One Piece Swordsman's Heart - Chapter 9
A year flew by in the blink of an eye.
Every morning, Vir practiced swordsmanship. Afternoons and evenings were dedicated to martial arts training, and occasionally at night, he would go to Adonis to ask questions about sword techniques. Every moment was spent training except for seven hours of sleep and mealtimes.
During this period, Vir, Adonis, and Roy made some money by selling information, earning over a million Berries.
Vir had also been continuously developing the “Core of Thunder.” Apart from the initial “Lightning Stimulus Technique,” he accidentally discovered a new ability through failed experiments.
Once his body adapted to the low-intensity “Lightning Stimulus Technique,” Vir slightly increased the intensity of the electricity. The immediate and remarkable effects boosted his training efficiency from three to four times.
After returning to the dojo that day, he wanted to see if he could increase the intensity even further.
However, driven by greed, Vir cranked up the intensity too much and experienced a moment of sheer agony.
It felt like countless insects were gnawing and twisting inside his body, and then he blissfully passed out.
When he woke up, it was daylight. He found himself in bed with an IV in his right arm. Roy and a middle-aged doctor were talking. Seeing Vir awake, they approached.
“You crazy kid, did you have to push yourself so hard? Training until your muscles spasm all over your body? The doctor says he’s never seen anything like it. You fainted from the pain—can you believe it? What a joyful experience,” Roy teased with a smirk.
Vir really wanted to punch him. After getting to know Roy better, he found that Roy was nothing like the reserved guy he first met. He had a wicked sense of humor that matched his mischievous smile.
“Ha ha ha, enjoying my misery, are you? Should I tell Second Sister about you and that waitress at the inn?” Vir laughed uniquely, making a threat that clearly unsettled Roy.
When Vir started laughing like that, Roy and Adonis thought he was having a fit. Now they were used to it.
“Hey, don’t joke like that! Do you want to get your senior brother killed? You can’t make such jokes in front of An,” Roy warned seriously.
“Ugh, I’m starving. What should I do? I really want some seafood noodles from the town,” Vir hinted, giving Roy a look that said if he didn’t get the food, he’d spread the rumor.
Roy chuckled, called Vir a brat, and went off to buy the seafood noodles.
Vir smiled, reminiscing about the first time he met Second Sister An.
He was training with Roy in the back hills when he saw a tall, alluring woman with long black hair, wearing a tight purple top with a plunging neckline and black pants. She carried a dark red sword at her waist and wore black high-heeled boots.
Vir wondered why such a beautiful woman would come to this desolate place, especially armed.
“Hubby, is this the new junior brother? He’s so young,” the woman said in a sultry voice to Roy.
Vir was in awe of Roy, wondering how someone like him could find such a stunning wife.
Just as Roy was about to reply, he noticed Vir muttering something about flowers and cow dung.
Roy kicked him in the butt, yelling, “Stop thinking disrespectful thoughts and keep them to yourself.”
The woman laughed at the sight.
Roy then introduced her, “This is my wife, Olivia An, also a swordsman. You can call her Second Sister or Sister An.”
“Nice to meet you, Sister An. I’m Vir. Please forgive any shortcomings,” Vir greeted politely.
And nodded, asking how his training was going but otherwise remained quiet.
“Dear, why didn’t you tell me you were coming back? Is everything settled outside?” Roy asked.
“Not yet. I came back because the master had some instructions for me and to see the new junior brother. I’ll be off now,” An said, heading towards the dojo.
Back in the present, Vir smiled at the memory.
As he drank water, he pondered why increasing the electricity’s intensity caused such a severe reaction. The intensity was much higher when he first awakened his electricity powers, yet it only caused pain, not unconsciousness.
Slowly, Vir realized that he hadn’t controlled the electricity during the initial awakening, so it must have circulated through his muscles and bones.
He developed the “Lightning Stimulus Technique” based on Raikage’s technique, stimulating cells.
The two methods were different. One stimulated muscles and bones, the other cells, which explained the varying degrees of tolerance.
With this realization, Vir carefully circulated the electricity through his muscles and bones instead of cells.
He started with a minimal intensity, gradually increasing it until he felt a slight pain, then stopped, maintaining the maximum intensity without causing pain.
Unlike the “Lightning Stimulus Technique,” this new method made his entire body glow faintly blue. He felt his speed and reflexes double, while strength and endurance increased by 0.5 times.
This new technique was impressive. He unintentionally developed a practical skill. As he pondered a name for it, he decided on “Lightning Mode.”
He then opened a cabinet, taking out two high-priced swords forged by the best swordsmith in Loguetown. These were straight swords, not the traditional katanas.
Each sword was 103 cm long, with an 80 cm blade and a 23 cm hilt. They resembled rapiers but had a broader blade, about 3 cm wide, and an octagonal design for enhanced cutting power and durability.
The hilt had a black circular pommel, designed as a last resort in close combat. The grip was wrapped in processed Sea King leather, giving it a soft, non-slip texture. The small crossguard was thicker on the sides, narrower in the middle, and matched the black scabbard.
The blades were treated to prevent reflection, leaving a sharp, gleaming edge.
The swords were designed based on the chinese swords and rapiers from Earth.
When Vir told his master he was going to commission these swords, Adonis insisted on choosing dark colors like black, red, or purple, avoiding bright colors like silver or gold. He didn’t explain why, only saying Vir would understand in the future.
Respecting his master’s wishes, Vir chose black.
He sheathed the identical swords at his sides and drew them in a cross motion. Despite his height of 1.3 meters, handling two one-meter swords was challenging.
Wondering if his new idea would work, Vir closed his eyes and activated the electricity through his muscles and bones, extending it to the swords until they glowed faintly blue, then added more intensity until they emitted a silver-blue light.
He gently touched the desk with a sword, slicing through it effortlessly.
“Ha ha ha, adding electricity to weapons indeed increases their sharpness. This could cut through almost anything if the opponent isn’t significantly stronger,” Vir thought, delighted with his new ability. He sheathed the swords and put them back in the cabinet.
He named this new skill “Lightning Mode” for simplicity. He couldn’t risk forgetting the name during a fight, which could lead to an awkward moment and potentially a loss.
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