Chapter 5: Pirate Warfare
Pirate duels, battles, brawls, warsâthey were always fights for survival.
Once swords were drawn and triggers pulled, there was no mercyâjust a ruthless fight to the death.
Cannons roared, ships clashed, and steel met steel in close combat.
But when pirates fought pirates⌠the usual rules didnât apply.
"GURARARARAâŚ!"
"Whaâ?! What the hell?! Whatâs he doing?!"
A giant with a white mustache, standing on our ship, suddenly punched the air in front of him.
To the untrained eye, it made no sense. A normal manâs punch wouldnât do anything to empty air.
But this man was anything but normal.
"!!? The airâitâs cracking?!"
"Oi, you idiots!! MOVE!!"
"Huhâ?!"
Before the enemy crew could react, the space in front of Whitebeardâs fist shattered.
Multiple men doubled over as if struck by an invisible forceâarmor splintered, weapons shattered, eyes rolling back as they were thrown into the air.
Those who knew Whitebeardâand even those who didnâtâunderstood instantly.
This was the power of a Devil Fruit.
"Tch⌠Close the distance! Weâre sitting ducks out here!"
"Shitâhere it comes again!! Dodge!!"
"Dodge what?! Whereâs the attack evenâ?!"
Another punch. Another wave of force.
Screams erupted from the enemy ship as bodies were hurled like ragdolls.
"GURARARARAâŚ! Watch yourselves, bratsâŚ!! I ainât in a good mood todayâŚ!!"
Whitebeard grinned, swinging his fists and
, sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.His expression twisted between amusement and irritationâclearly pissed at something his own crew had done.
Pitiful. He loved a good fight, but his own allies could still piss him off.
The secret behind his power?
The Gura Gura no Miâthe Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allowed him to control vibrations, shaking the world itself.
A "Tremor Human."
With it, he could fracture the air, unleash devastating shockwaves, and send enemies flyingâwithout even boarding their ship.
One enemy vessel was already in chaos, thanks to him.
But there were still more ships. More enemies.
And Whitebeard wasnât the only monster on our side.
"HA~HAHAHA MAMAMAMAâŚ!!"
"Whaâ?! That womanâsheâs coming across the water!"
"Sheâs riding⌠a cloud?!"
A beautiful woman raced toward an enemy ship, standing atop a sentient cloud.
Beside her floated a small, sun-like flameâalso with a face.
"Hey, Mama! Where should we hit âem? Where?!"
"Dumbass, Zeus! Obviously here!"
"MAMAMAMA⌠Thatâs right, Zeus. Your job is to carry me. Prometheus handles the attacks⌠HA~HAHAHA MAMAMAMAâŚ!! Ready?!"
"âYES, MAMA!!â"
The cloudâZeus. The flameâPrometheus.
Charlotte Linlin grabbed Prometheus with her right hand, her grin widening as she closed in.
"You bitch⌠Linlin! Coming at us alone?! Die!!"
"HAHAHA! Stupid! Youâre the ones dying todayâŚ!!!"
With that, she swung Prometheus down onto the deckâ
"âHeavenly Fire: Prometheusâ Wrath!!!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
Flames engulfed the ship, turning sailors to ash.
Not a complete wipeoutâbut unless they put out the fire fast, they were done for.
And with Linlin now onboard⌠they wouldnât get the chance.
"Guh⌠You damnâ!! Iâll kill you!!"
"HA~HAHAHA MAMAMAMA!! Kill me? Donât make me laugh!!!"
Sword in hand, flanked by Zeus and Prometheus, she dove into battle.
Her power? Another Devil Fruitâthe Soru Soru no Mi.
The Soul-Soul Fruit.
She could steal lifespans, infuse souls into objects, and create sentient homies like Zeus and Prometheus.
A woman who controlled the weather itselfâfeared across the seas.
But the monsters didnât stop there.
"WHAAAAAT?! Whatâs happening?!"
"The shipâitâs flying?!"
Another enemy vessel lurched upward, lifting clean out of the water.
"Tch⌠This abilityâ!! Itâs Shiki!!"
