Chapter 144: This Blade Belongs to Me

"One million Beli? Are you serious?"

The moment the price was mentioned, not only did the woman react in shock, but Yuta Echizen himself was deeply stunned.

One million Beli—what kind of sum was that?

He had spent only three hundred thousand Beli to run a month-long series of newspaper advertisements. And now, a single replica sword was being offered at a price over three times that amount. How could he not be tempted?

The reason he had stopped forging swords for sale was that those blades were not fit for battle, and he didn’t want to mislead buyers. But now, if these were merely collector’s items, what reason did he have to refuse?

Not only Yuta, but Zoro and Pengrees were equally astonished by the price—especially Zoro. Before meeting Ro Lan, he had bought two iron swords in Shells Town for a mere two hundred thousand Beli each. Yet here was someone willing to pay a million Beli just for a decorative replica of a famous sword. Was this what it meant to be rich?

Only Ro Lan remained unfazed because he knew that whether it was one million or ten million Beli, Lafayette would never actually pay that amount. The high price was merely a ruse to lure Yuta, and Lafayette did not want to reveal himself openly.

In this timeline, the Blackbeard Pirates had not yet been exposed to the public. Aside from Ace and himself, no one knew of them. But Ro Lan was different. Thanks to the newspaper, nearly every pirate and marine in the first half of the Grand Line knew him.

As for why Lafayette appeared here now, after glancing at the nameless sword with its gilded scabbard, Ro Lan had a rough idea. Though Lafayette’s official role in the Blackbeard crew was a navigator, he was also a swordsman. His weapon was a sword concealed within a cane, much like Brook’s.

Being a swordsman, he naturally showed interest in famous swords, especially since he lacked one suitable for himself.

If Ro Lan was right, had they not been here, Lafayette’s offer wouldn’t have been a million Beli for a replica—it would have been for Yuta and his wife’s lives. After all, this place was isolated from the bustling world, and if one or two people died here, no one would likely care for weeks.

“Sir, are you joking? A million Beli for a replica sword?” Yuta approached Lafayette, trembling with excitement and disbelief.

“To fulfill my father’s wish, no price is too high,” Lafayette said with a faint smile, shaking his head. “But before purchasing, I want to examine these replicas to see if any can truly pass for the real thing.”

“Of course, please this way.”

Yuta was no fool—why not make money if he could?

To maintain a harmonious family and keep the museum running, funds were necessary. Now, he was merely crafting replicas for collectors, not forbidden items. What harm was there?

Walking behind Yuta through the rows of replica swords, Lafayette was genuinely impressed by the craftsman’s skill. The imitations were so flawless that, without Yuta’s words, he would have sworn they were genuine.

However, Lafayette’s target was clear: the Ryōkai sword. He glanced briefly at the replicas but quickly lost interest.

“Hm? This sword?”

Feigning curiosity, Lafayette stopped in front of the nameless sword and showed great interest.

“This guest has a keen eye—he immediately recognized that this is not a replica.”

Yuta’s wife’s eyes lit up at this, and she pushed Yuta aside to stand beside Lafayette.

“This isn’t a replica?” Lafayette continued, pretending to inquire.

“Yes, it’s the heirloom of my useless husband’s family, a Ryōkai sword called Nameless. It’s the only treasure in this house,” she said excitedly.

“A genuine piece.”

Lafayette was stunned as he carefully lifted the Nameless sword, studying it intently.

In that moment, he looked just like the collector he had described, utterly captivated by the famous sword.

Then, in the next instant, he seemed to change entirely. A strange smile crept across his face, and suddenly a pair of wings sprouted from his back. Breaking through the roof, he soared into the sky.

“This sword is mine now! Hahaha!”

Above the roof, Lafayette shouted as he flew off into the distance.

With wings at his back, where on this island couldn’t he go?

Even if Ro Lan was here, so what? He hadn’t done anything heinous, hadn’t killed any marines, and had no intention of revealing the captain.

Originally, he had thought to solve this with money, but on second thought, that was unnecessary.

What did it matter if it was the marines or Ro Lan? He could fly, grab the sword, and get away. What could possibly go wrong?

Inside, watching Lafayette fly away, Yuta and his wife collapsed to the ground.

Especially his wife—she was filled with regret.

She had thought this was a great opportunity, but now she realized it was nothing like that.

The talk of a million Beli for a replica and interest in replicas was all a bluff. The real goal was to steal the famous sword.

“I’m sorry, husband. I didn’t know he was like this…” she said, crawling to Yuta with deep remorse.

“It’s not your fault,” Yuta replied gently. “I’m just too useless. You need to think about how to support the family.”

He did not blame her. No one wished for such a thing to happen. She only wanted to help in some way and earn money for the family.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ro Lan. I had planned to give you this sword, but now it seems there’s no chance,” Yuta said, lifting his head apologetically.

“Perhaps there’s still a chance,” Ro Lan said, shaking his head. Leaving Pengrees to guard Yuta and his wife, he took Zoro and leapt onto the roof to pursue Lafayette’s fleeing figure.

Though they couldn’t fly, at their level, scaling roofs and walls was nearly as fast as flying.

Especially since Ro Lan now mastered the Moon Step technique, catching up to Lafayette was not impossible.

“Zoro, let’s split up,” Ro Lan suddenly said.

Rather than being forced into a passive chase, they could act independently—he would try to herd Lafayette toward Zoro.

Turning defense into offense was always more effective than chasing blindly.

“That damned guy—why won’t he stop chasing me?” Lafayette cursed under his breath as he glanced back to see the stubborn marine still pursuing him.

He wasn’t fleeing out of fear of Ro Lan, but because he didn’t want to kill such an influential marine.

If it had been an ordinary marine colonel, he would have killed him outright—no one would have cared beyond considering it an accident.