Returning to the Marine Base, Ryan began to explain the island's rumors to the accompanying Marines, asking them to inquire about the authenticity of these rumors from the Marines at the base.
The Marines on the ship immediately agreed. They knew Ryan was a Swordsman who always carried a Marine-issued sword, and upon hearing about kiyotsuki, one of the Great Grade Swords, his heart must have been deeply stirred.
At the same time, Ryan was also about to head to Marineford. By then, Ryan's rank might rapidly increase, and he could then take care of them a little, so they immediately agreed to his request.
That day, the accompanying Marines brought accurate news.
The news of kiyotsuki, one of the Great Grade Swords, indeed appeared on this small island. During a pirate skirmish, a young girl carrying a sword was inadvertently caught in the crossfire, and her sword fell to the ground.
It was snatched by a pirate in the chaos. When he drew it, the blade was dark and exuded a sharp edge, covered in purple cloud patterns, looking like a menacing ghost.
A pirate swordsman immediately shouted that it was kiyotsuki, one of the Great Grade Swords. At this moment, an unknown swordsman appeared and eliminated most of the pirates present, leaving only a small number of pirates who desperately fled.
The fleeing pirates spread this news.
This is how the rumor spread on the island. At the same time, after the sword was confirmed to be kiyotsuki, one of the Great Grade Swords, many unknown swordsmen and pirates came to the vicinity.
The swordsmen wanted to obtain this famous sword, and the pirates wanted to snatch it and sell it. Simultaneously, the black market quickly issued a bounty for this famous sword.
Whoever finds this famous sword and hands it over to the black market on the island can receive a bounty of one hundred million Berries.
This high bounty quickly stimulated the pirates. Now, pirates and swordsmen are constantly arriving around Haitang Island.
And they are still searching for the whereabouts of those two people. They have found some traces in recent days and have now surrounded them in a dense jungle on the island.
The number of pirates on the island is constantly increasing, and the people of Haitang Island have begun to panic. The Marines on the island believe their strength is severely insufficient.
They have started to request assistance from nearby Marine Bases. Now, pirates are still continuously heading to this small island, and the Marine also keeps dispatching Marines from several nearby bases. The Marine's advance team has already gathered at the Haitang Island branch.
Ryan's eyes lit up when he heard this. Perfect, now there's such a large group of pirates gathered nearby, and the sword hasn't been acquired by anyone yet. This time, he can gain a lot of experience points and also see what the sword's owner thinks of kiyotsuki.
He could sell the sword or something else. As for snatching the sword, Ryan disdained doing such a thing.
Then, after asking them for the location of kiyotsuki and the pirates, he went directly to that location.
Ryan told the Marines at the base that he was going ahead. The Marines at the base initially wanted to stop him, but upon hearing of his achievements, they stopped their attempts to prevent him. What a joke, a terrifying guy who defeated a Marineford Colonel. If he wanted to go alone, they would let him act on his own.
Ryan went alone this time. He didn't bring Ann with him. Ann's strength was still too weak. In such a battle, he might get injured or even die if he wasn't careful, so he went alone this time.
Ann also knew that Ryan didn't bring him along for his own good, but he was still stimulated and a fire ignited in his heart. Next time, he would definitely not be a burden again.
At the base, he began to train desperately again.
On the other other side.
Yueying felt that she might really die this time. She came from a swordsmanship dojo on another nearby island. This kiyotsuki, one of the Great Grade Swords, was her family's heirloom.
Her father had always hoped that a Swordsman-level person would appear in the family or dojo to inherit this famous sword, but no Swordsman had ever appeared in the family or dojo, so this sword had always been kept sealed away.
This time, coming to Haitang Island and bringing kiyotsuki was also because a friend on Haitang Island heard that her family had a famous sword and wanted to take the opportunity to admire it. Yueying initially didn't want to agree, but this good friend claimed that their family's rumor was deliberately publicized to better recruit disciples, which is why they spread rumors about having a famous sword in their dojo.
Yueying couldn't stand her insult to her family. In a fit of excitement, she brought the family's heirloom sword to Haitang Island, intending to let her friend truly see her family's sword.
But she didn't expect that as soon as she arrived on Haitang Island, she was inadvertently caught in a pirate skirmish, and her sword was exposed. Fortunately, after her father discovered the heirloom sword was missing, he sent one of her senior martial brothers to follow her to Haitang Island, intending to bring her home.
He happened to find her surrounded and helped her out, but the information about them carrying a famous sword had already been exposed. They originally planned to go directly to the port and quickly return to the dojo, but they didn't expect that the pirates and those who rushed to the news had already blocked the escape routes.
After several days, under constant pursuit, they also exposed their whereabouts and are now surrounded in this jungle.
These past few days, she has also realized the importance of strength. She came from a swordsmanship dojo, but she always thought her father and senior martial brothers could protect her, and she never seriously trained her swordsmanship. This experience made her realize that only by having power herself could she even break through.
She touched her family's ancestral kiyotsuki. The hilt was magnificent, and the blade had cloud patterns. Cold gleams constantly appeared on the dark blade. This sword possessed the power of a ghost, but she couldn't unleash it. This sword must also be yearning for a powerful master!
This was the sword left by her family's ancestors. It is said that her family's ancestor was a powerful Swordsman who once used this sword to hunt countless powerful exotic beasts, created a peaceful region in a chaotic world, and led his clansmen to establish her family's unique dojo. At that time, the dojo was bustling with people, and powerful swordsmen constantly emerged, with Swordsmen appearing from time to time. But after all these years, her family's dojo has declined. Until now, her family still has not produced a Swordsman, and even this sword has been sealed away to prevent it from being stolen.
They no longer have the strength to guard this sword. She once never understood her father's worries, but now she understands. On the sea, the pirates' and swordsmen's desire for this famous sword means that she and her senior martial brother, who lack power, are about to lose their lives here.
"If I can survive, I must become a Swordsman, possessing the power to control my own destiny," she murmured to herself.
"Junior martial sister, they're here. Be careful," her senior martial brother, who came with her, warned.