The Asuka Kingdom was considered a powerful nation in the East Blue, with numerous islands under its control.
But for some reason, perhaps out of caution or disdain, the island where Kokorowatari was located was a remote, minor one. The island was small with almost no population, only a few displaced people. From a distance, the whole place looked untouched by civilization.
At this moment, Diarmuid's Marine ship had already spotted the island on the horizon.
On the deck, Diarmuid sat on the edge, a fishing rod in his hand, fishing.
Not far away, a crawling Ace was moving around on the deck, chased and playfully taunted by Garp, who showed no sign of getting tired.
He wasn't even worried about little Ace falling off the ship. Seeing his way of "babysitting," Diarmuid felt deeply sorry for Dragon, who was probably somewhere out there in the world.
For Dragon to have survived to adulthood without being killed by Garp's antics, he must have been incredibly lucky.
They say children who laugh a lot have good luck. Diarmuid wondered if Dragon laughed often.
A sea breeze swept by, and Diarmuid's fishing rod twitched. He yanked it up and pulled a large fish out of the water, a smile spreading across his face.
"The East Blue is truly peaceful. We haven't run into a single pirate on this whole journey. It's almost unbelievable in this Great Pirate Era," Diarmuid said with a chuckle as he unhooked the fish.
It truly was peaceful. He had traveled all the way from the South Calm Belt, crossed the first half of the Grand Line, and arrived at the North Calm Belt. During that time, he had taken out countless pirates.
But after crossing the North Calm Belt and entering the East Blue, he hadn't seen a single one.
"The East Blue is, after all, a symbol of peace. It's a sea that we Marines have worked hard to protect, so we can't allow any trouble here," Garp said, appearing behind Diarmuid at some point.
"Yes, a symbol of peace…" Diarmuid mused before looking at the old coot behind him.
He suspected that Garp simply hadn't been in the East Blue for the past two years. He remembered that in the years before, Garp would constantly come back to the East Blue to cause a ruckus.
With a max-level legend like him always coming back to the starter zone, any powerful figures who appeared in the East Blue were probably wiped out by this bastard in their infancy.
"However, I've heard that the corruption within the East Blue Marines seems to be getting worse," Garp said, a look of disgust in his eyes.
Diarmuid nodded in agreement. "Although the Admirals at Headquarters have been trying to address these issues, the tide of the Great Pirate Era is also destroying their efforts. On one hand, the increase in pirates disrupts the order. On the other hand, it also makes the public more dependent on us Marines. In this situation, it's only natural for the local Marines to become 'bloated' and quickly turn corrupt and depraved."
After a brief pause, Diarmuid continued, "Perhaps life here is difficult, but without those corrupt Marine branches, it wouldn't just be difficult, it would be a living hell."
Garp listened, his expression filled with helplessness.
What Diarmuid said was true. Corruption was bad, but in this chaotic era, it was still a form of order.
Look at the first half of the Grand Line or the New World. That was the real living hell.
St. Poplar, a famous tourist island, was flourishing before the Great Pirate Era began. Now, it had been massacred beyond recognition…
Fortunately, the Marines had recaptured the island and re-established order, but even so, it would take years for it to regain its vitality.
Compared to that, while the East Blue was also in a bad state, at least people could still live here…
"So, no matter how corrupted it is, order is still order. But chaos is the true root of all evil!" Diarmuid suddenly declared.
Garp didn't reply. Instead, he looked into the distance. "We're here. It's pointless for us to discuss these issues here. Let's go find your sword."
"In theory, we still have to wait a few days for the red moon to appear before we can get Kokorowatari, but let's go check out the island first," Diarmuid said, standing up and looking at the small island in front of the ship.
Although Garp wasn't a swordsman and didn't really use a sword, he had grown up hearing the legends of Kokorowatari. As an East Blue native, he was naturally interested in it.
So, after he handed Ace over to the Marines on the ship, he and Diarmuid went ashore.
He vaguely remembered that there was supposed to be a town or village here.
But since the Shichiseiken had become Kokorowatari, all his previous memories were useless.
There were no proper villages or towns on the island, only a small cluster of wooden huts built around a natural harbor where a few displaced people were huddled together. There was no life or energy to be found.
Seeing the wary and fearful looks from the refugees behind the wooden fences, Diarmuid and Garp decided not to disturb them.
The two men bypassed the settlement and headed into the mountains.
They didn't need a guide; the information Stussy provided to Diarmuid was very clear.
From here, a large altar could be seen halfway up the mountain.
The altar had been exposed to the elements for centuries and looked very disheveled, but from a distance, it still exuded an air of mystery.
"Have you ever been to this island?" Diarmuid asked Garp as they walked.