"JIHAHAHAHAâŚ!! Got it in one! Guess Iâm too famous for my own good!"
Golden-haired, laughing madlyâthe "Golden Lion," Shiki.
A pirate who flew without wings.
"The Fuwa Fuwa no Miâthe Float-Float Fruit. JIHAHA⌠Consider it a free lesson before you drown."
"Damn youâŚ!!"
The ship tilted sidewaysâthen flipped upside down, plummeting into the sea.
Shikiâs power?
Gravity-defying control. He could float himselfâor anything he touched.
In naval combat, few abilities were more terrifying.
His enemies couldnât even fight back.
"Like hell Iâm lettinâ them have all the fun!! Iâm goinâ in too!!"
"Me too!! Heh heh heh⌠Time for a massacre!!"
"Damn itâ! Incoming! Devil Fruit users boarding!!"
But these three werenât the only monsters.
More fightersâsome with powers, some withoutâleapt onto enemy ships, blades flashing.
Cannons roared, countering enemy fire.
And finallyâthe enemy managed to close the gap.
Theyâd boarded us.
âŚThough "success" mightâve been an overstatement.
"Alright! Now I can finally take down the enemy directâGWAH!!?"
Before I could finish my declaration, an enemy crew member attempting to board our ship was sent flying.
The culprits? My own crewmatesâthe Rocks Pirates members who lacked ranged attacks and were itching for a fight.
"Heh heh hehâŚ!! Finally, I can slice these bastards up myself!!"
"Oi oi! If you donât wanna die, Iâll start with you!!"
"Worororo!! Let the best kind of war begin!!"
"Hyahaha! Letâs just kill âem allâenemy, ally, whatever!!"
âŚNo, you shouldnât be killing allies.
More concerning, though, was the fact that Kaidoâwhoâs still just a traineeâfit in with these bloodthirsty maniacs without a second thought. He wasnât the least bit out of place. Actually, he was blending in way too well.
And so, as an apprentice of the Rocks Pirates, I found myself thrown into yet another chaotic naval battle alongside my completely unhinged crewmates.
Honestly? I was just glad they were on my side. If I had to fight them, Iâd be terrified.
And the real problem? Once close combat started, things spiraled out of control almost instantly. Like, for example:
"!? Oi, you bastard! Quit attacking while Iâm in the way!!"
"Hah!? Not my problem! If you couldnât dodge, thatâs your fault! Hell, why donât you just die too!?"
"DIE!!!"
"GUH!?"
âŚYeah. As you can see, friendly fire is just another Tuesday for this crew. Sure, theyâre taking out the enemy, but theyâre also casually smacking each other around.
Kaido, in particular, was swinging his club like a madman. Iâm pretty sure he just knocked out one of our own guys without even realizing it.
But despite the chaos, we still had the overwhelming advantage. Everyone was so insanely strong that fighting solo actually worked.
âŚWell, as long as we won, I guess that was fine. If this battle wrapped up quickly, I could just relax for a bitâ
"Oi! We finally managed to board their ship! Now then⌠that brat over there! Youâre first! DIEâ!!"
"WhaâNOOOO!!!??"
At the rear of the ship, where I had been quietly spectating from the shadows of the sails, an enemy finally spotted me.
Oh, come on! I really donât want to fight a real pirate yet!
"! âDark Cloudâ!!"
"Huh!? What the hell is this black mist!? Is this brat a Devil Fruit user!?"
"Not telling! Bye-bye!"
I activated my ability, shrouding the area in darkness to blind my opponent. That should keep me safe for now. Time to slip away while I had the chanceâ
"Worororo!! Nice one, Nue!! Now itâs even easier to kill âem!!"
"Hah!? The apprentice has a handy little ability, huh!? Heh, not bad!!"
"Alright, letâs slaughter âem all! MOVE OUT!!"
"W-Waitâ!"
"OHHH!!!"
Before I could stop them, Kaido and the others charged straight into the black mist, swinging their weapons at anything that moved. A few seconds later, enemy bodies started flying out of the cloud.
