Kyle held his breath and moved to the edge of the cliff, blending into the shadows. He revealed only his golden eyes as he watched the ship slowly approach. It wasn't very big, probably able to hold about 20 people. Its hull was old and worn, and the sails were patched, showing it didn't belong to a rich pirate crew. The figurehead was a standard, unoriginal skull with two crossed cutlasses below it.
"Finally," Kyle whispered to himself. He had spent three whole years living like a wild man on this island, and now he finally had a chance to leave. Despite his excitement, he didn't rush out. Caution was his number one rule for survival in this dangerous world.
The pirate ship dropped anchor near the shore, and a dozen men jumped off, wading through the water to the beach. There were 12 of them in total, all messy and unkempt, with swords or guns at their waists. They looked like they'd been living as outlaws for years. The leader was a burly, bearded man with a red cloth around his waist and a large spiked club on his shoulder.
"Hurry up! Find some fresh water and food, and see if there's anything valuable on this godforsaken island!" he yelled at his crew.
"Yes, Captain!" several pirates responded with laughter, then scattered.
Kyle stayed hidden, using his Wave-Wave Fruit ability to send out an invisible vibration sense like a radar, scanning the unwelcome guests.
"Hmm, their strength is average," he thought. "Compared to the monsters in the first half of the Grand Line with bounties of tens or hundreds of millions of Berries, they're just small-time thugs." These men looked tough, but they didn't have the overwhelming presence of a strong fighter, and he didn't sense any Haki. He figured dealing with them wouldn't be a problem.
From his hiding spot on the cliff, he could see everything the pirates were doing. A few of them were grumbling as they searched the beach.
"What good stuff could be in this terrible place?" a skinny pirate complained, kicking a stone.
"Hey, at least there's fresh water. Captain, remember that village we hit last time? We got a lot of good stuff there!" a pirate with a scar on his face chuckled, showing his yellow teeth.
The bearded captain laughed proudly. "That's right! Those villagers tried to fight back? I took them out with one swing of my club! And those girls, man, they were so ready!"
"Too bad you went too far, Captain. You killed two of them, and we didn't even get to have any fun yet!" a monkey-faced pirate said with a regretful and lewd tone.
"What are you worried about? After we resupply, we'll hit another island. I promise you'll have all the fun you want! Anyone who resists will be killed and fed to the fish, and the women…" The captain let out a disgusting laugh, and the other pirates joined in with vulgar and endless chatter. They talked about plundering and killing a village as if they were discussing the weather.
The smile on Kyle's face disappeared, replaced by a grim expression. He had hoped he could peacefully "negotiate" with them to get a ride, but now he knew they were despicable scum who deserved to die.
He realized the world of One Piece wasn't just about adventures and friendship. The cruelty and darkness that was sometimes mentioned in the manga was right in front of him now. This was a realistic part of the great sea: violence, evil, and bloodshed. He wasn't a saint, but he couldn't stand by and do nothing. Besides, these guys gave him a perfect excuse to get a ship.
"Looks like you guys will be my first real fight," Kyle said slowly, a chilling killing intent in his eyes. He took a deep breath, deciding not to jump off the cliff and yell at them. Instead, he quietly went to the edge of the jungle where the pirates were scattered.
A lone pirate was cursing as he hacked at some vines with his cutlass, completely unaware of the danger. Kyle appeared behind him like a ghost, his right hand making a motion as an invisible vibration wave formed. The pirate suddenly froze, unable to make a sound. The next moment, his cutlass fell to the ground, and his body slumped over as if his bones had been removed. A faint cracking sound came from inside his body, and blood slowly seeped from his eyes, ears, and nose. He was dead in one hit, without a sound.
Kyle looked at the body, his stomach turning. He was mentally prepared, but killing someone was more unsettling than he had imagined. He pushed down the nausea and looked for his next target.
"Who's there?!" another pirate yelled, having heard something. What met him was an almost invisible shockwave.
"Puff!"
The pirate was hit head-on by an invisible force, his chest caving in. He flew backward, breaking a small tree before he stopped, spitting up blood. He wasn't going to survive.
"Enemy attack!" a pirate screamed after seeing his companion's terrible state.
The bearded captain's face changed, and he roared, "Who is it?! Get out here!"
Kyle didn't answer. Instead, he walked out of the forest into the sunlight, his face cold, with black hair and golden eyes.
"A… kid?" The bearded captain was stunned, then sneered. "You stupid brat! You dare touch my men? Get him, boys!"
The seven or eight remaining pirates charged toward Kyle, their swords and knives shining. Kyle didn't back down. He pushed his hands forward.
"Buzz—Buzz—Buzz—"
Three solid shockwaves spread out in a fan shape, hitting the pirates in the front. They didn't even have time to scream before the force blasted them away, their bones breaking and their muscles tearing.
The pirates behind them stopped dead in their tracks, terrified by his power. "What… what kind of monster are you?!" one of them stammered.
Kyle didn't answer. He appeared in front of the pirate in an instant. The pirate's arm holding the knife began to vibrate, and he watched helplessly as his steel knife shattered like glass, turning into a pile of metal filings.
"My knife!"
Before he could react, Kyle chopped him on the neck, the vibration destroying his spine.
Within moments, only the bearded captain was left. He had watched Kyle kill his men like they were nothing, and his sneer was gone, replaced by deep fear. He finally realized he had messed with someone he never should have.
"Who… who are you?" the captain roared, trying to sound tough, but his hand gripping his spiked club was shaking.
Kyle walked toward him, each step making the captain's heart pound. "Just a wild man passing through to bring some justice."
Before he finished speaking, Kyle sped up, becoming a blur. The captain roared, swinging his spiked club. But the club hit nothing. The moment it touched Kyle, his body became transparent, and the club passed right through him.
He used elementalization! The bearded captain's eyes widened. What kind of ability was this?! The next moment, Kyle's body became solid again, and he pressed his hand against the captain's chest.
"I'll send you off. Go to hell and find some peace."
"Shockwave… disintegration!"
"Puff—"
The captain's body trembled violently, his face frozen in horror and pain. He looked down at his chest, where his clothes and skin were being torn apart from the inside out by an invisible force. He opened his mouth to say something, but only blood mixed with pieces of his organs came out. He then fell to the ground, dead.
The fight was over. Kyle stood on the bloody beach, the sea breeze carrying a strong smell of blood. He looked at the bodies, his face pale and his stomach churning. He couldn't hold it in and threw up the roasted fish he had eaten that morning.
It was his first time killing, and he had killed so many at once. Even though they were terrible pirates, the physical and mental toll was hard for him to handle. This was nothing like the training he did on rocks and trees. After a while, he finally recovered. He rinsed his mouth with seawater and wiped his lips.
"Huh… so this is the world of One Piece," he whispered, his voice complex. There was no exciting music, no passionate speeches—just cold bodies and the smell of blood. But he didn't regret it.
He walked to the pirate ship and checked it out. It was old, but it could sail.
"The beginner's gift package has finally arrived," Kyle said with a faint smile. "Though… the delivery men had a bad attitude."
He jumped onto the ship and checked its condition. There was some food and water, but not much. He also found a small wooden box in one of the cabins with some Berries and a few pieces of valuable-looking jewelry.
"Better than nothing," he said, putting the box away. Now, he had a ship.
"So…" Kyle stood at the bow, looking at the endless sea, his eyes burning with a new light. "Grand Line, here I come!"