One Piece: I Weave the Pirate Codex with My Zanpakuto

"They probably can't beat me, a mere guard."

The two chatted casually along the way, and Cobra didn't blame Icarum.

To him, Icarum was not only his personal bodyguard, but also his childhood friend and brother.

If you remove their identities, their relationship is no different from that of brothers.

Amidst the greetings of the guards, Cobra entered the palace and headed towards his father's study.

"That's strange, why are there so many people today?"

While muttering to himself, Kobra casually pulled over a soldier who was standing ramrod straight and asked him what had happened.

"It's Ross, that renowned sea warrior. He came to the palace as a guest an hour ago."

The soldier answered truthfully:

"His Majesty the King instructed us to greet them with the highest honors. I heard from His Majesty that they will stay here for lunch."

Rose?!

Before Ikalem could react, Kobra excitedly ran towards the banquet hall.

Bang--!!

The door was pushed open forcefully.

The pleasant atmosphere inside the room instantly froze. The king, sitting in the main seat, had gray hair, a face full of wrinkles, and his eyes looked somewhat cloudy.

"Cobra! Where did all the etiquette you learned go?!"

"Can't you see we have important guests here?"

"Take him out of here, Icarum!!"

"King Reed,"

Ross stopped the old king, who was reprimanding him sternly.

"There's no need to hide the alliance we just discussed. This must be Prince Nefit Cobra, right?"

Ross, who was deliberately concealing his name D, looked at Cobra.

"Nice to meet you, I am Ross, the master of Utopia."

I challenge you!

King Reed was stunned. After realizing what had happened, he grabbed the teacup next to him and threw it.

"Get out, you disgraceful bastard!"

"Lord Ross is a guest who has come from afar... cough cough cough!"

Ross stood up, took two quick steps, helped the old man up, and lightly patted the old man's back with his right hand.

"This is nothing to be angry about, please don't worry."

Ross helped the furious old man to a seat, then walked over to Cobra and raised his right index finger with great interest.

"What do you mean?"

Kobra drew his sword, ready to attack, when he saw this scene, and immediately showed his displeasure.

"I'm very strong. Don't make excuses if you underestimate me and lose."

"I just want you to know, young prince, that to you now I am no different from the heavens. Draw your sword."

Cobra gripped the sword hilt tightly with both hands and sprinted forward with small, quick steps.

With a loud shout, he slashed down with his jeweled longsword.

"The flaws are too great, and the lower body is unstable."

Ross easily blocked the sword's edge with his index finger wrapped in Armament Haki, while commenting and retreating.

"Stop talking big!"

Cobra calmed himself down and steadily unleashed a series of combos.

But looking at the fingers that could always block the sword in advance no matter what, a sense of irritation arose in his heart.

"If your mind is unstable, it's best to replace rest after daily practice with meditation."

Seeing the index finger pointing at him, Cobra hurriedly withdrew his sword and retreated several steps.

Such incredible power!!

"Is this the power of the world's greatest swordsman? The secret technique of One-Sword Style~"

Icarus, who was watching from the sidelines, looked completely bewildered.

How could he not know that His Highness had mastered some kind of One-Sword Style secret technique?

"One-Sword Style: Sever!"

Upon hearing the familiar move name, Hana Hanaza, who was eating noodles not far away, coughed violently, spitting out several strands of noodles from her nostrils.

But at that moment, he couldn't bother to pull out the noodles and hurriedly looked at Cobra, who had made the move.

Ross pinched the incoming sword blade between his fingers, both amused and exasperated.

"This move isn't used like that. The so-called One-Sword Style Slash is a fatal strike that is condensed with spirit and energy, while being imbued with Haki."

"Moreover, the way you swing your sword should refer to the principles of Iaido, especially for a beginner like you who has just started learning swordsmanship."

With a forceful pull, he snatched the sword from Cobra's hand.

Ross gripped the hilt of his sword and, despite the old king's startled cry to stop him, swung it at the other man.

"The so-called swordsman..."

The sword stopped at Cobra's shoulder, but no blood splattered as expected.

Ross tossed the sword back to the boy.

"It can sever what it wants to sever, but it can't sever what it doesn't want to sever no matter how hard it tries."

