Intent Blood

After waiting on the Island for over a month, Tie Yi finally sent someone to find Werther and told him 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—or rather, he had sensed them before he even stepped inside.

Before him lay a pair of swords roughly the same size as his old ones. Their design was also exactly what Werther had requested: the same eight-sided shape suited for slashing, identical in form to his previous swords.

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

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

They had instead been replaced with hollow metal spheres. Their surfaces were riddled with holes, and inside each metal 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've ever seen. They may even become the strongest Cursed Swords." Tie Yi stared at the two longswords, his eyes brimming with excitement.

"Oh? What's so sinister about them? Let's hear it. Also, what grade of famed blade are they?" After hearing Tie Yi's introduction, Werther became very interested in his new weapons.

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

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

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

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

"And after drinking blood, they became slightly stronger. Yes, I could feel it—the grade of these two swords rose a little. I've forged swords my entire life. I can't be wrong about that." Tie Yi put his coat back on after speaking.

Werther was even more intrigued. 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 was intimidated by the Cursed Swords or anything else. The sensation was simply too familiar. Wasn't this exactly how it had felt to hold his old twin swords?

"You're still here, old friends. That's truly wonderful." Werther looked at the two swords, his face filled with nostalgia.

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

Blood rapidly flowed from the wound on his arm. With deliberate control, Werther let it all run onto the sword.

Then something strange happened. Werther's blood simply ran down the smooth blade and dripped onto the floor. There was no sign whatsoever that the sword was drinking blood.

Tie Yi's face was full of disbelief. He picked up a blade beside him, cut his finger, and flicked the 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 exactly was going on.

"Hehehe, hehehe. I already told you—even if they're Cursed Swords, I fought my way through countless battles with them. These are my old friends. Why would they drink my blood?" Werther sheathed the twin swords in his old scabbards, and they fit perfectly.

"Let's name these two swords 'Intent Blood.' What do you think, Mr. Tie Yi?" Though Werther was asking Tie Yi, it was only out of respect for Intent Blood's creator.

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

Tie Yi nodded and waved to see him out. A month of forging, along with having his blood drained by Intent Blood, had clearly placed an enormous burden on his body.

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

"I'll definitely help you kill Shiryu of the Rain. If your Family ever faces a crisis, contact me. I'll 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.

"It's been a long time since I last saw a great swordsman. I never expected to have the chance to witness such a young great swordsman. I hope he can help me kill Shiryu of the Rain. Son, I've finally found a way to kill Shiryu of the Rain."

Werther took Intent Blood to find Ferdinand and say goodbye. Werther had no plans to return to Tutu Island, so he did not see Ferdinand off.

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

Ever since Rabbit had gone to sea with Werther, he had become increasingly good at enjoying life.

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

After setting their course and putting the ship on autopilot, Werther went to find Rabbit, showing off his Intent Blood like a child who had just 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 further and further until he finally buried it against his chest.

Werther knew the fellow was pretending to look pitiful, but he could not help softening a little.

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

Rabbit nodded rapidly and, behind Werther's back, made a V-sign with his fingers.

At that moment, a News Coo flew down from the sky and landed directly in front of Rabbit.

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

Rabbit waved at the News Coo, picked up the Newspaper from the ground, and leisurely reclined in a deck chair to read it, even crossing one leg over the other.

Werther felt that the scene before him looked strangely familiar. It was a little hard on the eyes, but after looking again at Rabbit's adorably blank face, he pushed the thought aside.

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

Rabbit pointed at a corner of the Newspaper, and Werther followed Rabbit's furry finger.

(Admiral Sakazuki defeated the Telika Pirates and rescued the Island's villagers.)

Werther looked it over. There was nothing remarkable about it.

"Al, is this Sakazuki strong?" Rabbit began writing another note to Werther.

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

Rabbit began scribbling again.

"Then from now on, I'll be called Tuski. I'll become very strong too." As Rabbit held up the note, he smiled brightly, happy that he finally had a name.

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

But Rabbit had found the name himself, so Werther could only accept it.