"Never. Even though everyone from the East Blue has heard the story of Kokorowatari, not many have actually been to this island. There's nothing here but a story. It has no value. Why would a normal person go out of their way to come here? And Kokorowatari itself is a bad omen… Is everyone as carefree as you and me?" Garp waved his hand dismissively.
"I guess you're right," Diarmuid chuckled.
It was like hearing a ghost story about a certain isolated corner of your hometown. You'd know the story well, but most people would never go there in person. First, it was bad luck, and second, there was no need to.
The higher they went, the darker the atmosphere became, which surprised both Diarmuid and Garp.
"No way? Is there really a curse?" Diarmuid mumbled.
"Maybe the mountain is just bad and the air is too damp. That's why it feels dark," Garp said, still not wanting to believe in the supernatural.
"No wonder no one lives in this godforsaken place," Diarmuid said with a laugh.
Staying here for a while would definitely give you rheumatism.
Chatting as they climbed, the two powerful men quickly arrived in front of the massive altar.
The altar was incredibly grand. From a distance, you couldn't tell, but up close, you could see that the entire thing was a single piece, carved out of a gigantic stone.
"Look, the Donquixote Family crest!" Garp suddenly said, pointing to the ground in the center of the altar.
Diarmuid followed Garp's finger and indeed saw a complex pattern. He had never studied the Celestial Dragons' crests before, so he didn't know if it was real or not.
But since Garp was so certain, it probably was.
"So the legend seems to be true? A Celestial Dragon named Donquixote Claudius once ruled the world two hundred years ago?" Diarmuid asked, a little intrigued.
Garp nodded. "That's what they say. Apparently, that Claudius was a very unique Celestial Dragon. He had a good relationship with us Marines. In that era, the World Government was incredibly powerful, and they even conquered the New World…"
"Is that so?" Diarmuid clicked his tongue, then stepped onto the altar and asked, "By the way, have you ever heard of Imu?"
He had never heard of a "Donquixote Claudius" before. He had always thought that the supreme leader of the World Government was the mysterious Imu.
The Gorosei themselves knelt before him. Now, hearing about a major figure like Donquixote Claudius, he began to wonder if Imu was this so-called Claudius.
"Imu? What's that?" Garp asked, confused.
Whether the old man was just unwilling to talk or truly didn't know, Diarmuid just smiled and waved his hand. "…Nothing."
The altar was empty. Diarmuid and Garp split up to look for any signs of Kokorowatari.
A moment later, Garp's loud voice boomed out.
"Diarmuid, come here! I found something!"
Hearing that, Diarmuid quickly rushed over to Garp.
What he saw was a giant statue of a person, covered in vines.
Despite being weathered by centuries of wind and rain, it still exuded a powerful aura.
"The statue has the Donquixote family crest on it. This must be a statue of that Claudius, right?" Garp said, stroking his chin.
Diarmuid nodded without a word, his gaze shifting from the statue to the front of it.
The "something" Garp had found was right there.
In front of the statue was a sword stand, and on it sat a single sword. The scabbard was a dark black, but it shimmered with a subtle, deep emerald green. Unlike the statue, it seemed to be completely untouched by centuries of erosion.
There wasn't even a speck of dust on it.
Just the scabbard alone was breathtaking. At first glance, it was just black with a hint of dark green, but a closer look revealed intricate patterns carved into it. A even closer look showed an entire landscape, with mountains and rivers, dragons and tigers, leopards and deer, all magnificent and grand.
"This is so extravagant. This scabbard alone is worth a fortune," Diarmuid said softly.
"That jade on the hilt is the finest I've ever seen," Garp said, focused on the handle.
He was right. The hilt was also incredibly luxurious, wrapped in silk with gold thread intricately woven throughout. On both sides were two perfectly-sized, flawless pieces of jade, blending seamlessly into the hilt.
"This must be the legendary… cursed sword Kokorowatari?" Diarmuid murmured before reaching out to grab the hilt.
But just as his hand was about to touch Kokorowatari, a powerful force erupted from around it and immediately pushed his hand away.
A look of surprise flashed in Diarmuid's eyes. At that moment, something around Kokorowatari changed.
Three ethereal projections appeared around the sword.
A closer look revealed one of them to be an exact replica of the short sword carved on the statue's waist. It must have been Donquixote Claudius's personal blade.
The other two were a terrifying battle-ax that made one shudder just by looking at it, and a heavy, long-handled war hammer, both radiating a powerful aura.
"What are these things? Is this the seal on Kokorowatari?" Diarmuid asked, surprised. He tried to reach out again, but as expected, an invisible force blocked his hand.
The battle-ax, short sword, and war hammer seemed like they could materialize at any moment and smash into Diarmuid.
"Try to use a little more force!" Garp urged from the side.
Diarmuid thought about it, then shook his head. "What if I break the sword by forcing it? The red moon is only a couple of days away anyway. It wouldn't hurt to wait."
Garp agreed and stopped pressing him.
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