"Oh? A famous sword?" Finn's eyes brightened immediately. His gaze drifted to the distant grave where Oto stood sentinel.
He'd just "gifted" Sōzai to Shiki, and now Stussy already had news about another famous blade?
"How much?" Finn asked, tone magnanimous.
He carried himself like a man with money to burn.
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Stussy fell silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice carried an awkward note. "It's not about money. The sword has no owner."
"Huh? There's such a good thing?" Finn blinked in surprise.
"Well, you need to hear me out first." Stussy's laugh returned, lighter now.
"Alright, what kind of sword is it?" Finn asked again, voice dropping lower.
"Speaking of which, Lord Finn, do you have any prejudice against demon swords?" Stussy's question came cautiously.
"Demon swords? The Kitetsu series? Or maybe Raiu, something like that?" Finn frowned slightly.
This world possessed many powerful demon swords. The most famous were probably the Kitetsu blades, which supposedly had three generations. Every generation produced its own cursed weapon.
Besides Kitetsu, Raiu was another notorious demon sword, currently in the hands of Impel Down's Officer Shiryu.
"Similar type, yes," Stussy murmured.
Finn smiled. "I have no prejudice against demon swords. The so-called 'demon blade' reputation is probably just superstition. I don't think it's necessary to distinguish between demon swords and normal swords. When a righteous person holds a sword, it becomes a blade of justice. When an evil person holds a sword, it's still a demon blade even if it wasn't one before."
"Ahem, well, that's true, but some swords might be different..." Stussy's voice carried a guilty conscience. Before Finn could respond, she continued quickly. "This sword is very famous. Perhaps you've heard of it."
Finn raised an eyebrow. "Tell me about it."
"In the East Blue, there's a kingdom called Asuka. According to legend, every time a red full moon appears, an extremely strange demon sword manifests. Based on the historical records we've investigated, this sword is a genuine demon blade that nearly destroyed the entire Asuka Kingdom. Its name is..."
Finn's memory suddenly clicked into place. He was familiar with this story.
Wasn't this from one of those movies? Some minor Marine character, possibly one of Zoro's childhood friends, had wanted to obtain this sword and dominate the world or something equally ridiculous.
Did he even need to ask how that ended? Over, obviously.
Expecting to dominate the world by controlling a sword wasn't even as realistic as Crocodile's idea to control the ancient weapon Pluton.
"I've heard this story," Finn said with a knowing smile.
Then, confidently, he said, "If I remember correctly, this sword is called..."
"Shichiseiken." [Seven Star Sword]
"Shindoku-tō." [The Heart-Poison Blade]
Finn and Stussy spoke simultaneously.
As soon as the words fell, both of them fell silent. An awkward moment stretched between them.
What the hell are you talking about?
Isn't it the Shichiseiken?
What is Shindoku-tō?
Stussy was equally confused. What Shichiseiken?
"Let me clarify," Finn said, voice deepening. "Isn't this the blade that once plunged Asuka into chaos, isn't it? The sword that awakens every hundred years under the red full moon. The maiden of Asuka used a sacred orb to seal it, sacrificing her life in the process. And each time the seal weakens, the curse manifests as monsters and bloodshed."
It had been so long that Finn couldn't remember the exact details, but that was the general story.
Stussy remained silent for a while, then spoke carefully. "Lord Finn, where did you hear this story? It's completely different from what I know."
"Hmm?" Finn's confusion carried an awkward edge. "Then you tell me."
"The demon sword Shindoku-tō was said to have been forged by a vicious and powerful pirate centuries ago," Stussy explained, her tone turning almost narrative. "His cruelty was infamous. He terrorized the seas for a time, before finally disappearing without a trace. The World Government erased every record of him, so even his name is no longer known. From this, we infer that Shindoku-tō once held considerable notoriety in that era. But with the pirate's disappearance, the sword also faded from history."
She paused before continuing. "After that, the sword fell into the hands of another pirate—one just as powerful and ruthless. It's said he once confronted Marine Headquarters directly and prevailed, causing the entire New World to tremble beneath his reputation. But no matter how high a pirate rises, the sea ultimately belongs to the Marines. His reign ended, and the World Government erased his existence from history. Only a fragment of his legend remains—a whispered title. They called him the Night King."
Finn was confused the entire time.
What a mess.
Isn't the most powerful pirate in the world Rocks from more than ten years ago? Who is this Night King? Never heard of him.
And what about this maker of Shindoku-tō? You're a pirate, why are you moonlighting as a blacksmith?
However, despite his internal complaints, Finn didn't doubt the story's authenticity. This wasn't the first time the World Government had destroyed history. The people imprisoned on Impel Down's sixth level were all such individuals.
