Marineford, Marine Headquarters Building, Fleet Admiral's Office.
Marine Fleet Admiral Steel Bone Kong sat behind his desk, his towering frame upright as he carefully reviewed the documents before him.
Knock, knock, knock!
A knock sounded at the door. The white-haired old man did not look up as he said quietly:
"Come in!"
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Military Academy student Karl D. Sephiroth reporting!"
The silver-haired youth stood perfectly straight and gave the white-haired elder a crisp military salute.
"You're Karl D. Sephiroth...?"
"Reporting, Fleet Admiral, yes!"
"Zephyr told me you wanted a good sword...
How are your sword skills? Have you reached the standard of a swordsman?"
Sephiroth looked at him calmly and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly:
"I reached it not long ago."
Tap! Tap! Tap!...
Steel Bone Kong lightly tapped the desk with his right index finger. He studied Sephiroth from head to toe for quite a while before rising, taking a rectangular wooden box from the cabinet behind him, placing it on the desk, and casually opening it.
In an instant, a fierce and vicious aura spilled out from the wooden box.
Through Sephiroth's Observation Haki, the black longsword in its sheath inside the box resembled a ravenous beast starving to the extreme. It seemed to be calling to him, screaming for him to pick it up.
Seeing the uncertainty on Sephiroth's face and that he was unwilling to pick up the sword, Steel Bone Kong finally explained:
"Its name is Butcher Blade. In terms of quality alone, it can undoubtedly rank among the Supreme Grade Swords. However...
It is a Demonic Sword that claims lives. Whether enemy or wielder, it will take their lives and turn them into nourishment.
Wounds inflicted by it are exceptionally difficult to heal. Those killed by it will have the remaining life