The Twin Blades Bestowed

The Carnifex Kingdom, a renowned power in the New World.

Teach returned to this kingdom once again, the kingdom where Teach had suffered his first crushing defeat, a memory that remained vivid in his mind. Even now, recalling it brought a dull ache to the scar on his chest.

This is a pain etched into my memory, Teach will never forget.

In a courtyard in the Carnifex Kingdom, an old man is tilling the land in his backyard with a hoe.

Seemingly sensing something, he stopped plowing the field, slightly raised his head, and looked in one direction.

Leaning the hoe aside, the old man straightened up, leaning on his cane, his aura completely restrained, looking just like an ordinary old man.

He was just a strong old man, and very tall.

Sensing this powerful aura and recalling the scene when he left, the old man couldn't help but smile slightly.

Turning my head, I saw two young men fighting to the side, each holding a heavy greatsword. Just looking at it, I could tell it was very heavy, and swinging it required a lot of strength.

But in the hands of these two young swordsmen, the light of their swords flashed continuously.

"Clang clang..." The two swords clashed in the air, the sound echoing continuously. The heavy sword was wielded with great ease, as if it were a wooden sword rather than a heavy sword.

"Stop for a moment," the old man said.

Somewhat puzzled, the two young swordsmen stopped what they were doing, assuming they had made a mistake during their sparring session.

"There are guests outside, please go and greet them," Genryuusai Shigekuni said with a smile.

"Huh?" I didn't expect to have guests. This hasn't happened in years.

In their memory, it was five years ago, but those people who came here back then have now become big figures in the New World, with the leader being one of the top experts in the New World.

They never imagined that they would become so much stronger in just a few years.

Two of them had a minor altercation back then, and now they've both become pirates with bounties of hundreds of millions of Beli.

However, they are not bad either. In recent years, although they have not gone to sea, since the New World is too dangerous and their strength is not enough to make waves, they have grown a lot and are very famous young swordsmen in the entire Carnifex Kingdom.

Constantly challenging various swordsmen, the Carnifex Kingdom is inherently an excellent training ground.

As swordsmen, they have a solid foundation laid by the teachings of a Great Swordmaster, and their years of training have made them top-tier swordsmen of their age.

Upon opening the door and seeing the figure outside, their pupils constricted sharply, and they froze, completely unprepared for Teach's arrival.

Ever since Teach and the Night Pirates made a name for themselves on the high seas, they had been paying close attention to them, and they had also watched the videos, so they were well aware of the Night Pirates' strength.

They never imagined that the four people they met back then would grow up to be like this.

When Teach appeared before them, they still couldn't hide their shock.

Teach also looked at Genryuusai Shigekuni's two disciples with some curiosity. Compared to more than five years ago, they had grown a lot. They should be seventeen or eighteen years old now, but their strength had undergone earth-shattering changes.

Because they had become Swordmaster, Teach could sense the sharp Sword Intent, the scorching and violent aura hidden within them.

As expected, these two young swordsmen each embarked on the paths of lightning and fire, respectively.

However, to truly grow into a powerful figure on the high seas, one needs a period of honing skills, to fight and hone one's abilities on the open ocean, to battle against truly powerful opponents, to undergo a deeper transformation, to comprehend one's own swordsmanship, and to break through to become Great Swordmaster.

For Teach, merely reaching the level of Swordmaster was still far too naive.

Think carefully about the names of these two young swordsmen: one is named Linden, and the other is named Jedi. They inherited the Lightning Current Sword Technique and the Flame Flow Swordsmanship, respectively.

But regardless of the type of swordsmanship, it was all just the basics for them.

Otherwise, their improved strength would lead to a deeper understanding of swordsmanship.

Genryuusai Shigekuni didn't teach them much beyond that. Even though it would help improve their strength, it would also act as a shackle, limiting their growth.

This is his way of the sword: those who learn from me live, those who imitate me die. That's how it is. A swordsman who wants to reach the pinnacle must comprehend his own way of the sword.

However, Teach is quite satisfied with their current strength considering their age.

Looking at them, I couldn't help but think of the two swords that were sleeping in my Darkness Space: Purgatory and Thunder Fang. These two Famous Swords were ranked among the twenty-one Great Grade Swords. With rare forging materials and the reforging by Hitetsu, the number one swordsmith in Wano Country, they were completely elevated to a higher level.

Teach rarely uses these two knives now; they're basically just gathering dust. But Teach hasn't forgotten their original agreement, Teach's going to give them away.

Although these two knives are precious, if they were put up for auction in the New World, each of Famous Sword could fetch hundreds of millions of Beli.

It could even be higher, but Famous Sword also have their limitations; only swordsmen need them, and most swordsmen can't afford that Beli.

