Chapter 150: Acquiring the Legendary Blade

Not long after Luo Lan departed, the marines found a soundly sleeping Zoro amidst a pile of ruins.

Seeing Zoro, who still managed to sleep soundly despite the gruesome wound across his back, cold sweat broke out on everyone's foreheads.

Is this the kind of person Rear Admiral Luo Lan recruits from the East Blue? They really are a bit different, just as inhuman as Rear Admiral Luo Lan himself.

Even though Zoro could fall asleep in such a state, the ship's doctors did not think for a moment that he was completely fine.

Carefully digging him out from the debris, they placed him on a stretcher and carried him back to the warship alongside other marines transporting Laffitte's corpse.

However, the marines did not all leave completely; a handful of individuals remained behind to continue searching the ruins for any other potential victims.

After thoroughly inspecting the wreckage, these men slowly took their leave, returning to the town's pier to maintain their watch.

Yet, the marines failed to notice that three figures had been observing them from the nearby shadows the entire time.

Only after all the marines had departed did they slowly step out from the shadows to view the pile of ruins at close range.

"Who on earth was that man? Why have we never heard his name before, yet he possesses such formidable strength?"

Koala exclaimed, gazing at the spot in the ruins where Laffitte's body had previously lain.

"I'm not entirely sure either. He must be a pirate, otherwise, given that Luo Lan's character isn't one to hold back, he wouldn't have gone for the kill," Sabo replied, shaking his head.

"Come to think of it, Luo Lan's strength is truly terrifying. Sabo, I feel like he already has the power to go toe-to-toe with you," Hack said in amazement, recalling the battle that had just taken place in mid-air.

"He is a rising star within the Marines, after all. Without any genuine skill, how could he possibly prompt the Marines to build up such momentum for him?" Sabo countered with a shake of his head.

That Luo Lan was immensely strong came as no surprise to him.

How else could someone under twenty years of age prompt the Marines to grant him an exceptional promotion, shattering established regulations and allowing him to independently command a base abroad?

Was it not entirely on the strength of his power and talent?

If Luo Lan were in their Revolutionary Army, his status would undoubtedly be on par with his own, given his boundless future potential.

After wandering around the ruins and finding nothing of note, Sabo led the other two away, as they still had a mission to fulfill and were not here on holiday.

"Mr. Sabo, it's a pleasure to see you."

Right at that moment, Gin emerged from out of nowhere and, accompanied by Jason, slowly approached Sabo.

"It's you?"

Seeing Gin and Jason, Koala suddenly recalled something and said indignantly.

Ever since arriving on the island of Salvador, she had felt as though someone was tailing them, yet whenever she turned back to check, she found nothing amiss.

Back then, she thought it was just her imagination, but seeing Gin now convinced her that her instincts had been right, as this fellow had brushed past them on more than one occasion.

"My apologies, Miss Koala. We were trailing you previously because we were carrying out an assignment of our own; it was not intentional," Gin apologized.

Seeing that Koala was about to say more, Sabo stopped her with a gesture, fixed his gaze on Gin, and asked, "My friend, is there a reason you've been following us?"

With Sabo speaking up, Gin felt there was no need to exchange further pleasantries. Business came first, and polite talk could wait.

Gathering his thoughts, Gin said slowly, "Mr. Sabo, my master wishes to arrange a meeting with you to discuss a potential collaboration with your Revolutionary Army."

"The Revolutionary Army?"

A flash of murderous intent surged into Sabo's eyes, accompanied by a wave of suspicion. How did this fellow know he belonged to the Revolutionary Army? Furthermore, he spoke of his master seeking a partnership—just who was this master of his?

"I'm certain you and your companions have already met my master, Mr. Sabo. He possesses visionary ideas and his own perspective on the direction of this world, which is why he wishes to meet with you," Gin continued.

"You mean—"

Sabo suddenly thought of a certain someone. Even as his mind screamed that it was impossible, an inexplicable feeling welled up within him.

Gin nodded and said, "Yes, Rear Admiral Luo Lan."

Meanwhile, inside Echizen Yuta's courtyard.

Luo Lan walked in slowly, holding the Nameless blade, and immediately spotted Poncels waiting there, along with Echizen Yuta's tear-stained wife.

Seeing Luo Lan return, Poncels reacted first, hurrying forward to greet him.

He felt no surprise that Luo Lan had won, as he was convinced that no one in these surrounding seas could possibly be Luo Lan's match.

However, the absence of Zoro struck Poncels as rather strange.

Although he knew the fellow possessed a chronic sense of direction, since he had gone out with Rear Admiral Luo Lan, he surely should have known to return with him.

"Rear Admiral Luo Lan, what happened to Zoro?"

Poncels voiced his lingering doubts out of curiosity.

"He has achieved a massive breakthrough and is currently recovering on the warship," Luo Lan explained with a smile.

If he were to tell Poncels directly that Zoro had taken another step forward and comprehended the technique of cutting iron, the man would likely lose his mind.

With that, Luo Lan patted Poncels on the shoulder, walked past him, and approached Echizen Yuta.

"Mr. Echizen, I have retrieved your Nameless blade for you. Be sure to keep it safe from now on and don't lose it again."

Placing the Nameless blade on the floor in front of Echizen Yuta, Luo Lan offered words of comfort.

To Luo Lan's surprise, however, upon picking up the Nameless blade, Echizen Yuta did not stand up to return it to its previous room. Instead, with an encouraging nod from his wife, he handed the sword back to Luo Lan.

"Mr. Luo Lan, I already had this thought before that man ever appeared: I wanted to present this Nameless blade to you. After all, for a famous sword, merely being used as an exhibition piece is a complete waste of its existence."

"For me?"

Luo Lan was still somewhat bewildered, as he had never harbored any designs on this Nameless blade.

Ever since Gin had given him the permanent log pose for Thriller Bark, his mind had been entirely set on the great grade sword, Shusui.

Wouldn't getting his hands on that blade be infinitely more satisfying than a standard fine grade sword?

"Yes, Mr. Luo Lan. You are a true swordsman, someone who can allow this blade to shine with the brilliance it was always meant to display."

"Leaving it with me any longer would merely add another display piece to my home, which holds no meaning at all."

"I discussed this with my wife just now, and she agrees with my decision. Consider this as a reward for retrieving the Nameless blade for us," Echizen Yuta continued.

"Rear Admiral Luo Lan, you should accept it. Mr. Echizen actually asked me to help persuade you earlier. I can tell he sincerely wants the Nameless blade to find a worthy home."

Poncels chimed in from the side.

"In that case, I will accept it without further pretense."

Luo Lan took the Nameless blade with a smile.

He was not someone overly prone to hesitation. Since the words had already been spoken to this extent, there was no reason for him to refuse.

While his ultimate target was indeed Shusui, wielding the Nameless blade for now was not a bad option. It would serve as a transitional weapon, allowing him to temporarily shelve the matter of Thriller Bark, deal with the Sand Crocodile first, and then go in search of the famous sword Shusui.