East Blue, Loguetown. Navy Base, Commander's Office.
A blue-haired woman in Marine uniform swept the floor, her white apron fluttering with each stroke of the broom. Glasses perched on her nose as she worked, she muttered under her breath, "The Germa Kingdom crushed the Nordis Kingdom... demanded land concessions..."
Across the room, Smoker lounged in a single-seat sofa, two cigars clamped between his teeth. He scowled at the newspaper in his hands. "Pirate Super Rookie Yamato—120 million bounty—just accepted the Marines' offer to become a Shichibukai." He exhaled smoke through gritted teeth. "When will this farce of Marines working with pirates finally end?"
"Not until the World Government finds a replacement for the Shichibukai system," came a dry voice from the doorway. "Or until the royal families vote to abolish it at the next World Conference."
Smoker glanced up as Sephiroth strolled in, black suit immaculate.
"Rare sight," Smoker drawled, eyebrows lifting. "What brings you here?"
Sephiroth dropped onto the long sofa and tossed two cigars across the table. "Bored. Thought I'd visit an old friend. Believe that?"
Smoker caught them midair, eyeing the elegant packaging. "Ilusia Kingdom's royal reserve. You've got expensive tastes."
He stubbed out his half-smoked cigars and lit the new ones, inhaling deeply. The rich flavor made him sigh. "Damn. These put my usual stock to shame."
"Keep them." Sephiroth unsheathed the butcher knife at his waist, slicing open a small rift in the air. He pulled out two ornate boxes and set them on the table with a thud.
A pair of wide eyes stared at him from across the room.
Sephiroth turned to the blue-haired woman still clutching her broom. "Do I have something on my face? You've been staring since I walked in."
She jumped, nearly dropping her glasses. "N-no! Master Sephiroth, I was just—" She swallowed. "Your swords. They're famous blades, aren't they?"
"Sharp eye." He tilted his head. "Your name?"
"Private Tashigi, sir!"
"You collect swords?"
Her face lit up. "I study them! And—well, I'd like to collect them someday."
"Unusual hobby."
Smoker snorted. "Kid's got strange tastes. What can you do?"
Tashigi's cheeks puffed out. "It's not strange, Colonel! It's a perfectly respectable interest!"
"Office is clean. Get lost." Smoker waved her off.
Grumbling, she grabbed her broom and dustpan, shooting one last glance at Sephiroth's blades before shutting the door behind her.
Sephiroth smirked. "If you ever quit the Marines, consider working for me. Generous pay, benefits, vacation..."
Smoker exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Sure. The day I'm done with the World Government, I'll take you up on that."
However, if he truly didn't want to stay in the Marines, he would've resigned years ago. Sephiroth knew the offer was just talk.
After a while, he stood to leave. The base training yard stretched before him, sunlight glinting off steel—until a figure with a saber broke into a sprint toward him.
"Um, Master Sephiroth, I have a presumptuous request, I wonder if you could grant it..." Tashigi hesitated. "What request?" "I would like to admire your two famous swords, especially the Supreme Grade Swords that have been forged into a Black Blade... the butcher knife! Please!" Saying that, Tashigi bowed deeply to him, her voice filled with pleading. "Well!
It's not impossible, but let's agree beforehand, you can look but not touch... How about that?" "Of course, no problem!" Tashigi said with a joyful expression. Sephiroth looked at Tashigi's face in front of him, which was almost identical to Kuina's except for the glasses. He couldn't help but wonder if the girl was Genzo's illegitimate daughter who had been left outside... Say no more!
Just based on this face, I must win her over! At that time, Kuina and Tashigi... Happy.JPG
Immediately, the two left the training ground and found a relatively secluded and quiet corner within the Navy Base, sitting down on a long bench. Sephiroth drew the butcher knife from his waist and held it upright in front of Tashigi.
The girl examined the jet-black blade and the eerie blood-colored patterns on it. She couldn't help but sincerely praise:
"What a beautiful blade... It truly lives up to its name as a Supreme Grade Swords!" "It seems you really like famous swords!" Sephiroth said with a smile. "Of course! After all, every famous sword is very special and has its own unique personality..."
Tashigi looked at the butcher knife in front of her and subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch the blade. However, she remembered the agreement she had just made with Sephiroth and ultimately forced herself to stop.
Looking at the butcher knife in front of her, Tashigi suddenly picked up the Saber next to her and said with a strange sigh:
"I don't know why, but most of the famous Sword Masters in this era are either Pirates or Pirate Hunters, and famous swords are basically in the hands of those people... This is truly regrettable, it feels like even the swords would cry because of it!
My dream is to be a swordsman, and using this Shigure sword, take back all the famous swords that have fallen into the hands of villains!" Hearing this, Sephiroth couldn't help but smile, and said with a slightly teasing tone:
"You really have a dream with considerable ambition! You should know that the owners of every famous sword are not weak.
Whitebeard Newgate's Murakumogiri, Red Hair Shanks' griffin, Hawkeye Mihawk's Yoru..." Hearing his teasing, Tashigi immediately blushed deeply, and she stammered:
"Ah! This... this... um... I know my dream is actually a bit unrealistic! But, I will still try my best..." "Young lady! Actually, ever since I first saw you, I felt that you and I are quite fated...
How about learning swordsmanship from me? This should help you get closer to your dream!" Hearing this, Tashigi was immediately overjoyed. She grabbed Sephiroth's left hand and said with an excited and happy tone:
"Re... Really? Master Sephiroth, you're really willing to teach me swordsmanship!?"
As the owner of a Black Blade, and the former greatest Great Swordsman of the Marines, Sephiroth suddenly saying he would teach her swordsmanship... For Tashigi, this was simply incredibly good news! She couldn't find any reason to refuse! "Of course! After all, I really admire you..." Sephiroth replied with a smile.