Coming and Going

He directly slashed the gaunt old man into several pieces, but without Haki, it had no effect.

The gaunt old man formed a piece of blue chewing gum in his hand and put it into his mouth, chewing.

After chewing a few times, the gaunt old man actually began blowing bubbles. Huge blue bubbles appeared between them, floating before him. After blowing dozens of them, the gum in his mouth was used up.

Werther kicked a pebble, striking one of the blue bubbles dead on.

With a loud bang, the blue bubble exploded violently.

"Chewing gum contains glycerol, and glycerol absorbs hydrogen sulfide from the air. When a large amount of hydrogen sulfide suddenly meets air, it can explode. And it's highly toxic too, kid. Don't underestimate any Devil Fruit, especially its user. I used to be a scientist." The gaunt old man teased Werther. He was not really trying to teach Werther anything; he was stalling for time, as shown by the second piece of blue gum in his mouth.

This was troublesome. The man before him was absolutely the kind of person who could make even a trash Devil Fruit incredibly powerful, much like Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit.

This guy was probably the most troublesome enemy Werther had ever faced. Without Haki, his attacks were basically ineffective. What should he do? Run? He could have run earlier, but now ten blue bubbles surrounded him. For the time being, he could not support his master.

Since they could explode, they were probably flammable. He picked up another stone at his feet. This time, instead of throwing it directly, he heated it with high-intensity lightning. Over the years, as Werther had grown stronger, the Thunder Core had also increased in power. It was already strong enough to electrocute an ordinary person.

Before long, the stone in his hand became scorching hot. He hurled it with all his strength, then leaped upward with everything he had.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! A series of explosions rang out below. Taking the opportunity, Werther broke through the encirclement after landing.

He did not immediately go support his master and the others. Bringing an unresolved enemy to assist his comrades would have been utterly foolish.

He charged the gaunt old man again and cut off his arm. This time, Werther did not retreat immediately. Instead, he picked up the fallen gum and backed away, watching the old man's reaction.

Sure enough, after returning to human form, the gaunt old man was missing one hand.

"It seems the gum at the positions of your limbs can't regenerate indefinitely. Once separated from your body, you can't control it. And your fighting style is garbage. Anyone who relies purely on a Devil Fruit is trash, so you've lost." Werther was delighted as he watched the gaunt old man's face turn ugly.

Before the gaunt old man could react, he burst all the remaining blue bubbles and severed both of the old man's legs, picking them up.

Holding a large mass of chewing gum, Werther did not continue fighting the old man. He turned and ran in one direction. He had not cut off the gum at the gaunt old man's head, because that was the only gum the old man could control while separated from his body.

Seeing the direction Werther was running, the old man was initially confused. Then his face turned ashen, and he desperately crawled in the opposite direction like a beaten dog.

Werther was not heading anywhere else. In that direction was something every Devil Fruit user feared—the sea.

Reaching the shore, he forcefully threw the mass of gum in his hand into the sea, then immediately ran back the way he had come.

At Werther's speed, the whole trip took less than two minutes.

When he returned to the gaunt old man, the old man looked utterly drained. Without wasting words or even stopping, Werther severed the old man's head with one stroke.

Werther continued running toward the sword dojo.

He wondered how his master and the others were doing. If it had not been on the way, Werther would not even have killed the gaunt old man. It had been a waste of time.

When he returned to the courtyard of the sword dojo, Werther was stunned by the scene before him.

Senior Sister An's sword was embedded in a headless corpse, while her own throat had been pierced through by a long staff. She had already stopped breathing.

Senior Brother Roy was not doing much better. He lay atop a corpse with a huge axe lodged in his chest, struggling to breathe.

His master seemed to have been injured somewhere unknown and was merely lying on the ground. Beside him stood Stuart Aiden, the current head of the Stuart family, holding a greatsword.

Stuart Aiden also appeared seriously injured. One of his hands had been cut off, and his body was covered in wounds.

Werther's eyes turned bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Stuart Aiden.

"Kid, I didn't expect you to be alive. Want to join my family? What future do you have following Niss?" Stuart Aiden did not seem to want to fight Werther either, because his injuries were severe.

"Join your fucking mother." In his extreme grief and rage, Werther blurted out a classic curse from his previous life.

Under Stuart Aiden's horrified gaze, Werther cut off his remaining right hand. That was not enough. He continued and severed both his legs.

Stuart Aiden, reduced to a limbless stump, fell to the ground. Werther stepped down, crushing Stuart Aiden's head like a watermelon.

Looking at everything before him, Werther did not know what to do. Just as he was about to check on his master, he heard his senior brother calling him.

"Werther, come here." Roy, who had just regained consciousness, saw Werther crush Stuart Aiden's head and revealed a relieved smile.

Werther hurried over and helped his senior brother sit against the wall.

"Senior Brother, how are you? I'll take you and Master to see a doctor right away. It's okay, your organs shouldn't be injured. You'll recover before long, so don't worry." Werther said words that even he barely believed. His eyes were already filled with tears, and he fought hard not to cry.

