Late at night.
On the northern high slope of Asakura Island, a cemetery adjacent to the sea.
Xiano effortlessly carried Sakuraba Itsuki's corpse on one shoulder as he stepped through the cemetery gate. Junichi, biting his lip in silence, followed closely behind.
"Where to?"
"This way, boss." Junichi led Xiano to an aged grave.
The tombstone bore the name Sakuraba Itsuki.
They dug open the grave, and as expected, it was empty.
A desolate and lonely night breeze swept through the cemetery, causing the cherry blossoms by the grave to wither and fall onto the shoulders of the frail young man.
Junichi crouched on the ground and suddenly burst into tears.
How he wished it was all just a nightmare—that the monstrous figure who had gone mad beyond recognition was not his father, and that the real Sakuraba Itsuki had long been resting peacefully in this grave.
Xiano watched quietly from the side.
At times like this, no words of comfort were needed. All that was required was to give the other person some time to vent their emotions.
He could understand Junichi's feelings. The person he had always admired and respected the most had suddenly turned into a deranged demon. Such a blow was not something everyone could endure.
Glancing back toward the city, Xiano seemed lost in thought.
Earlier, in the dojo, after defeating the true "Carpenter," those puppets that had not yet fully undergone Puppetization slowly regained consciousness.
Outside, a large number of Marines from the local branch had arrived, along with reporters rushing to capture the scene.
If they didn't leave soon, they would become the center of public attention. Xiano dreaded such trouble, so he took Sakuraba Itsuki's corpse and left the city from the north with Junichi, arriving at this cemetery.
In any case, there were plenty of witnesses and evidence at the scene, so the truth would not be buried.
In the future, the legend of Sakuraba Itsuki on Asakura Island would likely shift from being the great swordsman who founded the swordsmanship tournament to a deranged murderous demon.
Junichi's dream of reviving the Asakura Dojo would probably also...
After an unknown amount of time had passed.
Junichi's emotions finally began to stabilize.
With Xiano's help, he placed the corpse into the grave. Then, from his pocket, he pulled out a few crumpled cherry blossom candies and silently scattered them over the body before covering it with soil again.
After kowtowing forcefully several times and taking a deep look at the tombstone, he followed Xiano out of the cemetery gate.
The Celestial Dragons, Marine Vice Admiral Steelers... The frail young man's fists clenched tightly in silence.
...
After walking for a while.
"Was there any underground secret room or something beneath your family's old dojo or house?" Xiano suddenly asked.
Junichi was taken aback. "Boss, why are you asking this all of a sudden?"
"I just found this in your father's body."
Xiano pulled out a dark yellow wooden box, shaped like a heart.
"This is his heart. I don't know if it was the Puppet Fruit that turned his heart into a cold block of wood, or if it was his already cold heart that slowly turned him into a true puppet."
Who could say for sure?
Junichi's gaze was complicated, unsure how to respond. Then he saw Xiano open the box, revealing an ancient-looking key.
"A key hidden in the heart must lead to something important," Xiano said, patting his shoulder. "Let's go and find out."
...
Half an hour later.
Following Junichi's childhood memories, the two of them discovered a well-hidden underground passage beneath the old Sakuraba Dojo building.
At the end of the path, an unremarkable wooden door stood before them.
Xiano knocked on it with his fist and immediately sensed something. "There's a thick layer of steel behind it. Without a key, probably no one in the entire East Blue could open it."
Without a doubt, this was the most important and secret place for Sakuraba Itsuki.
Using the key to open the door, the two stepped inside. After turning on the light, they instinctively shielded their eyes.
The small room was filled with dazzling gold, silver, and treasures piled high on shelves on all four sides, nearly blinding them.
"Is this... my father's vault?" Junichi looked around in a daze. "The billions of Berries he earned, they're all here?"
"Doesn't seem like it. It doesn't look that much," Xiano estimated roughly and shook his head. His gaze was drawn to something on the table.
It was piled with ledgers, letters, and various maps and documents...
He pulled out a chair and sat down, patiently flipping through them. After a quick review, a clear and well-structured plan for revenge emerged.
"Got to admit, your father's revenge plan actually had a decent chance of success," Xiano said, somewhat surprised.
The maximum number of people the Puppet Fruit could control was far greater than what Sakuraba Itsuki had claimed, and the effective control range was much farther than Xiano had thought.
It even extended to the Kingdom of Rayakot, hundreds of nautical miles away from Asakura Island.
