South Blue, Kutsk Island.

In the slang of the people of South Blue, “Kutsk” means ‘suffering’ and ‘battle’.

And the truth is exactly so.

The South Blue itself is a sea of martial prowess, famous for ‘producing assassins’.

And this island located in the South Blue is known as a ferocious island even within the South Blue.

Because the island is not a nation allied with the World Government, the entire island has no lawful government rule, but is instead a rare lawless zone ruled by the ‘Black Flag Bandit Group’.

As one can imagine, a group of bandits naturally wouldn’t have any reasonable governance methods.

Their method of rule is very simple—anyone on the island who wants to live must pay them a monthly tribute.

But at the same time, this island has another rule.

That is, anyone, as long as they are strong enough, can occupy a block and establish their own gang—even outsiders.

Gang divisions and incessant fighting and strife are practically synonymous with this island.

And right now…

“Ptui!”

Spitting out a mouthful of blood-tinged phlegm, a man with red hair wearing goggles was bandaging the wounds on his body.

And beside him, a man wearing a blue-and-white striped mask with long blond hair, two sickles equipped on his hands, was wiping the blood off his blades.

“Ho?”

And beside them, two elders with completely white hair and beards were chatting with smiles on their faces.

One of the elders, smoking a pipe: “Kid, Killer—you two brats suffered heavy losses in this battle.”

The other elder was boiling noodles: “After all, directly rebelling against the ‘Black Flag’… that kind of thing is very difficult.”

The two elders exchanged words.

Even though the two young men in front of them were clearly seriously injured, they still laughed heartily.

“Shut up, you two stinky old men!”

At this moment, Kid raised his head and shouted in a low voice.

“What heavy losses? I led my men and killed hundreds of them… right, Killer?”

He turned his head and looked at his best friend.

“…”

Killer nodded silently, still wiping the sickle in his hand.

“The Black Flag—that kind of thing, Killer and I will sooner or later cut down its flag and replace it with ours.”

Kid spread his hands, declaring his current ‘ambition’: “That is the promise we made when Hilton died… urgh…”

Halfway through his sentence, he seemed to have pulled a wound, making him suck in a cold breath.

But his eyes remained very firm.

Yes.

He, Eustass Kid, and his best friend beside him, the ‘Massacre Soldier’ Killer.

They were both people who grew up on this island.

During their childhood, they had already made a dream to stand out, and risked their lives for it.

And they were also one of the few gang leaders on this island who dared to directly rebel against the ‘Black Flag Bandit Group’, and even go to war with them.

The reason is exactly as he said.

His and Killer’s best friend ‘Hilton’ was killed by the Black Flag Bandit Group.

And he and Killer made a promise before Hilton’s corpse—they would exterminate the Black Flag Bandit Group, and use this as a tribute to their friend and as the first step to becoming the ‘Pirate King’!

“If we don’t exterminate them… we can’t set sail.”

“If we don’t kill everyone in the Black Flag one by one… the meaning of my life will be gone, do you understand, old man!”

Kid grinned fiercely.

“Ho ho ho… quite the fighting spirit.”

Seeing the resolve in Kid’s eyes, the old man smoking the pipe grinned: “It’s this look in your eyes… truly not bad.”

He sighed.

For so many years, he had seen this look in Kid’s eyes countless times—even if he was hunted countless times, even if he could only rummage for weapons in garbage dumps, he had never changed the ‘resolve’ in his eyes.

Just like Killer beside him, this kid is young, but his spirit and will are already like a famous sword.

He likes famous swords.

He can be sure—if things continue like this, it’s only a matter of time before the Black Flag is completely overthrown by these two kids.

He can even make a bold assertion.

He doesn’t know if Kid is the protagonist of this era, but he is sure Kid will eventually become famous across the sea.

Of course, the premise is…

“Survive first, then talk big.”

Speaking of this, the other elder who was boiling noodles placed two bowls of udon noodles directly in front of Killer and Kid.

“There are already 714 people gathered outside, many of whom have a sharp aura. They should be warriors the Black Flag recruited from outside the island.”

He grinned, casually picking up a cup of tea nearby and taking a sip.

“According to the island’s rules—you have to go out after finishing the noodles… don’t expect this old man to help you then.”

He said so.

And at the same time, the facts were exactly as he stated.

