Kyle paid no more attention to the panicking townspeople and headed straight for the harbor. The deafening cannon fire and piercing screams didn't make him retreat—instead, they ignited an irrepressible excitement in those golden pupils.
The frustration from days of drifting and the confusion of arriving in this strange world seemed to need an outlet. And these short-sighted pirates had arrived at just the right moment.
"Hey guys, this shop looks pretty loaded!" The wooden door of a store near the harbor was brutally kicked open as several Black Shark Pirate crew members grinned wickedly and charged inside, ready to ransack the place.
Kyle's figure appeared silently behind them. His gaze swept over these thugs as invisible tremor sensing spread like ripples, precisely targeting the weapons at their waists and their bodies' weak points.
Almost the instant Kyle's mind stirred, the pirates about to start looting suddenly froze.
The leader had just raised his cutlass to smash open a locked chest when his steel blade suddenly hummed violently, beginning to shake from within. Then, with a teeth-grinding series of cracks, it shattered into countless tiny metal fragments that clattered to the ground.
"My sword... what the hell happened?!" The pirate stared in shock at his empty hands, completely unable to understand what had occurred.
Before he could react, a strange itching sensation spread from his internal organs, followed by intense stabbing pain, as if invisible hands were gripping and viciously twisting his organs.
He opened his mouth wide but couldn't make a sound, only able to watch helplessly as his companions collapsed one by one, clutching their stomachs and convulsing in agony, blood foaming from their mouths and noses.
The entire process was silent except for the soft sounds of shattering metal and bodies hitting the ground. Kyle didn't even spare them a glance as he moved toward his next targets.
"That kid! It was him!"
"Open fire! Take him out!"
Finally, some pirates spotted this ghostly youth reaping their companions' lives and screamed in terror.
Faced with mortal danger, the remaining pirates snapped back to attention and turned their weapons on this sudden harbinger of death.
In an instant, several muskets aimed at Kyle, spitting deadly lead bullets, while blades flashed from all directions in a deadly assault.
Facing this concentrated attack, Kyle neither dodged nor avoided.
Just as the bullets and blades were about to hit, Kyle's form began to twist without warning, becoming ethereal and uncertain, like air shimmering in the afternoon heat with subtle ripple patterns at the edges.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
The bullets passed right through his "body" unimpeded, embedding in the wall behind him. The slashing blades found no resistance, cutting through what seemed like an illusion, only stirring up a few expanding ripples.
"We... we missed?!"
"What the...?"
"A ghost! He's a ghost!"
The pirates were scared out of their wits by this eerie sight, their attacks faltering.
Kyle's lips curved into a cold smile—this was his first time using elementalization so fluidly in actual combat. It felt... pretty good.
He danced on the blade's edge, his figure rapidly switching between solid and shockwave form. With each flicker, another pirate fell.
They either had their chests suddenly cave in as their weapons flew from their hands, or rolled their eyes back with tiny beads of blood seeping from every orifice, silently collapsing without even managing a scream.
"Too slow, too weak." Kyle's voice carried a hint of mockery as it rang across the chaotic battlefield.
He suddenly stopped and thrust both hands forward, targeting over a dozen pirates clustered together ahead, staring at him in alarmed uncertainty.
The first shockwave, solid as matter, burst forth, tearing a clear trajectory through the air as it struck the group of pirates.
Then "BOOM! BOOM!" two more equally fierce shockwaves followed in rapid succession, almost simultaneously.
The dozen pirates' faces changed drastically. Before they could even think of dodging, they were completely consumed by these three consecutive impacts.
The violent force sent them flying, smashing through several nearby wooden houses. Debris scattered everywhere, kicking up clouds of dust.
The previously noisy sounds of battle at the harbor fell silent as the scattered, fleeing townspeople and surviving pirates stared in shock at this terrifying scene.
"Mon... monster!" One pirate dropped his weapon and scrambled to escape on all fours.
Kyle was about to press his advantage and finish off these small fry when his head was suddenly struck by intense dizziness, his vision going dark.
He groaned, forcibly steadying himself as that surge of excitement ebbed like a tide, replaced by exhaustion from the depths of his soul.
Continuously using his fruit powers at high intensity, combined with days without food, had finally made his body protest.
"Damn..." Kyle thought grimly, "Need to end this quickly!"
"Captain! That kid looks like he's done for!" A sharp-eyed pirate noticed Kyle's condition and shouted with delight.
The Black Shark Pirates' captain—a burly man with a scarred face, wielding a massive anchor—now looked dark enough to drip water.
He never expected that after dominating these waters for years, he'd take such a huge loss today to some nobody kid.
"Everyone attack! Kill him and I'll double your bounties!" the captain roared his orders.
Just then, a sharp blade flash came from Kyle's rear side!
A tall, thin swordsman officer from the Black Shark Pirates with sinister eyes had been lurking in the shadows, finally seizing on Kyle's moment of physical weakness.
The tip of his long sword was suddenly covered with a layer of pitch-black substance. Like a viper striking, it aimed straight for Kyle's heart from behind!
Oh come on! Isn't this supposed to be the newbie village? Where'd you get Armament Haki from?!
Kyle's heart jolted as he barely managed to turn his body aside.
"Rip!"
The sharp blade tore through his clothes, leaving a wound below his ribs. Blood instantly stained his black shirt.
The intense pain made Kyle grunt as he staggered back several steps, his back against a broken wall.
Having landed his hit, the swordsman's face twisted into a savage grin: "Kid, your abilities are pretty weird, but now you're dead! I'm a master who's learned Armament Haki!" He approached step by step with his bloodied blade, eyes full of satisfaction.
Kyle panted heavily, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Damn! Got too cocky this round!
Even the small fry are playing the pig to eat the tiger these days?
Was he really going to die right after leaving the newbie village? That would be too pathetic!
Mama, I'm gonna become a starving ghost!
Just kidding! Got you!
Kyle's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he moved, creating two light-shadow clones that attacked alongside his real body from three sides!
The swordsman looked alarmed and hastily tried to respond.
Just then, an incredibly swift black shadow descended from above!
"CLANG!"
A sharp sound of clashing metal rang out!
A figure appeared blocking Kyle's path, wearing a... familiar straw hat!
The swordsman was forced back several steps by this sudden strike, his hands numb from the impact as he stared uncertainly at the newcomer.
But the moment Kyle saw the person's profile, his pupils contracted sharply, and his heart erupted in towering waves.
"A... Ace?!"
۞۞۞۞
~ Support & Read 5 Advanced Chapters on Patreon
https://p-atreon.com/lost_magus
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)