"One should not wield the sword for the sake of wielding it, but rather for the sake of one's beliefs."

Seeing the bewildered look on the boy's face, Ross stepped forward and ruffled the future king's hair.

"If your belief is to protect, then you should understand one thing: you are not practicing swordsmanship to become stronger."

"It is to better protect the people; only in this way can you become a true swordsman."

Chapter 190 Royal Tomb and Sacrificial Temple, Historical Stone Tablet

"Swords are drawn for the sake of beliefs..."

Kobra looked up and stared at the man.

“But Ikaram told me that the purpose of wielding a sword is to kill the enemy who comes to attack; a sword is a sword, a tool for killing.”

"But people are not."

Rose straightened up, a smile on his face.

"Humans are not born as killing machines. The person who wields the sword decides what the sword is. When facing an enemy, it becomes a killing machine."

"But when facing the people, it is a crown that brings peace of mind and reassurance."

"To be dominated by power or to dominate power is a choice in itself."

"cough,"

The old king coughed lightly, interrupting Ross's lecture.

"Cobra, thank Lord Ross for his instruction, and then go down and remember how he just swung his sword."

Cobra then realized what he had done in his excitement.

An embarrassed smile appeared on his face.

"I was very rude just now, thank you very much for your guidance."

After Cobra and Icarus, who was standing at the door, left, Ross had already returned to his seat.

"I apologize for making this sound so awkward. Some things are not suitable for Cobra to hear right now."

The German dynasty of Ross showed a hint of apology.

"Regarding the question you just asked, I actually don't know where Queen Lily went back then."

"The history passed down by the Nefit family is incomplete. Before disappearing, Queen Lily left only a letter for her brother, who was the founder of the Kingdom of Alabasta."

The old king rested for a while, or perhaps he was considering his words.

"Although I don't know where you learned about Queen Lily, what I want to say is..."

"The historical texts now scattered across the sea were created by Queen Lily. As for why she did it, the letter did not explain much. The Queen only said that she did it so that the truth would one day come to light."

"After leaving that letter, Queen Lily exiled herself as a sinner and disappeared completely into the sea."

After saying these words, Reed picked up his cane and stood up.

“I can take you to see the royal tombs. In exchange, I hope Your Excellency Ross will grant this barren desert nation your protection.”

"And then there's my young, ignorant son. Having him late in life, I no longer have the energy to discipline Cobra."

"Given his personality, he'll get into trouble one day. I hope you can be lenient with Cobrado for the sake of what happened today."

"As allies, this is what we should do. As long as the ideal world exists, Alabasta will never fall."

……

Ross and Hanahuatsa boarded the carriage and left the palace through the back door.

Half an hour later, the carriage stopped outside an oasis.

After alighting from the carriage, gazing at the jackals and falcons standing outside the grand palace, Hanahuazha couldn't help but ask:

"Is this your guardian deity?"

Reed nodded in agreement and waved to signal the Claws troops responsible for guarding the Eagle Burial Temple to open the temple doors.

"To be precise, they are the guardians of the desert."

"No need to follow, these two are my guests."

After shooing away the wary Sharp Claw soldiers, Reed slowly made his way into the hall, step by step.

"This is the tomb where the kings of the past are buried..."

With the old king's introduction still echoing in his ears, Ross's attention was focused on the interior decoration of the mortuary.

He felt a strange sense of familiarity with the decor, which resembled the style of ancient Egypt before he traveled back in time.

Jackals and falcons with animal heads and human bodies are depicted on the surrounding murals.

Besides these, there are also several sea cat stone sculptures.

Standing in front of the unique sculpture with a fish's body and a cat's face, Ross felt as if he were seeing the Sphinx.

"That was a messenger sent by the guardian deity; that's how it's recorded in history."

Reed assumed Ross was interested in the stone sculptures and explained:

"The former king of Alabasta believed that sea cats could communicate with the gods and convey their will."

"So here, sea lions are highly respected animals, but unfortunately, I have lived for decades and have never seen such a creature in person."

The procession continued onward.

Passing through the cemetery area, we entered through a half-closed door.

Finally, a huge, deep blue stone monument stood before the three of them.

"This is the historical record, it contains..."

Before Reed could finish speaking, Ross interrupted him.

"The location of the ancient weapon Hades."