The moment the system chimed, Luffy's smile grew even wider.
He turned his gaze to the pirates still aboard the enemy ship, eyeing them like they were a buffet of delicious prey.
Terrified, the pirates took a synchronized step back under his gaze.
"Quick! Get rid of the boarding plank!" one quick-witted pirate shouted.
The ones closest to the connecting plank moved like they'd been handed a lifeline. In a frantic scramble, they unlocked the mechanisms and shoved the plank into the sea.
"Hooray!"
The pirates on deck cheered loudly as the plank splashed into the water.
Luffy simply looked at them like they were a bunch of fools.
He walked to the ship's edge, placed a foot on the railing, and with a light push, launched himself nearly ten meters, landing smoothly behind the celebrating pirates.
"Excuse me... what's everyone so happy about?"
Luffy asked sweetly, smiling like an innocent child. He looked like an adorable little boy, if you ignored the bloodstained red clothes and the still-dripping blood from his right hand.
The entire ship fell into stunned silence.
Some pirates trembled in fear, others collapsed to their knees. A few even leapt into the sea out of sheer panic.
Several brutish-looking pirates were shoved to the front, weapons in hand, clearly being offered as sacrificial lambs.
As Luffy calmly stepped toward them, many pirates were visibly reaching their mental breaking point.
"Help! He's not human, he's a demon!"
"Damn it!"
"If this keeps up, we'll all die!"
"Kill him! It's the only way we survive!"
The more ruthless pirates tried rallying the others. Their desperate cries slightly raised morale, and several pirates gritted their teeth and gripped their weapons tighter.
"Now this is more like it," Luffy grinned.
If they'd all surrendered, he might've spared them. After all, Luffy didn't kill for XP alone.
But since they chose to fight back, well, that gave him the perfect excuse to wipe them all out.
He glanced at his EXP bar.
If I kill all these guys, I'll definitely hit level 13...
That thought made his grin even stranger.
One pirate, unable to stand the pressure, yelled,
"He's just a kid! Kill him!"
With a thunderous roar, over thirty pirates rushed out of the crowd and surrounded Luffy.
"Don't hesitate, attack together!" A pirate who seemed like an officer barked orders.
Swords, spears, axes, and guns were all pointed at Luffy.
Luffy didn't move.
Instead, he looked puzzled.
That's it? Only this many? Doesn't seem enough for a level-up...
Oh well, I'll deal with them first.
BANG!
A bullet whizzed toward him, but Luffy casually tilted his head and dodged.
He reached out and snatched a sword mid-swing, then flung it backward.
He wasn't trained in swordsmanship, but sheer strength made up for it. Anyone he struck was either torn apart or cut clean in half.
In the blink of an eye, nearly ten pirates were dead.
Thud!
A blade slashed him from behind, only to clang against his body like hitting steel. It didn't even scratch him.
Luffy checked his HP.
Down by just 20-something points.
Nothing serious, he thought.
Zoro still hadn't woken up, but Luffy could tell his attributes were growing stronger by the day, boosting his own stats in the process.
He turned and punched the pirate who'd dared strike him.
The man flew through the air and knocked down three others in his path.
In a matter of seconds, more than half of the attackers were dead.
The rest had completely lost the will to fight.
But… people have to take responsibility for their choices.
If you pick up a weapon, you better be ready to die by one.
Luffy snapped three necks in a row.
That was all it took.
The rest fled in panic. Those near the edge jumped into the sea. Luffy didn't chase them.
Not worth wasting time for just a bit of XP.
Then Luffy paused.
...Wait. Am I getting cocky?
"Aah! Stay away, demon!"
With the last willing fighter dead, Luffy turned to the trembling crowd at the rear of the ship.
That's when a wrinkled, white-haired old man stepped forward and knelt before him.
"S-sir! We were all forced to join the Raging Hammer Pirates. We're not real pirates! Please, spare us!"
The rest immediately dropped to their knees and wailed.
"Sir, I was just a fisherman! I had no choice!"
"I used to work on a merchant ship! Please believe us!"
With dozens of men crying and begging at once, Luffy started getting a headache.
He snapped, "Enough! Shut up, all of you!"
The ship went dead silent.
He checked his EXP, just over 100 points short of leveling up.
"Alright," he said.
"Pick out the one among you who's done the worst things."
Murmurs and whispers rippled through the group.
Luffy growled, "Hurry up!"
Instantly, more than ten fingers pointed at the same man.
Luffy walked toward him. The crowd parted without resistance.
The man collapsed, slamming his head into the deck over and over, blood spilling down his face.
"Please, sir! I was wrong! Spare me! I swear I'll change!"
Luffy said nothing.
He gently placed his small hands on the man's head,
CRACK.
His neck twisted with a snap.
[Ding! The host has killed a regular pirate. EXP +45]
Luffy's eyes lit up.
"Pick another one."
This time, there was no hesitation. One man was shoved to the front.
Before he could even beg, Luffy punched him in the chest.
His heart burst on impact. He dropped dead, blood gushing from his mouth.
Luffy wiped the blood from his fist, about to speak, when the old man from before quickly cried out,
"Sir, please! We swear the rest of us are innocent! We were just forced to clean and do odd jobs. We never hurt anyone!"
He threw himself to the ground and bowed repeatedly.
Luffy waved a hand.
"Fine, fine. Get up. I'm not in the habit of killing innocent people."
He glanced at his EXP, just 13 points away from leveling. His expression turned gloomy.
If I'd known, I wouldn't have let those guys jump overboard…
He wept silently inside.
The others slowly stood up. The old man stepped forward again and bowed.
"Thank you, sir, for saving us from that nightmare."
"It's fine. By the way, do any of you know how to read nautical charts?"
The old man perked up.
"Sir, I used to be a navigator on a merchant ship!"
"Great! Then show me the fastest route to Cocoyasi Village!"
The man blinked, then replied,
"Sir, at our current speed and heading, we'll reach Cocoyasi Village by tomorrow morning."
Luffy grinned.
"Seriously!? I guess that storm helped me after all. Full speed ahead!"
He turned back to address the group loudly.
"Since you're all just regular folks, I won't give you a hard time. And no need to call me 'sir.' Just call me Luffy!"
At that moment, everyone smiled for the first time.
They finally believed they were truly safe.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
But fate has its own plans.
As the group started cleaning up the deck…
A pale young man suddenly pointed at Luffy and screamed,
"You're a demon!"
The people around him tried to cover his mouth.
Luffy, who had been about to rest, turned slowly. His eyes grew cold.
"Let him speak," Luffy said flatly.
The others backed off.
The young man, now free, began to cry and shout:
"You're a murderer! My father… he died trying to protect me! And you killed him! AAAHH!!"
He collapsed to his knees, pounding the deck in grief.
"You monster! Why don't you just die!?"
Luffy walked over and gently lifted the boy's head with one hand.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered.
"I'm really sorry, for ever making you think I was a good person."
Then, without warning, he grabbed the boy's throat.
CRACK. SPLURT.
The boy collapsed.
[Ding! The host has killed a regular pirate. EXP +25]
[Ding! Congratulations. EXP full. Leveling up...]
[Ding! Level up complete. Current level: 13.]
No one dared make a sound.
Luffy walked to the ship's edge, leapt back to his small boat, picked up the unconscious Zoro, and jumped back aboard the pirate ship.
Dragging Zoro by the leg, he headed for the cabins.
Just before going inside, he turned to the old man and said,
"Full speed to Cocoyasi. Wake me when we arrive."
==========
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