The Kingdom of Canifor was a famous stronghold in the New World.
Teach had returned here once again.
This kingdom was where he had suffered his first crushing defeat. The memory remained vivid even now. Whenever he thought about it, the scar across his chest still seemed to ache faintly.
It was a pain engraved into his memory.
A pain Marshall D. Teach would never forget.
In a quiet courtyard within the royal capital of Canifor, an old man was tilling the soil in the backyard with a hoe.
Suddenly, he stopped.
As if sensing something, he slowly raised his head and looked toward the distance.
He placed the hoe aside and straightened his back, resting both hands on his staff. His aura was completely restrained, making him appear like nothing more than an ordinary elderly man.
But he was far from ordinary.
He was tall and strong, even in old age.
Feeling the approaching aura, and recalling what had happened when that person left years ago, the old man could not help but smile faintly.
He turned his head.
Not far away, two young men were sparring.
Each held an enormous greatsword. Just looking at them, one would assume the blades were impossibly heavy.
Yet in the hands of the two young swordsmen, the weapons moved with remarkable speed.
Sword light flashed continuously.
Clang. Clang.
The sound of steel colliding echoed through the courtyard again and again. Despite wielding massive blades, the two handled them as if they were nothing more than wooden practice swords.
"Stop for a moment," the old man said.
The two young swordsmen paused immediately.
Although puzzled, they obeyed without hesitation, thinking they might have made a mistake during their sparring session.
"We have guests outside," the old man said with a gentle smile. "Go greet them."
The man was Genryusai Shigekuni.
"Huh?"
The two young swordsmen were surprised.
Visitors?
That had not happened in years.
The last time they remembered outsiders coming here was five years ago.
Back then, several people had arrived together. Today, those same individuals had become important figures in the New World.
Their leader was now one of the strongest pirates on the sea.
Two of those visitors had even clashed with them slightly at the time. Now both had become famous pirates with bounties worth hundreds of millions of Berries.
Of course, the two young swordsmen had not remained idle either.
Although they had not ventured out to sea yet, the New World was too dangerous for them at that time. Their strength had not been enough to make any waves.
Still, during these years they had grown tremendously.
Within the Kingdom of Canifor, they were already renowned as outstanding young swordsmen.
They constantly challenged other swordsmen across the kingdom.
Canifor was naturally a paradise for sword training.
Under the guidance of a great swordsman and with a solid foundation, their years of experience had pushed them to the very top among swordsmen of their generation.
The two walked to the large gate and opened it.
The moment they saw the figure standing outside, their pupils shrank.
They froze.
Standing there was Marshall D. Teach.
They had followed the news of Teach and the Nightfall Pirates closely over the years. They had watched the footage broadcast across the seas and understood the terrifying strength of the crew.
But seeing him in person again still shocked them.
Back then, he had only been an ambitious pirate.
Now he was known across the world as the Dark Emperor.
Teach also studied the two young men with interest.
Compared to five years ago, their growth was astonishing.
They were probably seventeen or eighteen years old now, but their strength had changed dramatically.
They had already reached the realm of Sword Master.
Teach could sense the sharp sword intent hidden within them, as well as the scorching and violent energy radiating from their blades.
Just as expected.
Each had chosen a different path.
One walked the path of lightning.
The other walked the path of flame.
Yet for Teach, the Sword Master realm was still immature.
If they truly wished to become powerhouses on the sea, they would need real tempering.
They would need to fight on the open seas.
Battle strong opponents.
Experience life-and-death combat.
Only then could they fully understand their own sword paths and eventually break through to become Great Swordsmen.
Teach recalled their names.
One was Linden.
The other was Jedi.
Linden inherited the lightning-style swordsmanship.
Jedi followed the flame-style path.
But both knew that their current sword styles were only a foundation.
Their future growth depended entirely on their own understanding.
Genryusai Shigekuni had deliberately avoided teaching them too much.
Even if deeper teachings could increase their strength quickly, they could also become shackles that limited their future growth.
