Kyle ignored the panicked townspeople and walked straight towards the port. The deafening sound of cannons and the piercing screams did not make him flinch; instead, they ignited an irrepressible excitement in his golden eyes.
The frustration from days of drifting and the confusion of arriving in a new world seemed to need an outlet. And this group of clueless pirates had come at just the right time.
"Hey, brothers, this shop looks loaded!" The wooden door of a shop near the port was violently kicked open, and several grunts from the Black Shark Pirates rushed in with sinister grins, ready to plunder.
Kyle's figure appeared silently behind them. His gaze swept over them, and his invisible vibration sense spread out like ripples, precisely locking onto the weapons at their waists and the weak points of their bodies.
Almost at the instant Kyle's thought moved, the pirates who were about to start looting suddenly froze.
The leader had just raised his cutlass, preparing to smash open a locked chest, when the steel blade in his hand buzzed. It began to vibrate violently from within, and then with a grating "crack," it turned into a pile of fine metal fragments and clattered to the ground.
"My sword... what... what's going on?!" The pirate stared at his empty hand in astonishment, completely unable to understand what had happened.
Before he could react, a strange numbing and itching sensation came from his internal organs, followed by a sharp, twisting pain, as if his organs were being tightly squeezed and kneaded by an invisible hand.
He opened his mouth wide but couldn't make a sound. He could only watch as his companions collapsed one after another, clutching their stomachs and convulsing in pain, with blood frothing from their mouths and noses.
The whole process was silent, with only the faint sounds of metal shattering and bodies falling. Kyle didn't even spare them a second glance as he walked towards his next target.
"That kid! It was him!"
"Fire! Kill him!"
Finally, a pirate noticed the boy who was reaping his comrades' lives like a phantom and screamed in terror.
Under the threat of death, the remaining pirates came to their senses and turned their weapons on this sudden star of death. For a moment, several flintlocks were aimed at Kyle, firing deadly lead bullets, and the cold glint of swords and sabers slashed at him from all directions.
Facing this dense attack, Kyle didn't dodge or evade.
Just as the bullets and swords were about to hit him, Kyle's figure twisted without warning, becoming illusory and unstable, like the air shimmering in the heat of a summer afternoon, with faint ripples at the edges.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
The bullets passed through his "body" without resistance and embedded themselves in the wall behind him. The slashing swords and sabers had no point of impact, as if they had cut into a phantom, only causing a few ripples to spread.
"I... I missed?!"
"What... what?"
"A ghost! He's a ghost!"
The pirates were terrified by this bizarre scene, and their attacks faltered.
A cold smile played on Kyle's lips. This was the first time he had used elementalization so smoothly in actual combat. It felt... not bad.
He danced on the tip of a knife, his figure switching rapidly between solid and wave form. Each flicker was accompanied by the fall of a pirate.
They either collapsed with their chests caved in as their weapons fell from their hands, or their eyes rolled back and fine beads of blood seeped from their seven orifices as they silently slumped to the ground, not even having time to scream.
"Too slow, too weak," Kyle's voice, tinged with a hint of mockery, echoed across the chaotic battlefield.
He suddenly stopped, pushed his hands forward, and aimed at the dozen or so pirates who were gathered together, looking at him with suspicion and fear.
The first solidified shockwave shot out, tearing a clear trajectory in the air as it rushed towards the group of pirates.
Then, "Boom! Boom!" Two more equally ferocious shockwaves followed, almost simultaneously.
The faces of the dozen or so pirates changed drastically. They didn't even have time to think about dodging before they were completely engulfed by the three consecutive shockwaves.
The ferocious power sent them flying, crashing through several nearby wooden houses. Debris and wood chips flew everywhere, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The originally noisy battle at the port fell silent. The fleeing townspeople and the remaining pirates all stared dumbfounded at the horrifying scene.
"A... a monster!" A pirate dropped his weapon and scrambled to escape.
Just as Kyle was about to press his advantage and wipe out these small fry, a strong wave of dizziness hit him, and his vision went black.
He grunted and forced himself to stay upright. The excitement faded like a tide, replaced by a deep exhaustion that came from his soul.
The continuous high-intensity use of his fruit ability, coupled with days without food, had finally made his body protest.
"Damn it..." Kyle thought to himself. "I need to end this quickly!"
"Captain! That kid looks like he's at his limit!" A sharp-eyed pirate noticed Kyle's condition and shouted in pleasant surprise.
The captain of the Black Shark Pirates, a burly man with a face full of flesh and a huge ship's anchor in his hand, had a grim expression.
He never expected that after rampaging in this sea for so many years, he would suffer such a huge loss at the hands of an unknown kid today.
"Everyone, get him! Kill him, and the bounty will be doubled!" the captain roared.
Just then, a sharp sword light came from Kyle's side and behind!
A tall, thin swordsman with sinister eyes from the Black Shark Pirates had been lurking in the shadows, observing. He finally seized the opportunity when Kyle's stamina was failing.
The tip of his long sword was suddenly covered with a layer of black substance. Like a poisonous snake striking, it went straight for Kyle's back!
What the hell! Isn't this the newbie village? Where did you get Armament Haki?!
Kyle's heart skipped a beat, and he barely managed to turn his body.
The sharp tip of the sword tore through his clothes, leaving a wound on his ribs. Blood instantly stained his black shirt.
The intense pain made Kyle grunt. He staggered back a few steps and leaned against a broken wall.
The swordsman, having succeeded in his attack, had a ferocious smile on his face. "Kid, your ability is indeed strange, but now you're dead! I am a master of Armament Haki!" He approached step by step with his bloody long sword, his eyes full of glee.
Kyle was panting heavily, with cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Damn! I was too careless!
Do minions these days also know how to act weak?
Am I going to die here right after leaving the newbie village? This is too pathetic!
Oh, mama, I'm going to become a hungry ghost.
Just kidding, I'm tricking you!
A fierce light flashed in Kyle's eyes. His figure moved, creating two light and shadow clones. Together with his real body, they attacked from three sides!
The swordsman's face was full of suspicion. He hurriedly dealt with the attack.
Just then, a swift black shadow descended from the sky!
A piercing sound of metal clashing rang out!
A figure stood in front of Kyle. That person was wearing a... familiar straw hat!
The swordsman was pushed back by the sudden blow, his hand numb. He looked at the newcomer with suspicion.
And Kyle's pupils contracted sharply the moment he saw the person's side profile. A huge wave surged in his heart.
"A... Ace?!"
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