One Piece Swordsman's Heart - Chapter 39

After connecting with Ferdinand, Vir remained silent for a moment before continuing.

“Ferdinand, it’s Vir. I need some information,” Vir said, taking a sip from the bottle, his mood still sour.

“Oh, it’s Vir. What kind of information could you possibly need from me? You’ve piqued my curiosity,” Ferdinand responded, clearly surprised that Vir was asking him for information. Ferdinand knew that Vir possessed many hidden secrets, like the fact that Doflamingo was a Celestial Dragon, a detail that had astonished Ferdinand when Vir casually mentioned it.

“My swords broke. I need to know where I can find a skilled swordsmith,” Vir said, ignoring Ferdinand’s surprise and getting straight to the point.

“Oh, that’s it? There are many master smiths on Anista Island, not far from Tutu Island,” Ferdinand replied lightly, almost dismissively, as if he didn’t take Vir seriously.

“Do you want to die? I’m talking about someone who can forge a named sword. It seems you’ve had too many good days on Tutu Island. Don’t think that just because you were once a Celestial Dragon, I won’t kill you. And don’t tell me you had nothing to do with the auction incident. You really think I’m that easy to fool?” Vir’s tone turned cold, causing even the Den Den Mushi to tremble in fear.

On the other end, there was silence. After a moment, Ferdinand spoke again, his voice now equally cold.

“Are you threatening me, Vir? Do you think that with Katerina by my side, you can actually kill me? You’re too arrogant. If you want to kill me, come and try. We’ll see who dies,” Ferdinand challenged.

“Hahaha, you really think I’m the same small-time killer from two years ago? The strong look forward, the weak cling to the past. So, Ferdinand, are you strong or weak?

“Oh, I forgot to mention, I just killed Onigumo. Yes, the Vice Admiral. If you think Katerina can stop me, feel free to wait for me on Tutu Island,” Vir said, ending the call.

From the beginning, Vir knew that Ferdinand, this small-time merchant, wasn’t trustworthy. He didn’t expect Ferdinand to be this unreliable. It seemed two years had made Ferdinand believe Vir was no longer a threat.

As Vir was about to change course and head back to Tutu Island to kill Ferdinand, the Den Den Mushi rang again.

Vir’s cabin had several Den Den Mushi, though some were now just keepsakes, often tended to by the rabbit, who seemed to communicate with them.

Seeing it was Ferdinand calling, Vir smirked, thinking the merchant was scared.

Answering the call, Ferdinand’s voice came through.

“You really killed Onigumo? I didn’t expect you to become so strong in just two years. Let’s continue our discussion about the swordsmith,” Ferdinand said, his previous hostility replaced with an eager tone.

Vir’s eye twitched at Ferdinand’s shamelessness. He had met many hypocrites, but Ferdinand’s level of shamelessness was rare.

With this kind of opportunism, Ferdinand was a true scoundrel.

Vir had known from the start that Ferdinand was the type to bring benefits when you were strong and betray you when you were weak.

“Hahaha, forget about the swordsmith. I’m heading towards Tutu Island now. We should meet in about ten days, ‘old friend.’ I really want to open your skull and see what you’re thinking. As for your sister Katerina, I have a great idea. How about selling her to the Celestial Dragons as a slave? I’m sure those ‘lamp covers’ in Mariejois would be very interested since she used to be a Celestial Dragon, right, my friend?” Vir said, becoming more excited as he spoke, a crazed smile reminiscent of his time sitting atop a mountain of corpses at the port spreading across the Den Den Mushi’s face.

Ferdinand felt a chill. He now regretted underestimating Vir’s strength over the past two years. Katerina might have improved significantly, but he had made a grave mistake by underestimating Vir.

Vir’s threats to kill him and sell Katerina to Mariejois were not taken lightly by Ferdinand. He knew that once Vir began fighting, he was a madman.

Ferdinand wasn’t afraid of death; his heart had died the day his father kicked him out of Mariejois. All that remained was a despicable, shameless, profit-driven Ferdinand. The sunny boy he once was had been consumed by the abyss.

But he couldn’t bear the thought of his sister being harmed, especially being sold to Mariejois. Others might not know the horrors faced by slaves there, but he did. Male slaves had it bad, but for female slaves, it was a living hell.

Mariejois was the most terrifying hell for female slaves. The Celestial Dragons’ perversions had gone beyond mere abuse, as they did that daily and had grown bored of it.

Some twisted individual had invented ‘entertainment activities,’ drastically increasing the consumption rate of female slaves in Mariejois. Yes, consumption, like disposable items.

Ferdinand couldn’t let his sister end up there.

“Vir, if you spare my sister, I’ll give you everything. I’ve investigated through CP and know you’re beyond my reach now. But for Katerina’s sake, don’t do that to her,” Ferdinand pleaded, his tone almost begging.

Vir was surprised that this self-serving merchant cared so much about his sister. As for his threat to sell Katerina to Mariejois, it was just a bluff. Vir, despite his ruthlessness, would never sell someone he had once fought alongside into slavery. He had just wanted to scare Ferdinand and hadn’t expected such a strong reaction.

This level of fear and pleading amused Vir.

“Hahaha, my friend, I was just joking. Let’s continue discussing the swordsmith,” Vir said, his expression returning to a friendly smile, uttering words that nearly made Ferdinand collapse.

Become a Patron to read chapters ahead of public release and support me 😉

Read up to 40 chapters ahead on p atreon.