East Blue, Loguetown.
Sephiroth and Tashigi strolled side by side down the bustling main street. Clutching her sheathed sword in one hand, Tashigi stole a glance at the striking silver-haired man beside her, her voice tinged with shyness.
"You really didn't have to come all this way just to escort me for sword maintenance..."
"How about coffee afterward?" Sephiroth chuckled, his arm slipping effortlessly around her waist.
Tashigi stiffened, her face flushing crimson at the contact—but she didn't pull away. Months had passed since they'd met. Not only had he trained her tirelessly in swordsmanship, he'd even administered a serum to enhance her physical abilities. Even someone as oblivious as Tashigi couldn't miss his intentions.
And how could she resist? He was devastatingly skilled, impossibly handsome, and understood her better than anyone. Lately, she'd caught herself daydreaming about their future—how many children they might have...
Sephiroth smirked at her burning cheeks. "You're not saying no, are you?"
"N-no! I'd love to," she stammered.
They reached the weapon shop and stepped inside. The proprietor, a bald middle-aged man with a ruddy nose and a blue kimono, lounged against the counter, stifling a yawn.
Tashigi laid Shigure on the worn wood. "I need the hilt replaced."
"Of course! A blade from the Fifty Ryō Wazamono deserves the finest craftsmanship." The shopkeeper grinned.
She adjusted her glasses. "What's the cost for premium materials?"
"Rosewood—twenty thousand Berries."
"Done. Quality is non-negotiable." She produced two crisp ten-thousand Berry notes and slid them across the counter.
"Naturally! Two centuries in business means our reputation's flawless. Come back tomorrow for inspection." He pocketed the money with practiced ease.
Sephiroth's brow arched at the shopkeeper's familiar spiel. Something nagged at his memory. "Do you sell named blades here?"
The man puffed up. "Our pride and joy is Yukianesa—Fifty Ryō Wazamono, family heirloom. Ten million Berries, firm price."
"Is that so?" Sephiroth's hand dipped to the cleaver at his waist. A spatial rift yawned open as he withdrew a chest, stacking bundles of cash onto the counter.
Yet the shopkeeper's gaze locked onto the twin swords at Sephiroth's hip. His breath hitched.
"T-those can't be... Supreme Grade blades, Nether Flame and Cleaver! You—you're the former Marine's First Swordsman, Sephiroth!"
"Guilty as charged." Sephiroth offered a wry smile. "Now, about Yukianesa?"
"R-right away!" The man scrambled into the back, returning with an ornate black scabbard on a stand. Drawing the slender blade with a flourish, he beamed. "A masterpiece, wouldn't you agree?"
The steel gleamed under the shop's lanterns, its edge whispering of winter winds and forgotten battles. Tashigi's breath caught. Sephiroth's fingers hovered above the hilt, his crimson eyes alight with something between hunger and reverence.
The shopkeeper preened. "Forged in the heart of a blizzard, they say its cuts freeze wounds shut. A fitting addition to your collection, yes?"
Sephiroth's lips curved. "Indeed." His gaze flicked to Tashigi, whose fingers twitched toward her own sword. "Though I suspect someone else might appreciate it more."
Her glasses nearly slid off her nose. "M-me? But this is a national treasure!"
"And you," he murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "are my treasure."
The shopkeeper coughed loudly. "Shall I... wrap it up?"
Sephiroth tossed another stack of bills onto the pile. "Keep the change."
Outside, Tashigi cradled Yukianesa like a newborn, her voice trembling. "I don't deserve this."
"You deserve far more." His hand found hers, their fingers interlacing. "Starting with that coffee."
The afternoon sun painted the cobblestones gold as they walked, the weight of steel and something far heavier settling between them.
"It is one of the Fifty Ryō Wazamono. The blade is a black lacquered Tachi, and the edge is a chaotic small Chōji pattern... Since you are a Great Swordsman, I'll give you a fifty percent discount... five million Berries!
This is my family heirloom, it's definitely worth more than the price!" "No need, just sell it to me at the original price! After all, this is something I'm preparing to give to someone else, please wrap it up for me," Sephiroth said with a light chuckle, shaking his head. "Uh!? Alright!" Hearing this, a look of surprise couldn't help but appear on the shop Boss's face.
