Ryuma

Then he turned to Brook and smiled. "Congratulations, Brook."

"Yohohoho!"

Brook no longer made a fuss over Kuta appearing out of nowhere. He laughed. "We were just talking about this sword!"

"Sword?"

Kuta paused, then seemed to remember something. He glanced up at Ryuma's lifeless corpse lying in the distance.

Then he looked back at the sword in Kuina's hand. "So it really is this sword!"

Even though he knew, he still put on a surprised expression.

Kuina had turned her gaze toward Kuta the instant he appeared. Seeing his feigned surprise, she pursed her lips slightly, then her eyes filled with a tender smile.

"Here! You explain it to Brook!"

"All right!"

Taking the sword Kuina handed him, Kuta twirled it in his hand, then casually swung it to one side.

Whoosh!

An invisible slash cut through the air, then left a deep fissure in the ground.

"A fine sword."

Brook looked down at the fissure and felt his teeth ache, though teeth were all he had left.

"So powerful."

He meant both the sword and its wielder.

He hadn't sensed any imposing aura from Kuta just now, and Kuta hadn't exerted himself. It had only been a light swing.

Yet it had accomplished this much.

Such strength was already beyond his understanding.

"Brook, Brook..."

The repeated calls snapped Brook out of his daze.

Coming to his senses, he looked up at Kuta and laughed. "Sorry, I never imagined you were so powerful, Mr. Kuta. How embarrassing!"

"Haha!"

Kuta smiled faintly, then said, "Didn't you want to know exactly what this sword is?"

"Yes!"

Brook nodded, then turned his attention to the sword in Kuta's hand.

"This sword is Shusui, one of the twenty-one great grade swords. It's an exceptionally rare...

"Black Blade."

Kuta raised the sword and spoke