If anyone were here right now, they would definitely see it.

The place where Kid and Killer were currently located was actually a ramen shop on the island.

The ramen shop was named ‘Match Residence’ (Shiai-kyō), the decoration was standard Wano Country style, and there was even a mark of a tachi on the front door of the noodle shop.

And right now outside the ramen shop.

Members of the ‘Black Flag Bandit Group’, holding either swords or muskets, had all gathered here.

“Hey, listen… as soon as those two guys come out, kill them immediately. This time we absolutely cannot let them escape!”

The person speaking at this moment was exactly the leader of the Black Flag Bandit Group, ‘Black Flag’ Kandera.

But at this moment, even this usually lawless bandit leader who ruled this island.

Did not order any of his subordinates to try and force their way into the noodle shop.

As for the reason, it was also very simple.

Because he knew how special the two elders inside this noodle shop were.

“Ha? Of course I know that kind of thing!”

Hearing the elder’s words, Kid also snorted coldly.

His gaze fell on the things at the two elders’ waists.

Those were two tachi that looked very old.

That silently revealed the identities of these two elders—they were both ‘Swordsmen’.

Kid didn’t know their identities, only knowing that they seemed to be immigrants who came to this island from overseas decades ago.

After coming to this island, relying on their overwhelming swordsmanship, they easily defeated the leader of the Black Flag Bandit Group at the time.

But afterwards, they didn’t directly seize ownership of this island.

On the contrary.

“We only came here because we didn’t want the swords in our hands to grow cold—give us a piece of territory, let us stay here and watch the ‘battles’.”

Accompanied by these words, this noodle shop was established and became the most special place on the entire island.

Just like the current Kid and Killer—as long as they enter this shop and order a bowl of curry udon, even the Black Flag Bandit Group cannot force their way in to kill them.

“Tch… it’s getting worse and worse.”

Slurp slurp, he finished the udon in the bowl in front of him in a few bites.

The initially bandaged Kid stood up impatiently and looked at Killer: “Hey—Killer, let’s go.”

As he spoke, purple magnetic force burst out from his hands, gathering pieces of steel into his grasp.

“…Mm.”

Killer sucked the last noodle into his mask and hummed in agreement.

Then he also stood up and lightly swung his freshly wiped sickles.

Yes.

People on the island are not allowed to attack those who enter the ‘Match Residence’—this is the rule.

But at the same time, guests of the Match Residence must leave immediately after finishing their noodles to face the battles they ought to fight—this is also a rule.

So many times, this noodle shop does not represent the end of a conflict.

Instead, it is a witness to the climax of a conflict.

Not fearing matches, endless martial refinement.

This is the origin of the name ‘Match Residence’.

But at this moment…

“Hm?” (x2)

Just as Kid and Killer were building their respective momentum, preparing to leave the noodle shop and risk their lives to break out of the encirclement.

Clang! (x2)

They heard a sound in their ears.

That was the crisp sound of a sword blade being unsheathed.

Thus, Kid and Killer turned their heads.

“Stinky old men, I already told you I don’t need your help…”

Kid shouted in a low voice, but the next moment…

“Kid, something’s wrong…”

Killer directly grabbed his shoulder.

Kid was stunned.

Then, he noticed.

Those two elders they were extremely familiar with, who could even be said to have watched them grow up, had expressions that were unprecedentedly unfamiliar at this moment.

Thump! (x2)

The pipe in the smoking elder’s hand and the teacup in the tea-drinking elder’s hand both fell to the ground.

Their relaxed smiles, which had remained consistent for decades as they watched the battles on the island daily, had vanished without a trace.

Their originally cloudy eyes became sharp, and their hands were already covering the hilts of their respective tachi, pulling them out an inch.

Their gazes stared fixedly in the direction of the noodle shop’s door. There was no fear in their eyes, only an indescribable focus and… incredible excitement.

It was as if a lion had smelled another beast stepping into its territory.

No, to be exact.

“Do you feel it? Jirobo?”

“Ah… how could I not feel something of this level—this level of ‘intent’ is almost exactly like that boy Ushimaru… no, even more terrifying than that.”

As the two elders exchanged words.

Kid could even see that both their hands were trembling subconsciously.

“Hey, stinky old men, you guys…”

He instantly realized.

What was coming was not a lion, but a monster far beyond that.

