I stood back, arms crossed, watching as Akane tore through the marines with her bare hands. Her strikes were brutal, efficient, and disturbingly calculated. The commander glared at me, clutching the bleeding stump where his hand used to be. Despite his fury, he made no move toward me. He wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight with someone he couldn't hope to defeat. He knew who I am.
"Sword King," he hissed through clenched teeth, his voice shaking. "What the hell are you doing here?"
I didn't bother looking at him, keeping my eyes on Akane as she dismantled his men. "Does it really matter? You're all going to die anyway."
Her fighting style intrigued me. Akane's raw strength was astonishing, even for someone who'd been a captive for years. Her movements weren't refined like a trained fighter's, but they were deliberate, almost instinctive.
Kaido and Yamato, the only other oni I knew of, were purely offensive fighters who basically discarded their defenses. It was because of their natural biological defenses. I mean Kaido would've been a lot stronger fighter if he bothered to dodge once in a while. Akane, however, was different. Her skin wasn't as tough as theirs, but her regeneration... now that was something else entirely.
I watched in fascination as fresh wounds—sword slashes, bullet holes—closed before my eyes. The flesh seemed to knit itself back together, as though time itself reversed for her body. It was eerie and unnatural. Was this a mutation? A byproduct of the experiments they'd subjected her to? I'd have to ask her later.
Her fighting was feral but controlled. Like a berserker, she ignored non-lethal wounds and pressed forward, her pain tolerance unbelievably high. Yet even in this state, she avoided hits to her vitals with calculated movements. This level of self-awareness, combined with her natural strength, made her extraordinary.
I smirked to myself. With proper training, I could turn her into an unkillable warrior. She was an unrefined gem, and I'd be a fool to pass up the chance to shape her potential. But she had to want this—an unwilling crewmate was worse than useless.
Akane finished the massacre in under two minutes. Blood pooled around her feet, soaking the earth in a gruesome red. The only survivor was the commander, trembling amidst the carnage. His face was pale, his earlier bravado shattered.
He tried to bluster through his fear, shouting, "Do you know what you've done? Do you know who controls this hideout?"
"Most likely Saint Saturn," I replied impassively, still not looking at him.
His jaw dropped. "How... how do you know that?"
I gave him a bored glance. "Vegapunk doesn't experiment on unwilling subjects. Caesar doesn't work for you anymore. With this level of funding and technology, that leaves the Celestial Dragons or the elders. Saint Saturn has a reputation for human experimentation and collecting rare species, so it wasn't hard to figure out."
The commander's bravado crumbled further. "Then... then you'll let me go, right? The World Government will hunt you down if you kill me!"
His words made me laugh. "You think the Celestial Dragons care about you? You're a tool, nothing more. And I'm a pirate—why should I care what the World Government thinks?"
The realization broke him completely. He slumped to his knees, muttering incoherently, as I turned my gaze to Akane.
Her rage had subsided, her eyes now calm and focused.
"Don't you want to kill him?" I asked her.
She shrugged. "It doesn't matter if I kill him or not."
My curiosity piqued. "Why?"
"He's just an expendable piece. If I kill him, someone else will take his place tomorrow. That's how the system works."
"You're not wrong. But I'm curious." My eyes turned serious as I spoke. I have found that people are most honest when they truly fear for their life. And I'll not be having a weak-willed person in my crew. So, I unleashed my conqueror's haki. The pressure of my dominance bore down on Akane like a tidal wave. She was startled for a second and even her knees buckled. But she clenched her fists, teeth gritted, and held her ground.
Good. Someone who cannot even survive under my haki doesn't deserve to be on my crew.
"What do you really want to achieve?" I asked, my voice low and commanding.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, slowly, a grin spread across her face.
"I want to destroy the system," she said, her voice filled with venom. "I want to show the world what my wrath looks like. I want to be strong—strong enough that no one will ever think about imprisoning me again. Strong enough to change the entire world."
Her words resonated with a raw, primal ambition that made my grin widen.
