"Boom!"
The deck shook violently as a massive figure leapt from the pirate ship onto the merchant vessel. Standing nearly three meters tall, the man had thick eyebrows, sharp teeth, and wild eyes that gleamed with bloodlust.
His chest was bare beneath an open coat, a wide belt around his waist holding three pistols, and in his hands he gripped a massive machete that shone with a cold, merciless light.
The aura he exuded was oppressive—so fierce that many guards instinctively gripped their weapons tighter. Even the captain of the guards frowned deeply, his stance growing heavier as he recognized who this man was.
Balfour, Captain of the Fang Pirates.
His bounty: 8.7 million Berries.
In this era—1496 of the Sea Calendar, that was a terrifying figure. Such a bounty wasn't one given to weaklings who preyed only on commoners; no, this was the kind of pirate who had slaughtered navy units and rival crews alike.
Decades from now, that level of threat would easily translate to 40 million or more.
Balfour hammered the massive machete against the deck with a loud clang, his sharp eyes scanning the defenders with mockery.
"Who's in charge here?!" he roared, his voice thick with arrogance and bloodlust.
"I am!" The captain of the guards stepped forward. Clad in worn armor and clutching a long spear, he stood tall in front of his men. His gaze met Balfour's without flinching.
The actual ship captain, meanwhile, cowered behind the guards. He was merely a merchant, not a fighter—his only skill was firing a pistol and barking orders. In a clash like this, his presence meant nothing.
Balfour smirked cruelly, his sharp teeth flashing. "Hand over your treasures, your women, and your goods… and maybe I'll let the rest of you crawl away alive."
"Don't even think about it," the guard captain shot back, voice firm. He had sailed for years and knew the truth: pirates could never be trusted.
Handing over their riches and their women would not spare them. It would only doom them to a slower death at sea.
On the Grand Line, the weather could turn from calm skies to a violent storm in minutes. They were still two days away from the nearest island. To be robbed here meant certain death, one way or another.
Balfour's eyes narrowed with annoyance. "Hmph. Then I'll change the deal. The women stay… and the men all die."
With that, his bloodlust exploded. He had sized up the defenders already. The captain of the guards was the only true threat—the rest were weaklings and civilians.
The melee erupted again, fiercer than before.
Kaos remained at the cabin entrance, watching. His bloodstained golden nails, which had been scattered across the deck earlier, trembled at the flick of his finger.
Then they shot forth with a sharp crack, reaping more pirate lives in the chaos.
"Ahhh!"
"Captain, it's that sneak attack again!"
A pirate dropped dead mid-scream, a golden nail piercing his temple clean through.
"Sniper!" someone shouted. "Find him! Kill him!"
But the deck was drenched in blood, smoke, and flying splinters. No one could locate Kaos, and the golden nails were too fast—faster than bullets.
Limbs were severed, screams rang out, and corpses littered the planks. Yet at the heart of it all, Balfour clashed with the captain of the guards in a brutal duel.
The pirate captain grinned wickedly, his machete swinging in wide arcs, each strike heavy enough to shatter timber.
The captain dodged narrowly, his spear flashing in quick thrusts. One strike even pierced toward Balfour's chest—but the pirate twisted away, laughing.
Kaos's eyes narrowed. That slash… was that a technique?
The two clashed again, sparks flying as steel met steel. The captain's feet dug deep into the deck, his face red with strain.
Blood dripped from his mouth. Balfour pressed down, veins bulging in his arms, his teeth bared in a savage grin.
"Die!" Balfour roared. With his free hand, he drew a pistol from his belt and fired point-blank.
The captain jerked his head at the last instant, but the bullet grazed his face, tearing away flesh. Hot blood spattered across the planks as he was hurled backward into a pile of supplies. His armor cracked, and he lay bleeding, face pale, struggling to rise.
"Hahaha!" Balfour's laugh echoed across the battlefield. He stalked forward, machete raised, intent on finishing the wounded man.
Kaos exhaled slowly. The guard captain had fought well, but he was already losing. Against Balfour's brute strength and cunning, he would not last another exchange.
It was time to act.
The golden inner armor covering Kaos's body rippled, flowing out from beneath his clothes. With a flick of his hand, it condensed into a massive golden sword that shot forward like a spear of light.
Crack!
Balfour barely reacted in time, crossing his machete before him. The golden blade slammed into him with crushing force, sending him staggering backward, nearly toppling over the rail into the sea.
Kaos clicked his tongue. Tch.
He noticed at the last second.
Dozens of pirates turned their attention toward Kaos now, faces twisted in rage and fear. Pistols were raised, blades were drawn.
Kaos's skin shimmered gold beneath his torn coat as he grabbed the giant golden sword with both hands. The golden nails scattered across the deck lifted into the air, swirling above him.[1]
Every pirate froze, eyes wide.
"Fall," Kaos commanded coldly.
The golden nails rained down like a storm. Screams filled the air as pirates were impaled one after another, bodies collapsing in bloody heaps.
"You bastard!" Balfour's voice roared in fury. His eyes bloodshot, he charged through the carnage, machete swinging.
Kaos vanished with a shave, reappearing at Balfour's flank. His heavy kick crashed into the pirate's ribs.
"Arghhh!"
The hulking captain flew like a cannonball, smashing through the side of a cabin. Wood splintered. Civilians hiding within screamed and scattered.
Kaos stood calmly, expression unreadable. At his command, the golden nails rose once more, fusing into five gleaming swords that hovered above his head.
Around him, pirates writhed or lay dead, while the surviving guards pressed their attack.
From the shattered cabin, a voice bellowed in rage. "You've pissed me off!"
Balfour emerged, dragging his machete, blood dripping from his mouth. His glare locked onto Kaos with burning hatred.
Kaos smirked. The five golden swords leveled at the pirate captain.
"Come, then."
Balfour roared, raising his pistol and firing five shots in quick succession.
Kaos gestured. One golden sword shifted into a shield, deflecting every bullet with metallic clangs, while the other four streaked forward like lightning.
"Arghhh!"
Balfour swung wildly, his machete cleaving aside the golden blades with brute force. Sparks flew as he pushed through, his massive figure lunging toward Kaos.
Steel clashed with gold. The impact cracked the deck, blasting Kaos's coat in the wind.
Kaos's arms held firm, golden blade braced above his head. For a moment, their eyes locked.
Then Kaos smiled faintly.
So this is the strength of an 8.7 million Berry pirate?
He tightened his grip, golden power surging.
I can crush him.
[1] Imagine raizel(noblesse) attacks here