[New World·Thriller barque]
In the thick sea fog, the dark and ghostly "Judgment" slowly approached the shore.
Rogge stood at the bow, his eyes penetrating the fog and locking onto the huge castle that looked like a pile of wreckage.
"Is this...Thriller barque?"
Ian frowned, "This place is really spooky."
"Are you scared?" Shiryu scoffed, and Lei Yu tapped the armor sheath lightly. "How can you be a female swordsman with this aura?"
Ion rolled his eyes and turned to look at Rogge, "Vice Admiral, what are we here for?"
"I'll change your knife." Rogge said lightly.
"...Huh?" Ian looked confused.
Rogge stepped out from the bow, his cloak billowing. "This is also to train you. Practice here for a while."
"In the Thriller barque, there's a very special 'zombie', wielding one of the twenty-one great swords - 'Autumn Water'."
Ai En's eyes were stunned: "Big knife?"
Shiryu rarely stopped joking and said in a slightly graver tone, "'Akisui,' one of the twenty-one great swords, is one of only two 'black swords' in the world."
He raised his eyelids and stared at Ion: "The other one... is in Hawkeye's hand. Do you know what this means?"
Ai En frowned and nodded seriously: "I understand."
[In front of the castle's shadow and the zombie army's defense line]
Accompanied by the creaking sound of the metal door, a group of figures staggered out.
Leading the group was the portly, gloomy-faced Seven Warlords of the Sea—Gekko Moria.
Absalom and Hogback followed closely behind, the three of them staring at the approaching Marine from afar with frozen expressions.
"It's really... a ghost..."
Absalom lowered his voice, "That's Rogge... the butcher of G-5... what's he doing here?"
"How should I know!"
Moria's forehead was covered with sweat, and his voice was weak. "Don't fire! Let's see what he's going to do first!"
The three men came forward, and Moria forced an awkward smile. "Ahem, Vice Admiral Rogge has visited us... I wonder... what instructions do you have?"
Rogge glanced at him, his expression calm. "Since you've only dared to draw Pirates lately, I'm not here to cause you any trouble today."
Moria was relieved: "Haha... That's good, that's good..."
"tell me."
Rogge's tone became more serious. "Among your pile of corpses, there's a zombie that's really good with a sword—where is it?"
"Um...you mean the...number 900, right?"
Hogback quickly added, "He's our strongest zombie warrior right now, and he uses a long black sword."
"Very good." Rogge nodded and said lightly, "Take us there."
There were piles of iron and stone on all sides, and the dim torches could not illuminate the end of the room.
The air was filled with a mixture of decay and old blood and rust, as oppressive as purgatory.
Moria's voice trembled, his face pale, and he took three steps back. "We call him 'Number 900'. He is a fusion of the shadow of a skeleton swordsman... No one has ever been able to control him."
"That's even better." Rogge said calmly.
[Seal Release]
"Crack!!!" As the metal chain broke, the coffin lid flew off and the air pressure in the entire hall dropped sharply!
The zombie warrior Longma slowly opened his lifeless eyes. A pitch-black, demonic-looking long sword, "Qiu Shui", was stuck in the tattered armor on his chest.
He took a step forward, the corpse was as heavy as iron, and the sword intent was overwhelming!
"boom!!!"
The ground cracked and the air waves were like blades. The black knife in Longma's hand pointed at Ain diagonally, and his energy was locked.
"Is that the aura of 'Qiu Shui'?"
Ian gripped his sword tightly, cold sweat oozing from his forehead.
Shiryu stared at the knife, his expression more solemn than ever before.
"That's no ordinary weapon... That's the 'Black Blade', a top-tier weapon that's been tempered with Armament Haki for a long time, permanently hardening the blade and enhancing its quality."
He said slowly, "The sword's will is as strong as iron, and the sword's heart is as powerful as force. If you are not firm enough, it will swallow up your will first."
Rogge turned to look at Ion, his eyes sharp:
"This is your battlefield. Let Qiu Shui recognize you."
The zombie swordsman was speechless.
There was no soul in his eyes, but the movement of holding the knife was more precise than that of a living person.
"——Swish!"
With just a horizontal swing, the sword energy swept out like a thread, so fast that it left several afterimages!
The air collapsed between the trajectories and was visibly "cut apart".
Ian had almost no time to react and had to force himself to block with his sword.
"Bang!!!"
The shockwaves from the knife knocked her over and knocked down an iron wall!
The armor shattered and the arm bones were numb!
But she didn't back down.
"Come again!"
