it carried a Devil Fruit or a treasure map. Passat couldn't be sure, but his instincts warned him it was important.
"Pa… Passat, who is he?" Linnana emerged from the back room, startled by the sight of the blood-soaked stranger.
"He's being chased. We'll let him hide at least until we know who's after him," Passat explained calmly, still wary.
Outside, voices rose angry, aggressive.
"Where the hell did he go? The blood trail leads right up here!" one shouted.
"Boss, it's fresh. Looks like he ducked into this house," another voice added.
Passat stiffened. He turned to Linnana. "Help him into the back room. Quickly."
Linnana, though frightened, nodded and guided the man into the shadows of their home, helping him disappear behind a hanging curtain.
BOOM BOOM BOOM! A thunderous knock rattled the wooden door, nothing like the earlier one. It was hostile, forceful more a demand than a request.
"I've got it," Passat said loud enough for those outside to hear. He picked up his sheathed blade, breathed in once, and stepped toward the door, ready to face whoever waited on the other side.
---!
60+ advanced chapter on patreon....Visit patreon now to read my exclusive content... posting 5 chapters per day, Our collection is now available on PATREON
visit patreon.com/Mgoldtranslation to view 60+ advanced chapters
Please subscribe guys