Kael held his breath and sank into the cliffside shadows, only his golden eyes visible as he calmly studied the ship drawing closer.
It wasn't large, enough for maybe twenty men. The hull was weathered, sails riddled with tears. Clearly not the vessel of a wealthy crew.
At the bow stood a crude figurehead: a snarling skull with two crossed sabers beneath. A classic pirate design, though lacking originality.
"Finally…" Kael whispered. Three years. Three years of living like a savage on this island, and at last he had a chance to leave.
But he didn't leap out to stage some grand "Dragon King Returns" performance.
Caution was the first law of survival for anyone thrown into this world, especially one as chaotic and dangerous as this.
The ship dropped anchor just off the shore. A dozen men splashed down, wading through knee-deep surf toward the beach.
Twelve in total. Ragged clothes, sabers and flintlocks at their sides. Every one of them carried the stench of men who lived by blade and blood.
At their head marched a hulking brute with a beard like a hedge. A crimson cloth was tied around his waist, and on his shoulder rested a spiked club wider than his skull. He barked curses as he directed his men.
"Move it! Find fresh water and food. See if this cursed island's got anything worth taking!"
"Yes, Captain!" The pirates laughed as they split off to search.
Kael pressed his aura flat, activating the Wave-Wave Fruit. An invisible pulse rippled outward, sweeping across the intruders like radar.
"Hm… not much. Compared to the monsters on the Grand Line with bounties in the tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of berries, these guys are cannon fodder."
They were vicious, sure, but they lacked the suffocating presence of true killers. No hint of Haki either. Nothing he couldn't handle.
From his vantage point high above, every move below fell under his gaze.
On the sand, the pirates muttered complaints as they searched.
"This dump's got nothing." A lanky man kicked a stone.
"At least it's got water," another chuckled, baring yellow teeth through a scarred cheek. "Remember that village last time? We made out good, eh?"
The bearded captain roared with laughter. "Damn right. Those villagers tried to fight back. I crushed them with one swing. Brains everywhere! And the women, heh, dripping wet and screaming."
"Shame you went too hard, Captain," a monkey-faced pirate whined. "You killed two before we'd even had our fill."
"Bah! Once we've stocked up, we'll hit another island. You'll get your fun. Men for the fish, women for the " The captain's cackle was obscene, his men's guffaws fouler still.
They boasted of slaughter and rape as casually as talking about the weather.
The last trace of a smile vanished from Kael's face. His expression hardened to stone.
He had hoped, foolishly, to negotiate. Maybe twist these pirates into giving him passage. But now? These were filth. Degenerates who deserved nothing but death.
The world of One Piece wasn't all sunshine adventures and fiery friendship. Beneath the bright covers lay a darker truth violence, cruelty, and blood. And it was staring Kael in the face.
He wasn't a saint, but he wasn't about to ignore such evil either. And their arrival gave him the perfect excuse to claim their ship.
"Looks like my first real battle is against scum like you." Kael rose, killing intent glinting in his eyes.
He did not leap dramatically. Instead, he ghosted through the treeline where the pirates had scattered.
One pirate hacked at vines with his saber, grumbling. He never sensed the shadow that slipped behind him.
Kael's hand clenched around nothing. A wave of invisible vibration pulsed.
The man froze, unable to cry out. His blade fell with a clang. His body went slack, as though his bones had turned to sand. Blood seeped from his eyes, ears, and nose.
Dead in one strike, silent.
Kael's stomach churned. He had prepared himself, but killing with his own hands still felt far heavier than he'd imagined.
He swallowed the bile, forced his focus on the next target.
"Who's there?!" another pirate snapped, turning.
What met him was an almost invisible ripple.
Thud.
His chest caved in as if struck by an invisible hammer. He flew back, breaking a sapling before crumpling lifeless, blood pouring from his mouth.
"Enemy attack!!"
The cry tore across the beach.
The bearded captain's face twisted. "Who?! Show yourself!"
Kael did not answer. He stepped from the forest into the sunlight, black hair stirring in the sea breeze, golden eyes cold as steel.
"A kid?" The captain blinked, then sneered. "You brat dare kill my men? Boys, chop him to pieces!"
Seven or eight pirates charged, blades flashing.
Kael didn't back down. He surged forward, palms thrusting out.
Vmmm vmmm vmmm.
Three shock waves fanned outward. The foremost men never even screamed before being blasted skyward, bones snapping. The rest froze in horror.
"W-what are you?!" one stammered.
Kael gave no reply. His form blurred, and suddenly he was in front of the man.
The pirate's saber shattered to dust in his grip, metal trembling to pieces.
"My sword!"
He didn't get another word. Kael's hand chopped down on his neck. The shock crushed his spine instantly.
Only the captain remained. His mocking grin was gone, replaced by raw fear.
He had finally realized he'd provoked something far beyond him.
"Wh-who are you?!" the captain shouted, voice shaking despite his attempt at bravado.
Kael advanced, each step pounding like a drumbeat in the man's chest.
"Just a righteous wild man passing through."
Then Kael blurred.
The spiked club whistled down in a killing arc. But Kael's body shimmered, edges rippling like heat haze. The weapon passed through him harmlessly.
Elementalization.
The captain's eyes shrank in terror. What kind of power was this?
Kael solidified, palm pressing flat against the man's chest.
"Go to hell. Confess your sins there."
"Shockwave… Collapse."
The man convulsed violently, eyes bulging. His torso shredded from the inside out, skin and muscle tearing apart in a burst of gore.
A final gasp, a mouthful of blood and organ fragments, and he fell. Dead.
The fight was over.
Kael stood on the bloodstained beach, the wind thick with iron.
He looked at the corpses. His face was pale, his gut rebelling. He doubled over, vomiting up his breakfast of grilled fish.
His first kill. His first massacre. Even if they were monsters, the shock of taking lives was nothing like smashing rocks or felling trees.
After a long while, he rinsed his mouth with seawater, wiping his lips clean.
"So this is the world of One Piece," he murmured. No heroic speeches. No stirring soundtrack. Just cold bodies and reeking blood.
But he didn't regret it.
He turned to the pirate ship. Old, battered, but seaworthy. His first ride.
"The newbie starter pack finally arrived." His smile was pale, tired. "Though the delivery service was… unpleasant."
He climbed aboard and searched. Some water and food, not much. In a cabin he found a small chest with berries and a few trinkets.
"Better than nothing." He pocketed the loot.
Now he had a ship.
"Then…" Kael stood at the bow, eyes blazing as they swept across the endless sea.
"Grand Line, here I come."