Chapter 152: The Sword in the Comedy Manga
"No witnesses, a perfect locked-room murder! Time to commit suicide."
Sig glanced at the sword in his hand.
In his imagination, this should be a prop sword used for pranks or performances. The blade would retract upon touching the skin, and a hidden blood pouch would burst, creating the illusion of injury.
After some thought, Sig picked up the Self-Harming Sword and tentatively made a small cut on his arm.
What happened next surprised him.
The short sword in his hand met almost no resistance, slicing through his skin and leaving a deep wound. Blood began to gush out.
Sig was startled and quickly put the sword away, staring intently at the wound on his arm.
Did I mess up? Am I really injured? But why does it barely hurt?
Sig stared blankly at the blood-stained Self-Harming Sword in his hand, completely baffled.
"What the hell is this?"
He frowned, standing still as he pondered.
The system's description stated that this sword could only inflict minor damage on the user but could disguise it as severe injuries...
Did that mean the wound looked serious but was actually as minor as a scratch?
As he thought, Sig instinctively reached out to touch the wound on his arm... and then he was shocked.
Looking down, Sig saw that there was no wound on his arm at all.
In the short time he had been thinking, the wound on his arm had completely disappeared!
"Did the wound heal itself while I wasn't paying attention?"
If it weren't for the blood-stained Self-Harming Sword still in his hand, Sig might have thought he was hallucinating.
Frowning, Sig suddenly felt a strong sense of déjà vu...
"Isn't this like those gag manga knives that only hurt the user?"
"It looks like a serious injury, but as soon as you turn the page, it's as if nothing happened..."
Sig stared at the blood-stained short sword in his hand, deep in thought.
He raised the blood-stained short sword again, lifted his shirt, and slowly stabbed it into his abdomen.
This time, the short sword still met no resistance, piercing into Sig's abdomen and leaving a wound. Blood began to seep out.
Sig could feel a slight, strange sensation, as if something cold and hard had pierced his body... and then... gone all the way through?
Sig reached behind his back and felt the tip of the sword protruding slightly.
But strangely, the entire process was accompanied by only the faintest hint of pain.
Pulling the sword out of his stomach, Sig saw a rather shocking wound left on his abdomen, with blood still flowing out.
Then, Sig felt a sweet taste in his throat.
With a pfft, he spat out a small mouthful of blood.
But bizarrely, his body still felt no discomfort whatsoever.
"This Self-Harming Sword is the perfect prop for movies or TV shows. No need for blood pouches or special effects..."
Sig's mind raced with countless thoughts.
The simple and justice-seeking Sig thought of a certain way to use this.
At the same time, he began wiping the blood from his arm and abdomen.
The amount of blood was indeed a bit alarming, making it look like a crime scene. If he didn't clean it up, Crocus might think Sig's "relative" had finally arrived...
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
The wooden door was pushed open, and Crocus walked in with a smile.
"Sig, I've talked to Laboon—"
His smile immediately vanished, and his eyes widened slightly.
"What happened?"
In front of him, Sig stood alone, his hands stained with blood, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and a shocking pool of blood on the ground.
Upon closer inspection, Sig's complexion seemed a bit pale.
When Sig heard the footsteps, he had already transformed the Self-Harming Sword back into a card, but the blood on his body hadn't disappeared.
"Nothing happened."
Sig calmly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Although it barely hurt and his body showed no signs of discomfort, the blood on the Self-Harming Sword was indeed a real substance and wouldn't vanish.
Crocus gave Sig a complicated look.
Sig's body was covered in patches of blood, but there didn't seem to be any visible wounds.
"Did all this blood come from Sig just now?"
Crocus frowned. Even as an experienced doctor, the amount of blood was somewhat shocking.
"Is he sick?"
"Or is he injured?"
"Is this why he wanted to recruit an old retiree like me, in my sixties, to join his crew?"
Crocus fell silent for a moment, not saying anything, and quickly helped Sig clean up the blood.
......
Meanwhile.
In the middle of the Grand Line, at Sabaody Archipelago.
Inside Shakky's bar.
"Senior Rayleigh, I was really surprised. I actually met a kid in the East Blue who said the same thing as Captain Roger..."
Shanks sat at the bar, a smile in his eyes as he looked at Rayleigh, whom he hadn't seen in years.
"Oh? Could he be the pirate we've been waiting for..."
"The East Blue... Roger's hometown is also in the East Blue."
Rayleigh smiled and took a sip of his drink.
It was rare to meet a fellow crewmate, and he was in a great mood.
"The East Blue is heavily guarded by the Marines and is now the weakest sea, with an average bounty of only three million berries."
"But even in the weakest sea, there are still people like Senior Rayleigh who are incredibly strong but live in obscurity."
Shanks thought of someone he had encountered by chance in Windmill Village and continued with a smile:
"The person I'm talking about, Senior Rayleigh, you should know him. After all, he seems to be an old acquaintance of Captain Roger."
"Oh? An old acquaintance of Roger?"
Rayleigh's interest was immediately piqued.
"Yeah, that senior has been quite active recently. Judging from the recent news, he's really made a big stir and has probably already entered the Grand Line."
Shanks sighed.
Hmm? Which old guy has been causing a ruckus recently?
Rayleigh thought for a while but couldn't come up with anyone who matched Shanks's description.
Was it Shiki the Golden Lion? Scopper Gaban? Or some other crewmate from the Roger Pirates?
None of them seemed to fit.
Otherwise, Shanks wouldn't have said that Rayleigh should know him, but that Rayleigh definitely knew him.
So, could it be one of Roger's early rivals or friends?
Was it Douglas Bullet, the Demon Heir? Or maybe the World Destroyer, Captain John? Did they, like Shiki, manage to escape from Impel Down?
After thinking for a while, Rayleigh was still completely baffled.
Who on earth is this?
SHAKKY
SHIKI
Rayleigh & Scooper Gaban