The Asuka Kingdom was considered a powerful nation in the East Blue, with many islands under its jurisdiction.
But whether out of exclusion or caution toward Shindokutō, the island where it rested was relegated to the kingdom's margins. The island was small and sparsely populated, home only to scattered refugees. From a distance, the whole landmass appeared almost pristine, untouched by civilization.
At this time, Finn's warship had already spotted the island on the horizon.
On the deck, Finn sat on the edge of the railing, holding a fishing rod in his hands, line trailing lazily in the water.
Not far away, Ace, who could only crawl, was exploring the deck on all fours. Garp chased after him, making exaggerated faces and playing without any sign of fatigue. The legendary Marine hero looked absolutely ridiculous crawling around after an infant.
There was no need to worry about the child falling overboard. Watching Garp care for the baby, Finn felt deep sympathy for Dragon, wherever he was.
Dragon must be incredibly lucky to have grown up without being accidentally killed by Garp halfway through childhood.
I heard that children who love to laugh have good fortune, Finn mused. I wonder if Dragon loved to laugh as a child?
A gust of sea breeze blew past. Finn's fishing rod jerked suddenly. He pulled it up with practiced ease, hauling a large fish from the sea. A smile crossed his face.
"The East Blue is really peaceful," Finn said, removing the sea fish from the hook. "We haven't encountered any pirates along the way. This is simply incredible in this era."
It truly was peaceful. He'd crossed the first half of the Grand Line from the Southern Calm Belt and arrived at the Northern Calm Belt. During that journey, he'd encountered countless pirates and wiped them all out without exception.
But after passing through the Northern Calm Belt and entering the East Blue, they hadn't seen a single pirate vessel.
"After all, the East Blue is a symbol of peace," Garp said, suddenly appearing behind Finn. "It's also what we Marines focus on protecting. Naturally, we cannot allow any chaos to occur in this sea."
"Yes, a symbol of peace..." Finn sighed, then glanced at the tough Marine behind him.
It's probably only in the past two years that he hasn't been patrolling the East Blue regularly. As far as Finn could remember, in previous years, Garp would often return to the East Blue to deal with threats personally.
With a max-level boss like him constantly roaming the beginner's area, even if some powerful rookie appeared in the East Blue, they'd probably be killed in the cradle by this monster.
"But I've heard that corruption problems in the East Blue Marine branches are getting more serious," Garp said, a hint of disgust entering his eyes.
Finn nodded. "Although the Headquarters have been working hard to correct these problems, the tide of the Great Pirate Era is also destroying our achievements. On one hand, the increase in pirates disrupts order. On the other hand, it increases the people's dependence on our Marines. Under such circumstances, it's reasonable that the branch Marines will 'expand' and quickly become corrupt and decadent."
After a brief pause, Finn continued, his voice dropping lower. "Perhaps it's dire straits here, but if we removed those corrupt Marine branches entirely, it wouldn't just be dire straits. It would be hell on earth."
When Garp heard this, his eyes showed helplessness.
What Finn said was true. This kind of corruption was certainly not ideal, but in this chaotic era, it was still survivable.
Look at the first half of the Grand Line and the New World. That was the real hell on earth. Spring Queen Island, a once-prosperous tourist destination before the Great Pirate Era began, had been slaughtered beyond recognition by pirates.
Fortunately, the Marines had recovered the lost territory and re-established order on Spring Queen Island. But even so, it would take several years for the island to recover.
In comparison, although the East Blue was also struggling, at least people could still survive here.
"So, no matter how much order degenerates, it is still order," Finn said suddenly. "But chaos is the real sin."
Garp didn't respond, but instead looked toward the distance. "We're here. There's no point in discussing these issues now. Let's go find your sword."
"Although theoretically we have to wait a few days for the red full moon to appear before we can claim Shindokutō, let's go to the island and take a look first," Finn said, standing and studying the small island ahead of their warship.
Although Garp wasn't a swordsman and rarely used swords, he'd grown up listening to the legend of Shindokutō. As a native of the East Blue, he was naturally very interested in the demon blade.
So he handed Ace over to the care of the Marines on the warship and followed Finn to the island.
Finn had the vague impression that this island should have a small town or village maintained by shrine maidens.
But the Shichiseiken had become Shindokutō, so of course those impressions were completely useless.
There was no formal village or town on the island, just a natural harbor where a group of refugees huddled together for warmth. They'd built a few wooden houses and surrounded them with a wooden fence. The settlement looked lifeless and devoid of any vitality.
Seeing the refugees behind the wooden fence watching them and the other Marines with vigilance and fear, Finn and Garp decided not to disturb them.
The two immediately passed the refugee settlement and headed toward the mountain.
There was no need for guides or complicated directions. The information Stussy had provided to Finn was very clear.
And looking up the mountain from their position, they could indeed see a massive altar halfway up the slope.
The altar had experienced a hundred years of wind and rain and was in a rather dilapidated state. But from a distance, it still possessed a mysterious atmosphere.
"Have you been to this island before?" Finn asked as they walked.
"I haven't," Garp replied. "To be honest, although people in the East Blue should have heard the story of Shindokutō, there are probably not many who've actually visited this island. After all, there's nothing here except an old legend. It has no value. Who would come here on purpose? Moreover, Shindokutō itself carries an ominous reputation. Who would be as reckless as you and me?"