"âŚWell, whatever. Some of them probably have Haki and can see anyway. As long as they take care of the enemies, thatâs fine. Alright, Iâll just sit back and cheer them onâ"
"Oi! Who the hell just attacked me!? You must be an enemy! DIE!!"
"Shut up! Who the hell are you!? Canât see shit in this mist, but Iâll kill you anyway! DIE!!"
"Wait, YOU CANâT EVEN SEE!? THEN WHY DID YOU JUMP IN!?"
I instinctively yelled at them. If you canât see, donât enter the fog!!
"âHonestly⌠watching the way you, our little trainee, cheer on your crewmates as they kill each other⌠Youâve got a wicked personality, donât you?"
"Whaâ?! No, thatâs notâ!"
"No need to deny it. Compared to the rest of us, thatâs pretty tame. Well then, Iâll be off! Wait for me, Rocks!"
Before I could argue, Gloriosaâone of my crewmatesâwinked at me, then jumped straight into the mist, cutting down enemies as she disappeared.
âŚWait. I was trying to help, but now she thinks I was encouraging friendly fire?
And she ran off before I could clear up the misunderstanding.
Actually, now that I think about it⌠doesnât that mean Iâm technically contributing to both enemy kills and team kills? And I was just standing here, smiling and cheering while doing itâŚ
Yeah, I really need to explain myself later. If I donât, Iâll end up getting labeled as some demonic little gremlin who enjoys watching people kill each other from the sidelines.
But⌠looking at the battle now⌠my abilityâs side effect seems to be working surprisingly well. Since our own crewmates rushed in blindly, the enemies got confused and started attacking each other too.
âŚHuh. This might actually be useful. Maybe I should keep this in mind for later.
"And since I can see through my own mist, maybe I could use it for stealth kills, tooâ"
Oh, no. Thatâs a bad idea. A really bad idea.
Why am I even thinking like this!? I never used to have thoughts like this before!
I mean, sure, I am a pirate now, so technically itâs not wrong⌠well, okay, it is wrong, but not for me.
Ugh. Itâs only been a week, and Iâm already getting corrupted by the Rocks Piratesâ way of thinkingâŚ
"ââTransformation FairendelââŚâŚâŚâŚâGourmet Feastâ!!!"
"GUAH!? What the hell!? The ship just turned into CREAM!?"
"SHIT!! Weâre sinking!!!"
And while I was lost in thought, yet another enemy ship was going down.
Wow. Thatâs brutal.
That mustâve been the work of Streusen, our shipâs cookâalso known as the âGourmet Knight.â His Kuku Kuku no Mi lets him transform anything into food. A Paramecia-type ability.
Streusen used to be part of a pirate crew with Charlotte Linlin. Heâs a small, elderly man, but an incredible chef. Seriously, heâs almost as short as me. Iâll probably outgrow him soon.
Despite his size, heâs just as terrifying as the rest of the crew. With his saber, he slices through enemies while transforming entire ships into ingredientsâcompletely dooming anyone on board.
âŚNot gonna lie, though. Food made from his ability doesnât actually taste that great. His cooking, though? Absolutely amazing.
Still, his power is insanely useful for the Rocks Pirates, considering how huge this crew is. No matter what happens, weâll never run out of food.
Not that we ever seem to run low on regular supplies anywayâŚ
"DIE, YOU BASTARD!!!"
"Whaâ!? The dragon justâ!?"
Ah. Kaidoâs transformed and going all out. I should probably cheer him on. Go for it! The enemyâs not that strong⌠probably.
Sigh. Alright then.
"Hmm⌠Looks like itâs almost overâ"
"âDONâT GET COCKY, YOU SHIT!!!"
"âGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?"
"!!?"
A sudden roar, followed by a deafening impact, sent a violent tremor through the deck. My body jerked in surprise.
What the hell was that?
I hopped over to get a better lookâonly to find, unexpectedly, a good number of our crew already down.
"âRocks!! If I kill you, the rest wonât even matter!!!"
"âGEHAHAHAHA⌠So your crewâs gettinâ disrespected too, huh? My guys have already wrecked most of yours⌠You really think you can turn this around now!?"
Whoa⌠wait, thatâs the enemy captainâŚ?
