Pirates!
That single word hit Kyle like a bolt of lightning.
His blood seemed to ignite in that instant, and all his boredom, frustration, and restlessness transformed into a soaring fighting spirit.
Kyle rushed to the ship's rail and squinted in the direction Rayleigh had indicated.
Sure enough, a black dot was rapidly growing larger between the blue sea and sky. Soon, the ship's outline became clear—its hull several times larger than their little wreck. On its sail, a grinning skull sat above two crossed battle axes, bold and menacing.
The other side had clearly spotted them too. The pirates aboard let out arrogant cackles, some even waving weapons in their direction and making provocative gestures.
"Gu ha ha ha! Speak of the devil and he appears!" Roger grinned, rotating his wrists with audible cracks. "Perfect timing—my hands were getting itchy."
"Damn, captain!"
A voice interrupted Roger.
Both Roger and Rayleigh looked at Kyle with some surprise.
The young man stood at the ship's rail, sea breeze ruffling his black hair, his eyes burning with unprecedented intensity—like two flames ready to erupt.
"This ship... leave it to me!"
He turned around, his gaze blazing as he stared at Roger, his right hand already gripping the naginata leaning against the rail.
Roger looked at Kyle like this, first stunned, then burst into his signature laughter.
"Gu ha ha ha ha!" He walked up to Kyle, his huge hand slapping heavily on the boy's shoulder. "Alright! It's all yours, little Kyle!"
He pulled back his hand and crossed his arms, his face full of anticipation and indulgence.
"Let us see the results of your two months of training!"
"However..." Roger's tone shifted, his smile turning somewhat mischievous, "If you can't handle it, or accidentally get beaten half to death, you won't get any dinner!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Kyle's mouth curved into a confident arc.
He took a deep breath, said no more, and turned to face the approaching pirate ship.
On that pirate ship, a captain with a scarred face and a build like a bear was holding up a telescope. When he saw clearly that Roger's ship only had three people, one of whom was just a half-grown kid, he couldn't help but burst into contemptuous laughter.
"Boys! Look at that! One broken ship, two shabby guys, and one little brat who's not even weaned!" He lowered his telescope and bellowed at his crew, "Lucky day today! Kill them all, and everything on their ship is ours!"
"Ooooooh!" The pirates let out excited howls.
Kyle held his naginata in one hand and placed the other on the ship's rail, nimbly jumping down.
"Wave Walking!"
Just as Kyle was about to hit the water, the sea surface beneath his feet suddenly rippled with visible concentric circles.
The waves didn't spread outward but strangely contracted and solidified inward, forming what looked like a transparent stepping stone made of water beneath his feet.
Kyle took one step and stood firmly on the sea surface.
Then the second step, the third step...
What? You ask why he didn't just use recoil force to fly over?
Stand back—Kyle's about to show off.
Under the pirates' stunned gazes—jaws nearly hitting the deck—Kyle just walked across the rolling waves holding his long blade, strolling leisurely as if on solid ground, heading straight for their ship.
On deck, Roger watched with raised eyebrows, continuously making "kaku!" sounds of admiration.
Rayleigh leaned against the mast, adjusted his glasses, and smiled an almost imperceptible smile, murmuring softly.
"The curtain rises..."
The sea breeze ruffled the young man's black hair as he held his crude naginata, step by step, treading upon the waves, walking calmly toward that three-masted ship.
This scene defying common sense instantly sent the Giant Axe Pirates into chaos.
"What... what is that?!"
"He's walking on water!"
"It's a Devil Fruit user!!"
The pirates on deck looked uncertain, backing away, their weapons seemingly unable to provide any sense of security.
This eerie entrance was far more impactful than any snarling brute.
"Shut up! All of you!" A crude roar drowned out all other noise.
The scarred captain kicked aside a subordinate blocking his path, rushed to the bow in a few steps, and bellowed with spittle flying: "So what if he's a Devil Fruit user! What's to fear! He's just some snot-nosed brat!"
He stared at Kyle approaching unhurriedly, his face showing extreme contempt as he mockingly shouted: "Hey! Kid! This isn't your backyard swimming pool! What's wrong? Didn't mommy call you home for milk time?!"
