Kyle held his breath and blended into the shadows of the cliff, revealing only his golden pupils as he calmly observed the approaching ship.
The ship wasn't large, capable of holding twenty people at most. Its hull was somewhat worn, and the sails had several patches, clearly not a wealthy pirate crew.
The Jolly Roger was standard—a menacing skull with two crossed cutlasses below, a classic design, just not very creative.
"Finally..." Kyle murmured to himself. Three years, three whole years! He had been a wild man on this island for so long, and now he finally had a chance to leave!
Despite his excitement, he didn't immediately rush out to stage a "Return of the Dragon King" drama.
Caution is the first rule of survival for a transmigrator, especially in this chaotic and dangerous world.
The pirate ship dropped anchor not far from the shore. Several figures jumped off the ship and waded through the knee-deep water towards the beach.
There were twelve of them in total, all rough-looking and shabbily dressed, with cutlasses or flintlocks tucked into their belts. They were clearly desperate men who had lived by the sword for years.
The leader was a relatively burly, bearded man with a scarlet sash tied around his waist. He carried a mace larger than his head on his shoulder and was cursing and ordering his men around.
"You lot, get a move on! Find some fresh water and food, and while you're at it, see if there's anything valuable on this damn island!"
"Yes, Captain!" a few pirates replied with jeers and laughter, and they scattered.
Kyle concealed his presence to the extreme and quietly activated his Wave-Wave Fruit ability. An invisible vibration sense spread out from him like a radar, scanning these uninvited guests.
"Hmm... their strength is average. Compared to the monsters in the first half of the Grand Line with bounties of tens or hundreds of millions, they're just a bunch of small fry," Kyle silently assessed.
Although these men were fierce, they didn't exude the suffocating aura of the strong, nor did he sense the presence of Haki. Dealing with them shouldn't be a problem.
The area where he was hiding was on higher ground with a wide view, giving him a clear line of sight to the pirates' movements below.
A few pirates searched the area near the beach, cursing and complaining about the island's barrenness.
"What good can there be in this godforsaken place!" a tall, thin pirate kicked a stone.
"Hey, fresh water is good enough. Boss, last time in that... what was it called... that village, we got a lot of good stuff!" another pirate with a scar on his face said with a lewd grin, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
Hearing this, the bearded captain laughed heartily and proudly, "You bet! Those villagers wanted to resist? One swing of my mace and their brains were splattered! And those young women, tsk tsk, so damn fine!"
"It's a pity, Captain. You were too rough. You killed two of them after playing with them. The brothers didn't even get a turn!" a pirate with a pointy chin and monkey-like face chimed in, his tone full of lewdness and regret.
"What's there to be afraid of! After we've resupplied, we'll go to the nearby islands. I guarantee you'll have a good time! Those who don't obey, the men will be killed and fed to the fish, and the women..." The bearded captain let out a disgusting cackle, and the surrounding pirates roared with laughter, their foul language filling the air.
They unscrupulously talked about their recent plunder and massacre of a certain town, their tone as casual as if they were discussing the weather.
The last trace of playfulness on Kyle's face vanished, replaced by a gloomy expression. He had originally held a glimmer of hope that he could "negotiate" with these pirates and use some "special techniques" to get them to give him a ride. But now, it seemed that these guys were nothing but scum who deserved to die!
The world of One Piece wasn't always about sunny adventures and passionate friendships. The cruelty and darkness hidden in the manga's cover stories or mentioned in passing were now laid bare before him. Violence, sin, blood—this was one of the truer colors of this sea.
He wasn't a saint, but he was by no means someone who could remain indifferent to such evil. What's more, the appearance of these scumbags gave him a "reasonable" opportunity to acquire a ship.
"It seems my first real battle will be against you scum," Kyle slowly stood up, a cold killing intent flashing in his eyes.
He took a deep breath. Instead of jumping down from the cliff to deliver justice and shouting, "Surrender obediently, you're surrounded!" he silently circled around to the edge of the jungle where the pirates were scattered and searching.
A lone pirate was cursing and hacking at the vines blocking his path with a cutlass, completely unaware of the approaching danger. Kyle appeared behind him like a ghost, his right hand making a gripping motion as an invisible vibration wave quietly gathered.
The pirate's movements suddenly froze. He wanted to cry for help, but no sound came out.
The next second, the cutlass in his hand fell to the ground with a "clank." His entire body went limp as if his bones had been removed. A faint "crackling" sound came from within his body, and dark red blood slowly seeped from his seven orifices.
A single blow, a fatal one, without making much noise.
Kyle looked at the scene, his stomach churning.