The appearance of such a Famous Sword often attracts many swordsmen to fight and kill.

Such things happen frequently on this vast sea.

"Don't just stand there, invite the guests in." Genryuusai Shigekuni's voice rang out again. Linden and Jedi snapped out of their daze and turned around to see that Genryuusai Shigekuni had appeared in the courtyard at some point.

He nodded instinctively, looked at Teach, opened the door, and stood on either side, saying, "Please come in!"

They were very polite, but also a little reserved. After all, Teach was no longer the nobody he once was; his status and strength had changed.

They didn't know what to say; Teach must have come here to see his teacher.

They were also a little nervous, wondering why "Dark Emperor" Teach had come to see their teacher.

Remember when Teach was almost killed by his own teacher?

Could they be here for revenge?

This was just a thought hidden deep within them; they didn't sense any malice from Teach, but they still had to be wary.

Looking at the old man, Teach was somewhat moved. Only now could Teach clearly sense the power of Genryuusai Shigekuni, who was undoubtedly a top expert in the sea.

Even now that Teach has reached this level of strength, he is still not confident in defeating Genryuusai Shigekuni.

However, compared to his former unfathomable depths, Genryuusai Shigekuni's true nature is now more apparent.

Although he is not quite at the same level as Whitebeard and Golden Lion, he is undoubtedly a powerful figure at the Emperor level.

He is comparable to the newly Sea Emperor Kaido of the Beasts, and Big Mom, and may even have some advantages.

Teach could clearly sense the terrifying power and vitality contained within that seemingly emaciated body. Just based on his physique alone, Genryuusai Shigekuni could become a top-tier expert in the ocean.

This is something he can't compare to right now.

However, although Kaido and Big Mom have reached their peak, they still have the potential to rise further.

Genryuusai Shigekuni has reached his peak. As he gets older, his body can no longer improve and may even become weaker.

More than five years have passed, and compared to Genryuusai Shigekuni back then, Teach noticed that Genryuusai Shigekuni had become stronger. Although his physique had reached its limit, his swordsmanship had improved.

Genryuusai Shigekuni's sword can be said to grow stronger with age.

Moreover, unlike Whitebeard, he doesn't have as many hidden injuries from his youthful battles, nor does he suffer from the side effects of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Even if his body ages, it will take a very long time and be very slow.

Furthermore, Teach could sense that Genryuusai Shigekuni had a strong grasp of his body, and it was very likely that he had learned Life Return or a similar technique.

If that's really the case, Genryuusai Shigekuni could easily maintain his peak performance for several more decades.

Teach had learned about Life Return through Stephanie. There were people like that in CP0. According to CP0 records, some people maintained their peak condition until they were over a hundred years old, but they were very rare. These were all extremely talented geniuses who possessed special talents in Life Return.

The talent for Life Return is not the same as a person's potential. A person may have ordinary potential, but have a great talent for Life Return.

However, those who can learn to Life Return cannot be too bad in terms of talent, no matter how poor they are.

According to Stephanie, her sister, the current "Queen of the Pleasure District" and one of the dark kings of the New World Stussy, has a great talent for Life Return can use it to lock in her youth and maintain a young body. Although she hasn't reached that level yet, she has the qualifications, plus the notes left by her predecessors.

This is why Stussy stood out from CP0, held a special and important position, and made early plans for the New World, becoming the Queen of the Pleasure District.

As Stussy's sister, Stephanie also possesses this talent in the art of Life Return. If not told otherwise, Teach wouldn't know Stephanie's age; she's already forty-four.

Stussy's age is unknown and mysterious to many, but her sister knows her age, which is actually older than Big Mom's—fifty-four years old.

After all, Stussy knew Big Mom back when she was still young, in the era before that, the era of Rocks, and he affectionately called Big Mom by her name "Linlin".

At that age alone, he has a high level of seniority in CP0, not to mention his considerable hidden strength.

Looking at Genryuusai Shigekuni, Teach's eyes flashed, and his figure disappeared from the spot in an instant, a speed that even Linden and Jedi couldn't react to.

He appeared in front of Genryuusai Shigekuni in the next moment and threw a powerful punch at Genryuusai Shigekuni's chest.

Genryuusai Shigekuni couldn't help but smile. At the critical moment, just as Teach's fist was about to land on him, he reached out a hand and tightly grabbed Teach's outstretched right fist.

Both of their arms trembled involuntarily; the strength they exerted was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

The two men controlled their strength with exquisite precision, preventing any significant damage. Otherwise, Teach's punch alone could have destroyed the entire courtyard.

The two stared intently at each other, smiles on their faces, but the underlying rivalry continued for some time.

