"Move it, you useless bastards! Help me now!" Anos bellowed at his crew, his confidence eroded by Kaito's unrelenting assault.
Though pride kept him from admitting it, Anos knew Kaito's strength was on an entirely different level. He was being crushed. And in the harsh world of pirates, defeat wasn't just humiliation—it was a death sentence.
"Don't just stand there! We've got the numbers! He can't take us all down!" one pirate yelled, rallying his comrades.
"That's right! Overwhelm him! He's just one man!"
"Charge! Take him out!"
Encouraged by their leader's desperation, the pirates charged at Kaito en masse, their weapons gleaming in the sunlight. The deck thundered under their boots as they closed in.
But Kaito didn't even flinch. He tilted his head slightly, a calm yet chilling expression on his face. "Strength isn't determined by numbers."
Before the pirates could reach him, a pressure filled the air. It was as if the atmosphere itself had thickened, dragging them down. That pressure quickly turned into a roaring wave of unseen force—Kaito's Conqueror's Haki.
"BOOM!"
The sheer weight of his will spread out from his body, slamming into the pirates like a tidal wave. Men froze mid-charge. Their weapons clattered to the deck as their knees buckled, their eyes rolling back. One by one, they collapsed in heaps.
"This is… this is Conqueror's Haki!" a remaining pirate stammered, barely able to stand.
"Only one in a million can awaken this! He's… he's not human—he's a monster!"
Those few still conscious were paralyzed with fear, unable to summon the will to fight.
Anos, now alone and shaking, took a desperate step back. "W-Wait! Let's talk this through. You don't have to kill me. You can be captain—I'll serve as your vice captain." His voice trembled, his usual bravado shattered.
Kaito's eyes narrowed, the cold amusement in them sharper than any blade. "You think you're qualified to stand next to me?"
Despite the fear gripping his chest, Anos forced a smile that quickly faltered. Sweat poured down his face, soaking his clothes. For the first time since becoming a pirate, he felt truly powerless.
"L-Look, we have a Devil Fruit on board," he stammered. "I'll give it to you. Just let me go!"
The mention of a Devil Fruit caught Kaito's attention. Though he had spent a year fighting his way through the New World, clashing with countless strong opponents to hone his Sage Body and Conqueror's Haki, a Devil Fruit had always eluded him. The power it offered was essential for his ultimate goal: binding the Nine Tails and unlocking its immense strength.
"Oh? A Devil Fruit, you say?" Kaito's tone was casual, but his eyes gleamed with interest.
"Y-Yes! It's yours! Just take it!" Anos begged, his voice breaking. "Treasure, Devil Fruit—whatever you want! It's all yours!"
Kaito tilted his head thoughtfully. "And if I kill you, wouldn't it all be mine anyway?"
"No, wait—!" Anos tried to plead, but Kaito's blade was already in motion.
"SLASH!"
With a single, decisive blow, Kaito's sword cleaved through Anos's defenses. The pirate's arms, once coated in Armament Haki, gave way, the dark sheen cracking under Kaito's superior strength.
"AAAHHH!" Anos screamed, his voice hoarse with pain. His arms fell limp, no longer able to block Kaito's strikes.
"It's over," Kaito said simply. He raised his sword and brought it down.
"SHING!"
Blood sprayed into the air. Anos's body collapsed, lifeless, onto the bloodied deck. The infamous pirate, once boasting a bounty of 300 million berries, was no more.
The remaining crew stood frozen, their faces pale with terror. "The captain… the captain's dead!"
"Why… why did we ever pick a fight with him? We're doomed!"
One pirate fell to his knees, clutching his head. "If only we hadn't attacked his ship… we'd still have the Devil Fruit… the treasure… everything!"
Their panic reached a fever pitch. Kaito turned his cold gaze on them, his blade still dripping with blood. In a single, fluid motion, he unleashed a powerful strike.
"SHHHH!!"
A sharp gust of wind followed the blade's arc, cutting through the crew like a scythe. The last of Anos's pirates fell silently, their heads separated from their bodies, their blood pooling on the ruined deck.
The ship was eerily quiet now, save for the gentle lapping of waves against its hull. Kaito lowered his sword, his breathing steady.
"Ding, congratulations to the Host for gaining 20 Sage Body progress." The system's voice rang clearly in his mind.
Another step forward. Another battle won. Kaito had no interest in the treasure or the lives he had taken. His only focus was on growing stronger, inching closer to mastering his Sage Body and unlocking the full potential of the power he sought.