Brook and the other two had reached the altar at the mountaintop. They entered the ancient stone structure.
A huge stone chest sat on a pedestal. It looked perfectly sealed, without a single crack.
Brook gathered his strength and shoved hard against the chest, but it didn't budge. He felt a little awkward, while Silvers and Shakky tactfully pretended not to notice.
With a snort, Brook drew the Cane Sword and sent a sharp sword aura slashing into the chest's lid. It split open, but the attack seemed to strike something solid and was spent.
A strange green light seeped from the cut. As it appeared, it seemed to break the seal on the chest. Its color began to turn ashen, and Brook kicked the lid flying.
A long, strange green sword appeared before them. Green patterns covered its blade, along with seven points of light arranged like the Big Dipper.
It was a Chinese-style double-edged sword, rather than the single-edged katana known as a sword in this pirate world. It suited Brook's taste perfectly.
The strange green light seemed to draw in people's minds. Silvers and Shakky began walking slowly toward the Seven-Star Sword, as if under its control.
"Hmph!"
Brook gave an angry snort and released his Underworld Ghost Qi. The bone-chilling cold snapped Silvers and Shakky out of their trance.
"Captain Brook, this really is a demon sword. It actually tempted me to pick it up."
Shakky spoke with lingering fear. Silvers's face had gone livid. He was a sniper, yet he'd been bewitched by a sword. It was utterly humiliating.
Brook was about to step forward and pick up the Seven-Star Sword, curious to see whether it could bewitch someone like him, a man returned from the dead.
"Don't touch the Seven-Star Sword! It will bring disaster!"
Elena cried out in terror, as if she were witnessing the terrifying sight of darkness descending upon the world.
But Brook didn't waver. He grabbed the Seven-Star Sword's hilt, and the strange green aura on its blade immediately spread from his hand across his whole body.
"Something's wrong! A terrifying disaster is about to descend upon the world!"
Elena quickly took out the three beads she carried and chanted ancient sacrificial words over them. They gave off a faint, gentle white glow that began to purify Brook.
The Seven-Star Sword's strange aura spread through Brook's entire body, only to find that he had no blood or vital energy. Instead, it merged with his Underworld Ghost Qi. Its strange demonic aura was swallowed and absorbed.
The strange green Seven-Star Demon Qi fused with the pale Underworld Ghost Qi, becoming a deep-blue Underworld Seven-Star Demon Ghost Qi. The Seven-Star Sword had a faint consciousness of its own, and now it, too, submitted to Brook, the man returned from hell!
Brook casually swung the sword. A massive deep-blue Demon Ghost Sword Qi cleaved the stone chest and its pedestal in two, with tremendous force.
"Haha! Not bad at all, this demon sword. Take my Cane Sword and use it!"
Brook tossed the Cane Sword to Shakky and examined the Seven-Star Sword closely. He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. This sword seemed made for him. Its demonic aura had been born from the fusion of blood and death energy, so it was easily assimilated by his Underworld Ghost Qi, born from death and rebirth.
Even the newly awakened consciousness of the demon sword had been intimidated by his Hell Underworld Qi and had submitted to him in fear.
"You—you—you weren't controlled by the Seven-Star Sword! Does that mean our tribe's thousand-year-old vow to guard it will finally end today?"
Elena cried out excitedly. Because of that vow, her people had avoided contact with the outside world as much as possible. Their village had fallen far behind and remained mired in poverty.
"That's right. The Seven-Star Sword has submitted to me. You don't have to worry about it harming you anymore!"
Brook was already considering what materials to use to make a scabbard for the Seven-Star Sword.
"Elena, don't be afraid! I'm here!"
A young Marine wearing an officer's cape rushed over. Dozens of Marines came running behind him.
"Sadu, it's all taken care of. We don't have to guard this place anymore!"
Elena happily shared the news with Lieutenant Commander Sadu. The two of them had always been close.
But Lieutenant Commander Sadu kept his eyes fixed on the Seven-Star Sword in Brook's hand. It was a demon sword capable of granting tremendous power. Wasn't that why he'd used his position as a Marine, and the banner of justice, to pursue Elena? He wanted the sword.
He'd secretly come up here before, but he hadn't been able to open the stone chest at all. Hadn't Elena said the seal on the Seven-Star Sword would only break when the red moon was about to rise?
Why had this legendary sword of Asuka Island ended up in the hands of this man?
"I'm Marine Lieutenant Commander Sadu. You pirate, you've stolen the island's ancestral sword! In the name of justice, I'm arresting you!"
Lieutenant Commander Sadu immediately drew his standard-issue sword and charged at Brook, not even bothering to find out whether he was a pirate. He wanted to seize the Seven-Star Sword.
"Sadu, what are you doing? Why are you attacking him?!" Elena shouted anxiously from the side.
"Elena, they're pirates. As a Marine, it's my duty to capture them!"
Brook didn't know whether the Marine lieutenant commander had attacked in the name of justice, but after someone had come at him, how could he not fight back? He swung the Seven-Star Sword and sent Sadu flying dozens of meters. Sadu spat out several mouthfuls of blood.
"What terrifying power! Could it be the Seven-Star Sword's power?"
Even though he was gravely wounded, Lieutenant Commander Sadu kept staring at the Seven-Star Sword, convinced that Brook's strength came from it. He could no longer suppress his greed.
"Lieutenant Commander Sadu, that pirate is Brook, a Supernova with a 160-million-berry bounty! Run!"
A Marine intelligence officer shouted to Sadu. He could hardly believe that a pirate worth over a hundred million had come to a small island like this.
"You really are a pirate!"
Elena retreated fearfully toward the Marines, staring in terror at the Supernova pirate they'd mentioned.
Brook didn't finish off Lieutenant Commander Sadu. In the blink of an eye, he simply appeared in front of Elena.
"These three beads are nice. I'll take them as payment for freeing you from the Seven-Star Sword's threat!"
Brook thought the beads possessed some mysterious power and would make fine collectibles. He took them right from Elena's hand, then headed down the mountain.
Silvers followed with his sniper rifle on his back and a revolver at his side. Holding the Cane Sword—the sword Captain Brook had given her—Shakky happily spun it around a few times. She could still feel its chill. Then she hurried after her captain.
Lieutenant Commander Sadu glared resentfully at Brook, who had taken the opportunity that should have been his. The Seven-Star Sword should have been his!
At the thought, Lieutenant Commander Sadu spat out another mouthful of blood and passed out. The Marines panicked, hurriedly carried their superior back to the Marine Branch, and reported the news to Marine Headquarters.
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