Kyle held his breath, merging himself into the shadows at the edge of the cliff. Only his golden eyes remained visible as he calmly observed the ship approaching below.
It wasn't a big vessel—maybe enough to carry twenty people at most. The hull was worn, the sails patched in several places. Clearly not a wealthy or famous pirate crew.
The Jolly Roger, though, was standard: a snarling skull with two crossed curved swords. Classic design. Zero creativity.
Finally…
Three full years. Three years of living like a savage on this island. At last, a chance to leave.
But he didn't rush out shouting something dramatic like "The Dragon King has returned!"
In this world, caution was the number one survival rule.
The pirate ship dropped anchor near the shore. One by one, figures jumped into the shallow water and waded toward the beach.
Twelve of them.
Ragged clothes. Crooked faces. Cutlasses and flintlock pistols at their waists. Every one of them looked like a man who made a living with blood.
Their leader was a bearded brute with a thick build. A crimson sash was tied around his waist, and on his shoulder rested a spiked club bigger than his head.
"Move it, you useless bastards!" he barked. "Find water and food. And see if this trash island has anything worth selling!"
"Yes, Captain!" the pirates laughed and scattered.
Kyle drew his presence down to nothing and quietly activated his Ripple-Ripple Fruit. Invisible vibrations spread out from him like radar, scanning every intruder.
Average at best.
Compared to the monsters of the Grand Line, these guys were nothing more than cannon fodder.
No Haki. No pressure. No killing aura.
From his vantage point, he could hear everything.
"This shithole doesn't have anything!" a skinny pirate kicked a rock.
"Hey, at least it has water. Captain, remember that village we hit last time? We got a ton of stuff there," another pirate with a scarred face snickered.
The bearded captain burst out laughing. "Damn right! Those villagers tried to fight back—one swing of my club and their brains were splattered! And the girls… hah, damn, they were soft."
"Too bad you hit too hard, boss. You killed two of them before we even had fun," another pirate said regretfully.
"So what? We'll raid another island after this. Men get fed to the fish. Women…" The captain's disgusting laughter was joined by the rest.
They spoke of murder, rape, and slaughter as if they were talking about lunch.
Kyle's last trace of amusement vanished.
So this was the real world of One Piece—the part never shown in heroic panels.
These people didn't deserve mercy.
And they had brought him a ship.
"Looks like my first real fight is going to be with you trash."
He didn't jump off the cliff like a hero. Instead, he silently moved through the jungle and closed in on a lone pirate.
The man was hacking at vines, completely unaware.
Kyle appeared behind him.
A ripple gathered in his palm.
The pirate stiffened. His sword fell from his hand.
A faint crackling sound came from inside his body.
Blood seeped from his eyes, nose, and mouth as he collapsed—dead before he hit the ground.
Kyle's stomach lurched.
Killing was nothing like smashing rocks.
But there was no time to hesitate.
Another pirate turned. "Who's there—?!"
A compressed shockwave hit him square in the chest.
His ribcage caved in as he flew backward, snapping a tree before slamming to the ground, blood spraying from his mouth.
"ENEMY ATTACK!"
The captain roared. "Who the hell is it?!"
Kyle stepped out of the jungle into the sunlight.
Black hair.
Golden eyes.
A small boy.
"A kid?" The captain laughed harshly. "Kill him!"
Seven pirates rushed him.
Kyle thrust both hands forward.
Three shockwaves exploded outward in a fan.
The front line of pirates was blown away like paper dolls, bones shattered, bodies flying.
The rest froze in terror.
"What… what are you?!"
Kyle vanished.
In the next instant, he was in front of one of them.
The pirate watched in horror as his steel blade vibrated—then shattered into metal dust.
Before he could scream, Kyle struck his neck. The vibration destroyed his spine.
Only the captain remained.
His hands trembled on the spiked club.
"What… what are you?!"
Kyle walked toward him slowly.
"A passing, justice-loving little savage."
The club swung.
Kyle turned intangible. The weapon passed through his body.
His hand pressed against the captain's chest.
"Time to pay."
The vibration detonated inside him.
Blood and organs burst outward as the pirate collapsed, dead before he hit the sand.
Kyle stood alone among corpses.
Then he vomited.
After rinsing his mouth with seawater, he looked at the pirate ship.
"This is the world of One Piece…"
Cold. Bloody. Real.
But now he had a ship.
He stepped aboard and looked out at the sea.
"Grand Line… here I come."