Kikuichimonji

Of course, Roy had kept a precaution in mind when he treated Kenkon. He had planted a safeguard within Kenkon's dream, both to absorb his swordsmanship legacy and experience, and to prevent him from harboring any improper thoughts.

However, Kenkon was even more straightforward than Roy had expected. Once he recovered, he immediately dropped to one knee and said solemnly, "Lord Roy, thank you for saving me. At the same time, thank you for allowing me a glimpse of a higher realm of swordsmanship. I have no way to repay your immense kindness. Please allow me to follow you and fight for you."

Roy blinked. Had Kenkon gotten his brain knocked loose by me? Or had my Dream Domain become so ridiculously badass that it was overflowing with domineering aura?

Yet with his Devil Fruit Ability and mastery of Observation Haki, he could easily tell that Kenkon's surrender was completely sincere, not some temporary measure.

"Didn't I beat you to the point where you were nearly beyond recovery? Saving you now is nothing more than repaying what I caused." Roy truly couldn't understand how the minds of these traditional swordsmen worked.

"No. A duel between swordsmen is decided only by victory or defeat; life and death are irrelevant. You defeated me because I was inferior in skill, and I have no one else to blame. But you were willing to save me, which is a life-saving grace—this is the first. Second, I am dull by nature. Though I spent half my life pursuing the sword, I made no further progress. Yet today, under your guidance, I caught a glimpse of the supreme path of the sword and even comprehended the secret teachings of my Flying Heaven Sword Style. That is the grace of instruction—this is the second. Finally, you were willing to reveal your own secrets in order to save me—this is the third. If I failed to repay these three great kindnesses, would I not be unworthy of being called a man? Please accept my loyalty."

After pondering for a moment, Roy finally understood. Yes, that was right. This guy named Kenkon had indeed had his brain damaged by Roy's beating.

Roy looked at Kenkon with the caring gaze one might give an idiot. Only after a long while did he say, "Since you've put it that way, I'll accept your loyalty."

Though Kenkon's brain did not work quite right, he did have strength. Roy figured there was no harm in taking him in, so he agreed.

King and Kayou, who had been watching from the side, were both somewhat speechless. Was it really okay to be this casual? Only Yonji looked at Kenkon as though he had found a kindred spirit and said excitedly, "That's right! Following Lord Roy is absolutely the wisest decision you could ever make! Lord Roy is the guiding light on the road of our lives, he is—"

"Stop, stop, stop." Those words were far too nauseating, and the flattery was too excessive. Even Roy could not take it anymore. Had I overdone Yonji's modifications?

"By the way, I saw that most of your secret sword techniques are remarkably powerful. Your school must have quite an impressive origin. Tell me about it." Roy was rather curious about the Flying Heaven Sword Style Kenkon had mentioned. With such an over-the-top name, it had to be pretty formidable, right?

"I am Himura Kenkon. My ancestors came here as refugees from Wano Country, in the latter half of the Grand Line."

"Hm? You're already quite strong. Your ancestors should have been even stronger, so how were they forced to flee their homeland?" The gossip-loving soul within Roy burned fiercely.

"Well, that is a long story. It traces back to my ancestor, Himura Sword Heart, who was known as Battosai." As he spoke the name, he unconsciously puffed out his chest slightly, as if the name itself possessed supreme magic.

"Oh, no rush, no rush. Take your time. By the way, you guys—and Patch too—come in and listen to the story. Go on."

Seeing the group sit down in a row as though they were waiting to be handed fruit... no, to hear a story, Kenkon's mouth twitched wildly. After a moment spent calming himself, he continued, "When my ancestor first rose to prominence, his superb swordsmanship and merciless killing made his enemies tremble at the mere mention of his name, earning him the title of 'Battosai the Executioner.' Later, after experiencing many events, he changed his path of the sword and swore never to kill again. He would use the blade in his hand to preserve peace in society."

"Oh, 'Kill to protect life; cut karma, not people,' right?" Roy interjected, pretending to be profound.

"Kill to protect life; cut karma, not people... Kill to protect life; cut karma, not people..." Kenkon repeated it twice, then sighed. "Lord Roy's understanding of swordsmanship truly surpasses ours by far. If my ancestor could have heard these words, he surely would have been gratified. He would certainly have considered you, Lord Roy, a close friend."

"Because my ancestor's ideals differed from those of the Wano Country General, after my ancestor died, our family suffered persecution. Left with no choice, some of our clansmen took my ancestor's sword—Kikuichimonji—and fled Wano Country. After many twists and turns, they finally settled in the North Blue."

When Kenkon said nothing more, Roy had a bad feeling and asked, "And then?"

"Huh? There is no then."

"Pfft, you damn tease." Roy's resentment was so deep that it seemed ready to turn into black mist over his head.

"And you had the nerve to call that a long story?"

"Haha, well, I was just making a long story short. Hehe, it's mainly because so many years have passed, and only these few lines about my ancestor remain." Worried that Roy might get angry, Kenkon hurriedly changed the subject. "By the way, Lord Roy, how about I take you to retrieve my family heirloom sword—Kikuichimonji—right now?"

Upon hearing about Kikuichimonji, one of the Great Grade Sword 21 Works, Roy barely managed to suppress his urge to complain and said, "Fine. Take me there first. Today, I want to see just how formidable one of the legendary Great Grade Sword 21 Works really is."

After all, a swordsman's desire for famed blades came from deep within, and a Great Grade Sword 21 Work would undoubtedly further strengthen Roy's power.

The group arrived at a shrine within the dojo. Kenkon first offered a stick of incense before the ancestral tablets and murmured an apology. Then he moved aside a prayer cushion on the floor and pressed down hard. The ground rumbled violently, and a pitch-black underground passage appeared.

"Is such a crude mechanism really okay? What if one of you accidentally kneels a little too hard and exposes it?" Roy felt that today had truly broadened his horizons. He also realized something: Kenkon's brain had definitely not been damaged by Roy. It had been abnormal from the start.

"Ahem, please don't worry about such details, Lord Roy. Follow me."

He raised a candle in his hand and headed down first. Roy and the others could only follow helplessly.

Sure enough, there was none of the atmosphere of a legendary underground labyrinth. After going down, there was only a small room. On the offering table rested a katana with an exceptionally long edge and a thin, slender blade. Even from a distance, it gave off a chilling, razor-sharp aura.

However, the thick layer of dust and cobwebs covering Kikuichimonji completely ruined its lofty impression. It looked more like a battered weapon from a roadside stall—one hundred Beli, and not a single Beli more.

Roy felt that if he had eaten the Devil Fruit of Complaints, he would have nearly achieved Devil Fruit awakening today. With a faint sigh, he said, "Now I finally understand what you meant when you said this blade had been left to gather dust in your hands."