"Hahaha, you brat, I can see my own stomach. Your senior brother is done for. This is all I'll ever amount to. Anna is dead too. My daughter... she's only five. I should have known. How could an assassin ever have a good ending?" Roy, a burly middle-aged man, began crying in sorrow. This was a man who had never cried out in pain even when two blades pierced his stomach during a mission, yet now he wept bitterly.

"Werther, having a junior brother like you truly makes me happy. Your background may be mysterious, but you've always been sincere toward Master, me, and An. Help me fulfill my final wish. Help me drink the most delicious wine in this world, the wine people can never forget.

"And bury me together with Senior Sister An. Find an owner for An's sword. They don't need to be very strong, but they must know how to cherish their sword. An never said it while she was alive, but she treasured her sword deeply. Aside from me and Master, she only ever let you admire that sword." Roy looked at Werther with a faint smile as the light gradually faded from his eyes.

"Senior Brother!" Werther could no longer hold himself back. He threw himself over Roy's body and began sobbing.

The man who had died before him was the one who had trained with him every day, taught him to drink, never put on airs as his senior brother, and bickered with him. Whenever their arguments became heated, the two of them would wrestle on the ground like children. Whenever Werther made no progress in training, he encouraged him; whenever Werther created a new move, he gave him guidance and celebrated with him.

And now, that man had died before his eyes.

After crying for a while, Werther suddenly remembered. His master—how was his master? He hurriedly ran over.

Because it was dark and he had been far away, Werther had not seen clearly before. When he reached his master, he froze in place. As if unable to accept it, he took two steps back.

Because he saw that, aside from his master's relatively intact head, every other part of his body had been battered uneven by the greatsword.

Suppressing his despair, he slowly approached his master and discovered that his master still had a faint heartbeat.

He quickly hoisted his master onto his back and ran toward the hospital in Loguetown.

After running for a short distance, he felt his master move.

"Werther, put me down." Longliang spoke quietly. His fatal injuries had left him completely without strength.

"Master, we're almost at the hospital. Please hold on a little longer, we're almost there." Werther answered urgently, never slowing his pace. Carrying his master, he could not activate Lightning Mode for fear of hurting him, so he could not reach the hospital quickly.

"Put me down. Are you no longer going to listen to your master?" Longliang forced out a shout.

Werther seemed frozen in place, his face filled with conflict. In the end, he slowly set his master down and helped him lean against the roadside.

"Werther, I'm afraid I can't hold on any longer. I have a few things to tell you, and I'm afraid there won't be time later." After speaking, Longliang panted with difficulty several times.

"Master, please speak. Werther is listening." Werther struggled to keep himself from crying again in front of his master.

"A man must not cry. Werther, being able to teach a disciple like you has been an honor for me. Your future achievements will surely surpass mine. I have a few things to ask of you. You must help me accomplish them. First, find my ancestor's Black Blade: Shusui. I know you like using swords, so find it a good owner. Do not let it fall into the hands of my family again. You must."

"Master, don't worry. Shusui is currently in the hands of your ancestor Ryuma. Senior Ryuma was turned into a zombie by Moria, and Shusui will fall into the hands of a swordsman who will one day be no worse than Hawk-Eye Mihawk. I will personally see to it."

"Haha... then that's good. Let it take its natural course." Longliang was initially surprised by Werther's words, then smiled in satisfaction.

"There is one more thing. If the descendants of the Kozuki Family ever face danger, help them once. After all, Kozuki Oden spared my life. I committed a crime in Wano Country that should have meant certain death. Remember, only do it when you are strong enough. Do not throw your life away needlessly." Longliang found it increasingly difficult to speak, occasionally coughing up blood.

"I was exiled from Wano Country for violating a taboo. By chance, I learned that the Kozuki Family were the creators of the Poneglyphs. That alone was nothing, but more importantly, I learned Poneglyph writing.

"Werther, do you remember the writing I taught you during those two months when I taught you wilderness survival? That was not Wano Country's writing. It was Poneglyph writing. I passed it on to you because I know you want to see this world, but if you do not understand ancient writing, you will never truly see it. What you see may only be what the Government wants you to see.

"Your Senior Brother and Senior Sister An both understand ancient writing, but neither was interested in it. You must remember: never, ever admit that you understand ancient writing. The Celestial Dragons will target you. Those fat pigs are a troublesome race.

"Set sail, Werther. You've grown up. In the blink of an eye, you're already sixteen. Time really passes quickly. You've gone from a child to a man. Remember, do not lose your way. Even if everyone condemns you, your master, your Senior Brother, and Senior Sister An will support you." After speaking, Longliang raised his head to look at the sky, as though recalling something happy.

Longliang suddenly remembered that summer, the beautiful girl, and their promise in Wano Country. What wonderful memories. In the blink of an eye, decades had passed. Smiling, he closed his eyes, and his breathing slowly stopped.