Chapter 22: Chapter 21
The Crew stayed with Dorry and Brogy for the rest of the afternoon, and when the sun started sinking in the sea, both the proud Giants once again engaged in a battle.
After getting to know them, the Blackstar Crew was quite worried that they would end up harming each other, and Nami was openly praying that no one win their duel. And unsurprisingly, it ended in a draw again.
Dorry and Brogy then invited them to a feast, and Sin brought some more liquor, as well as some spices from the Ship to prepare their dinner.
The meat of Brachiosaurus was a delicacy they had never tasted before, and Bonney's bottomless appetite ended up with both the Giants competing against her, seeing who would finish their Brachiosaurus first. And to the dismay of Dorry and Brogy, they lost to a human in an eating contest.
Even if they were Giants, it was really hard for them to eat a whole Brachiosaurus, but Bonney the Glutton finished her meal even if she was a much slower eater than both of them.
No one knew where all the food she ate went. She never gained in weight promotional to how much she ate and never had anyone ever seen her with a bloated belly. They guessed that it had something to do with her Devil Fruit, but they did not know exactly how.
For the rest of the night, the Crew and the Giants happily sang Bink's Sake, and both Dorry and Brogy told them stories about their adventures.
They talked about a lot of miscellaneous things, and eventually, Sin's love for Swords was brought up as a topic.
The Crew informed the Giants how Sin had made them travel from the West Blue to the East Blue, just because he wanted Wado Ichimonji, which embarrassed Kuina a little.
Later, the two Giants informed them about the Famous Weapons in Elbaf that only Giants could wield, but they also told an interesting story, which piqued their interest.
"Have you heard of Shichiseiken, the Seven Star Sword?" Dorry curiously asked Sin, to which the latter shook his head.
"What Grade of Sword is it?"
"It does not fall in any of the listed Grades of Swords." Brogy shook his head. "In ancient times, there once existed a Kingdom on an Island called Asuka. Shichiseiken or the Seven Star Sword was created on that Island for the King, but on the day it was presented to him, he died as soon as he drew it out of its scabbard. After him, a lot of people tried to wield it, but they all died as well before they could fully draw it out of the scabbard."
"A Cursed Sword?" Sin frowned.
"Yes." Dorry nodded his head. "But that is not all. The Seven Star Sword is believed to be the most beautiful sword in existence. There is no blade in the world that can compare to its beauty."
"What's the point of beauty if it kills you before you can even draw it?" Kuina frowned and said. She was curious too and excited a little, but she had not lost her rationality.
"There was someone who did manage to draw it out fully and survived." Brogy smiled at her. "But he went mad and slaughtered the entire kingdom before using the sword to take his own life. The Sword is still on the Island."
"You have been to that Island?" Sin seriously asked. His heart was palpitating in excitement as he wanted to see for himself what the most beautiful blade in existence looked like.
"We have." Dorry grinned and nodded to him.
"Where is it?"
"In the first half of Paradise, and near this place," Brogy said and turned to look in the direction of North. "It is somewhere in the North, but since compasses don't work here and Log Pose doesn't usually lock on Asuka Island, not many people have been to that place. Even we ended up on that Island by coincidence."
"Did you see the Sword?" Kuina curiously asked.
"No, but we saw the temple it is kept in." Dorry shook his head and said. "We were never really interested in it since it is a small Sword that we Giants can not wield. And the Temple was too small for us to go in. Giants honour all the Temples and Heritage sites, and so we never break into such places just to see what is inside them."
"Do you have an Eternal Log Pose to the Asuka Island?" Robin asked.
"No." Brogy shook his head and chugged on his liquor. "The Sword you have on your back is a Cursed Blade, right?"
The sudden question made the entire crew tense up, and those who did not know about it turned to look at Sin's Odachi.
"How did you figure that out?" Sin smiled and asked.
"It reeks of Blood," Dorry commented and looked Sin in the eyes.
"Aye. It is called Duraakh or The Blood Sword." Sin smiled and told them. "It should be comparable to the Supreme Grade Swords, but the world doesn't know about it."
"What's the Curse?" Dorry seriously asked.
"It demands blood, and must only be drawn when you intend to take the life of your opponent." Sin revealed to them. "Its killing intent is too potent, and once drawn, it plays with the Will of the Opponent. However, if the wielder's Killing Intent is weak, and if he fails to draw blood from his enemy and ends up losing, Duraakh overpowers him, and starts devouring his blood to satisfy its hunger and pride."
"That's not something you should have on yourself," Dorry advised.
"I have already tasted its power, and now it is hard to let go." He fondly looked at the Draconic Pommel of his Odachi and smiled brightly. "The real problem is that I need a worthy blade that I can use anytime. I tried using Skillful Grade Swords, but they all end up breaking in my hands if I wield them over Duraakh. And so, I am now searching for a Great Grade Sword or a Supreme Grade Sword that Duraakh would find worthy enough for me to wield alongside it. Perhaps they will be able to survive."
"A sword with a Will of its own is always a dangerous sword." Dorry nodded to him. "Where did you find it?"
"In a ruined Kingdom on a Sky Island." Sin simply replied and lowered his head, focusing on his mug of rum, not willing to talk more about it. It made most of them curious, but none of them pried into the matter.
"Sky Island?" However, little Nami was suddenly excited about something entirely different.
"Yup. There exist several Sky Islands in the Sky. And some have civilizations on them. That's where the people with wings live."
"Really?!" Her eyes sparkled in excitement.
"Yes." He chuckled at her enthusiasm. "We will visit some on our Journey."
"Yay!!" She cutely pumped her fist in the air. "I will draw a map of all Sky Islands in the world!"
Her proclamation made them all laugh, but none of them did it to mock her. It was because of how adorably honest she was with her thoughts, and how ambitious her goal was.
Kuina now understood why Sin never used this Sword when he let Hachi and her practice with him. And she remembered the day she had asked him to draw his sword, and he had warned about what would happen if he drew it. She thought that he was doing it to only scare her, but now she knew that he was very serious about what he had said back then.
Law, Bepo, Hachi, Nojiko, and Nami were now utterly terrified of the Odachi Sin always kept on him. But Robin, Bonney, Hancock, and Augur had already known about it, and they were not bothered by what was revealed.
The Crew bid farewell to the two Giants and returned to the ship to sleep for the night, but Sin stayed on the Forecastle Deck, lying inside the hammock, looking at the stars in the sky.
"What's on your mind?" Robin asked when she approached him and joined him in the hammock.
"The Seven Star Sword." He honestly answered her, and her body tensed at his words.
"Is it wise?" She lightly asked as she rested her head on his chest.
"No."
"Then..."
"I want to see it." He smiled brightly. "I want to see what the most beautiful sword in the world looks like."
"I don't think that you just want to see it." Robin lightly smiled as she understood his intentions.
Sin did not bother answering her as he knew she had read through his intentions. Yes, he did not just want to see it. He wanted the blade for himself.