Although Mihawk had held back considerably, he still displayed impressive swordsmanship.
He looked at Noyer with undisguised admiration, "Young man, what's your name?"
"Noyer."
Mihawk committed the name to memory and nodded, "I look forward to your future. Perhaps you'll be an interesting opponent."
Noyer met his gaze with full confidence, "Of course. It won't be long before I defeat you with my swordsmanship!"
Mihawk sneered, "Such arrogance."
Even with all his current abilities, Noyer might not win against this legendary man.
As the Strongest Swordsman in the World — someone who could cross blades with the Four Emperors — Mihawk wasn't someone you could beat just by stacking Devil Fruits.
Mihawk pulled two bottles of wine from his small boat, sat cross-legged, and called out, "Let's have a couple drinks."
Noyer was taken aback, then smiled, "Sure."
This was bonding through swordsmanship. The two sat on the ground and drank, taking turns.
Seeing them finish their fight and start chatting, Robin finally relaxed. Still, she was puzzled by how men established friendships…
The two drank and discussed swordsmanship. As the strongest swordsman, Mihawk offered insights Noyer could learn from in even his most casual remarks.
Before long, an even more exciting system notification sounded.
『 Ding! Host has Befriended the Important Figure Dracule "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk! Rewards: Universal Talent Copy Card ×1, Host's Exclusive Meito ×1, Swordsmanship +30! 』
Host's Exclusive Meito?
Noyer's consciousness sank into the system space, where a new blade with a sinister design had appeared.
The handle was crimson-black, and the scabbard was carved with eerie characters — as if sealing something terrifying inside.
Looking at the handsome Meito, Noyer felt an unbearable itch to draw it and try it out. But in front of Mihawk, producing a blade out of thin air wouldn't be appropriate.
Mihawk noticed his distraction and found a topic, "Where are you heading?"
At the mention of this, Noyer's face scrunched up, "Skypiea, but we haven't even found the route yet."
"Skypiea, huh…" Mihawk thought for a moment, then pulled a pointer from his bag.
An Eternal Pose? Noyer recognized the item and looked at him with confusion.
Mihawk handed over the Eternal Pose, "I've heard that in the waters near this town, there's a current that shoots straight up into the clouds. Supposedly people have used it to reach Skypiea."
A town?
Noyer took the Eternal Pose and glanced at it. A location was written on it, but he didn't recognize it — a completely unfamiliar town name.
He fell into thought. Luffy and his crew had ascended to the sky using the Knock Up Stream near Jaya Island — that route was practically a death sentence.
But some old man on Skypiea had mentioned another route to the Sky Island, one slightly safer than the one near Jaya Island.
Could this be the place Mihawk meant?
Noyer gripped the pointer tightly. Danger wasn't the issue — he'd know once he checked it out.
He thanked him, and Mihawk prepared to leave.
Although this trip hadn't resulted in a battle with his old friend, he had encountered a junior who would one day be qualified to threaten him. This trip hadn't been in vain after all.
Noyer walked with Mihawk arm-in-arm, acting like they'd been friends for years. The aloof Lord Mihawk nearly chopped this overly-familiar guy to pieces.
Why were all his friends idiots like this?
While Mihawk was still puzzled, Noyer seized the opportunity to place two Copy Cards on his back.
『 Ding!〔 Strongest Swordsman in the World 〕has been Copied! 』
『 Ding!〔 Supreme Sword Heart 〕 has been Copied! 』
As Mihawk drifted away on his small boat, Noyer turned his attention to his already-full talent slots.
'System, replace Singular Focus with Strongest Swordsman in the World.'
First, he'd swap out the White talent that had served him for so long. As for the next one — 〔Supreme Sword Heart〕 — Noyer hesitated.
Originally, he'd planned to replace either 〔Haki Swordsmanship〕 or 〔Devil's Dwelling · Kuma-Kuma〕. But after some thought, he decided to try the new talent fusion function. He hadn't used this feature since the system upgrade.
Besides, two gold-quality swordsmanship talents were the perfect combination for fusion.
'Fuse Supreme Sword Heart and Strongest Swordsman in the World!'
After a moment of silence, the system completed the upgrade.
『 Ding! Talent Fusion Complete. New Talent has Become a Fixed Talent! 』
Noyer eagerly checked the new talent. The color in the slot had been brilliant gold — but now, within that pure golden light, a faint trace of ink-black radiance gleamed.
