One Piece Swordsman's Heart - Chapter 40

Ferdinand felt exhausted.

Two years ago, after he used Vir to deal with the Angry Lion Pirates, he successfully connected with Doflamingo. Their cooperation went well initially, as their similar childhood experiences created a unique bond.

However, as time passed, Ferdinand realized that Doflamingo was also a lunatic. Although he appeared normal most of the time, there were moments during their conversations when Doflamingo revealed the mental scars left by his traumatic childhood.

That night, Ferdinand had trouble sleeping. After finally managing to deal with Gad, he now had a new partner who, although not insane, was certainly erratic and neurotic. This reminded him of someone: a young man wielding dual swords.

Sometimes Ferdinand thought it would be interesting if these two met, but unfortunately, one had disappeared into obscurity.

And today, things took a turn for the worse. The madman named Vir had contacted him, and he had made the mistake of judging Vir by his old habits.

After an emotional rollercoaster, Ferdinand knew he was temporarily safe. He had miraculously managed to calm this madman.

“Vir, what level of sword are you looking to forge? You should know that finding a good swordsmith isn’t enough; you also need good materials,” Ferdinand said, switching to business mode, as if all the previous unpleasantness had been forgotten.

“At least at the level of a Great Grade Sword. If possible, even a Supreme Grade Sword,” Vir replied. If he wanted to forge an ordinary sword, he wouldn’t need Ferdinand. Although Vir didn’t know who classified the sword grades, he was sure they were human-made and not something that appeared out of thin air.

Given Ferdinand’s connections, excluding CP9 and CP0, he could mobilize other CP units. While his military support from the government might be average, his intelligence resources were considerable. CP was the intelligence branch of the World Government, and without his background as a former Celestial Dragon and the current highest authority on Tutu Island, he wouldn’t have the right to access CP’s intelligence.

So Vir felt that Ferdinand likely had information on the swordsmiths who could forge such renowned swords.

“At least a Great Grade Sword, huh? According to my information, there’s only one family capable of that level of craftsmanship. I have business dealings with their head and can get them to forge the sword for you. But do you have the materials? Forging a Great Grade or Supreme Grade Sword requires rare metals, which, while priced similarly to a Devil Fruit, are much rarer,” Ferdinand said, realizing Vir’s strength had shifted his stance towards cooperation.

“Oh? Since you brought it up, you must have a solution. What do you want in return? Even if it means killing a non-Mariejois-based Celestial Dragon, I can do it,” Vir said, sensing that Ferdinand had access to the rare metals, otherwise he wouldn’t mention them and invite trouble.

Ferdinand started sweating. “Brother, it’s just rare metal. There’s no need to kill a Celestial Dragon. That would attract an Admiral.”

Thinking of Admirals, Ferdinand’s face changed. Recalling Vir’s earlier words, he wondered if Vir could now contend with an Admiral. Probably not, but his strength was definitely beyond Ferdinand’s previous estimation.

With newfound confidence in his intelligence about the rare metals, Ferdinand was also excited about what he might gain.

“Yes, I have those rare metals, and they’re top-tier. I was planning to use them to bribe a certain Navy officer. Vir, I’ll give you these rare metals now, but you have to do something for me when I need it. Don’t worry, it won’t be a suicide mission. If it is, you can refuse,” Ferdinand said, offering Vir a tempting deal.

“Agreed. Contact me via Den Den Mushi when you need me. I’m heading to Tutu Island now. Tell me more about that smithing family,” Vir said, more interested in the smithing family information to confirm some of his ideas.

“I don’t know their surname. The family never reveals it to outsiders, and their names are odd, not even proper names. They all start with ‘Iron,’ followed by a number. For example, if the father’s name is Iron Four, the son’s name would be Iron Forty. This is probably just for outsiders. Many ancient families don’t reveal their surnames.

“They’ve crafted two Great Grade Swords and one Supreme Grade Sword over the centuries. They’re rumored to excel in forging cursed swords, although they never admit it,” Ferdinand explained.

The two chatted for a long time before Vir finally hung up.

Vir suddenly laughed, thinking of something amusing. Ferdinand had twice turned him from enemy to ally. This could be considered a special talent. Otherwise, how could a former Celestial Dragon manage an island producing gunpowder and have the authority to request CP intelligence?

Vir set the ship’s course for Tutu Island on autopilot and went to force the rabbit to train in martial arts. He found the rabbit, planning to drag it to the deck, only to see it deeply engrossed in a large notebook. Occasionally, its face showed confusion or joy, like a child discovering a new toy.

Vir saw the notebook was the medical book given by Doctor Crocus, which he had tossed on the bedroom shelf as it looked like gibberish to him. He didn’t expect the rabbit to be interested or even able to understand it.

“Rabbit, can you really understand it? Do you like medical books?” Vir asked, examining the rabbit to see if it was genuinely interested or just avoiding martial arts training.

The rabbit nodded quickly and wrote on a note.

“I love it, but some parts are hard to understand. It’s frustrating. Al, please get me more medical books. I discovered I really like medicine.”

Al was the rabbit’s special name for Vir. In this world, apart from a few deceased individuals, only the rabbit dared to call him by that nickname.

“Oh? So you really like it. Don’t worry, in ten days or so, I’ll get you enough medical books to last a year,” Vir said, pleased to see the rabbit’s interest and promising to help.

Vir set the course for Tutu Island and went to the deck to force the rabbit to train in martial arts. He found the rabbit engrossed in a medical book and promised to get more books.

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