Watching Luo Ya's retreating figure, Kuma asked in confusion, "Why?" He couldn't understand why Luo Ya hadn't killed him, but had instead gone after the people of the Sorbet Kingdom.
Dragon explained, "According to our investigation, the Black Flame Swordsman has killed countless people. Even the figures in his wanted posters put the number at tens of thousands.
"But he never kills indiscriminately. On the contrary, he often slaughters nobles and treats even powerless fishermen no differently. Perhaps one day, he could fight alongside us.
"As for you, you probably just like fighting strong opponents."
After hearing Dragon's explanation, Kuma rolled his eyes. Damn it, he came out of nowhere and nearly cut me to pieces. And now we might end up on the same side someday. Looks like I won't get a chance to take revenge.
Luo Ya had no idea how long he'd slept aboard the ship before the roar of machinery woke him. He got up, opened the cabin door, and saw a machine firmly hooked onto the Black Pearl as it drifted with the waves.
Luo Ya scratched his head and went to the wheelhouse, where he found the ship had run out of power long ago. After mooring it, he walked onto the dock.
The workers on the dock had spotted Luo Ya and immediately gone to notify Vitt. By the time Luo Ya reached the pier, Vitt was hurrying over.
"Lord Luo Ya, you certainly sleep well. We've been trying to wake you for three days!" Luo Ya awkwardly scratched his head, then gestured for them to eat first and talk over the meal.
Vitt led Luo Ya to the dining room. As the plates piled up on the table, Luo Ya let out a satisfied burp, lit a cigarette, and asked,
"Any news from the Sorbet Kingdom? Has anyone brought me anything these past few days?"
"No one's brought you anything yet. Here's all the news from the Sorbet Kingdom. The papers have been covering it these past few days." Vitt handed him several newspapers.
The first thing that caught Luo Ya's eye was a photograph of him surrounded by black flames, fighting Kuma.
A bold headline read: "The Battle Between Black Flame Swordsman Luo Ya and the Tyrant Bartholomew Kuma—Black Flame Swordsman Victorious."
His bounty was 250 million Beli. Smaller text beside it listed the Tyrant Bartholomew Kuma's bounty as 210 million Beli.
He'd expected Kuma's title and bounty to change because of his interference, but they'd ended up almost exactly as before.
It was only after flipping through the next few newspapers that Luo Ya learned what had happened.
After Hafiz and the others had reported the news, they were killed. King Bekli had hurried back to the Sorbet Kingdom, overjoyed.
But Kuma, whose injuries had partly healed, and the Revolutionary Army fighters who'd arrived in the meantime had beaten him senseless. Still, King Berkley was lucky; just as in the original story, he managed to escape. He contacted the World Government and brought several Marine warships to the Sorbet Kingdom, only for Kuma to sink them all by himself.
The destruction of the warships, along with King Bekli's accusations, turned Kuma into a pirate with a hefty bounty. He came to be known as "the Tyrant."
The Sorbet Kingdom was now in the midst of liberation, and the fighting was gradually dying down. Just as in the original story, Kuma would probably put to sea as a pirate to avoid bringing trouble to his country.
After reading the papers, Luo Ya turned to Vitt and asked, "What about the Underworld? Any news?"
Vitt smirked. "Lord Noah, Hafiz and the others were on record as having asked for Kuma to be captured alive. Everyone in the trade's been calling them idiots. They'd already hired you to handle it, but they wanted to show off by insisting on taking him alive. In the end, they got killed instead."
"Heh. As long as my 100 percent success rate remains intact, that's all that matters. Once the fighting dies down in a few days, Kuma and the others should send over what they promised me. Hold on to it for me when it arrives." With that, Luo Ya got up and returned to the room Vitt had already prepared for him, where he promptly fell into a deep sleep.
After all, there was only one way to recover from the strain on his soul: sleep. Besides, the vast amount of memories released when Scorching Cloud melted were still waiting for him to digest.
Over the next few days, Luo Ya settled into a steady routine: practicing his swordsmanship and sleeping. He even ate at the training ground.
The benefits of digesting the many fragments of memory were significant. First, Luo Ya finally mastered sword intent completely and entered the third stage of swordsmanship.
The improvement in his sword intent also greatly strengthened his soul. The clearest sign was that Ryujin Jakka could now maintain a temperature of 3,000 degrees when used at full power, bringing it very close to Old Man Yamamoto's 5,700 degrees.
A few days into Luo Ya's training, Vitt brought him a Famous Sword and a manual for a martial art called Dragon Claw Fist, sent by the Revolutionary Army. They'd also sent a Den Den Mushi that could connect him to Dragon.
Vitt said the messenger had mentioned that they hoped to hire Luo Ya if the opportunity arose. The Den Den Mushi provided a direct line to their leader.
Luo Ya accepted it and said he didn't mind. He wasn't going to work for anyone again. He'd done enough of that before; from now on, he'd be a free wage slave. Unless they offered him a truly ridiculous amount.
The sword really was one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords. Named Odenta Mitsuyo, it was a short sword with a blade measuring 66.10 centimeters. Without exception, every one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords was a Black Blade that had been tempered over many years.
Luo Ya stored it in the Soul Space in his mind alongside Kikuichimonji, which he'd acquired earlier.
When he first discovered that he could store Kikuichimonji, Luo Ya had been ecstatic, thinking he'd finally gotten a storage space. But it turned out he couldn't put anything inside except Famous Swords.
Once a Famous Sword entered the space, it was plunged into a fiery purgatory. Endless Black Flame endlessly melted it down, dissolving the sword intent it had accumulated over many years and turning it into nourishment for Luo Ya.
The Dragon Claw Fist manual also had Luo Ya completely absorbed. After all, hand-to-hand combat had always been his weak point. Strictly speaking, swordsmen controlled the distance in a fight.
Close-quarters combat was a weakness for every swordsman. They just each had their own way of making up for it.
Dragon Claw Fist certainly lived up to its reputation. It was the martial art that had made Sabo the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command even before he ate the Mera Mera no Mi. It was known as the "claw" forged to crush tyrannical powers.
Luo Ya had only just begun to master it, yet with Armament Haki covering his hands, he could already crush ordinary iron swords. It was a major improvement to his close-quarters fighting,
so anyone fighting Luo Ya from now on would have to watch out not only for getting knocked over by a kick to the gut, but also for his left hand, which had previously stayed clasped around his scabbard.
Time flew by as Luo Ya continued his training.
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