About three years ago, taking advantage of the attraction of the swordsmanship tournament, Sakuraba Itsuki invited some local officials from the Kingdom of Rayakot to visit Asakura Island.
From them, he selected a dozen or so promising individuals and implanted Puppet Strings in them.
Then, through extensive financial operations, he cast a wide net, nurturing these dozen officials into ministers heavily relied upon by the Rayakot royal family.
Two of them were recommended by the royal family and, a month ago, passed the World Government's selection process. They were about to be promoted to the Holy Land Mariejois to work as World Government employees.
Over time, there would always be a chance to encounter those two female Celestial Dragons.
This was why Sakuraba Itsuki felt the time was ripe and prepared to abandon his base on Asakura Island to head to Sabaody Archipelago.
That was the island closest to the Holy Land on the Grand Line, close enough for him to control those two Puppets who had risen to the World Government at any time.
"After years of operations, he probably invested six to seven billion Berries into this, and it finally bore fruit."
Xiano tossed the letters back to their original place. "The remaining funds are around five billion Berries. About one billion is here, and the other four billion are stored in the bank vault in Loguetown. The vault key and identification card are here."
"The latest novel is first published on 69shuba!"
"So, Junichi," Xiano looked up with a smile, "you're now a bona fide billionaire."
"Don't joke, boss."
Junichi shook his head decisively. "His money is dirty. I won't inherit it. That guy has nothing to do with me now! If anything, this money should belong to you, boss!"
"Me?"
Xiano was slightly taken aback.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Junichi said seriously, "That evil spirit that took over my father's body was only defeated because of you. You also found the key. Doesn't it make sense that all this is your spoils of war?"
It did seem to make sense...
Xiano didn't have the same kind of moral fastidiousness as Junichi, but still... was it really true? All this money, now his?
Initially, he had only aimed for the championship of the swordsmanship tournament and the five million Berry prize. But now, with all the heads of the Seven Great Dojos dead, he didn't even know who to claim the reward from.
And now, the five million had multiplied over a hundredfold, turning into six hundred million Berry?
He had become a super-rich man overnight.
"Taking all six hundred million Berry feels a bit uneasy."
Xiano eventually shook his head, recalling the corpses in the Martial Arts School. "Besides, among the things in this room, the cash is easy to carry, but the rest is too bulky. We can't take it all with us."
"Can we leave it here for now and come back for it later?" Junichi was puzzled. "After all, no one else can open this place, right?"
"No, I'll just take the four hundred million from the bank vault. I counted over a million in cash in this secret room, which we can also take. As for the remaining hundred million Berry worth of treasures, let's consider it compensation for the victims."
Xiano picked up a pen and paper and began writing furiously.
"Later, we'll clear out everything related to the revenge plan here, especially anything connected to the Celestial Dragons. As for these treasures..."
He turned to Junichi, "Among the island's upper echelons, is there anyone trustworthy?"
"Yes," Junichi thought carefully. "There's the honorary president of the former Kendo Guild, old man Azi. He's led a clean life, is stubborn, and very strong. He's spent most of his fortune supporting children from poor families and is highly respected. Before my father changed, he treated him as a teacher for decades."
"Besides Mr. Azi, there are a few others, but none as respected as him..."
"Then let old man Azi oversee this. Also, make several copies at the magazine office and inform the most trustworthy people about the vault treasures. Don't give anything to anyone you have the slightest doubt about, ensuring these treasures are distributed as much as possible to the victims' families."
"Alright, done! Let's start clearing out the letters."
After tucking the notice into his pocket, Xiano began cleaning out the secret room filled with secrets with Junichi, ensuring nothing was left behind.
As they cleaned, Xiano suddenly raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on a particular compartment in the cabinet.
This compartment held only an ordinary-looking scabbard, which seemed a bit odd.
Next to it was a photo, seemingly cut from a newspaper, showing a middle-aged man with a beard, draped in a white cloak of justice, smiling at the camera.
"Could this scabbard be..."
Xiano instantly realized something. He glanced back to make sure Junichi wasn't looking, then grabbed the scabbard and initiated the sacrifice.
Sure enough.
In the next moment, the scabbard disappeared without a trace, and the system panel appeared before his eyes.
[Offering: Steelers' Sword Scabbard]
[Quality: Epic]
[Value: 600 Points]
[Appraisal Comment: One of the fifty Skillful Grade Swords, the original
scabbard of "Winter Rain," which was lost at sea five years ago when Sakuraba Itsuki, struggling, fell into the ocean with it. Naval Headquarters Vice Admiral Steelers often feels regret and sorrow over this loss.]