Chapter 65: Futsu no Mitama
"Custom-made is out of the question."
Kouzaburou Shimotsuki suddenly spoke, changing the subject: "However—after I settled here, I put my heart and soul into forging another sword. If you are willing, you can try it."
"Father, that sword is Kuina's memento! How can you—" Koshiro Shimotsuki hastily tried to stop him.
"Idiot!"
Kouzaburou Shimotsuki raised his pipe and tapped his son on the head with a 'thud', scolding him crossly: "When did I say I was giving them Wado Ichimonji?"
"Ah?" Koshiro Shimotsuki laughed awkwardly.
In his impression, wasn't the only sword his father had poured his heart into and could present, the Wado Ichimonji?
Kouzaburou Shimotsuki turned and opened the door to the small wooden house, his figure disappearing into the dim interior.
A moment later, he emerged with steady steps, holding a long, tightly wrapped object in coarse burlap with both hands.
With a solemn and reverent expression, he slowly unwrapped the layers of burlap.
As the last layer of cloth slipped away, a samurai sword, pristine white with a straight, slender scabbard, came into everyone's view.
"In the first half of my life, I always forged swords with the belief that a sword should take more lives."
Kouzaburou Shimotsuki gently stroked the scabbard, speaking slowly:
"But after I left Wano Country and came to this small island, I witnessed the birth of my son."
"Looking at that tiny, crying bundle of flesh, I suddenly realized that not all swords in the world should be forged for slaughter; there should also be swords that exist for protection."
"So, after settling my wife and child, I came to the end of this cliff and entered seclusion to forge a sword."
"After three months, I successfully forged it on a night of a thunderstorm."
"That night, just as I was about to complete it, a bolt of heavenly lightning struck the blade, completing the final tempering process."
"Therefore, I named this sword—Futsu no Mitama!"
Kouzaburou Shimotsuki solemnly handed Futsu no Mitama to Kozuki Hiyori.
Kozuki Hiyori received it with both hands.
Feeling a slight chill from the scabbard, she took a deep breath, firmly gripped the hilt with her right hand, and slowly began to draw the sword.
Zzzzt!
The blade had barely emerged an inch from the scabbard when Kozuki Hiyori gasped, instinctively letting go.
"It has electricity?"
"That's right."
Kouzaburou Shimotsuki stroked his beard, a hint of helplessness and pride in his eyes: "It is a sword of protection, yet it also possesses the might of a thunder god.
Only those with great resolve can wield it."
"It is fate, perhaps at that time, my understanding of the word 'protection' was not yet thorough enough, which is why I forged this sword with a strange temperament."
Kane's mouth twitched slightly as he listened.
This old man must have had quite a fierce temper when he was young, specializing in forging cursed swords, huh?
Kozuki Hiyori's eyes narrowed, without the slightest hesitation, she gripped the hilt again.
Futsu no Mitama, like Enma, began to slowly absorb the Armament Haki from her body, though it was much gentler than Enma.
The absorbed Haki transformed into arcs of electricity striking Hiyori, but she remained unmoved, her eyes resolute as she drew it out inch by inch.
With the experience of taming Enma, her speed was noticeably faster this time.
Finally, the full appearance of Futsu no Mitama was revealed to everyone.
It was a single-edged straight sword, completely devoid of the traditional samurai sword's curvature, with a faint purple electrical glow flowing around its entire body.
Kozuki Hiyori's thoughts stirred slightly, and she casually swung the sword towards the vast ocean in front of her.
A massive slash, enveloped in dazzling purple lightning, like a roaring thunder dragon, instantly tore through the air and slammed fiercely into the sea surface.
Boom!
A towering column of water shot skyward.
Countless tiny, dense purple electric snakes wildly swam within the water column.
When the water column fell, the sea surface was already covered with a layer of dead fish, floating belly-up, electrocuted.
Well.
Kane finally understood; elemental attacks were a dime a dozen in this world.
Kozuki Hiyori sheathed the sword, a little puzzled: "It doesn't seem to reject me?"
The process was unbelievably smooth.
"Of course." Kouzaburou Shimotsuki said with emotion: "Just as the swordsman chooses the sword, the sword also chooses the swordsman."
"It seems I've found a good master for Futsu no Mitama."
"Thank you, Mr. Kozaburo, for the sword." Kozuki Hiyori bowed gratefully.
"No need for thanks."
Kouzaburou Shimotsuki waved his hand dismissively: "To a swordsmith, every sword forged with heart and soul is like their own child. To find suitable masters for them is the best thing that can happen."
"If you can make Enma and Futsu no Mitama enter the ranks of the Supreme Grade Swords, then I would die content."
There is no difference in quality between Supreme Grade Swords and Great Grade Swords.
The reason Supreme Grade Swords are called Supreme Grade Swords is because of the prestige earned by their masters.
Just then.
At the edge of the forest not far away, the bushes shook violently.
The next second, a green-haired boy jumped out, panting.
"Ah ha, I knew I wasn't lost."
The boy was overjoyed when he saw the unfamiliar Kane and his group.
Then, his eyes, like a radar, instantly Lock-On a figure: "Hawkeye?"
"Zoro? How are you here?"
Koshiro Shimotsuki slapped his forehead, as if waking from a dream: "No, of course you'd appear here."
He shouldn't have forgotten that Zoro was a terrible navigator.
Before Genzo's lament was finished, Zoro had already assumed his Three-Sword Style stance, and like an arrow released from a bow, he charged fiercely towards Hawkeye.
"I didn't expect the promised moment to arrive so soon, Hawkeye! Duel me!"
"Don't!"
Zoro, whose eyes only saw the World's Strongest Swordsman, ignored his master's shouts.
Hawkeye's eyes lowered slightly, sweeping over Zoro's face, and after a brief pause on the Wado Ichimonji he held in his mouth, he raised his gaze again, saying nothing.
To fight him, one must either be powerful or possess unique qualities.
He was not a kindergarten teacher.
"Hey! Are you looking down on me?" Zoro shouted.
God knows why he could shout so clearly with a sword in his mouth.
"Alright, stop messing around. They are my guests."
Koshiro Shimotsuki hugged Zoro, afraid he would irrationally charge forward again.
"Is that green-haired idiot crazy? He wants to challenge the World's Strongest Swordsman right now?"
Sanji raised an eyebrow.
It was strange, he, who was usually gentle, rarely openly mocked strangers.
But the moment he saw Zoro, he inexplicably felt annoyed.
"Hey! Curly-browed bastard, what did you say?! Want to fight?"
Sanji's opening remark immediately attracted Zoro's fire.
"Huh? You dare to mock my eyebrows?"
Sanji also got angry; this was a shared trait between him and his sister, and he would never allow it to be mocked.
The two boys, like enraged bulls, instantly pressed their foreheads together, their noses almost touching, glaring at each other.
Zoro completely forgot about the important matter of challenging Hawkeye.
Was this their bond?
Kane's lips couldn't help but curve into an amused smile.
Hawkeye had no interest in the squabble between the two brats; his gaze returned to Kouzaburou Shimotsuki.