Killer, the Slaughter Warrior, sat in the middle of the tavern, his twin scythes still dripping with blood.
Yet, the carnage didn't stop him from calmly slurping a bowl of udon. Long strands of noodles disappeared into the small mouth slit of his mask — he didn't even bother to take it off.
That was Killer — a man who could murder without blinking, yet still savor a meal through a blood-stained mask.
The main members of Kid's Pirate Crew all hailed from the same island.
Eustass Kid, Killer, Heat, and Wire — four gang leaders who once ruled different districts of their homeland's underground world.
Kid and Killer had even loved the same girl once. But when a horde of mountain bandits ravaged their town, that girl was killed.
Enraged beyond reason, Kid rallied Killer, Heat, and Wire — uniting the rival gangs to hunt down the country's most notorious bandit clan.
The ensuing battle was a massacre. Led by the ruthless Kid, they annihilated every last bandit.
From that day forward, the three others acknowledged Kid as their true boss.
With no home, no family, and nothing left to lose, Kid turned to the sea — seeking stronger enemies, fiercer battles, and the thrill of slaughter.
They sailed from the South Blue into the Grand Line, leaving a trail of blood behind them — pirates, Marines, even civilians.
Their brutality gave them one of the worst reputations among all rookie crews.
It was this merciless cruelty — the slaughter of innocents — that caused Kid's and Killer's bounties to skyrocket so fast.
Even intelligence brokers like Shakky and Vice Admiral Tsuru of the Marines despised the Kid Pirates.
And yet, this lawless, violent man — Kid — possessed something terrifying: the potential to awaken Conqueror's Haki.
That wild, domineering willpower made Killer and the rest follow him fanatically — loyal until death.
The Hunt Begins
At that same moment, as Bartolomeo and his crew set foot on the pirate-infested island, the skies above roared.
A fleet of flying ships, sleek and armed, was closing in pursuit.
Out at sea, a naval squadron of twelve warships surged across the waves — an elite Vice Admiral task force dispatched by Marine Headquarters.
Their mission: to capture Bartolomeo and Edrago, the two rising Supernovas, and trace any lead to Souta Kiryuu's Dragon Pirates.
Bartolomeo had never imagined he'd become a target for both the Golden Lion and the Marines at the same time.
Now, leading Edrago and Burgess, he charged straight toward Kid's territory — determined to defeat the so-called "strongest rookie" of the year, steal his crown, and return to Souta Kiryuu with honor and recognition.
"Ahahaha! You spiky red-haired bastard!"
"Let's see if you're really worth two hundred million Berries!"
Bartolomeo kicked open the tavern doors with a loud bang! — his voice booming before his figure appeared.
The raucous laughter and taunting words filled the entire bar.
Kid's murderous gaze snapped toward the entrance. There stood a man with green mohawk hair, one foot raised, baring his sharp fanged grin.
Their eyes locked — the tension was immediate, electric.
There was no avoiding this fight.
"Bartolomeo the Cannibal!"
Killer slurped down the last strand of noodles, tossed his bowl aside, and spun his twin scythes into position — eyes gleaming through his mask.
Defeating this 120-million-Berry cannibal would raise his own bounty — currently 100 million — closer to Kid's towering 200 million.
He couldn't afford to fall too far behind his captain.
"A hundred-million-Berry butcher, huh?" Edrago sneered, his golden eyes narrowing. "Even the vice-captain gets called a Supernova these days? Fine — I'll cut you down myself."
His bounty — 108 million Berries — still exceeded Killer's, but only barely.
His own crewmate, Golas the Fallen Swordsman, was worth a mere 22 million. The gap was infuriating.
"Edrago the Sonic Devil — so you've teamed up with that freak Bartolomeo?"
Heat and Wire, two key officers of Kid's crew, glared coldly from their seats.
But the Kid Pirates didn't flinch. Their confidence was absolute.
They were the strongest Supernova crew for a reason.
"Weihahaha!" Burgess bellowed, flexing his massive arms, muscles rippling like steel cords.
"Heat — 53 million. Wire — 44 million. I'll crush you both with my fists!"
Every pirate in that tavern was a bloodthirsty monster.
Even Doc Q stood at the back, chuckling darkly as he prepared his poisons, while Van Augur quietly raised his rifle, Senriku, the barrel glinting faintly in the low light.
The First Strike
Kid rose slowly, a cruel grin spreading across his face.
A deep hum filled the air as swords, guns, and every scrap of metal in the tavern began to float.
"You dare challenge us?" he growled.
"Then get ready to die!"
"Magnetic Hammer!"
Under the pull of his Magnet-Magnet Fruit, countless pieces of iron fused into a massive mechanical arm that crashed toward the doorway.
Killer's twin scythes began to whirl violently — ready to finish off anyone who survived the initial strike.
BOOM!
The mechanical giant's arm slammed down — only to shatter against a transparent barrier that flashed into existence.
Metal shards clattered to the floor.
"Ahahaha! You'll need more than that to break through, dumbass!"
Bartolomeo grinned wildly, arms crossed as his Barrier Fruit shimmered before him like glass.
"My turn! Raging Bull Charge!!"
He roared, and the barrier shot forward like a battering ram, plowing straight toward Kid's crew.
Chairs splintered, the floor cracked apart — even the ground itself was carved open in its path.
"Damn it! Move!"
Kid swung his mechanical arm again, but the barrier smashed through everything, tossing the Kid Pirates — and the tavern wall — out into the street in a thunderous explosion.
Only the four strongest members managed to dodge. The rest were flung aside, bleeding and broken.
"You bastards… you're dead!"
"Reaper's Scythe!"
Killer lunged forward, his spinning blades shrieking toward Bartolomeo.
"Sonic Laser Cannon!"
Edrago opened his mouth wide — a golden beam wrapped in crackling blue lightning tore through the air.
The blast was so powerful that Killer barely managed to drop to the ground in time — the beam sliced through the wall, erasing several buildings outside in a flash.
Sweat trickled down Killer's forehead. That power… monstrous.
Then — three gunshots.
Kid's and Killer's instincts screamed danger.
Ping! Ping!
Kid's metal arm deflected one bullet midair. Killer rolled aside just as another embedded itself in the floor, smoking.
"Aaaagh!!"
A scream echoed. Heat clutched his chest, collapsing as blood poured through his fingers.
"Heat!!"
The Kid Pirates roared in fury.
"Weihahaha!! Eat this, bastard!"
"Shock Elbow Smash!"
Burgess charged forward, his arms trembling with seismic power as he collided with Wire, who wielded a black trident crackling with energy.
One clash followed another — chaos exploding in all directions.
This was a true pirate battle — raw, wild, and merciless.