Alvis Island.
Underground Research Facility, Experimental Area 2, Biological Lab 1.
"This is incredible! Stimulating an animal's brain can lead to different evolutions based on its environment," Dalt said, staring excitedly into his microscope at a pink plant. "This plant, named [IQ], came at the perfect time. It will accelerate my research at an incredible rate. Evolve! Evolve!"
After a moment of excitement, Dalt reluctantly looked up and frowned at the remaining [IQ] samples. "There are so few materials. I need to find a way to simulate their growth environment and cultivate more."
Pere pere pere... pere pere pere...
Suddenly, a Den Den Mushi in the room began to ring.
"Hmm?" Dalt turned and answered with a frown. "Didn't I say not to disturb me when I'm doing an experiment?"
"My apologies, Dr. Dalt, but a message came from Arlan-sama," a voice familiar to Dalt, the commanding officer in charge of defense this week, Edmond, said from the Den Den Mushi.
"Arlan?" Dalt was surprised. "What does he want?"
Dalt knew that Arlan, who managed both the Clifford Kingdom and the Chris Pirates, rarely inquired about things here. His visits and inquiries were usually just routine checks. For Edmond to interrupt his experiment, it had to be something important.
"Arlan-sama asked if he could borrow the Elite Strike Team," Edmond replied, as he was a member of the team himself.
"Borrow the Elite Strike Team? What for?" Dalt frowned. "And the only useful members who can handle high-intensity missions are you, Sriya, and a few others."
The Elite Strike Team was a special unit created by Aeridar, similar to CP9. Aside from the leader, Edmond, and Sriya, the rest of the members were from the earliest batches of SS-enhanced soldiers. They had since been further strengthened with special biotechnologies.
Originally, the minimum requirement was a Doriki of over 500. Due to the limitations of the biotechnologies, however, only a handful of members, like Edmond and Sriya, had exceeded a Doriki of 500, while the rest were still undergoing biological reinforcement experiments.
"Arlan-sama said he only needs a few, if necessary. It seems he's short-handed," Edmond said.
"Then you and Sriya go. Hmm… that might not be enough," Dalt mused. "I'll give you permission to take S1 as well! Dr. Vade just implanted his latest chip and armor. It'll be a good test."
"Understood. We'll get it done," Edmond replied.
...
On an unnamed island in the New World.
Clang, clang, clang, clang…
Two figures moved rapidly through a forest. One wielded two swords, the other a single blade. They engaged in a fierce battle. The clash of their three swords created a series of ringing sounds, and sparks flew in the air.
Each slash easily cut through large trees and rocks, leaving deep marks in the ground. Before long, the land was a chaotic mess of cuts and fissures.
"One-Sword Style: Dragon Severing Strike!"
A powerful roar was followed by a flash of blinding light.
Whoosh!
In the next moment, half the forest was sliced away, the trees flying into the air as if they had been suddenly cleared.
"Two-Sword Style: Garuda Slash!"
Immediately after, a massive monstrous bird-shaped slash shot out, instantly cleaving off the top of a small, hundred-meter-tall mountain nearby.
Rumble!
The mountaintop crashed down, destroying a large section of the forest and kicking up a thick fog of dust.
Clang!
The three swords collided fiercely, instantly releasing a powerful gust of chaotic air that swept in all directions, even tearing away a layer of the ground itself.
"Yohehehehe… The Slayer, Oliver! You live up to your reputation!" The speaker, a man of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, let out a strange laugh. He wore a white kimono with the kanji for "dragon" on both sleeves. A pure black-sheathed sword hung at his waist, and he wore traditional wooden geta. He held a gleaming silver katana with a gray hilt.
"What a powerful sword style. Who are you?" Oliver asked with a cold tone, gripping Mikazuki Munechika and Nagamitsu with both hands.
"Your killer," the man said with a sinister smile. He swung his katana, unleashing a powerful violet slash.
Rumble!
The distant ground was instantly split by a crack dozens of meters long.
"Hmph. That white kimono with the 'dragon' character… you must be a descendant of the Dragon-Slaying Swordsman Ryuma. And you're also that traitor from Wano from three years ago."
Oliver dodged the slash and looked at the cold, sharp katana in front of him. "The blade is 86cm long, 1.8cm wide, with a 0.8mm-wide edge. A gray hilt, a white blade, and a black sheath. It symbolizes the three colors of the world. The inscription on the blade is 'Light and Shadow Under the Sun,' and the blade pattern is midare and gyaku-chōji.
"This is one of the 21 Great Grade Swords, Kagekimaru Kunimitsu! This sword is the treasure passed down through the Shigen-ryu sword school. You're the one who slaughtered them, aren't you?" His tone was confident, not questioning.
[TN: Shadow Demon-maru + Surname, Manifestation sword school]
The Shigen-ryu sword school was a famous, long-standing style located in the New World's Pakura Kingdom. Many renowned swordsmen, including Marine Admiral Borsalino, had gone there to study and exchange techniques.
However, two years ago, a swordsman in a kimono broke in, stole their ancestral treasure, the famous sword Kagekimaru Kunimitsu, and slaughtered the entire dojo.
It was said that after the swordsman left, the dojo became a slaughterhouse, with corpses littering the ground and blood flowing like a river. Out of the vast dojo, fewer than ten people survived, most of them crippled and severely wounded.
"Yohehehehe… You found me out." The man in the kimono nonchalantly twirled Kagekimaru Kunimitsu. "I was in need of a good sword. I heard the Shigen-ryu sword school had a good one, but they wouldn't give it to me, so I had no choice but to take it by force."
"You're a bloodthirsty one. Tell me your name," Oliver said, a bloodthirsty aura surging from his body. "I don't kill nobodies."
"The one who will kill you is Ryūkawa Jiku!" Jiku laughed arrogantly.
Clang!
The forest once again erupted in a violent battle. The deafening sound of clashing metal echoed throughout the trees, along with powerful slashes that split the earth and the sea—the pressure of their swordsmanship.
———————
TN: His surname in raws means Dragon River, and in japanese that's Ryūkawa.