"Destroying the system, huh?" I said, chuckling. "You're ambitious. I like that."
I extended my hand to her. "Join me, Akane. Join me, and I'll show you how to be strong. Join me, and I'll make sure no one dares to oppress you again. Join me, and become The Sin of Wrath."
----------
That night, explosions echoed across the lawless zones of Sabaody Archipelago. The drunks and addicts barely noticed, while pirates assumed it was another bizarre Marine operation. Marines, in turn, dismissed it as pirates being chaotic. Nobody investigated—the unspoken rule of the lawless zone was simple: mind your own business.
It worked in our favor. The destruction of the hideout went unnoticed by most. Of course, Saint Saturn likely knew of my involvement already. The hideout had been riddled with video transponder snails, recording everything. Yet, I wasn't hiding anymore.
The World Government wouldn't act openly. They couldn't. Mobilizing Kizaru—the only available admiral—wasn't in their best interest. They knew I could match, if not surpass, an admiral in strength. Sending a weaker force would be suicide, so they'd likely dismiss the incident as a "malfunction" to save face. For all their power, the World Government was predictably cautious.
Akane and I walked toward Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, talking along the way. It was our first real chance to learn about each other. She revealed that she was half-oni, half-human, and her extraordinary regeneration wasn't a product of experiments but a natural gift.
I was relieved. I'd heard enough about the World Government's "science" to know their experiments rarely ended well. If her regeneration had been artificially induced, there'd likely be horrific side effects. Knowing it was natural meant it was an asset with no strings attached.
The conversation shifted as Akane's wariness began to fade. She wasn't fully relaxed but had decided I wasn't a threat to her life. That loosened her tongue.
"So, do you always use weird tactics to recruit people?" she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Well, you're the first one," I replied nonchalantly.
"What?" Her brows furrowed. "Please don't tell me it's just the two of us in this so-called crew?"
"Yup. You're my first recruit."
She stared at me, incredulous. "How does someone as strong as you not already have a crew? Why didn't you start recruiting earlier?"
"I've been... busy," I said, avoiding her gaze.
Her skeptical look said everything she thought about that excuse. And honestly, she wasn't wrong. I needed to get my act together. Blackbeard and Ace had built formidable crews, and I'd be a fool to face them alone. No matter how strong I was, being outnumbered by powerful foes would mean trouble.
"Don't worry," I said, waving off her concerns. "If everything goes according to plan, a very strong individual will join us soon. His loyalty might not be entirely toward me, but he'll be a valuable ally in the short run."
"But that's still only three people," Akane argued. "What can three people even do?"
"Ah, Akane," I said, smirking. "So naïve. In this world, even one person can change everything. Haven't you ever heard of Gold Roger?"
She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Sure, but didn't he have one of the strongest crews on the sea when he became Pirate King?"
Her sharp reply hit harder than I liked. Closing my eyes, I groaned. "You're no fun."
She shrugged, a small smirk tugging at her lips. "I'm just being honest. Can't let my new captain live with delusions, now can I?"
Her tone was impassive, but I could see the glint of amusement in her eyes. She was enjoying this.
"Let's just get going. Shakky closes up after midnight," I muttered.
As we approached the bar, I spotted Shakky standing outside, her cigarette glowing in the dim light. Her sharp eyes locked onto me, her lips curling into a knowing smirk.
"You bring trouble wherever you go, Zephyr," she said, exhaling smoke.
"At least say hello first," I shot back.
Her gaze shifted to Akane, curiosity flickering in her expression. "And who's this young lady?"
"This is Akane," I said, gesturing toward her. "She's my new crewmate." Then, turning to Akane, I added, "Akane, this is Shakky. She's a friend of mine."
Shakky's sharp eyes softened as she nodded in greeting. "Nice to meet you, Akane."
"Now that introductions are done," I said, glancing around, "we should head inside. Cipher Pol won't take long to come sniffing around."
Shakky tilted her head. "What exactly have you gotten yourself into this time?"
I smiled but said nothing, pushing open the door to the bar.