One Piece Swordsman's Heart - Chapter 42
As Vir was about to inquire about the location of the blacksmith family, Ferdinand shared another piece of good news with him.
The rare metal wasn’t just a single piece. The one they had was the main material, but there were also other rare metals.
When Vir emerged from the secret room, he carried a large, heavy box filled with valuable rare metals. Additionally, he had a massive box on his back, almost as large as a house, filled with medical books acquired through Ferdinand’s connections upon landing on the island.
They immediately set off with Ferdinand to the blacksmith family without lingering on Tutu Island. Catarina had to stay behind to guard against any unexpected events.
Upon learning more about Vir’s ship, Ferdinand was full of envy.
The ship was not only made of Adam Wood, making it extremely sturdy, but it also had an advanced electrical system, enhancing many of its functions. According to Ferdinand, this ship was not only safe and fast but also incredibly comfortable—an ideal vessel for seafaring.
However, an awkward situation soon arose: Ferdinand had no place to sleep. The ship had only one bedroom, and since the bed was enormous, Vir shared it with the rabbit. Every night, the two of them would roll around, often waking up far from where they fell asleep, as both were restless sleepers.
Sleeping with the rabbit was acceptable to Vir because the rabbit was family, and he had confirmed that it was male.
Though Ferdinand was also a man, Vir couldn’t accept sharing a bed with him. Thus, Ferdinand ended up sleeping in a storage room that Vir cleaned out for him.
Vir moved all the storage items to a room at the bottom of the ship and set up a temporary bed for Ferdinand.
After finishing this task, Vir discovered the rabbit wasn’t helping. Instead, it was playing with seagulls on the ship, feeding them small fish.
Upon closer inspection, Vir realized these weren’t ordinary seagulls but news birds, identifiable by their white hats with black brims and small bags around their necks—one for money and one for newspapers.
Vir knew that other animals generally had a favorable impression of the rabbit. While more aggressive animals were less affected, gentle creatures enjoyed playing and communicating with the rabbit.
A few days ago, a herbivorous Sea King had even ferried the rabbit around the sea like a speedboat, much to Vir’s fright, fearing the rabbit might fall into the sea as a Devil Fruit user. After the rabbit returned to the ship, Vir had given it a stern scolding for its reckless behavior.
And now, even the news birds had taken a liking to the rabbit. Vir decided to buy a newspaper to support the rabbit’s new friends.
Flipping through the newspaper, Vir noticed a few bounty posters. The first few were minor figures with bounties in the millions. But then he almost spat out his juice when he saw his own face.
The photo must have been taken from a distance after he killed Onigumo and returned to his ship. It showed him holding a bottle of liquor, smiling, with the rabbit grinning beside him. The Navy had captured this moment in a photograph.
The bounty poster read:
**Thunder Swordsman Vir, Bounty: 170 million Berries.**
What irked Vir the most was the small print labeling him as a pirate. He saw himself as an adventurer, not a pirate.
He wasn’t surprised by the 170 million Berries bounty. Even though he had no prior reputation on the sea, killing a Navy Vice Admiral was no small feat. If the Navy hadn’t considered the broader implications, they might have issued an even higher bounty.
Despite the portrayal of Vice Admirals in the original story as often inconsequential, they were the backbone of the Navy in reality. Admirals could command awe but were few in number. Vice Admirals oversaw and guarded many naval bases. The sudden death of one could cause chaos in the region they protected, encouraging pirates to become more brazen.
Each naval base guarded hundreds or even thousands of islands. To prevent chaos, the Navy kept Onigumo’s death a secret and quickly reassigned another Vice Admiral to stabilize the situation.
Back in Marineford, before Vir saw the bounty poster…
Sengoku sat at his desk, troubled. The sea was already chaotic enough with numerous pirates and the Four Emperors in the New World. Then, a few days ago, he received terrible news: Vice Admiral Onigumo had been killed by an unknown individual.
Sengoku promptly sealed the information and dispatched Vice Admiral Strawberry to temporarily take Onigumo’s place to maintain order.
Sengoku trusted Strawberry’s capabilities, having been comrades for many years. But he was deeply concerned about who had killed Onigumo.
From the detailed report, it was clear Onigumo had been killed aboard his own ship, indicating his opponent was immensely powerful and highly abnormal. No typical pirate would kill a Vice Admiral over a boarding issue.
The description from Onigumo’s subordinates painted Vir as a powerful, dangerous, and somewhat deranged swordsman, fighting with a kind of madness. This made Sengoku even more anxious; Vir seemed like a born enemy of the Navy.
“Kizaru, a significant newcomer has emerged on the sea. He’s said to be incredibly fast and possesses lightning abilities. Could it be the Goro Goro no Mi? Take a look at the report,” Sengoku said, handing the document to Kizaru, who was on the verge of dozing off.
Today, Kizaru was the only one in the Fleet Admiral’s office; others were out on missions, and Garp had taken leave to deal with personal matters involving his grandson.
Thus, Sengoku sought Kizaru’s opinion, thinking the Pika Pika no Mi user might have insight into speed-based fighters.
Kizaru initially intended to glance at the report to appease Sengoku, but after reading a bit, he put down his tea and began to read seriously.
“Oh my, this Vir fellow doesn’t seem to be a Goro Goro no Mi user. His combat style isn’t typical of a Logia user. He relies entirely on his physical speed without ever becoming intangible. If the report is accurate, this Vir could be very dangerous, incredibly fast with powerful attacks, and skilled in Haki. A bounty of a few hundred million wouldn’t be excessive, Sengoku-san,” Kizaru drawled out.
Sengoku, growing impatient with Kizaru’s slow speech, felt the urgency of the situation. After much consideration, he decided on a 170 million Berries bounty for Vir.
Become a Patron to read chapters ahead of public release and support me 😉
Read up to 40 chapters ahead on p atreon.
