Ice Cold

The next morning at dawn, Shirakawa knocked on Rayleigh's door.

"What is it, so early in the morning? Can't a man get some sleep?" A groggy voice came from Rayleigh's room, tinged with a hint of anger.

His door-opening was equally rough, and when he saw Shirakawa standing there, his demeanor didn't soften at all. "What do you want?"

"I hope you can guide my training again." Shirakawa bowed deeply, speaking with great respect. The goal he had set for himself now was to reach the Emperor-level of strength.

Though this goal seemed incredibly lofty, until he achieved it, Shirakawa would not slack off for a single moment. He planned to lie low first, and once his strength was sufficient, he would re-emerge and go out to have some fun.

"No time." Rayleigh ignored Shirakawa's sincerity and slammed the door shut.

"Crazy." Back in bed, Rayleigh muttered under his breath. His morning temper was no small matter.

"What's going on?"

Rejected, Shirakawa stood frozen outside the door. He hadn't expected such a sincere request to be turned down.

"Say, you don't necessarily have to seek out Rayleigh, you know." Just then, a voice reached Shirakawa's ears.

Shirakawa turned his head and saw Captain Roger leaning against the wall, speaking with interest.

"There's more than one expert on our ship."

"Then, Captain, would you be willing to teach me?" Hearing this, Roger's expression froze on the spot, and he walked away without looking back.

He also uttered the same words as Rayleigh: "No time."

"Well, it looks like I'll have to find someone else." Watching the first and second in command reject him, Shirakawa shook his head helplessly.

His next target was Scopper Gaban. He had a good relationship with Gaban, and he believed Gaban would definitely be willing to guide him. Besides, Gaban's strength was no less than Rayleigh's.

But Gaban wasn't here right now. If he wanted to be trained, he'd have to wait a while.

With no other option, he could only go back to his room and sleep. He hadn't slept a wink all night, his mind in chaos, constantly thinking about all sorts of random things.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard a knock on his door.

"Who is it, so early in the morning? Can't a man get some sleep?" Clearly, he had already forgotten that he had just disturbed Rayleigh in the same way.

"What do you want?" Opening the door and seeing Kaiser Lynn standing at his doorstep, Shirakawa said irritably.

"I came to give you a gift." Kaiser Lynn said, as if seeking credit.

"What gift?" Shirakawa had already spotted the thing behind her back. Though it was covered in a layer of white cloth, he recognized it at a glance, but he still asked.

"Ta-da! It's a sword. I saw your sword was damaged last time, so I thought of giving you one." She handed the sword to Shirakawa with both hands.

Shirakawa took it with one hand and pulled off the cloth. A very ornate sword appeared before him.

"This isn't a decoration, is it?" Shirakawa looked at the sword; it resembled a noble's ornament, not something you'd use in battle.

"How could it be? The warehouse keeper told me this is a Good Fast Sword."

"A Good Fast Sword?" A flicker of surprise showed in Shirakawa's eyes. He quickly drew the blade and examined it closely.

"It really is a fine sword, much better than my last one." Shirakawa's previous sword was just a crude, shoddy blade, not even reaching the Fast Sword level.

"What's this sword called?"

"I heard it's called Ice Cold."

"Ice Cold. It really suits the name." Shirakawa felt a trace of coldness from the blade. Though faint, if it cut someone, it should add some extra damage. It must be made of some special material.

"Thank you. I really like this gift."

"No need to thank me. It's what I should do, because your sword broke because of me." Kaiser Lynn gave a sweet smile, and her heart felt warm, because this was the first time Shirakawa had thanked her.

"Alright, you can go now. I'm going to sleep."

"What?" Kaiser Lynn thought she had misheard. After giving him such a nice gift, shouldn't he at least invite her in to sit?

"I said you can go. I'm going back to sleep." With that, Shirakawa didn't give Kaiser Lynn another chance to speak and directly closed the door.

After shutting the door, Shirakawa had lost all desire to sleep. He drew the sword in his hand, looking at it with growing satisfaction, as if he were gazing at a peerless beauty.

But Shirakawa knew this sword would only be with him for a time. He would eventually have to obtain a Supreme Great Fast Sword-level blade, or else it wouldn't befit his identity as the King of Silver.

"Ice Cold, huh? From now on, you'll fight by my side."

The precious sword didn't vibrate. It seemed it wasn't spiritually attuned.

Even with something interesting, his fascination was only temporary. After a careful inspection, he casually tossed it on the floor and went back to bed.

This time, he slept very peacefully, with no one disturbing him.

When he woke up again, it was already afternoon. Though he didn't feel hungry, his stomach felt empty, and that sensation was far from pleasant.

"Awake?" Shirakawa walked into the palace courtyard and saw Captain Roger drinking tea. To be honest, tea didn't suit his temperament at all.

"It's good to get some proper rest. You've been working hard for over a month. Buggy and Shanks haven't even gotten up yet."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, let those two kids sleep well. They've been through a lot with you."

"Heh heh, it's just that my strength still isn't enough."

"That's a nice sword you've got there." Roger also noticed the new blade at Shirakawa's waist.

"Mm, it's a Good Fast Sword, but still can't compare to yours, Captain. I've been longing to get my hands on your blade for a long time." Though Shirakawa didn't know what kind of sword Roger carried, it was surely an excellent one.

"Hmph, you wish, kid. You can only stare at this sword longingly—I won't even let you touch it."

"Heh, stingy."

Even though Roger wasn't a professional swordsman, his sword was like his right hand, having followed him for years—he'd probably grown attached to it by now.

"Captain, when are we planning to leave?"

"What, can't sit still?"

"Yeah, I want to experience more battles out on the sea."

"Soon. Once Gaban and Bullet get back, we should be able to set sail. Oh, and we're heading back to the Grand Line, you know."

"I know. The First Mate already told me."

"Is that so? Rayleigh's mouth sure is busy."

"You really don't intend to keep sailing with me?" They both fell silent for a moment before Roger spoke to Shirakawa.

"Yeah, I'm planning to start a story of my own."