He had rarely prepared for a tearful clearance sale, offering a conscientious price, but he didn't expect the other person to not appreciate it at all. Soon, the shop Boss put Yukianesa into a black long box and handed it to him. After the two walked out of the weapon shop, Tashigi finally couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked:
"Sephiroth, who are you planning to give this Sword to?"
"Besides giving it to you, who else do you think I could give it to?" "Ah! This... No! Absolutely not! This Sword is too valuable!" Hearing this, Tashigi immediately shook her head and waved her hands, refusing. Silly girl!
The Super Soldier Serum I tricked you into injecting back then was truly expensive, worth billions, while this famous Sword Yukianesa isn't worth mentioning at all!...Sephiroth first mused to himself, but on his lips, he said affectionately:
"Anything given to you, no matter how valuable, is worth it..." "But... but..."
Tashigi looked at the famous Sword Yukianesa that Sephiroth was holding out to her, and a conflicted expression couldn't help but appear on her pretty face. If she had known earlier that Sephiroth bought this Yukianesa to give to her, she should have stopped him in time... Now, Sephiroth had already handed the Sword to her.
As a fervent collector of famous Swords, Tashigi saying she wasn't tempted was definitely false! Through Observation Haki, Sephiroth could very clearly feel the changes in Tashigi's emotions, knowing that she was in a state of temptation and hesitation, unsure whether to accept Yukianesa.
So, he immediately reached out his right hand, wrapped it around the girl's slender waist, and lowered his head to kiss her lips. "Mmm~!" Tashigi's eyes widened suddenly, and her face showed a mixture of surprise and shyness. Due to excessive shyness, her entire face quickly became incredibly red, all the way to her earlobes.
Sephiroth raised his head again, looked at the girl in his arms, and said softly:
"Please don't refuse my feelings, okay?" "Mm!...Okay... okay!" Tashigi, whose brain had completely shut down and become blank, subconsciously nodded and reached out to take the famous Sword Yukianesa he handed over.
Sephiroth gently stroked Tashigi's blushing face with his hand, and said in a slightly teasing and ambiguous tone:
"You are so cute! I really want to eat you up..." "Is... is that so?" Tashigi first looked at the black long box containing the famous Sword Yukianesa that she held in her hands.
Then, she scanned the street briefly before gently tugging at his sleeve and pointing in a certain direction. Immediately, Tashigi lowered her head due to excessive shyness, as if wanting to bury her head in her chest. Sephiroth turned his head to look in the direction the girl had just pointed, and saw the love hotel not far away. Everything was left unsaid.
Sephiroth smiled, reached out his right hand, gently held Tashigi's fair left hand, and walked towards the love hotel she had just pointed to... After the two checked into a deluxe suite at the hotel front desk, they walked hand-in-hand to the room door on the second floor, opened the door with the key, and walked in. However...
When Tashigi saw the various embarrassing decorations in the room, as well as the pink heart-shaped large bed, she couldn't help but feel shy and wanted to retreat:
"Um... I suddenly remembered that I have something I need to do..." "No hurry! Let's take care of the important matter at hand first!" Sephiroth chuckled lightly, picked up the girl, and placed her on the soft heart-shaped large bed.
Knowing that she couldn't avoid it now, Tashigi could only shyly close her eyes and let Sephiroth do as he pleased. She passively cooperated throughout the entire process... Two hours later. Sephiroth lay on the bed, looking at Tashigi's sleeping face in his arms. He couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Tashigi, who had taken off her glasses, had a face almost identical to Kuina...
This gave him an inexplicable sense of guilt. A large part of the reason why he fell for Tashigi was mainly because she had a face identical to Kuina. Out of his strong possessiveness, he didn't want Tashigi to fall into the arms of other men in the future. However, now that Tashigi had become his woman, it was even more impossible for him to let go!