There, standing face-to-face with Captain Rocks, was a massive man wearing a pirate hat marked with the enemyâs insignia.
Around them, our fallen crewmates groaned in pain, clearly taken out by this guy alone.
His face twisted in rage, while Rocks stood there grinning, his presence dominating the scene.
Wait⌠this guyâs actually strong? We already crushed two other pirate crews before this, and both fights ended in seconds.
For a battle to last this longâand even reach a captain vs. captain showdownâwas insane. Rocks didnât even bother fighting those last two times.
"SHUT UP!!! You stole everything from meâmy crew, my ship⌠all of it! You think Iâll let this injustice stand!?"
"GEHAHAHA! The hell you yappinâ about!? Donât throw around childish words like âinjusticeâ out here on the sea!! Injustice! The unexpected!! Absurdity!! Thatâs all just part of the deal! If you canât handle bad luck, you shouldnât have set sail in the first place!! This is the sea for pirates who enjoy that kinda chaos!"
"GuhâŚ!! ROCKSâŚ!!"
Damn⌠Rocks is brutal. Is he just too good at trash talk? Or is this guy weak? Either way, the sheer pressure was on a whole different level.
But the enemy captain wasnât backing downâ
"âŚNo matter what you say, Iâm taking you down with meâŚ!!"
"OhhhâŚ? Eatinâ somethinâ fun, are ya⌠A Natural Logia, huh?"
Rocks smirked as the enemyâs body started to shift. A chill ran down my spine.
Thatâs a LogiaâŚ
"âThatâs right. I ate the Meta-Meta Fruit. Iâm a liquid metal man. Rocks⌠You think you can beat me!?"
"GEHAHAHA⌠You really think Logia users are invincible?"
"Even with Haki, I still have the advantage⌠I can use Haki too!!"
"That soâŚ? Thenâgive it your best shot!!!"
The enemy, now molten mercury, surged forward. Rocks drew his sword and charged to meet him.
And just like thatâthe real fight began.
I stood frozen, eyes locked on the insane battle before me. That power⌠I recognized it.
Logia users become their elements. Sand turns to sand. Fire turns to fire. Lightning turns to lightning.
Thatâs what makes them so hard to hit. Physical attacks just phase through.
The only way to hurt a Logia user? Exploit their elemental weakness⌠or use Haki.
And Hakiâitâs more than just a counter to Devil Fruits. Itâs the fighting style of the monsters who rule these seas.
"!!!"
"GhâŚ!!?"
"Eeek!?"
A sound like dozens of cannon blasts shook the air.
I yelped and stumbled backâalongside every other weak-willed idiot on deck.
That pressure. That weight.
Rocksâ monstrous Haki was suffocating.
And in that instant, I saw it.
The enemy captain hardened his liquid metal body, layering it with pitch-black Haki.
But it didnât matter.
Rocksâ Haki-coated cutlass cut straight through that armored Logia formâlike slicing through butter.
"GEHAHAHA⌠Close one⌠A little more force and I mightâve accidentally killed yaâŚ!! Hurts like hell, but you can take it, right? Weak as you are, youâre still a captainâŚ! GEHAHAHAHA!!!"
"Damn⌠youâŚ! Hah⌠HahâŚ!!"
And he wasnât even seriousâŚ?
Thatâs⌠terrifying. Our captain, I mean.
Itâs reassuring as an ally. And since weâre winning, itâs kinda fun to watch. But even soâthis sent chills down my spine. Two kinds of chills. A mix of awe and fear.
And he still didnât kill him⌠Which means⌠heâs gonna do that again, isnât he?
"âThe hellâre you doinâ, Nue."
"GYAH!? WhaâKaido!? Ugh, donât scare me like that!!"
"Youâre just jumpy. I just talked to you from behind."
"Thatâs exactly what scaring someone meaâwait, more importantly⌠Look, the captainâs at it againâŚ"
I didnât even turnâjust flicked my eyes toward Rocks. Kaido followed my gaze and grinned.
"UORORORO⌠âRecruitment,â huh?"
Yeah⌠Recruitment.
Rocks loomed over the enemy pirateâbleeding, barely breathingâand smirked down at him.
