Chapter Six: The Renowned Blade of Nara

"I understand, teacher." This time, Roland did not refuse. After living two lives, it was the first time anyone had shown him such care. Furthermore, having just arrived at Floating Island, the Golden Lion would certainly introduce him to everyone at this base. Even if he didn’t need to bother with the lowest ranking pirates, he would still have to interact with the officers.

Having thought this through, Roland no longer fretted about the accumulated rewards from the self-discipline system. Based on his experience grinding games online, even if he stopped training for a few days, the reward counter would simply restart from zero, not disappear entirely. Once he persisted in training for another sixty days, he could claim the reward again; though it might not be particularly useful, it was better than nothing.

Under the Golden Lion’s control, the massive pirate ship landed steadily within the palace. This was now the Golden Lion’s home. In the anime, Roland had only glimpsed it from afar, never having seen its structure or interior. Naturally, he was quite interested in this palace.

As soon as the pirate ship came to a halt, Roland found himself lifted by the Golden Lion and tucked under his arm, flying straight toward the palace’s central hall. The gesture left Roland momentarily embarrassed. Though he inhabited the body of an eight-year-old child, his soul was over thirty years old. Being carried like this was hard to accept. In previous instances, he’d either been too ill to move or utterly exhausted from training. Otherwise, Roland would never allow himself to be carried by another.

But at such heights, he dared not ask the Golden Lion to let go. Though this world no longer resembled ordinary humanity, Roland had yet to acquire the power to transcend his human limits.

"Lord Shiki, who is this?" On the square before the palace, as the Golden Lion landed with Roland, the officers grew curious. Why had Lord Shiki returned with a child? Judging by their closeness, it seemed Lord Shiki was quite fond of him. Could this be his illegitimate child, brought back now for grooming as he aged?

Their speculation was unsurprising, for they knew the Golden Lion’s temperament well. If not his own son, how could he display such intimacy?

"This is my disciple, Roland from the East Sea. Henceforth, his status here will equal mine." The Golden Lion announced proudly.

"Your disciple?" Everyone’s mouths dropped open in disbelief as they stared at Roland. Lord Shiki had taken a disciple? The very same Golden Lion, who was quick to kill at the slightest provocation, had returned from the East Sea with a pupil?

"You, go prepare a palace for him as his residence." Having made his announcement, the Golden Lion led Roland toward another palace.

"Though I said you could rest a few days, I’ve been watching your training. You practice swordsmanship daily. Are you aiming to become a swordsman?" The Golden Lion glanced at Roland, asking.

"Yes. Besides being a Devil Fruit user, you are also a formidable swordsman. I wish to become a great swordsman like you." Roland spoke honestly. When he watched Pirate King in the past, his favorite character was Zoro—a true swordmaster. Compared to other professions, swordsmen were far more impressive and heroic.

"Haha, a great swordsman? That’s ambition! I hope you will surpass even Mihawk one day." The Golden Lion had no objections to Roland’s aspiration; in fact, he would have been troubled if Roland sought to learn anything else. As his disciple and future successor of the Flying Pirate Crew, Roland’s skills should be inherited from him. He could not pass on his Devil Fruit powers, but his swordsmanship was another matter.

"But to be frank, your sword practice so far has been dreadful." "Yet your perseverance deserves praise." "Here is my collection room. I want you to experience a real sword first. In a few days, I’ll teach you what true swordsmanship means." The Golden Lion pushed open the palace doors and led Roland inside.

Perhaps due to some strange technology, as they entered, the candles around them automatically ignited, illuminating the entire hall.

"Everything here is from my collection after I broke out of Impel Down ten years ago." "Various swords and odd items—anything that piqued my interest, I brought here." "Of course, the most precious are my own swords—Cherry Blossom Ten and Deadwood—the two you see at my waist." The Golden Lion walked with Roland through the collection, explaining as they went.

Following the Golden Lion, Roland was dazzled by the array of treasures. Alongside swords of every kind, there were many curious objects Roland had never seen before, such as the iron triangle underwear he’d just glimpsed...

"This is Nara, one of the Fifty Fine Blades. I snatched it from an obscure pirate crew in the West Sea." "How about it, interested?" The Golden Lion stopped before a katana with a pale blue scabbard and gestured toward it.

"Fifty Fine Blades?" Roland was surprised. He knew well the classifications: the Twelve Supreme Blades, Twenty-One Great Blades, Fifty Fine Blades. Cherry Blossom Ten and Deadwood were among the Twenty-One Great Blades. To encounter such a high-level sword right from the start was astonishing. Zoro, after all, had begun with ordinary swords, only inheriting the Great Blade Wado Ichimonji after Kuina’s death.

"Is this really for me?" Roland could hardly believe it. A Fine Blade, given so casually—what kind of household was this? Did the Golden Lion own a mine?

"When I die, Cherry Blossom Ten and Deadwood will also be yours. What’s one Nara compared to that?" The Golden Lion laughed, utterly unafraid of the topic of death.

"Thank you, teacher." With such words, Roland had no reason to be polite. He reached out and cradled Nara in his hands, examining it closely.

The scabbard was pale blue with golden filigree, the handle wrapped in deep blue silk, elegant and refined—a sword seemingly made not for battle, but for display. Drawing the blade, he saw the chaotic temper lines and a razor-sharp edge, gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

Perhaps the previous owner had preserved it meticulously; there was not a single mark of combat upon it.

"Nara’s previous owner truly wasted such a fine sword, treating one of the Fifty Fine Blades as nothing more than a collectible or accessory." Even without being an expert, Roland could surmise what kind of person the prior owner had been.

"Haha, that pirate crew seized it as loot from a minor noble’s household." "Had I not intervened, who knows which swordsman it would have ended up with." The Golden Lion understood this well and laughed heartily. Thankfully, his foresight led him to snatch the sword from the West Sea, otherwise he’d have nothing worthy to gift his aspiring swordsman of a disciple today.