Completely new information appeared before his eyes.
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
〔 Supreme Swordmaster 〕
〔 Rank: Black Gold ****〕
〔 Description: Mutated variant of Gold Rank, possesses the characteristics of both 〔Strongest Swordsman in the World〕 and 〔Supreme Sword Heart〕 , with unmatched swordsmanship aptitude. When using swordsmanship, speed, strength, stamina, and all attributes are enhanced. In combat, depending on the enemy's strength, there's a chance to trigger instant kill. Defeated enemies may be left with inner demons based on their willpower, hindering their growth. 〕
﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄
The lustrous Black Gold Talent — this was Noyer's first time seeing a mutated talent, and his heart filled with shock.
Fusing two Gold Talents had created an even stronger super talent!
It possessed the abilities of both Gold Talents, plus multiple new abilities: all-attribute enhancement, instant kill, and inner demons.
Noyer asked hurriedly, "System, didn't you say gold talent was the highest? How is there Black Gold?"
The system responded quickly.
「 The highest Talent is Gold Rank, but when two Gold Talents are fused, they produce a mutation — Black Gold Rank. Mutated rank still belongs to Gold Rank. 」
「 However, this rank talent is exclusive to the host; no one else in this world will possess it. 」
Hearing that only he had the Black Gold Talent, Noyer felt relieved.
Previously, he'd thought the system's fusion function was nothing special, but now it seemed absolutely god-tier!
With this mutated talent, it wouldn't be long — as long as Noyer devoted himself to training — before he could become a great swordsman surpassing Mihawk.
He needed to carefully plan future talent fusions, he thought with surging emotions.
Oh right — there was also the Meito the system had rewarded him earlier.
Noyer retrieved the arrogantly-shaped sword from the system. It felt ice-cold to the touch, and even before unsheathing it, he could feel the intense killing intent within.
He slowly drew the blade from its scabbard. Like the crimson-black scabbard, the blade itself was black as an ink wash painting. Red lines sketched out ferocious faces across its surface — like a hundred demons from legendary hell wailing.
A sinister aura hit him in the face. Even though the system had automatically bound it to him, he could still feel the blade's unruliness and arrogance.
He looked at his new weapon with satisfaction and quickly understood its nature. This treasure was like a talented but rebellious child — disobedient and even trying to cause trouble for its master.
This was clearly a Cursed Blade difficult to control, but it couldn't stump Noyer.
What do you do when a child won't listen and keeps causing trouble? Hold their head down and flick their little brother…
Then they'll behave…
No matter how domineering a Cursed Blade may be, it's ultimately just a weapon. Point it somewhere, and it cuts there — that's what makes it obedient.
Noyer raised the sword and slashed fiercely toward the sea. The black-red blade light cut into the water, creating a whirlpool that didn't dissipate for a long time.
As if sensing its master's strength, the Cursed Blade quieted down considerably. He examined the weapon in his hand as the system provided its description.
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
〔 Rasetsuō 〕
〔 Type: Meitō 〕
〔 Description: Rakshasa King, a Cursed Blade custom-made by the system for the host. Possesses growth attributes and evolves alongside the host's Haki strength. When stained with blood, it automatically repairs itself and nurtures soul-stealing ghostly energy. Features blood-devouring characteristics — any wound it inflicts allows it to absorb the enemy's stamina and mental strength, feeding them back to the host through the blade. 〕
﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄
Noyer gripped Rasetsuō — a truly dangerous cursed blade.
His old sword no longer felt right in his hands, and this striking blade had appeared at the perfect time. Though it hadn't grown yet, Rasetsuō's sharpness far surpassed Seikou's.
Noyer removed Seikou and fastened his new cursed blade to his waist. Instantly, his entire spirit and bearing transformed.
As for the fallen-from-favor sword, he sealed it away in an exquisite case. He wasn't skilled at dual-wielding, and besides, he preferred the decisiveness of the single-sword style.
With a new destination, Noyer returned to the ship and set course according to the eternal pose Mihawk had given him.
Robin looked at him with confusion — he'd gone ashore and returned with a new blade?
When she asked about it, he wouldn't say, so she let go of her curiosity.