"Haha, haha!" The captain's arrogant laughter rallied his crew. They found their courage and joined in the jeering, their earlier fear seemingly diluted by this mockery.
"Cannons five millimeters left, fire!!" The captain sneered as he gave orders. "Blow him to pieces!"
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Three cannons spewed thick smoke and sharp whistles as several black cannonballs shot toward Kyle on the sea surface!
Roger and Rayleigh, on their ship, remained calm and collected. Roger even crossed his arms with a grin, looking like he was ready to enjoy the show.
Facing the whistling cannonballs, Kyle didn't dodge or evade. He slightly bent his legs and—
"Shock Step: Flash!"
The water surface beneath his feet suddenly sank as an invisible shock wave exploded at his feet!
"BANG!"
The massive recoil launched Kyle's body straight up, instantly gaining over ten meters of height.
"What?!" The Giant Axe captain's sneer froze on his face.
In midair, Kyle's form stretched gracefully, the simple naginata in his hand cutting a cold arc through the sunlight.
He used no fancy techniques, simply channeling all the power accumulated over these two months into his blade as he struck at the incoming cannonballs!
A solid white energy slash left his blade, arriving first despite starting later, precisely striking the middle cannonball!
BANG—!
The struck cannonball seemed crushed by an invisible giant hand. Along with the nearby cannonballs, they all disintegrated in the chain reaction of vibrations, becoming a shower of metal fragments!
The explosion's smoke and spray instantly shrouded that area of sea.
"How... how is that possible?!" A pirate's voice was trembling.
The next second, Kyle's figure pierced through the billowing smoke and spray. In midair, he slowly raised his head, his golden eyes boiling with fighting spirit like fire.
"Game over."
Kyle held his naginata horizontally before him, the blade beginning to emit a buzzing hum.
He poured his ability to control "waves" into it without reservation. The air around the blade began to twist violently, producing sharp, piercing shrieks.
"Listen well—this is a requiem dedicated to you all!"
He gripped the handle with both hands, leaned back, and concentrated all his strength into this single strike!
"Sound Slash: Exploding Phoenix Cry!!"
One swing!
Time seemed to freeze in that moment as a visible, phoenix-shaped, massive shock wave erupted from the naginata's blade!
Where the shock wave passed, the air let out an agonized wail under the strain, like shattered glass showing spider web cracks!
The "phoenix" formed of high-pressure sound waves released a cry that split clouds and cracked stone. With wings spread, it instantly crossed a hundred meters of sea, precisely striking the center of the Giant Axe Pirates' three-masted ship!
"BOOOOOM—!!!!!!"
The deafening explosion finally erupted, as if the entire sky was being torn apart.
The Giant Axe Pirates' proud ship was like being struck head-on by a giant's iron fist. The solid hull's center first showed a massive dent, then countless cracks spread madly from the impact point. The entire ship in the next second... completely disintegrated!
Wood chips and cloth scraps flew together, masts snapped with loud cracks, countless pirates screamed as the violent shock wave hurled them into the air, falling into the sea like dumplings with splashing sounds.
The captain who had been laughing arrogantly just moments before now had his eyes wide with disbelief and terror written across his face.
He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, could only watch helplessly as his ship fell apart before his eyes, then got struck by a broken plank and sank into the depths along with the wreckage.
In just a few minutes, an armed-to-the-teeth pirate ship, along with dozens of pirates, was completely annihilated under Kyle's earth-shaking strike.
On the sea surface, only floating ship debris and the wails of survivors remained.
Kyle stood on the waves, supporting himself with his naginata, his chest heaving violently, yet an unprecedented feeling of exhilaration surged from his heart.
Move fast, look cool, shout your technique name loud—this... this is the passion of youth!
"Gu... gu ha ha ha ha!"
On Roger's ship, after a moment of silence, Roger's signature earth-shaking laughter exploded.
He laughed so hard he was doubling over, tears nearly bursting out, laughing while vigorously slapping Rayleigh's back.
"Did you see that! Rayleigh! Did you see that! Gu ha ha ha! Beautifully done, Kyle!"
Rayleigh helplessly shook off Roger, adjusted his glasses, but his eyes behind the lenses were full of comfort and approval.