One Piece Swordsman's Heart - Chapter 28
After seeing off the siblings, Vir returned to the dining area. They had agreed to meet on Tut Island the next day to finalize their plan to kill Gard.
Back in the dining area, Vir picked up the Devil Fruit on the table, admiring it for a moment. After all, Devil Fruits were extremely rare; it was his first time seeing one in person.
However, Vir didn’t plan to eat it. Ignoring the fact that he didn’t know what power it possessed, consuming a Devil Fruit would turn him into a hammer, vulnerable to sea water and Sea Prism Stone, making even taking a bath a draining affair. It was indeed tough for Devil Fruit users.
And this wasn’t the worst part. The worst were the intense Devil Fruits. For example, Magellan, who ate the Venom-Venom Fruit, spent most of his life on the toilet and had to clamp down during battles to avoid literally being beaten to shit.
Some strange abilities required huge imagination and time to develop, so Vir had no intention of eating it but thought it might be nice to keep as a collection.
Placing the Devil Fruit in the safe in his bedroom, Vir felt a sense of satisfaction from his extravagant collection. Actually, it was more of an emergency fund for when he needed money.
Since his injuries hadn’t fully healed, Vir only did some light recovery training before lying back on the bed to rest.
Time passed quickly while he slept.
The next day, dressed in a black robe, Vir arrived at the agreed meeting spot. Katharina was already there, maintaining her cold demeanor, but the ice cream in her hand betrayed her foodie nature.
Vir had discovered the previous day that this cold beauty was surprisingly a foodie.
Katharina simply nodded and led Vir to Ferdinand’s residence.
When Vir arrived at Ferdinand’s house, he was amazed. The former Celestial Dragon and current ruler of Tut Island lived in an incredibly luxurious home.
Following Katharina into what could be called a castle, they went up to the second floor, where Ferdinand was waiting in his study.
After a discussion, the three of them devised a simple yet effective plan.
Once Gat returned, they would immediately inform him of his brother’s death and its connection to Ferdinand’s auction house. Gard would certainly come to Ferdinand for an explanation.
Ferdinand would then claim to have captured Vir, leading Gard to the castle’s underground escape tunnel, where Vir and Katharina would ambush him from both sides. No matter how strong Gard was, he couldn’t handle powerful enemies attacking from the front and back simultaneously. Ferdinand would use the opportunity to open the tunnel’s internal door and hide inside.
Even the most skilled fighter couldn’t manage two heads and four hands, facing attacks from both sides. The plan was simple and, therefore, easy to execute, minimizing variables.
However, the key concern was luring Gard into the tunnel, something Vir was particularly focused on.
The siblings assured Vir that this wouldn’t be a problem. Ferdinand told Vir that once he saw Gard, he would understand.
Vir also had some reservations about the siblings. He didn’t fully trust them, so he insisted on inspecting the tunnel first. If Ferdinand hadn’t been so earnest, Vir wouldn’t have stepped foot into the castle.
Realizing his current strength wasn’t worth a Devil Fruit as bait, Vir followed Ferdinand to inspect the underground tunnel. As expected, it was filled with traps and made of a special alloy. It was very sturdy.
The metallic walls were half Vir’s domain. In the tunnel, he could move using electromagnetic forces, ignoring gravity, making it an ideal ambush spot.
Still, Vir wanted to see Gard in person before deciding whether to proceed with the plan.
After waiting for over ten days on Tut Island, the Roaring Lion Pirates’ ship finally returned.
Before the ship even docked, a figure flew from it like a cannonball, head-first into the ground, shaking the dock.
The busy dockworkers didn’t find this unusual but rather looked on with disdain and envy as if saying, “How does such a lunatic have such strength?”
Vir couldn’t help but gape at the sight of the sturdy man in his thirties who, upon landing, stood up and roared in triumph.
Vir looked at Ferdinand with a special gaze, asking, “This guy is your longtime partner?”
Looking somewhat embarrassed, Ferdinand nodded, emphasizing that Gard was Viry strong.
Vir chuckled but didn’t respond. Instead, he motioned to Katharina to head to Ferdinand’s castle, showing that he was now fully on board with the plan.
As they neared the castle, a loud roar echoed from far behind them.
“Who killed my brother? I’ll tear them apart, smash them, and eat them!”
Vir hurried Katharina along towards the castle.
Arriving at the pre-arranged ambush spot, Vir pressed a mechanism on the wall, opening a door. He slipped inside and closed the door behind him.
After about an hour of waiting, Vir heard footsteps. Ferdinand must be bringing Gard. Now he just needed the signal.
The footsteps drew nearer, and Vir heard a series of coughs.
It was the signal. Vir pressed the mechanism, and the door in front of him opened.
Standing before Vir was the man who had performed the human cannonball act at the dock – Gard. Ferdinand had already escaped through a hidden door in the tunnel.
Seeing this, Vir felt reassured. This wasn’t a trap for him. He drew his sword and activated his ‘Lightning Mode’ and faced his strong opponent.
Given the tunnel’s narrow space, Vir opted for a reverse grip on his sword for greater maneuverability, avoiding the mistake of striking the walls and losing speed, which could give the enemy an opening.
Opposite Vir, Katharina stood adjusting her stance, preparing to use her legs. Vir had initially thought she was a Devil Fruit user.
Since it was their first collaboration, Vir hadn’t inquired about Katharina’s combat style in detail, only about her fighting capability.
Katharina had merely pointed at Vir, then at his sword, and finally at herself, shaking her head.
Vir had been puzzled until Ferdinand explained that it meant it would be tough for Vir to defeat her.
With this information, Vir felt more at ease.
Seeing that Katharina didn’t intend to strike first, Vir charged at Gard. As Vir moved, Katharina followed suit, attacking Gard together.
Since Vir was much faster, he reached Gard first.
Gard, initially confused, now realized he was being ambushed. He covered his fists in Haki and punched towards Vir.
With a clang, Vir’s sword and Gard’s fist clashed, producing a metallic sound. Gard seemed relaxed, but just as he was about to speak, he felt a tremendous force hit his back.
Vir had only just managed to hold off Gard, waiting for Katharina’s support. When she struck, Vir felt something was wrong. A massive force came through his sword, and both he and Gard were sent flying backward.
In mid-air, Vir was speechless. This woman had immense strength – could it be some Devil Fruit power?
Adjusting his posture mid-air, Vir landed, albeit not lightly, as the force of Katharina’s kick was tremendous.
Despite the surroundings being metallic, Vir was able to use electromagnetic forces to soften his landing, but it still hurt due to Katharina’s strength.
Who would have thought those long legs could pack such power? But there was no time to ponder as the fight continued. Vir got up and charged at Gard again.
Having taken the full brunt of the kick, Gard couldn’t get up. Vir seized the opportunity, knowing Gard couldn’t fully cover himself with Armament Haki.
Ver’s fast slashes and Gard’s inability to defend in time left deep cuts on Gard’s body.
Just as Gard was focusing on defending Vir’s attacks, Katharina’s second kick landed, this time even stronger.
With a loud thud, the tunnel echoed with the impact. In a desperate move, Gard turned, sacrificing his arm to deflect the blow.
Despite covering his back with Haki, Gard’s focus on Vir’s attacks left his defense incomplete. The kick broke his arm.
The plan had so far worked perfectly.
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