Leaving

"Impure World Reincarnation! Release!" Yota narrowed his eyes slightly and directly dispelled the Impure World Reincarnation.

Ryuma instantly turned into a pile of sand, his soul slowly beginning to drift away. Then, at that moment, the faint image of a Serpent formed behind him. One of its heads severed instantly, while Ryuma, who had been reduced to only a soul, transformed from ethereal to solid and condensed a physical body.

"I’m… alive?" Ryuma raised his hand in astonishment and casually clenched his fist. The genuine sensation made him feel as though he might cry.

The feeling of the outside breeze brushing against his body, the warmth of sunlight shining down from the sky, the salty scent borne by the sea wind, even the faint stench of decay lingering on the zombies the Ghost Ship had failed to clean up—all of it filled Ryuma with excitement.

But most importantly…

Ryuma slowly gripped the hilt of Black Blade Shusui. The familiar, cool, smooth sensation faintly transmitted from it swiftly brought him into a state of perfect calm.

Black Blade Shusui in his hand let out a faint hum, as though it was happy to meet its master again after so many years.

After silently pondering for a moment, an incomparably sharp aura completely changed Ryuma’s seemingly downcast presence.

"Dragon Slash!"

A golden blade flash streaked past. Ryuma slowly sheathed Black Blade Shusui, but the entire Ghost Ship rumbled. A massive fissure was cleaved open, and churning seawater surged in.

"Truly perfect. Even when I was alive, I never unleashed such a beautiful strike!" Ryuma said with a smile.

"Finally, I can continue pursuing my swordsmanship! I wonder how many swordsmen have emerged on the seas today?"

"I don’t know how many swordsmen are out there, but I do know that we need to change locations now!"

Yota sighed. Though the terrifying Ghost Ship was as large as an island, it was not a real island after all, merely a ship without roots. After taking Ryuma’s strike, it had nearly been cleaved in half. Looking at it now, it clearly could not hold on any longer.

If not for the ship’s immense size, which meant it would take quite a while to sink, it would likely have already gone down to the seabed.

"Ahhh, my ship! You bastard swordsman!" Gecko Moria charged out with bloodshot eyes. "My treasure is still on this ship, you fucking bleep—, I&$#…"

Seeing the mess he had caused, Ryuma could not help giving an awkward smile.

"So you’re planning to head out to sea and challenge the other Sword Masters?"

On the Azure Dragon, Yota looked at Ryuma and asked.

"That’s right. I heard that the strongest swordsman now should be that Hawkeye Mihawk. The cross-shaped blade he uses is an extremely rare weapon—I never saw anything like it on the seas around Wano Country. Of course I have to challenge him."

"Besides, I want to visit that Shimotsuki Village you mentioned and see how well my descendants have practiced their swordsmanship!"

"Then good luck." Yota nodded directly. "But don’t forget our agreement."

"Of course, overthrowing the World Government." Ryuma twirled his blade and said with a smile. "Come to think of it, when I was alive, I often fought people from the World Government. But after my swordsmanship reached its peak, those bastards never dared come again."

"But because of them, I never dared leave Wano Country… Now that I’m free, it’s the perfect time to settle all our scores!"

Yota nodded and took out a Den Den Mushi, handing it to Ryuma. A strange seal had been carved into its shell.

"Here. This is my Flying Thunder God Den Den Mushi. If you run into any problems, use it to contact me directly. I’ll come straight to your side."

"Oh, I’ve heard Den Den Mushi in the outer seas are much more powerful than the ones where we came from. Just looking at its appearance, it already feels different." Ryuma grinned as he accepted the Den Den Mushi, then waved to Yota again.

"Then the story of Sword Master Ryuma will begin anew upon these seas!"

After saying that, Ryuma jumped onto a small boat and rode the wind and waves away.

"Hmm." Yota’s expression was rather complicated as he watched the small boat turn into a white line in the distance.

"Come to think of it, these swordsmen travel the seas in little boats and don’t have Devil Fruit powers… So they all rely on rowing for propulsion?"

Yes, though it looked as though he was riding the wind and waves, the reason that boat was moving so quickly… was because Ryuma was using Black Blade Shusui as an oar and rowing like mad.

"Whatever, what does it have to do with me?" Thinking of the imposing Hawkeye, who probably rowed his boat the same way, Yota suddenly understood why that East Blue Great Pirate who boasted of having five thousand men had been chased all the way out of the Grand Line.

"Fortunately, Ryuma seems more like a comedic character. Otherwise, he might silence anyone who saw him rowing…"

Though it was entirely powered by human strength, it was still far faster than an ordinary ship. This was a world of superhumans, after all—great strength could work miracles.

At the same time, Brook, another member of the Rumba Pirates, came to find Yota and prepare to say goodbye.

"Brook, where are you planning to go now?"

The afro-haired violinist scratched his head and said, "All the members of the Rumba Pirates died long ago, but back at Reverse Mountain, our pet should still be there—a giant island whale named Laboon."

"I wonder how Laboon is doing now. Back then, he was too big to pass through Reverse Mountain, so we had to leave him there."

"We promised that after sailing around the world once, we would reunite with him… It seems I won’t be able to sail around the world after all. But I can still go see him again. I wonder whether Laboon is still there."

After hearing this, Yota nodded. Brook’s words also stirred memories of the manga within him. Laboon was still at Twin Cape now, and often rammed his head against the Red Line, trying to smash through it and find the members of the Rumba Pirates.

"Then go back. Good luck. Laboon might be waiting for you at Reverse Mountain." Yota offered his heartfelt blessing.

"I hope so." Brook’s gaze was slightly unfocused. Being disconnected from the world for fifty years had left him somewhat afraid of the outside world.

However, Brook was ultimately a free-spirited person. In only a moment, he broke free from that mood. With a casual slash, he cut the mooring rope connecting the ship, waved to Yota and the others, and left directly.