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[Ding! Activating the hidden function [Map]]
Kaizen's eyes suddenly went dark. If it weren't for the image of a small island in the middle of the black screen, Kaizen would have thought that the system had crashed.
After a moment, Kaizen realized that although he had activated the system, he had not yet explored the area, so only his own coordinates were displayed on the map, along with the coordinates of the permanent pointer he had just obtained.
Before leaving, Kaizen looked carefully to ensure he hadn't missed anything. Only then did he feel at ease to drive his small boat away from the scene. It wasn't that Kaizen lacked interest in the warship, but it was too large for him to handle, and it would attract too much attention. He might be detained by the navy before even reaching the naval school.
Thus, Kaizen had learned basic driving and basic swordsmanship through the system. The points for basic swordsmanship and basic driving weren't many—only ten points each. After learning them, Kaizen developed a preliminary sense of wind direction, ocean currents, etc., and could easily steer the boat. After learning swordsmanship, Kaizen felt a new connection with the samurai sword, as if he had a better understanding of the art.
With a samurai sword in hand, Kaizen drove his boat out to sea, full of hope for his future.
Pirates didn't seem to be rampant at the moment. In Kaizen's opinion, he should be in the early stages of One Piece, and Luffy probably hadn't set out to sea yet. That was reassuring, but Kaizen wondered what would happen if he ended up in a time far removed from Luffy's journey. He quickly dismissed the thought—he didn't need Luffy, but he certainly didn't want to miss out on the beauties of this world.
Being in the early stages meant he had the chance to make his mark. Maybe he could even joke with Ace: "Be my son!" He chuckled at the thought.
Just as Kaizen was lost in his fantasy, he suddenly noticed that the sun seemed to be blocked. A large ship appeared, and Kaizen noticed a scraggly skeleton hanging from the sail. It was... unaesthetic.
What? Skeleton? Pirates! Run!
But where could he escape to on the vast sea? Kaizen quickly realized that he had no choice but to submit to the pirate ship's tyranny. The captain was a bearded man with a large belly. From his boasting, Kaizen deduced that the captain's bounty was five million. It was unlikely that there would be pirates with bounties that high in the early Grand Line, but in this stage, bounties were still lower. After learning the bounty, Kaizen felt more confident in his judgment.
Kaizen knew he couldn't defeat the pirates now. He was originally an unarmed person from a civilized world, and after eating the Devil Fruit and absorbing the death energy of the brigadier general, his strength was only barely at one million at most. The colonel's abilities were likely not that weak.
However, first, according to his diary, the brigadier general's strength had been weakening before his death. Second, Kaizen hadn't fully absorbed and digested his abilities. Third, and most importantly, Kaizen couldn't use a sword! Although he had just learned basic swordsmanship, ten points in swordsmanship only allowed him to go from someone who couldn't use a sword to someone who could. It was a far cry from being an expert.
So, Kaizen decided to observe the situation. If the pirates decided to kill him, he would have no choice but to use his life-saving skill, [Escape from the Shell], to save himself. If they spared him, he could just wait and watch. After all, [Escape from the Shell] only had five uses, and Kaizen didn't want to waste them on such trivial matters.
"Ha ha ha, I thought he was someone else, but it turns out he's just a victim. It's unbelievable that he doesn't even have a Berrie!" The bearded captain laughed loudly. He had no idea that Kaizen's Berries and the samurai sword were already hidden in the warehouse.
"Boy! Do you want to live? If you do, kneel down and beg me!" The captain said, glaring at Kaizen with his cloudy old eyes.
"Fuck you! Beg you? You're daydreaming!" Although Kaizen had intended to endure, he couldn't stand the thought of begging. He'd rather use his life-saving skill.
"Oh? You're not afraid of death?" The captain narrowed his eyes, drawing a waist knife from one of his men and slowly bringing it across Kaizen's neck. Kaizen's complexion was unnaturally fair, even more so than a woman's, giving him an oddly charming appearance.
Kaizen stared at the captain with hawk-like eyes, showing no fear, but he remained silent.