I truly am a hopeless Scumbag!...Sephiroth mocked himself in his heart. Suddenly, he thought of a question: if Tashigi were to meet Kuina in the future, would she break up with him because of this...?! Although Sephiroth had only been with Tashigi for a few months, he also knew very well how stubborn and strong-willed this woman was.
She would never allow herself to be a substitute for someone else. What to do? Is this the rhythm of another Shura battlefield starting? Sephiroth couldn't help but feel a slight headache from this, and he muttered to himself for a while. Why are the women in the Marine he's involved with one more difficult to handle than the last...!? Forget it!
Since I'm a Scumbag, I might as well just go all the way! Given Tashigi's affection for me, as long as I turn her into a vampire with the embrace, she will basically be completely obedient to me in the future, and there will be no such thing as a Shura battlefield.
Thinking of this, Sephiroth immediately reached into the pocket of his suit jacket on the nightstand, took out a red pill, threw it into his mouth, and activated his vampire awakening state. The next moment. Due to excessive fatigue, Tashigi, who was still in her sleep, felt a slight pain in her neck.
Then, she entered a deeper, more beautiful dream, completely unaware that Sephiroth was performing the embrace on her, turning her into a vampire. ...... The sun was setting, and sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains. "Mmm~! That sleep was so comfortable!" Tashigi left Sephiroth's embrace, sat up on the bed, and stretched her waist.
She felt as if her body had undergone some kind of change, making her physical state better than ever before, filled with an indescribable powerful strength throughout her entire body! So much so that Tashigi inexplicably felt as if she could easily defeat ten or twenty former versions of herself... "Huh!? Why do I have this ring on my hand...?"
Looking at the silver ring that suddenly appeared on her left ring finger, a look of surprise couldn't help but flash across Tashigi's face. Noticing the movement beside him, Sephiroth immediately opened his eyes and said in a slightly weak tone:
"Do you like it? I gave it to you..."
While drawing small circles on his chest with her right index finger, Tashigi said in a slightly teasing tone:
"I like it! But you bad guy, why do you look so tired? Hehehe-! Could it be that you overworked yourself earlier... serves you right! Who told you to torment me like that before."
I gave you fifteen percent of my origin blood, how could I not feel weak?...Sephiroth complained weakly in his heart. Since he had turned Tashigi into a vampire without her consent beforehand. Out of guilt, Sephiroth subconsciously gave her a little more of his power, which led to his current weakened state.
With fifteen percent of Sephiroth's origin blood and a vampire's supernatural regeneration, combined with Tashigi's existing combat skills, her full integration of these powers would likely elevate her to Great Swordsman level. Sephiroth carefully composed his thoughts before speaking.
"I owe you an apology." His voice carried genuine remorse. "My selfishness made me share my power without your consent. Now you've become..." He hesitated before finishing, "...a vampire."
Tashigi blinked. "Vampire?" Her fingers instinctively rose to touch her slightly elongated canines. The strange sensations she'd been feeling suddenly made sense.
"You'll develop sunlight sensitivity and require blood for sustenance," Sephiroth explained. "The gold-inlaid ring on your left hand will protect you from solar damage." He reached for her hand, turning the jewelry to catch the light. "But the transformation brings advantages too."
"Unlike ordinary vampires created by my Devil Fruit ability, you won't fear seawater. You'll retain your swimming capability while gaining accelerated healing." His thumb brushed across her knuckles. "Most importantly, you've inherited a portion of my strength. Master it completely, and you'll rival any Great Swordsman."
Tashigi tilted her head, considering. "I should be furious with you," she mused, then broke into a radiant smile. "Yet somehow I'm not." She threw her arms around his neck with a delighted laugh. "Blood-drinking aside, this seems rather convenient!"
Her joyful acceptance stemmed from more than logical calculation. The vampire transformation had awakened an instinctive devotion—part supernatural bond, part amplification of her existing affection. She nuzzled against Sephiroth's shoulder, utterly content.
This reaction gave Sephiroth pause. He'd long debated the ethics of transforming his lovers, fearing the loss of their free will. But as Tashigi pressed closer without a trace of resentment, his reservations began crumbling. What man could resist such perfect devotion? The thought sent a dangerous thrill through him.