Although he had been mentally prepared, the feeling of personally ending a life was far more uncomfortable than he had imagined.
He suppressed the discomfort and turned his gaze to another target not far away.
"Who's there?!" Another pirate seemed to have heard something and turned his head vigilantly.
What greeted him was a shockwave almost invisible to the naked eye.
The pirate was hit as if by an invisible heavy hammer. His chest instantly caved in, and he was sent flying backwards, breaking a small tree before stopping. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and was clearly not going to survive.
"Enemy attack!!"
Finally, a pirate discovered the tragic state of his companion and screamed in terror.
The bearded captain on the beach's face changed, and he roared, "Who is it? Get the hell out here!"
Kyle didn't respond. He walked out of the forest, his figure bathed in the sunlight, with black hair, golden eyes, and a cold expression.
"A... kid?" The bearded captain was stunned for a moment when he saw Kyle's appearance, then he grinned ferociously. "You reckless brat, you dare to touch my men? Brothers, chop him up!"
The remaining seven or eight pirates immediately roared and charged at Kyle, their swords and sabers glinting coldly.
Kyle didn't retreat. He met the charging pirates head-on and pushed his hands forward.
"Voom—voom—voom—"
Three solidified shockwaves spread out in a fan shape, accurately covering all the enemies in front. The pirates at the front didn't even have time to scream before they were blasted away by the ferocious power, their bones broken and their fate unknown.
The pirates behind were terrified by the horrific power and stopped in their tracks, looking at Kyle in horror.
"You... what kind of monster are you?!" a pirate asked, trembling.
Kyle didn't answer. His figure flickered, and he instantly appeared in front of him.
The pirate only saw a blur, and then a strange vibration came from the arm holding the sword. He watched in horror as his sturdy steel sword shattered like glass, turning into a pile of metal scraps.
"My sword!"
Before he could react, Kyle chopped him on the neck with the edge of his hand. The concussive force directly shattered his cervical spine.
In the blink of an eye, only the bearded captain was left standing. He watched as Kyle dispatched his men as if he were chopping vegetables. The ferocious grin on his face had long since disappeared, replaced by deep fear.
He finally realized that he had messed with someone he absolutely shouldn't have.
"You... who the hell are you?" the bearded captain roared, trying to sound tough, but his hand holding the mace was trembling with fear.
Kyle walked towards him step by step, each step feeling like it was stomping on his heart.
"Just a passing wild boy of justice."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kyle's figure suddenly accelerated, turning into a blur.
The bearded captain roared and swung his mace down with a vicious gust of wind.
However, the mace hit nothing. Kyle's body became somewhat transparent the moment it came into contact with the mace, like shimmering air. The mace passed through his body without any resistance.
The bearded captain's pupils contracted. What kind of ability was this?!
The next moment, Kyle's body solidified again, and a hand was already on his chest.
"I'll send you on your way. Go to hell and repent."
"Wave... Disintegration!"
The bearded captain's body trembled violently. The expression on his face froze in extreme terror and pain. He looked down at his chest, where his clothes and flesh seemed to be torn apart and pulverized from the inside out by an invisible force.
He opened his mouth to say something but only coughed up a large mouthful of blood mixed with pieces of his internal organs. Then he fell straight down, completely lifeless.
Kyle stood on the messy beach. The sea breeze blew, carrying a thick smell of blood.
He looked at the bodies on the ground, his face a little pale. His stomach churned, and he finally couldn't hold it in anymore. With a "bleh," he threw up the grilled fish he had eaten in the morning.
The first time killing someone, and killing so many in a row, even if they were heinous pirates, the strong physiological and psychological impact was still hard for him to bear. This was a completely different experience from smashing rocks and breaking trees during training.
After a while, he barely recovered. He rinsed his mouth with seawater and wiped the corner of his mouth.
"Phew... so this is the world of One Piece," he muttered to himself, his tone complex. There was no passionate background music, no inspiring declaration, only cold corpses and the nauseating smell of blood.
But he didn't regret it.
He walked over to the pirate ship and looked at his new "ride." It was a bit old, but at least it was a ship that could go to sea.
"The starter pack has finally arrived," Kyle's lips curled into a slightly pale smile. "Although... the delivery guy had a bad attitude."
He jumped onto the ship and began to check the situation. There was some fresh water and food, but not much.
Surprisingly, in a cabin, he also found a small wooden box containing some Berries and a few pieces of jewelry that looked quite valuable.
"Better than nothing," Kyle put the box away.
Now, he had a ship.
"So..." Kyle stood at the bow, looking at the boundless sea, his eyes rekindling with light. "Grand Line, here I come!"
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