One Piece Swordsman's Heart - Chapter 27

“Haki? Gard knows Armament Haki, so why would Gat try to buy Haki at the auction?” Vir found the situation strange. If Ferdinand didn’t provide a satisfactory explanation, Vir would end the conversation here and surely come after this Celestial Dragon for revenge.

“Well, it’s quite funny. Gard can indeed use Armament Haki, but he can’t teach it due to his head injury. That’s why Gat was so desperate to learn Haki. After all, he had seen its power firsthand. You have to understand, attacking my auction’s customers at the dock, I can’t just let that slide, whether they succeed or fail. After all, it is my auction house. If I don’t take action, how will I do business in the future? Who would dare come to Tut Island for the auction?” Ferdinand spoke with rare anger.

This also answered another question for Vir. Would a major auction really let customers be attacked before they left the island? If so, who would ever attend again?

Considering Ferdinand’s words, Vir realized they made sense. If everything Ferdinand said was true, Vir should consider collaborating with him. Gard would return in about twenty days, and if Vir decided to flee now, Ferdinand might betray him to avoid being implicated. Don’t forget, in the world of One Piece, there were Vivre Cards. Vir had left his hair and blood on Tut Island when he was ambushed.

So Vir decided to work with Ferdinand to eliminate Gard, the genuine lunatic.

Having discussed everything, the atmosphere became cordial. They agreed to meet in ten days, as Gard was expected to return to Tut Island in about twenty days, so there was no rush.

Ferdinand even generously offered to send Vir a beautiful woman, but Vir strongly rejected and ridiculed the idea. “My whole body is injured, and eating hurts like hell. What do you mean by sending me a woman? Do you want me to just look at her?”

After a strong rejection, Vir ended the call.

With a slight smirk, Vir muttered, “An interesting Celestial Dragon.”

It made sense. If all the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois were truly those bubble-headed idiots, the World Government would have fallen long ago.

Apart from the current royalty in Mariejois, there were still many wild royals around the world, such as the Vinsmoke family and the Donquixote family, ambitious families, not to mention the Revolutionary Army and the pirates of the New World.

If all Celestial Dragons were useless, their downfall would be imminent.

Vir stopped thinking about it and picked up a small bag by his bed, taking out an item he had obtained through near-death experiences: the Haki manual.

Flipping through the manual, he skimmed the beginning, which talked about Haki being an innate power that most people never awaken. He skipped these boring parts and went straight to the detailed section on Armament Haki.

What is Armament Haki? It’s a type of body energy. The stronger a person is, the stronger this energy. Due to unknown reasons, this energy can attack the physical form of Logia users.

But Armament Haki isn’t just for that. When covering the body, it forms a protective armor. The stronger the Armament Haki, the sturdier the armor. This was what Vir wanted.

He studied the process of awakening Armament Haki. The manual frustratingly stated that one’s physical condition must be strong to awaken Armament Haki, but it didn’t specify how strong.

Resisting the urge to throw the manual away, Vir continued reading.

By evening, after having dinner, Vir was still studying the Armament Haki training methods.

He realized that learning Armament Haki quickly was a fool’s dream. It couldn’t be done in a short time but required long-term practice, constantly trying to manifest Haki in battle.

This process needed constant practice and various external stimuli, such as harsh weather and intense battles.

Harsh weather conditions were hard to find, but many deserted islands were suitable for battle. After dealing with Gard, he would ask Ferdinand for information on suitable nearby islands.

Initially hoping to awaken Armament Haki before fighting Gard to boost his strength, Vir realized it was impossible. He didn’t have the extraordinary talent for it. So, he set aside the Haki matter for now.

The primary issue now was dealing with Gard, a formidable opponent he hadn’t met but was destined to fight.

Ultimately, it all boiled down to his body recovering. Without recovery, he couldn’t fight.

Thinking of this, Vir changed his bloodstained bedsheets, re-bandaged his wounds, and after another round of suffering, lay quietly in bed, using the ‘Lightning Stimulation Method’ to enhance his body’s recovery.

The agreed time with Ferdinand soon arrived. Ferdinand did not meet Vir on Tut Island to show sincerity and avoid the Roaring Lion Pirates’ spies.

Ferdinand came with only one person: the cold beauty from the seaside.

Once the two ships were close, Ferdinand boarded Vir’s ship, followed closely by the cold beauty, likely his bodyguard.

“Ver, you look good. This is my sister, Gabrielle Katharina,” Ferdinand introduced his sister, looking pleased with the collaboration.

Ver’s first thought was, “Her hair color doesn’t match,” then he felt a headache. The name Katharina was too misleading.

To his surprise, the cold beauty was Ferdinand’s sister, a Celestial Dragon. This refreshed Vir’s worldview again.

Ferdinand somewhat resembled a Celestial Dragon, but Katharina didn’t show any signs of being one.

“Katharina, hello. I’m Vir. We’ve met before. Let’s talk in the dining room. I’ve cooked,” Vir said, leading the siblings to the dining room.

Outside of battle, Vir was quite normal. So, he decided to use an old home method: discuss matters over a meal, making the atmosphere more relaxed.

Katharina only nodded, not speaking, likely due to her damaged voice, making her reluctant to talk.

“Oh? I didn’t expect you to cook, Vir. This is surprising. If your cooking is as good as your killing, I’m in for a treat today,” Ferdinand said, amused.

Typically, assassins are cold and unsmiling, especially someone as twisted as Vir.

Ferdinand had prepared for a cold reception but found Vir different from what he expected. Gone was the madness and bloodlust from the other day. Instead, Vir smiled politely, seeming quite approachable.

Ferdinand was even more satisfied. No one liked working with a psychopath. While Vir might turn into that state during battle, he seemed easy to get along with otherwise. With the terms Ferdinand offered, this partnership was surely viable.

When they reached the dining room, Ferdinand was surprised not by the chill but by the sumptuous spread, including several rare dishes.

Vir wasn’t a professional chef, but as a foodie who had traveled on missions and sampled many delicacies, he occasionally “requested” chefs to teach him their methods. Thus, his culinary skills were not lacking. Importantly, he had spent a lot of money storing precious ingredients on the ship.

Ferdinand complimented Vir’s cooking as they ate, while Katharina showed her appreciation by eating quietly.

Through their chat, Vir learned that the siblings could barely be considered Celestial Dragons. They had been expelled from Mariejois at a young age and lived outside for Vir a decade. Ferdinand’s claim of residing in Mariejois was to maintain appearances.

Without this pretense, they couldn’t handle such shady businesses. It wouldn’t make sense for a genuine Celestial Dragon to do such work. Despite their status, the World Government trusted the siblings due to their heritage.

After revealing their backgrounds, they discussed the collaboration further. Ferdinand offered Paramecia Devil Fruit to compensate for the previous ambush. Vir, in return, was to help kill Gard with Katharina.

They formed an alliance, with Vir providing military support while Ferdinand offered channels for rare items and confidential information when Vir needed them.

Both parties were pleased with the agreement. Vir brought out good wine to celebrate.

Only they knew how genuine this alliance was. The seemingly cold Katharina was, in reality, the least scheming, focused solely on eating her meal.

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