She roared hoarsely, Bloodline slipped from her shoulder, rushed out of the broken wall, and slashed with the blade.
"Drink it!!"
——And the zombie swordsman, without sheathing his sword, took a step forward, lowered his shoulders, and swung his sword downwards!
This move directly pressed Ein to the ground again, the floor tiles shattered, and the dust stirred like an explosion.
Moria, who was watching the fight, was so frightened that her lips turned purple. "That guy... his strength is wrong! What kind of zombie could have been so strong as to suppress a Marine Major?!"
Rogge's eyes were as calm as water, and he spoke softly:
"This zombie... was originally the corpse of 'Swordsman Ryoma'."
He looked towards the center of the battle circle, "He was a dragon slayer in his lifetime, but after his death, his corpse qi didn't dissipate, so Hogbark turned him into a zombie.
That 'Autumn Water' was the blade he used to slay the dragon."
"Even the corpse still retains the lingering 'sword spirit'."
Shiryu sneered, "No wonder she's able to dominate Ein... If this girl really wants to win, relying on physical skills alone won't be enough."
——At this time, in the center of the battle circle, Ian finally gritted his teeth and stood up.
The blade shone like the moon, the air twisted, and a sweeping blow came crashing down!
"Hah!" Ian blocked with both swords, Haki surged, "Dang!!!" The loud noise shook the stone beams of the castle. She was knocked back several meters, but she turned her feet and stabilized herself in an instant.
"Back off four seconds!"
The air suddenly reversed, and Ain flashed back to his previous position in the air, appearing in front of Ryoma again with the blade already raised.
"That blow of yours—I saw through it."
She took a step forward and slashed diagonally, penetrating the gap between Qiu Shui and the armor. "Ding!!" Sparks flew and Long Ma's body paused.
Shiryu's eyes flickered slightly. "Good judgment and timing... So her fruit ability can also perform a 'fixed-point retry' in battle?"
Rogge said calmly, "Her sword isn't fierce enough, but her mind is already that of a qualified warrior."
Longma seemed to be enraged, and the black knife chopped down again - faster, heavier, and more crazy!
"Back off three seconds."
"Back two seconds."
Aien adjusted his position repeatedly, dodging back several times to avoid vital points, and then, in a gap when the enemy was approaching, he shouted:
"cut!!"
The two blades crossed in mid-air, and Haki exploded like thunder!
Boom!!! —The entire hall was instantly filled with smoke and dust!
"If Taijutsu isn't good enough...then Haki will make up for it!"
She shouted loudly, and her Haki expanded like inky black wings, covering the blade and her arms.
"Armament Break!"
His figure rushed forward like thunder, and he was slashed by Qiu Shui's black knife!
"clang!!!"
The sound of metal clashing was like a mountain roar, shaking the entire basement.
Amidst flying stone chips, Ian finally forced the zombie swordsman to retreat three steps, and the Qiu Shui sword trembled in his hand.
This is the first time the zombies show a flaw!
"continue!"
Rogge shouted, a hint of approval in his voice.
"You're not fighting a dead man—you're trying to get 'Qiu Shui' to recognize you!"
A gleam flashed in Ain's eyes, he took a deep breath, and his fighting spirit became more and more boiling.
"Shape Penetration, Wheel Breaking Edge!"
Ein leaped up, his blade covered with Armament Haki, and he slashed out nine shadow cuts in a row with the momentum of a spinning slash!
The black knife attacked again, and the two sword intentions collided violently head-on, and the sword wind cracked the roof!
"--Bang!!!"
With the final blow, Ian used the angle and explosive power to force "Qiu Shui" and the zombie to the ground!
As the lime rose, the zombie swordsman fell heavily to the ground, and the Autumn Water in his hand suddenly...
The trembling of resistance stopped.
The sword intent receded like the tide, and the remaining soul fell silent.
The entire knife lay quietly in the same place, its ownerless edge being automatically restrained.
Ian half-knelt beside him, breathing heavily, looking at the pitch-black long sword with a complicated expression.
"...it...recognized me?"
Rogge took a step closer and looked down at Qiu Shui.
"It doesn't recognize anyone."
"It only follows those who can defeat it." He said calmly.
"If you win, you are the master."
Shiryu leaned against the wall and chuckled, "Congratulations, swordswoman."
Moria seemed frozen, his face pale. "...Oh my god... the 'Autumn Water' black sword, she...took it away..."
Rogge just quietly looked at the silent Qiu Shui, then raised his head and looked at the endless sea fog outside.
With his hands behind his back, he said coldly, "Remember this day."
"You didn't get this knife from me. You earned it with your life."