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Chapter 2 - Uncle! You Really Are My Blood Uncle!

"What!? You want me to become a pirate!?"

Marineford, Navy Headquarters – inside an unassuming conference room.

Kyle stared in shock at his uncle, Admiral Kizaru, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku, whom Kizaru had introduced him to.

How did they know he was thinking about becoming a pirate?

Could it be that the Navy had some kind of mind-reading Devil Fruit user spying on him this whole time?

Kyle's heart pounded wildly in his chest.

Though he knew that was unlikely, everything was happening so suddenly that he didn't know what to say. He could only mask the joy in his heart with the dazed look of someone lost in their own thoughts.

Faced with Kyle's mix of shock, confusion, and bewilderment—with just a hint of awe—Sengoku and Kizaru didn't find it strange at all.

In fact, it was exactly the kind of reaction they expected.

Sengoku, meeting Kyle for the first time, nodded and tapped his finger lightly on the table, his unreadable gaze fixed on him.

"To be precise, we want you to become an undercover agent disguised as a pirate."

"I understand this may seem sudden to you," Sengoku continued calmly. "But the seas are more turbulent than ever, and the criminal underworld is hiding countless threats."

"To protect the innocent, we in the Navy must act."

"And intelligence... intelligence is the foundation of all operations."

"That's why we need people who can live in the shadows and provide the Navy with fast, accurate underground intel."

As he spoke, a faint trace of sorrow flashed in Sengoku's eyes—perhaps thinking of his adopted son, Rosinante, who died in the line of duty.

But he quickly buried that emotion and looked at Kyle with hopeful eyes.

Kyle spoke up with a question.

"I understand all of that... but why me?"

"You know I'm not even a Navy officer anymore. I left the training camp years ago and haven't trained since."

"That's not the issue, Kyle," Sengoku said, cutting him off. "Zephyr spoke highly of you."

"With your talent, gaining strength again won't be difficult."

"Besides, Navy HQ will support you."

With that, Sengoku pulled an old notebook from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"This is a personalized training plan Zephyr created for you seven years ago," he said. "It may not perfectly suit your current state, but it's extremely valuable."

"It also contains the complete training methods for the Navy's Six Powers and Haki."

"I'm sure you're already familiar with them from your time in the elite training camp."

Kyle nodded blankly.

If it weren't for his self-restraint, he would've snatched that notebook from Sengoku's hands right then and there!

Damn it!

They're offering the Six Powers and Haki right off the bat?

And in a form anyone can study!?

That's insanely tempting!

Of course, the notebook only answered one of his questions.

After placing it on the table, Sengoku continued:

"Spy work is not easy."

"Over the years, the Navy has sent many agents into the underworld."

"But very few have returned successfully."

"Some died in the harshness of the sea, others in battles between pirates…"

"And worse—some were killed by their own allies."

"But the most dangerous of all..."

Sengoku's expression hardened. He folded his hands on the table and leaned forward.

"Are those who, through coercion or temptation, defected. They fed us false intelligence and caused catastrophic decisions."

"Which is why, after so many failures, we now choose our agents with extreme caution."

"But that's left us short-handed."

"Thankfully… Admiral Kizaru recommended you."

Sengoku paused and looked Kyle straight in the eyes.

Kyle didn't speak.

He understood.

Basically, he had no family, no weaknesses—hard to manipulate.

His background was clean, his political clearance spotless.

But Kizaru's recommendation…

Kyle fell into thought.

Piecing together Sengoku's words with his predecessor's memories, he figured it out.

It must've been two years ago.

On his 18th birthday, Kizaru, known for his love of tea, brought wine and snacks to celebrate Kyle's coming of age.

That night, drunk for the first time, Kyle poured out his heart to the only family he had left.

He hated pirates.

He saw his parents killed by them. His hatred ran bone-deep.

But the trauma also made it impossible for him to join the Navy.

This conflict left him in a state of self-loathing, stuck in a loop of mental exhaustion.

He'd been suffering from chronic emotional burnout.

"So that's why he started urging me to train again two years ago…"

"He was trying to help the original Kyle find peace through another path."

Yeah...

Can't be a Marine? Then become a pirate… for the Marines.

Send your nephew into insanely dangerous undercover work… as therapy.

Uncle, you really are my blood uncle.

Who else would come up with something like this!?

Then again, in the world of One Piece, crazy is kind of normal.

And if we're following typical anime logic, the MC wouldn't get mad—they'd actually…

"Uncle… thank you!"

Kyle suddenly turned and gave Kizaru a deep, sincere bow.

For the first time, he truly felt the difference between anime characters and regular people.

"Hm…"

Kizaru didn't say much in response, but a soft, proud smile tugged at his weathered face.

Tears welled in his eyes.

His nephew, Kyle, had grown up.

He lifted his teacup, letting the steam hide his complicated emotions.

Meanwhile, Kyle straightened and turned back to Sengoku, the shadow in his eyes lifting slightly, a glimmer of determination shining through.