But clearly, the two elders had no intention of listening to Kid’s words.

“You two brats…”

“Step aside!”

They merely said this: “That guy’s calling card is coming.”

Kid, Killer: “?”

But exactly in the next moment…

VMMM!

A certain feeling rose in their hearts.

What kind of feeling was it?

Like suddenly plunging their souls into the extreme cold of permafrost.

They could hear the exclamations from outside the door and a crisp sound, like paper being sliced open.

But they could be certain that what was being sliced open was definitely not paper.

Because at this time, their bodies went stiff almost instinctively, and goosebumps rose subconsciously.

It was as if something incredibly sharp had sliced their souls open in this moment.

That was an extremely intense ‘presence’.

“Dodge!”

At this moment, Kid barely recovered his wits and violently shoved his best friend.

His and Killer’s figures flew apart simultaneously.

And the next moment…

Sslash!

Still the sound like slicing paper—but this time, what was sliced open was the entire ‘Match Residence’.

And exactly in this instant, the airborne Kid finally saw clearly the thing that was attacking.

That was a slash!

A slash impossibly sharp and powerful.

Kid and Killer could even clearly see where the slash had come from—the fierce members of the ‘Black Flag Bandit Group’ who had originally surrounded the noodle shop had already vanished by a large portion, as if erased from thin air.

The encirclement formed by the entire ‘Black Flag Bandit Group’ now clearly had a massive pathway carved through it.

The horror in Kid and Killer’s hearts naturally went without saying.

And at the same time…

Clang!

The two elders had already fully drawn their swords.

VMMM!

The two stood side by side… and swung their swords in unison!

Just as mentioned before—a slash is a swordsman’s ‘calling card’.

The incoming enemy had already presented their card; they naturally ought to return the gesture.

Clang!

The next moment, the slash collided with the tachi in their hands.

Thus…

BOOM!

The deafening sound of clashing metal echoed, and a violent shockwave instantly surged outwards.

Kid and Killer were instantly thrown fiercely by this shockwave.

But when the two landed, they couldn’t care about the pain wracking their bodies.

Instead, they instinctively directed their gazes to the center of the collision.

Then, they saw a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

At this moment, on the tachi in the elders’ hands, Ryuo surged like ink.

Terrifyingly powerful slashes also gathered on the blades—as the blades trembled, the slashes continuously dissipated.

But even those few dissipated slashes were enough to neatly slice open the entire ground.

“Those two old men…”

The hairs all over Kid’s body stood on end; he even felt like his blood was about to freeze.

“Although I knew long ago, but to think it was to this extent…”

The knuckles of Killer’s hand tightly gripping the sickle also turned white from excessive force.

Undoubtedly—the power displayed by those two elders had surpassed their understanding of ‘strength’.

But what was even more unbelievable was…

Right now, even though those two elders had displayed this level of power.

The slash that their blades were colliding with was still not directly dispersed.

On the contrary.

Zzt zzt…

Both Kid and Killer saw that black-red lightning was continuously flashing on that slash.

It wrapped around that slash, elevating its power to what seemed like an even higher level.

And accompanied by the buzzing of the lightning, the ground beneath the two elders’ feet actually shattered and caved in inch by inch.

Their bodies trembled violently, the muscles on their arms knotting to the limit.

Then…

BOOM!

Their figures were astonishingly knocked back directly by this strike.

Sssss! Sssss!

The two figures retreated violently, stumbling as they landed.

Hah… hah…

They panted heavily, but their gazes remained fixed on the distance.

“The force and sharpness are actually this fierce?”

“Conqueror’s Infusion is actually this strong?”

Amidst such murmurs.

The two elders simultaneously raised their swords, pointing at that figure in the distance.

“I am ‘Shimotsuki Jirobo’.”

“I am ‘Shimotsuki Tenga’.”

They announced their names.

Those were the names of the two ‘Great Swordsmen’ who competed with the previous Daimyo of Ringo in Wano Country, ‘Shimotsuki Ushimaru’, in their youth, whose fame echoed throughout Wano Country.

“Powerful swordsman—are you willing to announce your name!?”

And exactly after their voices fell.

From the far distance, a voice came.

“This one is an ability user who ate the ‘Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Shimotsuki Ryuma’. You may call me ‘Sword God’.”

☆☆☆

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