Intent Blood

After waiting on the island for over a month, Tie Yi finally sent someone to find Werther and inform him that the twin swords had been forged.

Werther hurried to Tie Yi's home. The moment he entered, he saw the two swords before Tie Yi. No, not saw them—he had already sensed them before even stepping inside.

Before him lay two swords of roughly the same size as his old ones, made in the style Werther had specifically requested. They still had the eight-sided design suited for chopping and slashing, and their shape was identical to the old swords.

Only, the spines of these two swords were covered in fine red patterns. They were irregular, yet the blood-red markings possessed a strange, eerie beauty.

The greatest change was beneath the hilts. They no longer had the original solid metal spheres; actual combat had proven that those solid metal balls were completely useless.

They had been replaced with hollow metal spheres riddled with tiny holes. Inside each hollow sphere was a pale blue iron bead.

Simply resting on the table, the two swords gave off an extraordinary feeling.

At that moment, Tie Yi spoke.

"These are two Cursed Swords, the most sinister Cursed Swords I have ever seen. They may even become the strongest Cursed Swords." Tie Yi gazed at the two long swords, his eyes filled with excitement.

"Oh? What makes them so sinister? Tell me. And what grade of famous blades are they?" Werther was very interested in his new weapons after hearing Tie Yi's introduction.

"They are among the 21 Great Grade Blades. As for what makes them sinister..." Tie Yi fell silent for a moment, then took off his coat.

Only then did Werther notice how pale Tie Yi's face and body were, as though he had only just recovered from a serious illness.

"These Cursed Swords drink blood. After I finished polishing them, I tested their sharpness. My hand was accidentally cut, and perhaps because it was the first time they drank human blood, they forcibly absorbed a great deal of my blood. Then the red patterns on their spines formed.

"What shocked me even more was that only one sword drank my blood, yet red patterns appeared on both blades.

"And I discovered that after drinking blood, they became slightly stronger. That's right, I could feel it. The grade of these two swords had risen a little. I've forged swords my entire life, so I can't be wrong about that." Tie Yi put his coat back on.

Werther became even more interested. These two swords could actually grow stronger by drinking blood. Didn't that mean they might one day evolve into blades on the level of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades?

Werther picked up the twin swords, and the feeling in his hands made him shudder.

It was not because he had been intimidated by the Cursed Swords or anything else. The sensation was simply far too familiar. Wasn't this exactly what it had felt like to hold his old twin swords?

"You're not dead yet, old friends. That's truly wonderful." Werther looked at the two swords, his face full of nostalgia.

Under Tie Yi's shocked gaze, Werther used one sword to cut open his arm.

Blood rapidly flowed from the wound on his arm. With Werther's deliberate control, all of it ran onto the blade.

Yet something strange happened, much to Tie Yi's confusion. Werther's blood merely ran down the smooth blade and dripped onto the ground. There was no sign at all that the sword was drinking blood.

Tie Yi looked utterly unconvinced. He picked up a knife, cut his finger, then flicked his blood onto the sword.

This time, the sword absorbed Tie Yi's blood instantly, like a sponge.

Tie Yi looked at Werther in confusion, as if asking what was going on.

"Heh heh heh... Heh heh heh... I told you already. Even if they're Cursed Swords, I fought for them myself. They're my old friends. How could they drink my blood?" Werther slid the twin swords into his old scabbards. The fit was perfect.

"Let's name these two swords Intent Blood. What do you think, old Mr. Tie Yi?" Though Werther was asking Tie Yi, it was merely out of respect for the man who had forged Intent Blood.

Intent naturally referred to the intent of Sword Intent Hall, while Blood represented the two blood-drinking swords.

Tie Yi nodded and waved him away. A month of forging, along with having his blood drained by Intent Blood, had clearly placed a tremendous burden on his body.

When Werther reached the door, he spoke without turning back to face Tie Yi.

"I will definitely help you kill Shiryu of the Rain. If your family ever faces a crisis in the future, you can contact me. I will come help." With that, Werther took a Den Den Mushi from his clothes, placed it on the cabinet by the door, and left without looking back.

A smile appeared on Tie Yi's face.

"I haven't seen a Great Swordsman in a long time. I never expected to have the chance to see one so young. I hope he can help me kill Shiryu of the Rain. Son, I have finally found a way to kill Shiryu of the Rain."

Werther took Intent Blood and went to find Ferdinand to say goodbye. He did not intend to return to Tutu Island, so he did not go to see Ferdinand off.

Back on the ship, he found Rabbit still holding a pile of medical books and sunbathing on the deck, with a fruit platter beside him.

Ever since setting sail with Werther, Rabbit had become increasingly skilled at enjoying life.

Werther immediately started the ship and sailed in the direction indicated by the Log Pose.

After setting the course and putting the ship on autopilot, Werther went to find Rabbit, showing off his Intent Blood like a child who had received a new toy.

"Congratulations, Al. Today is such a good day, so can we skip training and rest for a day?" Seeing how happy Werther was, Rabbit tried to take the opportunity to slack off.

Werther merely smiled at Rabbit. Rabbit lowered his head lower and lower until he finally buried it in his chest.

Werther knew Rabbit was pretending to look pitiful, but he still could not help softening.

"Fine. We'll rest today, but training continues tomorrow."

Rabbit nodded rapidly. Behind Werther's back, Rabbit flashed a V sign.

Just then, a News Coo flew down from the sky and landed directly in front of Rabbit.

Rabbit did not hesitate. Rabbit went into the kitchen, brought out some fish, and fed the News Coo. After it had eaten its fill, it did not fly away immediately. Instead, it dropped a newspaper, called out to Rabbit, and only then flew off.

Rabbit waved at the News Coo, picked up the newspaper from the ground, and leisurely read it while reclining in a deck chair with one leg crossed over the other.

Werther felt that the sight before him seemed strangely familiar. It was a little hard on the eyes, but when he looked at Rabbit's adorable face again, he dismissed the thought.

Just as Werther was about to test the sharpness of Intent Blood, Rabbit suddenly grabbed him.

Rabbit pointed to a corner of the newspaper, and Werther followed Rabbit's furry finger.

(Marine Admiral Sakazuki defeated the Telika Pirates and rescued the villagers on the island.)

Werther looked at it and saw nothing unusual.

"Al, is this Sakazuki very strong?" Rabbit began writing notes to Werther again.

"Very strong. I can't beat him yet. What's wrong, Rabbit?" Werther was puzzled about what Rabbit was trying to do.

Rabbit began writing furiously again.

"Then from now on, I'll be called Tuski. I'll become very strong too." As Rabbit held up the note, Rabbit smiled happily, delighted to finally have a name.

When Werther heard the name Tuski, he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood onto Rabbit's face.

But Rabbit had chosen the name personally, so Werther could only accept it.