"âŚAlright then, Iâll ask ya straight⌠You wanna join my crew?"
"âŚ! Like hell⌠Hah⌠Iâd ever⌠Hah⌠follow youâŚ!"
"âŚâŚâŚâŚGEHAHA⌠I see⌠Well, canât be helped⌠A pirateâs pride⌠Iâll respect your choiceâŚ"
"�"
Ah⌠He refused.
Thatâs it, then. Itâs over.
This happened before. In one of the last two battles.
When Rocks makes this offer and gets rejected, he always pauses. Laughs a little. Acts like heâs letting it go.
The crew knows better than to fall for it.
Because everyone here knowsâ
"â!!?"
âRocks never lets it slide.
Gunshots rang out.
Rocks was the one firing. His target was exactly who we all expected.
"GEHAHA⌠You refusedâŚ!? MY⌠DOMINATION!!!"
"Guh⌠Ah⌠Rocks⌠you basâAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!?"
"TchâŚ!"
His expression twisted into something vicious. The sheer force of his presenceâhis Hakiâshook the ship.
Pure rage.
But also⌠excitement.
He drove his cutlass into the pirateâs gut, leaning in with a growlâ
"I hate shitheads who wonât live under my rule!!! âYou get that!?"
"G-GahâŚ! S-StopâŚ!!"
Finally, the enemy pirate begged for mercy.
But Rocks wouldnât stop. Couldnât stop.
For those who reject his ruleâthereâs only one end.
Slaughter.
"If youâd just bowed your head and accepted my rule, Iâd have given you freedom⌠Been generous evenâŚ! But if you wonât submitâTHEN ITâS A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY!!! âHEY, YOU BASTARDS!!"
â!â
At the sound of Rocksâ voice, every single person on the ship turned to listen. No one could ignore it. And so, every last member of the Rocks Piratesâupon hearing their captainâs wordsâmoved without hesitation.
âKill every last one of the remaining enemies!!! Make them regret not accepting my rule!!!â
âOOOOOOHH!! This time, itâs a total massacre!!â
âWell then, letâs get to killing already!!â
A thunderous roar of excitement erupted from the crew.
The enemies who survived their battle were supposed to be spared. That is⌠if they had accepted the captainâs invitation.
But now that Rocks had rejected them, their fates were sealedâalong with those of their subordinates.
âWaaaah!! I get it! Iâll join you! Just stopâGyaaahhh!!â
âP-please, spare me⌠I wonât fight anymoreâGuaaahhh!!!â
âS-stop⌠the crew⌠they have nothing to do with thisâŚ!!â
Desperate screams and dying cries rang out from every direction.
The enemy captain, battered and broken, watched in horror as his crew was slaughtered before his eyes. His body trembled. His breath came in ragged gasps. And thenâhis knees buckled.
Tears streaked down his bloodied face.
âPlease⌠no moreâŚ!!â
But Rocks just smirked.
His voice, cold and mocking, cut through the chaos.
âGihahahaha!! Thatâs not how this works!! If the captain refuses, the crew follows him straight to hellâŚ!! Canât have survivors coming back for revenge, now, can I? And besidesââ
ââŚ!?â
Rocks paused.
The carnage continued around him, but for a moment, he stood stillâwatching the trembling man in front of him.
Then, with slow, deliberate steps, he closed the distance between them.
And in one breath, he whispered:
âI hate those who reject my rule⌠but thatâs exactly whyâkilling them is my favorite thing in the world.â
â!!? Gahââ
A sickening crunch.
Rocksâ left hand plunged into the enemy captainâs chest.
Whether it was infused with Haki, or whether the man had simply run out of strength to resistâit didnât matter.
Rocksâ fingers closed around something vital. And thenâhe crushed it.
The manâs lifeless body crumpled to the floor.
Rocks withdrew his arm, shaking off the blood that coated his hand. Then, gripping his cutlassâits blade slick with redâhe stood tall.
And with the widest grin heâd worn all day, he let out his loudest, most triumphant laugh.
âGIHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Now, letâs begin the fun partâDOMINATION!!! Those who wonât submit will get the gift of âdeathââa rule theyâll follow in hell!!! GIHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!â
ââŚâŚâŚâŚâ
I stood there, frozen. Unable to look away.
Rocks.
A force of cruelty. Of malice. Of absolute, unchecked arrogance.
A man who sought to rule allâand eradicated those who refused to be ruled.
This⌠was the true nature of Rocks D. Xebec.
The most dangerous pirate on the seas.
Out of the two battles weâd fought since setting sail, one had ended exactly like this. The other⌠well, the enemy had accepted his offer. They were aboard our ship now, watching this unfoldâfaces drained of color, hands trembling at their sides.
And anyone who had ever seen Rocks in actionâpirate or notâwould say the same thing.
They would call him a devil.
The same name etched onto his bounty poster.
âDemon of the SeaââRocks D. Xebec.Bounty⌠1,969,000,000 Berries.
That was before he even formed this crewâback when he was a pirate alone.
A number that reflected the sheer threat he posed all on his own.
And now that he had an entire crew behind him⌠there was no telling how much it would rise.
At this moment in history, no pirate had a bounty higher than his.
Even among piratesâhe was a terror beyond reckoning.
And yetâŚ
Even as cold sweat rolled down my backâ
âeven as I watched this monster before meâ
âI felt something at the corners of my mouth.
A twitch.
A slow, involuntary pull.
A smile.
Was it admiration? Was it fear twisting itself into something else?
I didnât know.
All I knew wasâ
ââŚHeâs as insane as everâŚâ
âHe really is⌠Thatâs our captain, alright.â
Standing beside me, Kaido muttered as we both watched the carnage unfold.
And just like me, even as sweat dripped down his faceâ
âKaido wore a grin.
"That weird power⌠what the hell is it?"
"Ah⌠you mean Haki?"
I answered Kaidoâs question absentmindedlyâthen immediately regretted it.
Crap.
I knew exactly what was coming next.
Sure enough, Kaido turned to look at me, eyes sharp with interest.
"You know about it, Nue?"
"Ah⌠well, yeah. Iâve heard about it before."
It was the kind of answer that sounded like a lie, but was technically true.
I had heard about it.
That wasnât the problem.
The real problem was Kaidoâs next response.
"âThen teach me."
Knew youâd say thatâŚ
I let out a sigh. No point dodging it now.
"Alright, Iâll explain properly later, but for now⌠hmm, how do I put this? Itâs kind of like the power of a personâs âwillâ? Or maybe their life energy? Something like thatâitâs a technique that makes you way stronger."
Kaido furrowed his brows.
"âŚI donât really get it, but whatever. Can I use it?"
"Well⌠apparently, everyone has it, so probably. I couldnât, though."
"� That makes no sense. Why not?"
Right. Thatâs exactly where this conversation was bound to goâŚ
I sighed again, then shrugged.
"âŚHaki is something everyone has, but actually using it takes training. Not just anyone can pull it off. As for me⌠ahaha, I tried training, but I never managed to get it down, so I gave up~."
"âŚâŚâŚâŚ"
Kaido stayed silent, just staring at me.
I had no idea what he was thinking.
But yeah⌠Back when I was younger, Iâd experimented with all kinds of things, trying to strengthen myself. Haki was one of them.
I got nowhere.
I did manage to improve my Devil Fruit abilityâjust a little. But when it came to Haki? Not even a flicker.
I told myself it was because I was just a kid, that it couldnât be helpedâŚ
But deep down, I wondered if I just had no talent for it.
"Well, Iâm sure youâll figure it out, Kaido. Some people just awaken it in the middle of battleâ"
"âThen letâs train."
"Yeah, sounds good. âŚWait, huh?"
Something felt⌠off.
I wasnât even using my abilities right now, so why did I get this weird sense of unease?
I tilted my head, pressing a finger to my cheek in thought.
And thenâKaidoâs next words turned my suspicions into certainty.
"Letâs train together. Later."
"âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚExcuse me?"
Kaido flashed a wicked grin.
I stayed frozen, my smile stiffening, my head tilting even further.
A very bad feeling crept up my spine.
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