The next morning!
Charlotte took a dozen younger crewmates out to sea aboard a fishing vessel repurposed from the three captured pirate ships. These young men were skilled sailors, and when they heard that Charlotte intended to hunt Sea Kings, they had all volunteered to assist with the journey.
The boat pushed off from the harbor, gliding into the vast, unknown waters. For Charlotte, this was the furthest he had ever ventured from land. As the port slowly disappeared behind them, he steadied his mind, ready for anything.
"Captain, there's a ship ahead!" one sailor shouted.
Unbeknownst to Charlotte, a pirate ship had taken notice of them.
Standing on the deck, Charlotte closed his eyes and expanded his observation haki. Within seconds, the presence of another ship registered on his senses.
"Interesting," he muttered. "Only an hour at sea and we already have company."
BOOM!
A loud explosion echoed from afar. Charlotte opened his eyes to see cannonballs arcing toward their vessel. Fortunately, the enemy gunners were poor shots—the shells landed harmlessly in the water.
Despite that, the crew began to panic.
"Don't panic! I'm still here!" Charlotte's voice rang clear across the deck, bringing a wave of calm to the sailors.
"Just focus on maneuvering the ship," he ordered. "Leave the pirates to me."
As he spoke, a cannonball headed straight for the hull. Charlotte leaped into the air and met the shell mid-flight with a crushing punch.
BOOM!
The cannonball exploded harmlessly in the sky as Charlotte landed back on deck.
"Boss is amazing!" the young sailors roared with admiration.
On the pirate ship, the crew watched in disbelief.
"Captain, that guy just punched a cannonball!"
"Stop trembling! There's only one of him! Bring us closer!" the pirate captain shouted.
As the pirate vessel approached, Charlotte smiled.
"Perfect," he murmured. "I was worried they might just pelt us from a distance."
Charlotte launched into the air, using a technique inspired by the Navy's Geppo. Though not as refined, it allowed him to cover short distances with agility.
He landed squarely on the pirate deck.
"Who are you?!" the pirate captain demanded.
"Aren't you pirates? That makes us enemies."
Without another word, Charlotte charged and delivered a fist to the captain's face, sending him crashing into the deck.
"Kill him!" the captain roared.
But Charlotte was already a storm in motion. He barreled into the crew, fists swinging.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
One by one, the pirates fell, their bodies broken before they could react. Skulls cracked. Ribs shattered. Blood splattered across the deck.
The pirate captain looked on in horror.
"What kind of monster is he?!"
Charlotte landed beside him with blood-soaked fists.
BANG!
One final blow, and the captain's head was reduced to pulp.
"When did I become like this... Not a single one left alive," Charlotte muttered, staring at the carnage.
He waved to the fishing boat.
The young sailors quickly brought the boat alongside. A few of them boarded and were immediately stunned by the massacre.
"Stack the bodies," Charlotte ordered. "We'll use them to lure the Sea Kings."
"Y-yes, sir!"
Charlotte entered the captain's cabin, rummaging for loot. Among scattered coins and documents, a small locked chest caught his eye.
"Could this be... a Devil Fruit?"
Hands trembling, he broke the lock and flung the chest open.
"Eh? What is this?"
Inside was a rolled-up parchment—a map.
"A treasure map? Maybe. Or a naval chart?" Charlotte couldn't tell, but he tucked it away for later.
Further searching uncovered several bounty posters.
"Tch! A bounty of only 100,000? How dare they act so high and mighty."
He did find a stash of cash—70 million Berries.
Just as he was preparing to return to the deck—
"Boss! Help! There are tons of Sea Kings!"
Charlotte's observation haki flared.
"What the hell?!"
His senses were overwhelmed. Sea Kings. Dozens of them. Surrounding the ship.
He rushed to the deck.
"Throw the corpses overboard! Draw them away! We need to escape, now!"
The sailors scrambled, dumping the pirate bodies into the sea.
"They're not taking the bait! They're blocking us in!" the helmsman screamed.
Charlotte drew his sword.
"Looks like I'm cutting our way out!"