Perhaps a hundred years from now, no one would know there had once been a pirate named Golden Lion Shiki who'd almost dominated the world.
Thinking about it that way, accepting the existence of this Night King didn't seem impossible.
"And then?" Finn asked again.
"After the Night King vanished, the sword somehow found its way to the Asuka Kingdom. Because it hadn't been long since his reign, people still remembered his terrifying strength. A legend formed — that whoever claimed Shindoku-tō would inherit the Night King's invincible power. And so, the three princes of Asuka began a war among themselves for the blade. The kingdom drowned in blood, the royal line destroyed by its curse. All three princes died because of it, and the kingdom stood on the brink of collapse. Until…"
Stussy paused here.
Finn's curiosity was genuinely piqued. "Until what?"
"Until this sword attracted the interest of the Celestial Dragons," Stussy said with a knowing smile.
"Celestial Dragons?" Finn was stunned again.
"That's correct. Around two hundred years ago, there was a Celestial Dragon in Mariejois who possessed exceptional talent in both governance and warfare. His name was Saint Claudius. During his era, he held near-supreme power within the World Government—so much so that even the Five Elders of that time were forced to bow to him. It was this Celestial Dragon who took an interest in the demon blade Shindoku-tō. He personally traveled to the Asuka Kingdom, ended the chaos there, and claimed the sword for himself."
Stussy's voice carried a note of reverence now. "However, he did feel the powerful curse carried by Shindoku-tō. To prevent Shindoku-tō from causing trouble in the world again, this Saint Claudius personally sealed it in the Asuka Kingdom. I don't know the specific method, but every time a red full moon appears, Shindoku-tō's seal weakens to the extreme."
What Saint Claudius? Could this be Lord Imu?
"So what you're saying is, if I'm not afraid of curses, I should retrieve this Shindoku-tō and use it?" Finn asked directly.
"According to our calculations, there will be a red full moon in two months. Lord Finn, if you want to travel from G-7 to the Asuka Kingdom in the East Blue, two months would be more than enough time." Stussy smiled, not directly answering his question.
"Demon Sword Shindoku-tō?" Finn grinned. "Can I really gain the Night King's power?"
"I think that's a rumour," Stussy said, her tone turning serious. "But this sword, although not ranked among the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords or even the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords, is undoubtedly one of the finest blades in the world today. Without a doubt."
In fact, the ranking of famous swords was somewhat related to their owners' strength.
Murakumogiri, one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords, hadn't been ranked among the Twelve before falling into Whitebeard's hands. And currently, the black blade in Mihawk's hands wasn't yet recognized as the world's strongest sword.
But there was no doubt that swords favored by people like them must be the best of the best in terms of material quality.
Think about it. In Stussy's story, this demon sword Shindoku-tō had served three masters, each more impressive than the last. It was understandable that this sword was truly exceptional. It must be top-tier in quality. Whether it became the "best" depended entirely on its owner.
"Interesting," Finn responded thoughtfully.
Indeed, the power of the Night King was probably complete nonsense.
But this sword, with such a grand reputation and legendary story, fascinated him just hearing about it.
But... where was his Shichiseiken?
The story Stussy told, about the Asuka Kingdom, was roughly the same as what he'd heard about the Shichiseiken. How had it inexplicably transformed into a demon sword called Shindoku-tō?
After a moment of thought, Finn smiled. "If this were before I killed Shiki, I wouldn't have dared touch a sword said to plunge nations into chaos. But now? My blood is burning. The sea feels too small. Even someone like Newgate no longer seems unreachable to me. So tell me—why would I fear some so-called legendary blade?"
"I knew this sword would interest you, Lord Finn," Stussy said with satisfaction.
"The red full moon, huh?" Finn's grin widened. "Then the timing couldn't be better. I'll see this demon blade for myself. Shindoku-tō… interesting."
After chatting a while longer about Shindoku-tō, Finn brought up the matter of Pleasure Street. He discussed with Stussy in detail whether it was possible to embed the Marines' nonexistent organization within Pleasure Street's operations.
Stussy didn't object outright, but she cautiously advised Finn that this kind of arrangement carried risks. Not just from external threats, but also regarding the relationship between CP and the Marines. Such entanglement could create complications neither organization wanted.
After she explained these concerns, Finn genuinely reconsidered the nonexistent organization idea.
After much thought, he realized that Stussy and he were already on the same side. There was no need to force an agency insertion. The Marines had their Intelligence Department. Let Chief of Staff Tsuru handle it herself through proper channels.
Therefore, the idea that had been circling in Finn's mind for several years was completely abandoned.