Shirakawa also read in the introduction that the blade's color would never change under any circumstances, and if it did, it would only shift between deep purple and light purple.
Shirakawa didn't quite agree with this claim. Did the person who wrote this book not know about Armament Haki?
He coated the blade with Armament Haki, but to his surprise, the sword did not turn into a black blade. The color merely shifted from light purple to deep purple.
"It's actually true?" Shirakawa could clearly feel that his Armament Haki had been applied to the sword, yet the blade did not turn black.
"Seems the materials used to forge Shihi are far from ordinary," Shirakawa remarked with admiration. Then again, it made sense. None of the swords that ranked among the twelve Supreme Grade Blades were simple.
Just like the black blade Hawkeye would wield in the future. Shirakawa even suspected that the black blade originally possessed the effect of Armament Haki, and Whitebeard's naginata also had its own peculiarity. When Armament Haki was applied, that blade did not blacken either.
Right now, the matter of ownership over this sword remained an issue. Shirakawa had no intention of giving it up, but Kurokham, as the next guardian of the sword, naturally could not allow it to leave his sight.
So they needed a solution that satisfied both sides.
"How about you just come out to sea with me? Since you're the sword's guardian and I'm the sword's owner, if you guard me, then by extension, you'll naturally be guarding the sword."
Hearing Shirakawa's words, Kurokham fell into deep thought. Although he knew Shirakawa's logic was twisted, the outside world was far too alluring to him. He could leave on his own, but he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to return.
"Ahm, if you want to go out there, then go." Naturally, only Kurokham's father could call him Ahm.
The village chief had been mulling over a solution that would satisfy everyone, and upon hearing Shirakawa's proposal, he felt it didn't seem like a bad idea.
If he had met someone like Shirakawa at Kurokham's age, he would certainly have gone out to see the world with him.
"Let me think about it." After saying this, Kurokham walked out the door. Outside, gazing up at the moonlight, he sank into contemplation.
In his heart, the answer was already there. But he didn't want to make such a hasty decision.
"Village Chief, may I trouble you with something?"
"What is it?"
"I'd like to have a sheath made for this sword. A bare blade like this could easily cause accidental injury."
"No problem, leave it to me." The village chief accepted the task with great confidence. In this village, the best at forging swords was undoubtedly his son, Kurokham. But when it came to crafting sheaths, if he claimed second place, no one would dare claim first.
"About how long will it take?"
"For an ordinary sheath, one day would do. But what you need is a sheath worthy of a famed blade. That will take at least three days, because I'll have to tailor it specifically for this sword."
"That's fine."
Shirakawa could afford to wait three days. He had nothing else going on anyway, and there was no way he would cut corners on his sword's sheath. After all, a sheath also served the function of protecting the blade.
What's more, a sheath could elevate a person's taste and bearing, though Shirakawa might have already maxed out both of those qualities.
The next morning, Shirakawa's crew woke up early. As soon as they stepped outside, they saw Kurokham sitting out there, looking as if he had grown considerably more haggard overnight.
Their captain Shirakawa, on the other hand, was glowing with health and in excellent spirits, looking as if he had been thoroughly nourished. But they didn't think too much of it.
"Captain, what happened to you? You're in such great shape."
Shirakawa laughed it off. Surprises were always best savored when revealed at the final moment.
"If nothing goes wrong, that sword of mine can be given to you in a few days, Jorah."
"Really?" Jorah exclaimed in surprise. He had been eyeing Shirakawa's Grade Blade for ages and could finally get his wish.
"Captain, what exactly happened to put you in such a good mood?" Jorah asked again.
"Haha, I told you, you'll find out in a few days. Just don't come crying with envy when the time comes, Jorah."
"Tch, so mysterious."
Jorah quickly tossed Shirakawa's words to the back of his mind and instead focused intently on appraising that sword of Shirakawa's.
He was a two-sword style swordsman. He already had one good blade, so the other naturally had to be of fine quality too. But good swords weren't so easy to come by.
Yurishtin seemed to read Jorah's thoughts. He nudged him lightly, then pointed toward Kurokham, who was sitting off to the side lost in thought.
It was only then that Jorah remembered. Didn't Kurokham just forge a blade at the Great Grade level yesterday? If he could get his hands on that sword of Kurokham's, he would be more than content.
"Thanks, brother."
Jorah thanked Yurishtin, then headed in Kurokham's direction.
"What's up, brother? What are you brooding over here?"
Jorah sat down beside Kurokham and offered him a cigarette. The instant Yurishtin saw that cigarette, his eyes narrowed. Wasn't that his cigarette?
"What is this?" Kurokham had never seen a cigarette before and had no idea what it was for.
"It's called a cigarette. Light it, take a drag, and you'll immediately feel refreshed, as if all your worries had been swept away."
"Really?"
Kurokham took the cigarette and placed it between his lips.
"It's backwards." Seeing how Kurokham had placed the cigarette, Jorah couldn't help but correct him. Even if he didn't smoke himself, he still knew how one was supposed to smoke.
"Oh, thanks."
Kurokham took it out and put it in his mouth again, this time the right way. As a swordsmith, he naturally carried fire-starting tools on his person. He pulled something out of his pocket, gave it a quick strike to produce a spark, and successfully lit the cigarette.
He took a drag, and just as Jorah had said, he did feel a sense of refreshment, as if all the worries in his heart had been swept clean away.
"Still, I should warn you. Smoking feels good in the moment, but it's harmful to your health. You need to be careful about that going forward."
"I understand. Go back and tell your captain that I agree with what he said."
"Captain? What he said? What are you talking about?" Hearing Kurokham's words, Jorah fell into confusion. What are you saying? I don't understand a word.
Kurokham seemed to notice the bewilderment in Jorah's eyes and asked, "Aren't you here because your captain sent you to convince me?"
"No."
"Then why did you come over here?"
"I have a favor to ask."
"What favor?"
"I saw that sword you forged yesterday. I was hoping you might sell it to me. Any price at all, I don't care. I've fallen completely in love with that blade."
"Get lost." The moment he heard the word sword, Kurokham cursed at Jorah.
"You and your captain are cut from the same cloth, both setting your sights on my sword. Don't even think about it. And that thing I just said, pretend I never said it. No need to pass that message along to your captain."
/-\
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