This was a probing attack by Teach, who wanted to personally experience the power of Genryuusai Shigekuni. His body was tempered and refined, and it was impossible to accurately grasp the power of Genryuusai Shigekuni by relying solely on Observation Haki.

Thus, Teach realized that Genryuusai Shigekuni's physique was much stronger than his own, indicating that his training was insufficient.

However, both of them knew that this was a test. Not only did Teach want to know about Genryuusai Shigekuni's power, but Genryuusai Shigekuni also wanted to know about Teach's power.

So they didn't actually fight; they quickly separated and stood facing each other.

The two swordsmen Linden and Jedi, dared not make a move. They knew that with their strength, they were simply not capable of intervening in a battle of this level, and might not even be able to withstand the aftershocks.

Seeing that Teach and his teacher hadn't actually started fighting, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"I never imagined you'd grow to this level in just a few years."

Genryuusai Shigekuni looked at Teach with some surprise. In all his years of life, this was the first time he had seen a monster like Teach who had grown so fast. However, he could also see that a large part of Teach's current strength came from his Devil Fruit.

But that's normal. If someone possessed such power without Devil Fruit, it would be terrifying and impossible. Even if it did exist, it would only be an overdraft of potential and life force.

However, this is not something that ordinary people can do; even Teach couldn't do it.

"You've come here for more than just to see me, haven't you?" Genryuusai Shigekuni asked with a smile. Teach is now the captain of a dominant pirate crew, and he also needs to manage a newly conquered sea area and deal with wars. He can't possibly be so free.

However, in reality, Teach was just that idle, since everything was already prepared.

Teach came to see Genryuusai Shigekuni for a reason; he had no intention of fighting Genryuusai Shigekuni. His current improvement in strength required accumulation and enhancement of his basic abilities.

In other words, physical strength and power; the stronger one's own strength, the higher one's potential will be.

"Yes, I came here today to give you these two swords." Teach nodded, waved his hand, and two Famous Sword appeared from the darkness, landing in Teach's hands and being handed to Genryuusai Shigekuni.

"Their quality has been elevated to a higher level, having been reforged by the greatest swordsmith in Wano Country."

"Really?" Although there had been an agreement, a good sword was extremely important to a swordsman, like a companion, so Genryuusai Shigekuni still wanted to ask.

"Yes, I don't need them anymore." Teach said without changing his expression. He had already made this decision long ago. These two Famous Swords were like chicken bones to him—tasteless to use, but a pity to throw away.

Genryuusai Shigekuni's disciples have become Swordmaster, so naturally they need a good sword that suits them. Besides, Teach also acknowledges their talent.

It's better for something to shine brightly in the hands of others than to become dull and lifeless in his hands.

"They have a new mission!"

Moreover, compared to these two Famous Swords, the sword manual that Genryuusai Shigekuni gave him was more important, and he was also able to get to know this reclusive expert and two genius swordsmen.

"In that case, alright." Genryuusai Shigekuni did not refuse. With his discerning eye, he could naturally see the high quality of these two Famous Swords, which were also very suitable for his two disciples.

He glanced at his two disciples, whose eyes were shining as they stared at the two swords. They remembered Teach's two Famous Swords, and they never expected that Teach would hand them over to their teacher.

They weren't stupid. Although they didn't understand, they could guess that there must be something between "Dark Emperor" Teach and his teacher, and these two Famous Swords were very likely prepared for the two of them.

"Then I won't stay any longer," Teach said, turning around. Then, as if remembering something, he stopped. "The sea is still quite dangerous. If your two disciples want to venture out to sea, I have a place I can recommend."

"Wano Country, now Wano Country the Shogun Kozuki Oden has partially opened the country to foreign trade, although there are some restrictions, you swordsmen will not face many restrictions going there, and will even receive many preferential treatments."

"Moreover, Wano Country has many powerful Swordmaster and Great Swordmaster, whose numbers even exceed the total number of Swordmaster on the sea. There are enough powerful swordsmen there, and it is also much safer than the New World now."

"Yes, I understand." Genryuusai Shigekuni listened attentively. He also wanted to visit Wano Country, as he hadn't been there for many years.

He had also heard of the current Shogun of Wano Country, the "legendary samurai" who had served on the Whitebeard Pirates' ship and later on the Roger Pirates' ship, and was a powerful Two-Sword Style Great Swordmaster.

Teach didn't mince words, and Linden and Jedi naturally heard them as well. Their eyes lit up, as they had long yearned for Wano Country.

Since Wano Country partially opened its borders, many Wano Country samurai have gone to the sea. The Carnifex Kingdom is relatively close to Wano Country, and it also has many Swordmaster, so some Wano Country samurai have come here.

Teach nodded and then left.