One Piece: The Archangel's Guide

Chapter 33: Speechless

The swirling snowflakes returned to the earth as two girls, one tall and one short, each possessing a distinctly different kind of beauty, slowly walked out. They approached the crowd with steps that were either light or steady.

Under everyone's gaze, the two walked across the frost-covered ground, passed the crowd, and headed straight for the altar.

The old shrine maiden saw them walking so casually towards the altar and subconsciously reached out to stop them. "Don't go! The power of the Seven Star Sword will—"

However, in the next moment, she froze in shock, her pupils trembling violently.

Looking up, a shadowy figure had appeared on the altar at some unknown point. The Seven Star Sword, which the shrine maiden saw as a calamity, was now being held in his hand, closely examined.

Uta turned her head, her hands gripping the shoulder straps of her backpack, and gave the old shrine maiden a confident and bright smile.

"The Seven Star Sword?"

"We're very strong, you know!"

"A mere cursed sword is nothing compared to Louis!"

It was just a terrifying cursed sword that got a boost under the blood moon. To this, Uta declared that a mere cursed sword was nothing special.

On the altar, Louis held up the Seven Star Sword. He combined his vision with his Observation Haki to meticulously examine the gloomy green light on the sword's body. Most of the world's famous swords were forged in the common katana style, but the Seven Star Sword in his hand was different. It was a double-edged sword. The hilt was about the length of three or four of a normal person's fists. The blades on both sides were a pale blue, while the central part was jet black, inscribed with mysterious patterns, and emitted an ominous, gloomy green light.

At Louis's feet, the young man who had been controlled by the Seven Star Sword was lying on the ground, unconscious. The time he was corroded by the sword was short, so there wouldn't be any immediate problems. However, that might not be the case when the villagers here came to their senses. Having killed so many people, the families of the victims wouldn't care whether he was being controlled or not.

Lacking strength yet unable to restrain his own curiosity, leading to tragedy—this person was not worthy of sympathy. Compared to the unlucky youth at his feet, Louis was more interested in the Seven Star Sword in his hand.

The first impression the Seven Star Sword gave Louis was that it was demonic and ominous. A power, different from Haki or Devil Fruits, was trying to enter his body. At the same time, whispers that only Louis could hear sounded continuously, persuading him to open his mind, promising to grant him great power.

To this, Louis remained unmoved. Instead, he raised the Seven Star Sword and swung it at a nearby stone wall of the ruins.

CLANG...

The blade entered the stone wall with ease. Following Louis's movement, it slowly left a perfectly smooth cut on the wall.

Seeing this, a trace of surprise flashed in Louis's eyes. He had used very little force, basically equivalent to the casual strength of an ordinary ten-year-old child. Even so, the Seven Star Sword cut through the stone wall like a hot knife through butter. This meant that even an ordinary ten-year-old child holding it could achieve such a feat. Of course, whether they could withstand the sword's corrosion was another matter entirely.

After some thought, Louis made up his mind. He would take the Seven Star Sword and use it as a secondary weapon. He then raised it in front of him again, checking to see if the recent cut had left any scratches on the blades.

Just as Louis was once again observing the sharp blade, the annoying whispers sounded again.

"Let go..."

"Give you... more power..."

"..."

"Tsk..." Louis frowned, a hint of impatience in his eyes.

The next second, Louis expressionlessly reached out his other hand and grasped the blade of the Seven Star Sword. Then, with force from both hands, he bent the Seven Star Sword into a visible arc.

The top-tier famous swords of this world wouldn't bend a single millimeter even if a dinosaur stepped on them. But now, the Seven Star Sword was being bent into a clear arc in Louis's hands, visible to the naked eye.

At this sight, the old shrine maiden froze on the spot. Yelena and Uta also looked as if they had seen a ghost. Although they didn't know the origin of this sword, the fact that it had its own consciousness and could control many villagers was enough to prove its extraordinariness. Most importantly, they never expected Louis would want to destroy this sword.

On the altar, the whispers that had been annoying Louis disappeared.

But Louis paid it no mind. The strength in his hands gradually increased, making the arc of the Seven Star Sword larger and larger. Soon, the arc of the sword reached an extremely dangerous degree. If it went any further, there was a risk of it breaking at any moment.

Just then, the gloomy green light on the blade vanished. This was an extremely rare situation. The blood moon in the sky had not yet receded, but the Seven Star Sword had already stabilized. In the past, this was almost impossible. But now, the Seven Star Sword itself seemed to have fallen into a dead silence, its demonic and ominous nature reduced to a minimum. It no longer looked special in any way.

Seeing this, Louis released the blade, allowing it to straighten. Then, he kicked up the scabbard with his foot and sheathed the blade. If the Seven Star Sword hadn't just submitted, Louis really would have broken it. What he needed was a tool for cutting people, not a chattering chatterbox.

The blood moon of Asuka Island still hung high in the sky, but the Seven Star Sword that had controlled the villagers was now stable. The villagers who had been affected by the sword gradually returned to normal. The unlucky youth at Louis's feet, his eyelids trembled.

Below the altar, Yelena saw this and used her ability to undo the ice, freeing the villagers she had trapped. Then, Uta scampered up the altar and came to Louis's side, looking curiously at the Seven Star Sword in his hand.

"This sword actually gets stronger under a blood moon, how magical!"

BONK...

Louis knocked on the head that was leaning in.

"Ouch!" Uta cried out, holding her head.

Louis glanced at Uta, who was now crouching defensively while holding her head. "Don't be too curious..." he said, annoyed.

Just then, Yelena walked up, helped Uta to her feet, and rubbed her head. Then, she looked at the sword in Louis's hands and said thoughtfully, "You're going to take this sword?"

"Yes. It's a very rare cursed sword. It'll be nice to use as a secondary weapon." Louis had also learned to use a sword on the sky island. Although he wouldn't dare call himself a swordsman, using it in conjunction with his spear was no problem.

"As long as you're happy..." Yelena offered no comment on this. She felt that Louis could fight just fine with his bare hands; his indestructible body was the best weapon.

Just then, the white-haired shrine maiden trembled as she approached, looking up at Louis, who was holding the Seven Star Sword. Although the night was dark and the blood moon hung high, under the light of the relit torches, the shrine maiden could still clearly see Louis's appearance.

A body with golden-ratio proportions, a perfect face that no human should possess, and flawless white wings. His eyes were like stars, incredibly gentle, as if giving equal kindness to all things. His whole being radiated a holy and noble aura, inviolable.

In the astonished eyes of the crowd, she fell to her knees with a thud, her old, kind face filled with piety.

"Lord God, have you come to reclaim this cursed sword that has brought endless calamity to Asuka Island?"

As she spoke, two lines of tears streamed down the old shrine maiden's wrinkled face, her gaze toward Louis filled with hope and longing.

"..." Uta and Yelena were silent.

As for Louis, he replied flatly.

"I am not a god..."