"So… what do you need me to do?"

Kyle clenched his fists as if to suppress his excitement, feigning hesitant interest.

In truth, aside from Kizaru's unorthodox approach, Kyle was genuinely interested.

To carry out pirate activities under Navy orders…

Free to roam the seas, with no real punishment, and Navy backing?

Is there any job more liberating than this?

He was born to be the King of Spies!

Seeing Kyle's reaction, Sengoku's glasses reflected a sharp gleam.

He smiled slowly and said:

"Given your current strength, we don't have any immediate assignments for you."

"But there is one task you can start with."

Sengoku pulled out a folder.

"Recently, a group in the East Blue has begun selling weapons of mass destruction."

"These are incredibly powerful cannonballs."

"Even small-time pirate crews wielding them have managed to pierce Navy warships."

"If possible, we want you to investigate and uncover the organization behind it."

"This will be your first mission."

"Are you willing to accept?"

He pushed a consent form toward Kyle.

Signing it would mean his name and "hero's child" status would be erased from Marineford records. He'd lose his monthly allowance and any official recognition.

But it would also mean dedicating his life to justice—in a very different way.

Kyle stared at the paper in silence.

East Blue? Powerful cannonballs?

Could they be talking about… the Buggy Balls?

It was the year 1520 of the Sea Calendar—one year before Luffy's departure.

Buggy's crew probably hadn't perfected the Buggy Balls yet, but it was likely that this group was selling their flawed prototypes to fund further research.

If so, then his target was the Buggy Pirates.

This mission… was definitely worth taking.

That thought flashed through his mind.

But Kyle didn't let it show.

When he saw the consent form, his eyes lit up subtly.

Then his arms began to tremble as if he were wrestling with a huge inner conflict.

Sweat formed on his brow.

Finally, as if making a life-altering decision, Kyle let out a deep breath and raised his head.

A flash of resolve passed through his once-dull eyes. He clenched his fists and declared:

"I'm willing to accept this mission!"

He immediately picked up the pen and signed his name.

In that instant, his entire demeanor shifted.

The lost soul trapped in a deep well was now someone reaching for the rope of hope.

Honestly, the fact that Kyle never became an actor in his previous life was a loss to the entertainment industry.

And not far away, Kizaru's cloudy eyes grew even wetter.

Though he'd often checked in on Kyle, Kyle had never shown his true self.

Watching his nephew find a new purpose allowed Kizaru to finally let go of his own guilt.

"Kyle…" he whispered.

He might always appear aloof and carefree…

But when it came to this nephew, he couldn't keep up that act.

If only he had reached the battlefield earlier that day…

Maybe his sister and brother-in-law wouldn't have died.

And maybe Kyle wouldn't have had to grow up with such pain.

But there's no such thing as if.

"Kyle."

After Kyle signed, Kizaru spoke up for the first time.

Kyle looked toward him.

Through his tinted glasses, he saw those complicated, heavy eyes.

Three parts guilt, three parts hope, three parts concern… and just a little relief.

A classic emotional pie chart.

"Uncle," Kyle said quietly.

A name both familiar and distant.

"I'll give it my all!"

"…I believe in you."

There was no need for more words between men.

Just a single look or a name spoke volumes.

Seeing a different side of Kizaru surprised Kyle, but thanks to the original Kyle's memories, he responded flawlessly.

"Whew… good thing I've got those memories. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to deal with these two old foxes."

Kyle sighed inwardly.

Three days later.

A merchant ship headed for the East Blue set sail from Marineford.

The waves beat rhythmically against the hull like piano keys.

Inside the passenger cabin, Kyle stared wide-eyed at a strange blue fruit with swirling patterns on the table. His hands trembled in midair, his throat tightening with emotion.

"Holy crap…"

"I can't believe I'm seeing a real Devil Fruit on day ten of my transmigration!"

"And not just any fruit—this is the ultra-rare Paramecia: Storm-Storm Fruit!"

"My uncle really is something else!!"

This fruit was secretly slipped into Kyle's bag by Kizaru before his departure.

The Storm-Storm Fruit—a Paramecia-type that gives the user the ability to manipulate airflow and create massive storms.

One of the most powerful abilities in its class.

And now, this priceless Devil Fruit was right in front of an absolute nobody like him.

This is what it means to have connections!

Under normal circumstances, there's no way he'd even see something like this.

After admiring the fruit, Kyle began checking the rest of his "starter kit."

As for the Devil Fruit itself… he still hadn't decided whether or not to eat it.

Because aside from his uncle, Kyle had another golden cheat—his system.

He planned to wait until it activated before deciding if becoming a Devil Fruit user was worth the trade-off.

After all, eating a Devil Fruit came with a serious drawback.

It was something to be considered carefully.

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Note: If you're enjoying the story, you can read up to Chapter 42... You can read 40 chapters ahead of the current one) on my Patreon: patreon.com/Aurevynluv

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