Chapter 6: Dark Justice

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Ryuusaki flicked the blood off his sword.

Taking a deep breath, he noted that there was no scent of blood. Fresh blood, especially when there's only a small amount, doesn't carry much of a smell. You'd need a large pool of it to detect any scent.

"Ryuusaki, you pass!" Bark announced his victory.

But Ryuusaki didn't seem to hear him. Calmly, he walked toward the remaining victorious pirates.

Under the confused gazes of everyone present, Ryuusaki swiftly attacked one of the pirates. In a flash, his sword sliced through the pirate's throat.

In the next instant, he appeared in front of another pirate.

*Clang!*

Though the pirate managed to block the attack, Ryuusaki's sword still left a deep gash across his chest.

*"Ahhh!"*

As the pirate screamed in agony, Ryuusaki swiftly delivered the finishing blow, killing yet another pirate.

In just thirty seconds, Ryuusaki had slaughtered all the victorious pirates.

The scene was eerily silent.

Bark frowned. "Ryuusaki, why did you kill them? You'd better have a good reason!"

"Reason?" Ryuusaki grinned. "Commander, weakness is a sin, and being a pirate is a crime. They were weak and pirates, so why should I let them live?"

"Hehehe… You're quite something…"

Bark chuckled as he observed Ryuusaki's grim smile. No one knew what was going through his mind.

Laughing along with him was Lucci.

Lucci looked at Ryuusaki with admiration. This kid was just his type.

However, for Ryuusaki, this was nothing more than a convenient excuse.

Ryuusaki understood very well that those pirates were destined to die.

After all, they had learned the location of a World Government training facility for intelligence operatives. How could they possibly be allowed to leave alive? Such a notion was naive!

Rather than letting someone else kill them, Ryuusaki decided to use the opportunity to hone his swordsmanship.

Ryuusaki, Kaku, and Kalifa, after this trial, were now fully integrated into the future CP9 family.

That evening, Lucci and the others held a welcoming banquet for the new recruits.

"Ryuusaki, your swordsmanship is impressive. Would you be willing to spar with an old man like me sometime?" Kaku asked, despite being quite young himself, which made Ryuusaki inwardly roll his eyes.

"If your skills aren't up to par, I won't bother," Ryuusaki replied.

"Hahaha… Understood, old man!"

"Ryuusaki, Kaku, Kalifa, from now on, you three should start developing a secondary skill," Lucci advised.

"What do you mean?" Kaku asked.

"As intelligence operatives, we need more than just combat skills. We'll be tasked with undercover missions, so having another job skill is essential."

"I see!" Kalifa nodded in agreement. "A normal job skill would prevent suspicion, right?"

"Exactly. My secondary skill is in shipbuilding and repair. On this vast sea, whether it's the Navy or pirates, ships are always needed. A shipwright is always in demand."

"Oh, then I'll also learn shipbuilding," Kaku said.

"I'll choose to be a secretary," Kalifa decided.

Ryuusaki scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward. After some thought, he said, "I might as well become a blacksmith. There are plenty of swordsmen on the seas, so I should be able to find work easily, haha…"

"Yoyoi… As for me…"

"You don't need one. Your appearance is too unconventional; you'd attract too much attention," Lucci interrupted.

"Oh, Lucci, if I'm that useless, I might as well commit suicide. *Tekkai—Seppuku!*" the odd recruit joked.

Ryuusaki shook his head in disbelief at the antics of his teammates.

Lying on the ground, he gazed up at the starry sky.

*Having comrades isn't exclusive to pirates. Everyone has comrades, and the bonds within CP9 are no weaker than any others.*

*Dark justice, huh?* Ryuusaki chuckled to himself. *I don't care much about that.*

But Ryuusaki was aware that in the original story, after CP9 was defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates, they were abandoned by the World Government and hunted by the Navy.

Although Lucci and the others later rejoined the World Government, it was clear that neither the World Government nor the Celestial Dragons could be trusted.

To be honest, whether it's justice or evil, spies usually don't meet a good end.

*Where does a spy's path ultimately lead?*

A cold wind blew.

Ryuusaki closed his eyes slightly, contemplating his future. If the World Government abandoned him, how would he survive?

It was a troubling question, and for now, he couldn't come up with an answer. *Forget it, no point in worrying about it now. Time to enjoy the banquet!*

"Cheers!"

The lively banquet continued until the early hours of the morning.

The next day, the harsh training resumed.

However, unlike before, when the focus was solely on physical endurance, their routine now included half a day of physical training and half a day of basic martial arts practice.

Basic punches, basic kicks…

Of course, since Ryuusaki and Kaku were also training in swordsmanship, they would receive additional guidance from Bark during their free time.

Bark was undoubtedly a master of the Six Powers, but he was also a skilled swordsman.

This greatly excited Ryuusaki, as he knew that someone like Bark must have dueled with many swordsmen and was likely familiar with various sword styles.

"Ryuusaki, Kaku, since you've chosen to follow me in swordsmanship, there's one thing you need to understand: a powerful swordsman isn't just about swordsmanship alone. So, I hope you won't neglect your martial arts training."

"Commander Bark…"

"Just call me Mr. Bark."

"Yes, Mr. Bark. I want to learn every sword style, even the weakest ones."

"Oh?" Bark raised an eyebrow at Ryuusaki. "You're not planning to create your own style, are you?"

It wasn't an unreasonable assumption. Often, sword masters who wanted to establish their own style would challenge various sword styles to learn from them and combine their strengths.

But Bark was overthinking it.

Ryuusaki's real goal was simply to increase his talent.

Of course, Ryuusaki didn't answer the question directly.

"I just want to get stronger, Mr. Bark," Ryuusaki replied.

"Heh, alright then. I'll teach you all the sword styles I know."

Bark had high hopes for Ryuusaki. In his eyes, Ryuusaki was a swordsmanship prodigy who might one day become the world's greatest swordsman.

But before that could happen, Bark was determined to ensure these two built a solid foundation.

Whether in martial arts or swordsmanship, a strong foundation is essential for true power.

Under Bark's supervision, Ryuusaki and Kaku began their basic swordsmanship training.

This training was similar to what Zoro experienced, with both using bamboo swords to strike wooden posts.

It was destined to be a grueling and repetitive regimen.

Time passed quickly, and before long, the weather had cooled, and snow began to fall.

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