Seeing his crew lying unconscious and feeling that dreadful wave of Conqueror's Haki crushing his very soul, Captain Anos trembled in terror.
"P-Please… spare me. From now on, you be the captain… I'll be the vice-captain…"
Even though El's bounty was only 100 million berries—a full 200 million lower than his own—
at that moment, Anos's pride meant nothing. Survival was all that mattered.
El looked at him coldly, a smirk curling his lips.
"You're joking, right? You think you're qualified to be my vice-captain?"
Not only did El have no intention of forming a pirate crew yet,
even if he were to form one, he would never recruit someone so weak.
A man like Anos—despite his 300-million bounty—was simply too frail.
El's hand tightened around his sword.
Beads of sweat streamed down Anos's forehead; his back was drenched.
Never since becoming a pirate had he faced such a terrifying opponent—
someone against whom he felt utterly powerless.
"I-If you let me go, everything on this ship will be yours!" Anos stammered.
His legs were already buried deep in the cracked deck,
and his trembling arms—still crossed in defense—quivered under El's crushing strength.
"I'm not interested in treasure," El said flatly.
"We… we have a Devil Fruit on board!"
"Oh?"
El raised a brow.
That instantly caught his attention.
His voyage across the Grand Line had two purposes:
first, to grow stronger—to refine his Sage Body and master the Three Colors of Haki.
Second, to find a Devil Fruit—
Because if he could obtain one,
he could use it to bind the Nine-Tails,
gaining a power beyond imagination.
But Devil Fruits were incredibly rare.
Even after an entire year at sea, fighting countless pirates,
El had never once managed to find one.
And now—suddenly—one was right in front of him.
"This is all a misunderstanding!" Anos pleaded desperately.
"Take the treasure, take the Devil Fruit—just spare my life!"
His smile was uglier than tears.
If he could go back, he'd rather die than let his crew fire on El's ship.
Because now, his greed had cost him everything.
He had spent years gathering his hoard—
jewels, gold, and that precious Devil Fruit that could have made him rich for life.
But El only smiled faintly.
"If I kill you, won't all of that be mine anyway?"
Slash!
El's arm flexed, veins bulging. He brought his blade down with a thunderous force.
Boom!!!
The sword cleaved through Anos's Armament-hardened arms,
splitting them open despite the black coating of Haki.
"GAAAH!!! You bastard!!!" Anos screamed, pulling his arms back instinctively in agony.
El's eyes narrowed.
"It's over."
The moment Anos's defense faltered,
El's blade flashed like lightning.
Shing!
One clean strike—
And the captain of the ship was split neatly in half.
Blood sprayed across the deck.
A crimson mist hung in the air.
"C-Captain… the captain's dead!"
"We shouldn't have provoked that monster!"
"W-We're doomed… we're all going to die next!"
"Damn it! It's all the helmsman's fault! If he hadn't steered us toward that man,
we'd have sold the Devil Fruit and lived like kings!"
The surviving pirates screamed in despair.
Moments ago, they had dreamed of riches—
now all that awaited them was death.
Their proud captain, the 300-million-Berries Anos,
had been crushed like an insect.
None of them stood a chance.
Slash!!!
A single sweep of El's blade.
A streak of silver light.
The air split open—
and every pirate's head hit the deck at once.
Silence.
Then, in his mind—
Ding! Congratulations, host. You have gained 20 Sage Body Progress Points.
After the battle, the system's calm voice echoed in El's consciousness.
There were only two ways to strengthen the Sage Body:
the first was through training—
the second, through battle against powerful foes.
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