It followed the old swordsman's philosophy.
Those who learn from me live.
Those who imitate me die.
A true swordsman had to walk his own path.
Still, for their age, Teach was quite satisfied with their strength.
As he watched them, he suddenly thought about two weapons resting inside his dark space.
Two famous blades.
Purgatory and Thunderfang.
Both were among the 21 Great Grade Swords (O Wazamono).
After being reforged by Feitcher, the greatest swordsmith of Wano Country, using extremely rare materials, their quality had improved even further.
Teach rarely used them now.
Most of the time they simply gathered dust inside his storage space.
But he had not forgotten the agreement he once made.
These swords were meant to be given away.
Each of them could sell for several hundred million Berries at auction.
Perhaps even more.
However, famous swords had their own limitations.
Only swordsmen desired them.
And most swordsmen simply could not afford such prices.
Whenever a famous blade appeared, it often triggered violent battles among swordsmen seeking to claim it.
Such things were common on the sea.
"Don't just stand there," Genryusai Shigekuni's voice sounded again. "Invite the guest inside."
Linden and Jedi snapped back to their senses.
Turning around, they saw their master already standing in the courtyard.
Neither of them had even noticed when he appeared.
They quickly stepped aside and opened the gate fully.
"Please come in."
Their tone was respectful, though slightly stiff.
After all, the man before them was no longer an unknown pirate.
His status, strength, and influence had all changed dramatically.
They did not even know what to say.
Teach had likely come here to see their master.
And deep down, both of them felt a little nervous.
After all, their teacher had nearly killed Teach with a single strike years ago.
Was he here for revenge?
The thought flashed through their minds, though they felt no killing intent from him.
Still, caution was natural.
Teach stepped into the courtyard and looked at the old man.
A hint of emotion flashed across his eyes.
Only now could he truly perceive Genryusai Shigekuni's strength.
Without a doubt, he was one of the greatest powerhouses on the sea.
Even with Teach's current strength, he still had no confidence in defeating him.
However, unlike before when the old man's depth felt unfathomable, Teach could now see the limits of his power.
Compared to legends like Edward Newgate or Shiki, Genryusai Shigekuni might be slightly weaker.
But he was still firmly within the realm of Emperor-level powerhouses.
He was comparable to the newly crowned Sea Emperors such as Kaido and Charlotte Linlin.
Perhaps he even held certain advantages.
Teach could clearly sense the terrifying vitality hidden within the old man's thin frame.
Even relying purely on physical strength, Genryusai Shigekuni could stand among the strongest fighters on the sea.
In that regard, Teach could not compare yet.
However, while Kaido and Big Mom had already reached their peak, they still had room for growth.
Genryusai Shigekuni had already reached his limit.
As he continued to age, his body would eventually decline.
Yet more than five years had passed since their last meeting.
Surprisingly, he had grown even stronger.
His body might have reached its limit, but his sword path had improved.
For Genryusai Shigekuni, the sword only grew sharper with age.
Unlike Whitebeard, he carried no serious old injuries.
Even if aging eventually weakened him, the process would be extremely slow.
Teach could also sense that the old man had extraordinary control over his body.
It was very likely he had mastered Life Return or a similar technique.
If that was true, he could remain in peak condition for decades.
Through Stephanie, Teach knew that some members of CP0 possessed such abilities.
According to their records, a few individuals could maintain their physical peak even past one hundred years of age.
Such cases were extremely rare.
But they did exist.
One famous example was Stussy, the "Queen of the Pleasure District," and one of the hidden rulers of the New World's underworld.
She possessed exceptional talent in Life Return and could even slow the aging of her body.
As her younger sister, Stephanie had inherited similar talent.
Without that knowledge, Teach would never have guessed she was already forty-four years old.
As for Stussy herself, her true age remained mysterious.
But those close to her knew the truth.
She was even older than Charlotte Linlin.
Fifty-four years old.
Teach's figure suddenly vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared directly in front of Genryusai Shigekuni and threw a powerful punch toward the old man's chest.
