The atmosphere grew strangely tense.
Inside the tavern, lights flickered.
Five-colored, dazzling beams cascaded from the ceiling, painting the boy in radiant glow.
The brilliance carved his youthful figure into something otherworldly.
Muscles rippled across his bare torso, every line taut with power—
a devilish tattoo sprawled across his back like the mark of a demon.
Terrifying.
Oppressive.
Even at only four years old, his frame still small, his body carried a raw, brutal majesty that made the gathered pirates stiffen.
Shadows and colors danced across him, cloaking him in a strange, ominous aura.
An oppressive pressure rolled off him in waves, tightening around every throat.
In an instant, the hundred pirates present froze mid-smirk, their mocking faces stiffening. Their eyes brimmed with shock, disbelief… fear.
Deathly silence.
The air grew heavy with killing intent.
Murderous aura smothered the tavern, thick as smoke.
"You just said…"
"…you'd crush us all?"
"You?"
"Don't make me laugh, brat!"
"Do you even know who you're standing in front of right now?"
"You face Captain Buggy—the infamous great pirate of the seas!"
"Hah! To run your mouth in my presence… ridiculous!"
Buggy, after a moment's stunned pause, broke into wild laughter.
His booming laugh shattered the oppressive stillness, reigniting the pirates' spirits.
The fear that had crept into their hearts wavered, then burned away under their captain's mockery.
"That brat sure has guts…" one sneered.
"To stare down Buggy and spout such arrogance… even I wouldn't dare."
"But courage means nothing. It only proves the brat has no idea what kind of monster he's facing."
"If he did, he would've pissed himself already."
Mockery rippled through the crowd.
"Boss Buggy, kill him!"
"Kill this arrogant brat!"
Shouts erupted.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The tavern roared with murderous chants, the atmosphere boiling over.
"You hear that?" Buggy grinned, spreading his arms.
"They all want me…"
"…to kill you!"
"But, I've decided otherwise."
"Since you dared call me Red-Nose, I'll never let you die so easily."
"Anyone who calls me that name will be torn apart limb by limb!"
"That's the only way to soothe my rage!"
Buggy's eyes glinted cold, his voice dripping venom.
Cruelty defined him. He was a tyrant, a butcher, a pirate steeped in blood.
His infamy in East Blue didn't come from strength alone—
but from his savagery.
Even the Marinestruggled to pin him down, not just because of his cunning, but because he was a Devil Fruit user.
The Chop-Chop Fruit.
A Paramecia that made him difficult to kill.
He was, in truth, a dangerous foe.
But to Kai…
The endless jeering of the pirates grated like screeching birds.
A hundred voices clamoring, buzzing like swarms of sparrows.
His brows furrowed.
"Shut up."
The single bark cut through the din, echoing like thunder.
His face blank, his eyes glacial, Kai glared at the pirates.
The pressure surged again.
"When battle starts…" he realized, "my temper flares far easier. This body craves rage."
He didn't mind.
In fact—
He enjoyed it.
"Ants like you…" his voice rumbled, "dare chirp in my presence? Noisy vermin!"
His gaze swept the hall.
Not a single pirate met his eyes. They flinched, turned away, their bravado stripped bare.
"Brat, how dare you strut so wildly in my territory?" Buggy sneered.
"Tell me, how should I kill you? Chop you to bits? Grind you to paste?"
His bloodlust swelled, his mouth curling in a cruel grin.
A veteran of Roger's crew, Buggy wasn't one to be cowed—
not unless things truly spun out of his control.
For now, he still believed the situation.
"Before I make my move…" Kai spoke evenly, his eyes locking onto Buggy.
"…there's something I need to do first."
"Oh? What's that? Beg for your life?" Buggy mocked.
"Too late! The moment you called me by that cursed nickname, your fate was sealed. You'll never walk out alive!"
Kai chuckled softly.
"You misunderstand."
"I only meant…"
"…I'll let these noisy ants sleep for a while. That's all."
"Surely you don't mind, do you? Their chattering… doesn't it irritate you too?"
Buggy narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean, brat?"
"Arrogant little punk!" the blue-haired thug shouted.
"How dare you call us ants!"
"You think you're above us? If not for Boss Buggy, all of us spitting on you at once would drown you dead!"
A roar of agreement followed.
Kai's grin widened.
"Listen closely, Buggy…"
"You hear it? Their screeching?"
"When did ants gain the right to shriek before me?!"
He threw back his head and laughed, loud and manic.
Buggy's face darkened.
"Don't get too cocky, brat!"
"Oh, I nearly forgot to mention…" Kai leaned forward, eyes sharp as blades.
"To me, even you—standing right before me—are nothing more than a crawling ant."
"Now then…"
"Let's put these ants to sleep."
Before Buggy could retort—
Boom!
Kai unleashed it.
A colossal surge of willpower burst from within, exploding outward like a volcano long held in check.
An unseen force roared into existence.
Crushing. Overwhelming.
His spirit itself erupted, transmuted into a raw, suffocating aura.
It swept through the tavern like tidal waves, battering every wall, every body.
Invisible shockwaves rippled out in a circle, centered on him, spanning a hundred meters.
Dust that had clung to the floor for years lifted and swirled, dancing in the oppressive gale.
This was—
Conqueror's Haki.
"Everyone…"
Kai's voice thundered, filled with savage joy.
"Prepare yourselves—"
"…for the grand feast of Conqueror's Haki!"
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