When Luo Ya had changed and arrived at the palace, King Brunen was seated at the head of the table. Madalina and Annajia sat off to one side.
Luo Ya took a seat on the other side, where there was an empty chair, lit a cigarette, and asked, "What's going on? Don't tell me the princess wants me to train her."
"Lord Luo Ya, Madalina has chosen Annajia to help her train. However, I'd like to ask you to teach her alongside Lady Annajia."
"Ha, I'm not interested."
"I believe you won't refuse the reward I've prepared for you. If you still don't want to teach Madalina afterward, that's fine too."
At that, Luo Ya grew interested. In the Underworld, he was known for getting jobs done quickly and thoroughly, usually throwing in something extra besides the target itself.
He was just as well known for charging exorbitant prices. The last time something had caught his interest, he'd gained a Great Grade Sword and two Devil Fruits.
Luo Ya was curious where King Brunen had gotten the confidence to offer him a reward for something he clearly had no interest in.
"Fine. Now that you've put it that way, I'm interested." Luo Ya nodded in agreement.
King Brunen noticed Madalina beside him looking as though she wanted to say something, and stopped her with a look.
"Haha, let's eat first. Lady Annajia is young, yet exceptionally strong, and she isn't a Devil Fruit User. Now that she has a Devil Fruit, her strength is bound to increase greatly."
"Ah, I haven't decided whether I want to eat this fruit yet. My fighting style mainly relies on kicks, so turning into an animal might actually make me weaker.
"Especially since this is a Zoan Devil Fruit—the Kangaroo Form. It sounds so ugly. The pouch is huge."
Annajia complained about the Devil Fruit. For someone with little strength, eating a Devil Fruit could significantly improve their fighting ability.
But for someone like Annajia, who already had a well-developed fighting style, eating a fruit that didn't suit her could have the opposite effect.
"Haha, let's not talk about that. Let's raise our glasses to celebrate Lady Annajia winning this tournament."
King Brunen raised his glass. Luo Ya, who had been eating and drinking heartily beside him, joined in without spoiling the mood.
After everyone had eaten their fill, Madalina and Annajia were already calling each other sisters. They went to the living quarters to discuss the next day's training.
Meanwhile, King Brunen led Luo Ya into an underground passage in the palace.
After walking through a long tunnel and passing through seven or eight iron doors, they arrived at a stone chamber.
Luo Ya looked around with curiosity. The walls were covered in strange symbols, and he could just barely make out what was supposedly Ancient Script.
But if King Brunen thought he could sway Luo Ya with some Poneglyph about the lost history, he was dreaming. Luo Ya had no interest in the lost history.
As a line from a novel in his previous life put it: "There's no need to resurrect our ancestors. I will surpass them."
In Luo Ya's eyes, if the world couldn't overthrow the World Government in the present, thinking that a piece of history could change things was complete nonsense. They'd be better off using that time to figure out how to get stronger.
After all, the World Government had surely kept records of the lost history from the past eight hundred years. As the ultimate victors, erasing history and downplaying the influence of their previous rule was only to be expected.
"If the reward you mentioned is some damn history recorded in Ancient Script, I'm leaving. I'm not interested in this boring game."
"Haha, Lord Luo Ya, you have a keen eye. But the reward I mentioned isn't the writing on the walls."
As he spoke, King Brunen took out a book. Its cover was plain black.
Luo Ya opened it. The writing was fresh, clearly copied not long ago. But as he read, he became more and more engrossed.
The book recorded the swordsmanship insights of a Great Swordsman, along with two original techniques.
The exact time period was impossible to determine, but according to the text, the swordsman had been the World's Greatest Swordsman of his era.
Like Luo Ya, he had felt that swordsmanship lacked techniques. Martial artists relied on Haki and stamina, using raw power to smash through their opponents.
Devil Fruit Users relied on their abilities and Haki, using raw power to smash through their opponents. Swordsmen relied on sword intent mixed with Haki, using raw power to smash through their opponents.
So after becoming the greatest, he had racked his brains trying to create some signature sword techniques.
He had eventually created two techniques just before his death: Line-Cutting Void and Infernal Fire Prison. How they were lost afterward, and how the Norberto Kingdom had acquired them, was unknown.
What's more, the swordsman had happened to master fire sword intent, making his techniques an exceptionally good fit for Luo Ya.
The book ended abruptly there. It contained not a single word about how to train in the techniques.
Watching Luo Ya absorbed in the book, King Brunen chuckled. "Lord Luo Ya, would you be willing to accept this reward in exchange for teaching my daughter swordsmanship and protecting the Norberto Kingdom?"
"Ha, couldn't I just take it by force? Why waste time and effort teaching your gas-cylinder princess?" Luo Ya put the book away, rested his right hand on his sword hilt, and let a blood-red gleam show in his eyes.
"Even if you attacked us, we wouldn't be entirely helpless. Besides, the secrets have been passed down orally from generation to generation. I'm the only one who can write them down. No one else knows them."
Looking at King Brunen's defiant expression, Luo Ya smiled. "I can teach her, but I want Annajia's Hasshoken too."
Luo Ya had long been interested in Hasshoken's powerful, concentrated penetrating force. This was the perfect opportunity to bring it up.
"I can only say I'll do my best to discuss it with Lady Annajia. After all, she's from the Flower Country." King Brunen looked troubled.
"Heh, Brunen, you're an interesting one. I'm guessing this swordsman left behind other secrets too, right? The conditions for unlocking them must be either royal blood or something like fire sword intent.
"Otherwise, it makes no sense that you insist I teach her. I don't want the rest of the legacy, but if Hasshoken isn't part of the deal, find someone else."
King Brunen wasn't surprised that Luo Ya had seen through his intentions. The kingdom had plenty of accomplished swordsmen of its own. Insisting on hiring an infamous swordsman to teach the princess was obviously suspicious.
"Then it's a deal, Lord Luo Ya. As a gesture of good faith, here's the training method for Infernal Fire Prison." As he spoke, he handed over another brand-new book.
Before you continue