"Captain, we don't have many workers on board, don't be too impulsive!" At that moment, a bespectacled man in a slim suit appeared beside the captain. Based on the respectful demeanor of the other crew members, it was clear this man held a high status on the ship.
"Hmph! I'll let you go this time!" The captain grunted, tossing his sword to one of his men and leaving the deck with the bespectacled man.
Kaizen was taken aboard the pirate ship to do odd jobs. The crew members, eager to harass him, quickly realized Kaizen's strength was far beyond theirs. He had only been captured because he couldn't face the captain directly. In time, Kaizen's power would be recognized, and the pirates hoped he might eventually become an officer aboard their ship.
The minions stopped mistreating Kaizen and began flattering him, thinking that one day he might become an officer on the ship. But they could never have predicted that the captain would be killed the very next day, along with himself.
Night fell, and on the vast ocean, the only sounds were the waves hitting the boat and the mournful cries of seabirds perched on the boat's poles.
As the dark clouds passed over the bright moon, Kaizen stepped out cautiously. Through a gap in the cabin door, he saw the bearded captain and the bespectacled man already asleep at their desks.
Kaizen couldn't help but feel smug, "No matter how skilled your martial arts are, you can't resist my love potion."
Although he had only been on the ship for half a day, Kaizen had already figured out that the only people who could threaten him were the captain and the bespectacled man, whose bounty was reportedly two million. Kaizen knew he couldn't defeat them yet, so he devised a plan.
The system's store had many items—poisons, aphrodisiacs, and even potions to turn a fierce woman into a submissive one. The poison Kaizen selected cost him ten points, and according to the description, it was perfect for dealing with pirates with bounties under 30 million. Kaizen reasoned that if it worked on pirates with bounties that high, it should certainly work on those with bounties of five million.
Using the flattery from the minions, Kaizen managed to sneak into the kitchen and put the colorless, odorless love drug in the food, making sure to leave no trace.
He knocked on the cabin door first, just in case the potion didn't work. He didn't want to risk his life. But when he heard nothing except the captain's thunderous snoring, he knew the potion had worked.
With a relieved sigh, Kaizen pulled the samurai sword from the system and entered the cabin, moving swiftly like the wind. He first slashed fiercely at the bearded captain's neck.
The samurai sword was incredibly sharp, cutting through the pirate's neck effortlessly, blood flowing along the blade.
[Ding! The host killed the pirate and received 50 points.]
Without time to savor the reward, Kaizen turned to the bespectacled man and quickly ended his life with a precise strike. The system chimed in with [Reward: 20 points].
The two slashes took mere seconds, but for Kaizen, it felt like an eternity. Blood stained his shirt, and there were traces of it on his neck.
With the pirate captain's loud snoring silenced, the cabin became eerily quiet. But Kaizen's hands were shaking. He looked at the two headless corpses, a mixture of emotions swirling within him. He had killed someone! In his previous world, he had never even killed a chicken. Now, in this world, he had killed two men in just a few days.
But Kaizen quickly reassured himself. In this world, it was kill or be killed. He tried to convince himself that the people here were just illusions. He wasn't truly killing anyone.
Finally, Kaizen regained his composure. Yes, in this world, if you wanted to survive, you had to step over the corpses of others. His eyes hardened. He saw two dark purple clouds hovering over the corpses. These were their death auras. Unlike the death energy of the navy, this was fresher and carried an unwillingness to accept death.
Kaizen didn't hesitate. The sailors had no reason to stay now that their captain was dead. He didn't need them anymore.
Tonight, it seemed, was destined to be a night of bloodshed.
"Ahhh!"
The shrill scream of a sailor echoed across the ship, waking the seabirds. One after another, wailing cries filled the air. The sound of screams reverberated across the lonely sea, sending a chill down Kaizen's spine.
But Kaizen paid no mind. His ears were filled with the ding of the system rewards.
Of course, the pirates resisted. They picked up weapons, ranging from swords to flintlock rifles, and tried to fight back. But Kaizen found that the more they resisted, the more potential he unlocked within himself.