Everyone has secrets, just as Robin still didn't understand why Noyer knew so much about the Poneglyphs.
With the clue to Skypiea, Noyer's mood improved.
The eternal pose pointed to Siting Island, not far from their original target of Jaya Island, so they kept their general course.
During the journey, Robin used the whitening product Noyer had given her. Her beautiful dark skin became fairer, and the texture improved noticeably.
Don't ask how he knew — he paid the price by washing clothes for three days.
In the sunny weather, Noyer held Rasetsuō and honed his swordsmanship. Though his mutated talent accelerated his progress, he still trained diligently.
Too many people wasted good talent.
Robin sat nearby, flipping through a book while writing.
Noyer practiced until drenched in sweat, then came over shirtless and asked, "Are you researching something?"
Robin nodded, handing him a towel, "I want to look into the Noytemus Kingdom."
Noyer wiped his sweat, "What's the Noytemus Kingdom? Why are you researching it?"
Robin looked surprised, "You don't know about your homeland?"
Homeland?
Noyer shook his head, "I was born in the East Blue, though."
Robin pointed at the pendant around his neck, "That pendant was crafted by the royal artisans of the Noytemus Kingdom."
Huh?
Noyer looked down at the pendant. Ever since he'd been reborn, his predecessor's body had been wearing this thing, but he'd never given much thought to his identity.
The craftsmanship was good, but he'd never thought it meant anything special.
But if Robin was right, could his predecessor have been royalty or nobility?
Noyer sat down beside her, "I really don't know. I grew up in the East Blue, and I've never met my parents."
Robin reached toward his neck, gently stroking the pendant, "This is definitely the royal symbol of the Noytemus Kingdom. I've seen replicas in my homeland."
Noyer studied her thoughtful expression, "Where is the Noytemus Kingdom? Why are you researching it?"
Robin shook her head, "The Noytemus Kingdom has been destroyed."
Huh? Noyer's expression froze.
He'd thought he'd found his predecessor's home… But why would a kingdom be destroyed?
He suddenly remembered his own name — that "D" whose meaning remained unclear to this day…
Noyer's voice turned urgent, "Was it the World Government?"
Robin nodded, "The Government ordered it, the Marines executed it. Twenty years ago. And…"
She paused, her expression complicated.
"And it was three years before my homeland, Ohara, was destroyed by the Marines."
Noytemus, Ohara… The information connected in his mind.
Noyer asked thoughtfully, "You think Noytemus, like Ohara, researched things the Government wouldn't tolerate, and that's why…"
Robin nodded silently, "After I recognized your identity, I considered that possibility, but there's no evidence — it's just speculation."
Twenty years ago, Noyer hadn't been born yet. Had his predecessor's relatives brought him to the East Blue?
But where were they? A kingdom founded by someone with "D" — what could they have been researching…
And the letter "D" alone might be reason enough for a kingdom's destruction.
Whether or not Noytemus's destruction shared the same cause as Ohara's, Noyer felt he needed to investigate properly — if only for the sake of his predecessor.
Noytemus was destroyed, but surely the island itself hadn't vanished, right?
Noyer picked up his cold drink and took a sip to calm his nerves, "So where are the ruins of the kingdom?"
Robin's lips curved into a smile, "The second half of the Grand Line, in the New World."
"Cough!"
Noyer nearly choked on his drink.
From the New World to the East Blue — how was that even possible? How could anyone run that far?
Robin rested her hand under her chin, her eyes full of amusement, "Looks like you've realized it too — such a long distance. How did you get to the East Blue?"
Even if relatives had escorted Noyer, the World Government and Marines weren't pushovers. How could they possibly let a "criminal" escape and hide for so many years?
Unless… someone was protecting him, or his parents themselves were formidable. For some reason, he felt something was missing, but he couldn't figure out what.
Noyer was completely baffled. But looking at Robin's beautiful profile, he quickly understood something else.
No wonder she'd seemed to trust him from the very beginning — it was because of their shared backgrounds.
When it came down to it, Noyer was also an evil remnant the Government wouldn't tolerate. They were in the same boat. Both had their hometowns destroyed and became orphans. Both were rejected by the Government.
However, Noyer was still a bit more fortunate than Robin — after all, he'd met Bell-mère and had a wonderful family.
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want more chapters of this novel or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)