One Piece Swordsman's Heart - Chapter 5

After leaving the bar, Vir walked slowly through the alley, finally shedding the ill-fitting black robe. He swore never to wear that wretched thing again. Behind him, Karn followed silently, seemingly preoccupied with something.

“Senior Brother Karn, about the fifty-fifty split we agreed on—thirty thousand Berries—do you want it now, or shall we wait until we get back to the dojo?” Vir asked after walking a short distance.

Karn was taken aback and answered stiffly, “No rush. We can split it later. By the way, junior brother, why are you going back to the dojo? Your training doesn’t start until tomorrow.”

“Oh, I went to the dojo to find you, but you weren’t there. I didn’t know anyone else, so I went to see the master. He told me to see him after the deal was done,” Vir replied calmly without turning back.

Karn’s expression changed, and he angrily asked, “You told the master? Why did you tell him?”

Vir suddenly turned to face Karn, looking him straight in the eyes.

“Why shouldn’t I tell the master? Senior Brother Karn, how about we give the master a share as well? Let’s each give him ten thousand. What do you think, Senior Brother Karn?”

Vir squinted at the tall and strong Karn.

Karn’s face darkened even more. After hesitating for a long time, he seemed to recall something terrifying.

“Then let’s give the master twenty thousand. It’s only right,” Karn replied in a low voice and fell silent.

Vir smiled and continued walking forward, never looking back at Karn, who followed silently, his face full of reluctance.

As they reached the dojo gates, Vir asked without looking back, “Do you want to come with me to see the master, Karn?”

“I’ll pass. I need to continue my training in the back hills. Just give me the money,” Karn said, seeming distracted, not even noticing Vir’s change in address for him.

Vir took twenty thousand Berries from the box, handed them to Karn, and then turned and walked into the dojo.

Today was a particularly eventful day for Karn. The rollercoaster of emotions was too intense for his young mind to process. A new junior brother had told him about a deal worth tens of thousands of Berries. Initially, Karn didn’t believe it, given the junior’s age and the amount of money. But eventually, the junior brother convinced him.

Karn had taken his junior brother to the black market, and they had indeed sold the information for sixty thousand Berries. Was information really worth that much? Who knew. But the thought of the thirty thousand Berries he was about to receive made Karn feel light on his feet. He had never seen so much money in his life.

Suddenly, Karn had a thought: why not just kill the kid and take all sixty thousand Berries for himself? The Sword Intent Hall wasn’t a place for saints; killing someone wasn’t unusual for Karn.

Karn could buy a decent sword with sixty thousand Berries, significantly boosting his strength. He could even join the Navy and possibly become an officer.

Just as Karn was about to act, the little brat mentioned that their master knew about the deal. Karn felt a wave of fear and confusion.

Karn had been with his master for five years and knew he had never earned his master’s trust. He was treated as a doorman, errand boy, and enforcer at the dojo. Although others didn’t know, Karn was well aware of his master’s strength and danger.

A senior brother had once offended the master, and soon after, his entire family mysteriously disappeared. Since then, Karn had been a model disciple, doing whatever the master said.

Now, from thirty thousand Berries down to twenty thousand, Karn didn’t know how his master would punish him, making his mood even worse.

Back to Vir, who entered the dojo and went straight to the middle room to knock on the door.

“Master, it’s Vir. I have something to discuss with you.”

“Come in,” Adonis said softly from inside.

Entering the room, Vir sat on a cushion in front of Adonis and spoke directly.

“Master, I just went with Senior Brother Karn to the black market to sell some information. It sold for sixty thousand Berries. I gave Senior Brother Karn twenty thousand, and here is your twenty thousand,” he said, taking twenty thousand Berries from the box and handing it to Adonis.

“Oh? Since it was you and Karn who sold the information, why give me a share?” Adonis asked calmly.

“Although you weren’t involved, this is your dojo. Karn and I are your disciples,” Vir replied honestly, looking at the old man before him. Vir firmly believed that knowing how to conduct oneself was essential for survival, especially when one was still weak.

You could be greedy, like Karn.

You could be short-sighted, like Karn.

But you must never fail to know how to conduct yourself, unlike Karn.

Adonis smiled in satisfaction. Even if Vir had no talent for swordsmanship, he would make a useful assistant. Although this assistant’s background was still unclear and he was young, time would reveal everything. Moreover, if anyone in Loguetown had a murky background, it was Adonis himself.

“Alright, I’ll accept this twenty thousand. Since you’ve made some money selling information, you no longer need to work at Red’s shop. Move into the dojo. You can choose any unoccupied room except for the two rooms next to mine. Starting tomorrow, come to me after dinner, and I’ll explain some swordsmanship principles to you.”

Vir silently praised the old man’s sharpness. Unlike Karn, who saw a diamond-laying chicken and wanted to kill it to take the diamonds, Adonis saw the long-term value.

Vir responded promptly, “Master, my mother used to deal in information, so I know many secret pieces of information. Why don’t we sell information together?”

“No rush. Selling information is highly profitable but also dangerous. We must proceed cautiously and not too frequently, or we’ll attract trouble. I’ll have someone else represent us in the future. We’ll split the profits; one part for the representative, four parts for me, and five parts for you. How does that sound?” Adonis said, smiling.

“No, Master, you take five parts,” Vir replied without hesitation.

Adonis didn’t argue, “Alright, then. It’s settled. Karn hasn’t visited his hometown in a while. He should take a break and see his parents.”

With that, Adonis closed his eyes, signaling the end of the conversation.

Vir took his leave and exited the dojo.

Walking slowly down the street, Vir thought his new master was not simple. Though he didn’t know Adonis’s true strength, he seemed reliable. He decided to return to Red’s shop to say goodbye.

He saw Red working on a large broken part at Red’s shop. He walked over and said,

“Boss, I’m here to resign. Due to other commitments, I can’t continue this job. Here are five thousand Berries to repay the five hundred you lent me, plus interest. Thank you for taking me in. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll leave now.”

Without waiting for Red to respond, Vir turned and walked away, waving over his shoulder.

Red, momentarily stunned, watched as Vir walked off into the distance. Perhaps the small shopkeeper didn’t realize he had just missed out on a future great swordsman’s favor.

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