Genryusai Shigekuni simply smiled.
Just before the fist connected, he calmly raised one hand and caught Teach's punch.
Their arms trembled slightly.
The clash of power was far greater than what appeared on the surface.
Both men controlled their strength perfectly.
Otherwise, a single blow could have destroyed the entire courtyard.
They stared at each other with faint smiles.
The silent struggle lasted several seconds.
This was only a test.
Teach wanted to personally measure the old man's strength.
Observation Haki alone could not provide an accurate answer.
From this exchange, Teach realized something immediately.
Genryusai Shigekuni's physical strength far surpassed his own.
His training was still insufficient.
Of course, the old man was also testing him.
He was equally curious about Teach's current power.
Soon, both withdrew their strength and stepped back.
The two young swordsmen, Linden and Jedi, had not dared move at all.
With their strength, they could not intervene in a clash between such monsters.
They might not even survive the aftermath.
Seeing that neither man intended to truly fight, they finally let out quiet sighs of relief.
"I never expected you to grow this much in just a few years," Genryusai Shigekuni said.
His tone carried genuine surprise.
In all his years, he had never seen a monster like Teach.
Of course, he could also tell that a large part of Teach's power came from his Devil Fruit.
That was perfectly normal.
If someone possessed this level of strength without a Devil Fruit, it would be terrifying beyond reason.
It would likely come at the cost of burning away their lifespan and potential.
Even Teach could not achieve such a thing.
"You didn't come all this way just to see me, did you?" the old man asked.
Teach was now the captain of a Yonko-level pirate crew.
He had territories to manage and a war underway.
Surely he was not that idle.
In truth, Teach actually was quite idle.
Most matters had already been arranged.
"Yes," Teach said.
"I came to give you these two swords."
With a wave of his hand, darkness opened behind him.
Two blades emerged.
They landed neatly in his hands.
Teach handed them over.
"Their quality has improved. They were reforged by the best swordsmith in Wano Country."
"Really?"
Even though there had been an agreement before, a good sword was like a partner to a swordsman.
Genryusai Shigekuni naturally wanted to confirm.
"Yes. I don't need them anymore."
Teach spoke calmly.
He had already decided long ago.
These swords were like chicken ribs to him.
Too valuable to throw away.
Too unnecessary to keep.
Meanwhile, the old man's disciples had already reached the level of Sword Masters.
They deserved proper weapons.
Better for these blades to shine in new hands rather than gather dust.
"They have a new mission," Teach added.
Compared to these swords, the swordsmanship notes Genryusai Shigekuni once gave him were far more valuable.
Meeting this reclusive powerhouse and witnessing the growth of his disciples was already worthwhile.
"In that case, I'll accept them."
The old man nodded.
He glanced at Linden and Jedi.
Both of them stared at the swords with shining eyes.
They clearly remembered these famous blades.
They never imagined Teach would gift them to their master.
"Well then, I won't stay long."
Teach turned to leave.
Then he paused.
"The seas are dangerous right now."
"If your disciples want to travel, I can recommend a place."
"Wano Country."
"The current shogun, Kozuki Oden, has partially opened the borders."
"There are still restrictions, but swordsmen are treated quite well there."
"More importantly, Wano has countless powerful swordsmen."
"Even the number of Sword Masters and Great Swordsmen there exceeds the total number across the entire sea."
"It's the best place for swordsmen to train."
"And it's safer than most parts of the New World right now."
"I understand," Genryusai Shigekuni replied calmly.
In truth, he had long wanted to visit Wano Country again.
It had been many years.
He had also heard of Kozuki Oden, the legendary samurai who once sailed with both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates.
A powerful dual-sword Great Swordsman.
Linden and Jedi also heard every word.
Their eyes lit up immediately.
They had long dreamed of going to Wano.
Ever since its borders partially opened, many Wano samurai had begun traveling the seas.
Some had even visited Canifor.
Teach gave a final nod.
Then he turned and left.