"That's true," Finn said with a smile.
It was like hearing about a famous ghost story from your hometown in your previous life. You'd heard it since childhood and could recite the details, but most people would never actually visit the location. First, it was unlucky. Second, it was unnecessary.
The further up the mountain they went, the darker and more oppressive the atmosphere became. Even Finn and Garp noticed the shift.
"No way? Is there really a curse?" Finn muttered.
"Maybe it's just because the mountain is in poor condition and the humidity is too heavy, making it feel gloomy," Garp said with lingering disbelief.
"No wonder so few people live in this place," Finn said with a slight laugh.
If you stayed here for a while, you'd definitely develop rheumatism or something similar.
They chatted as they climbed the mountain. Both were powerful men with tremendous physical stamina, and they soon arrived before the massive altar.
The entire structure was remarkably exaggerated. From a distance, you couldn't even see its details. But when you got closer, you discovered that this huge altar was actually carved from a single enormous stone.
"Look, the family crest of Saint Claudius!" Garp suddenly pointed to the ground in the center of the altar.
Finn followed Garp's gesture and indeed saw a complex pattern. He had no knowledge of Celestial Dragon family crests and couldn't verify its authenticity.
But since Garp spoke so confidently, it must be genuine.
"It seems that the legend is true," Finn said with curiosity. "More than two hundred years ago, there was a Celestial Dragon named Saint Claudius. Did he once rule the Goverment?"
Garp nodded. "There is indeed such a story, and it seems to be true. It's said that Saint Claudius was a very unique Celestial Dragon and had a good relationship with our Marines. In that era, the World Government was unprecedentedly powerful and even conquered territories in the New World."
"Really?" Finn's eyebrows rose. Then he walked up to the altar and asked casually, "By the way, have you heard of Imu?"
He'd never heard of Saint Claudius before. In his understanding, the head of the World Government should be the mysterious Lord Imu, the figure before whom even the Five Elders must kneel.
Now, having suddenly heard of such a great figure as Saint Claudius, he had a vague suspicion. Could Lord Imu be the same person as Saint Claudius?
"What Imu?" Garp looked genuinely confused.
Finn couldn't tell if the man was unwilling to discuss it or truly didn't know. He smiled and waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing."
The altar was empty, with nothing obviously visible. Finn and Garp dispersed and searched around for any traces of Shindokutō.
After a while, Garp's loud voice suddenly rang out.
"Finn, come and take a look! Something's here!"
Upon hearing the call, Finn quickly rushed toward Garp's location.
It was a massive stone statue in human form, covered by thick vines.
Even after more than a hundred years of weathering, one could still detect a hint of handsomeness in this statue's features.
"There's the Saint Claudius crest on the stone statue," Garp said, touching his chin thoughtfully. "If nothing unexpected happens, this should be a statue of Saint Claudius, right?"
Finn nodded without speaking, shifting his gaze from the statue to the area directly in front of it.
This was the situation that had caught Garp's attention.
There was a sword rack positioned before the stone statue. On this rack rested a single blade. The scabbard was dark black, yet it faintly emitted a dark emerald green glow. Unlike the stone statue, it seemed completely untouched by more than a hundred years of wind and rain.
There wasn't even a speck of dust on its surface.
The scabbard alone inspired awe. At first glance, it appeared dark with hints of deep green, but if you looked closely, you could see that the scabbard was carved with exquisite patterns. Looking even more carefully revealed that it was actually a landscape painting, mountains and water, dragons and tigers, leopards and deer rendered in magnificent detail.
"How luxurious," Finn said softly. "This scabbard alone is priceless."
The handle was equally high-end. It was wrapped in dark silk cloth with layers of dark golden rope wound around it. Two pieces of jade of the same size and perfect coloration hung on both sides, neither too large nor too small. They created no sense of awkwardness, perfectly integrated into the handle's design.
"This should be the legendary demon sword Shindokutō, right?" Finn sighed, then reached out to grasp the hilt.
However, just as his palm was about to make contact with Shindokutō, a powerful force suddenly erupted from around the blade and pushed his hand away.
A hint of surprise flashed in Finn's eyes. At that moment, the area surrounding Shindokutō changed again.
Three phantoms materialized around the sword.
Looking closely, one of the shadows was exactly the same as the dagger hanging from the waist of the stone statue. It should be Saint Claudius's sword.
As for the other two phantoms, one was an extremely ferocious battle axe, frightening at first sight. It looked like a powerful weapon of slaughter. The other was a heavy long-handled war hammer, imposing and brutal.
"What the hell is this? Is this the seal on Shindokutō?" Finn said in surprise, trying to extend his hand again.
Sure enough, as soon as he got close, an invisible force blocked him from reaching the blade. The battle axe, dagger, and hammer seemed capable of turning into reality at any moment and striking Finn directly.
"Try with a little more strength!" Garp urged from the side.
Finn thought for a moment, then shook his head. "What if I force it and break the blade? The red full moon is only a couple of days away. It's fine to wait."
Garp, realizing the same logic, nodded and stopped pressing the issue.