The sea was restless that night.
Waves crashed violently against the wooden docks of a small, forgotten island called Roka. Most people had already shut their doors, hiding from the storm—but not everyone.
A thin boy stood at the edge of the pier, barefoot, soaked in rain, staring into the endless horizon.
His name was Kai.
"I'll find it… no matter what," he whispered.
Kai was only fourteen, but his eyes burned with a dream far bigger than the island he lived on. Since childhood, his father had filled his mind with stories—not just stories, but legends.
Pirates who ruled the seas.
Battles that split the sky.
Treasures hidden beyond the edge of the world.
And above all… one mystery.
The Crimson Core.
"Whoever finds it," his father had once said, placing a hand on Kai's head, "will become the freest person in the world."
Not the strongest.
Not the richest.
The freest.
Kai never forgot those words.
But five years ago… his father disappeared at sea.
The villagers called him foolish.
A dreamer who chased death.
Some even said he ran away.
But Kai knew better.
"No…" he murmured, staring at the waves. "He's still out there."
—
That very night, something changed.
Through the storm, a massive ship drifted toward the island.
Its sails were torn.
Its body scarred.
And its flag… unknown.
By morning, the storm had passed—but fear remained.
No one dared go near it.
"Cursed ship…" the villagers whispered.
But Kai?
He ran toward it.
—
The ship creaked as he stepped aboard.
It was silent.
Too silent.
Broken barrels rolled across the deck. Deep claw marks covered the walls. It looked like a battle had happened here… but there were no bodies.
"Where did everyone go…?" Kai muttered.
His heart pounded—not with fear, but excitement.
He moved deeper inside… until he reached the captain's cabin.
And there—
He saw it.
A strange fruit resting on a wooden table.
It didn't look natural. Its surface twisted in spiral patterns, glowing faintly crimson, as if something inside it was alive… watching.
Kai stepped closer.
His hand trembled slightly.
He remembered his father's voice:
"Some fruits grant power… but they take something in return."
Kai stared at it for a long moment.
Then he clenched his fist.
"I don't care."
"If this gives me the power to go to sea… to find you…"
His voice hardened.
"I'll take it."
Without another thought—
He bit into the fruit.
—
The taste was horrible.
It felt like his body was tearing itself apart from the inside. A burning sensation spread through his veins like fire.
"Aaah—!!"
Kai collapsed to the floor, gripping his chest.
A deep crimson glow burst from his body, lighting up the entire cabin. The wood beneath him cracked, as if it couldn't handle the energy.
The air grew heavy.
The sea outside began to stir again.
And then—
Everything went dark.
—
When Kai opened his eyes, sunlight poured into the room.
The storm was gone.
For a moment… everything felt normal.
Until he moved.
His arm stretched.
Far beyond what it should.
Kai froze.
"…What?"
He slowly pulled it back, his breathing uneven.
"No way…"
He punched forward—
His fist shot across the room like a cannon, smashing straight through the wooden wall.
Silence filled the cabin.
Kai stared at his hand.
Then… a grin slowly spread across his face.
"I did it…"
"I got power."
Not fear.
Not regret.
Only excitement.
—
By evening, the entire village knew.
"That boy ate a cursed fruit!"
"He's not human anymore!"
"He'll bring disaster!"
But Kai didn't listen.
That night, he returned to the pier.
The same place.
The same sea.
But not the same boy.
He looked at his hand, faintly glowing in the moonlight… then out at the endless ocean.
"I'm leaving this island."
His voice was calm—but filled with fire.
"I'll sail the world."
"I'll find the Crimson Core."
"And I'll become…"
He clenched his fist tightly.
"…the most wanted pirate in the world."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"…And when I do…"
"…you'll be proud of me, Father."
—
Far behind him, hidden in the shadows…
Someone was watching.
A tall man with a long scar across his face.
His eyes locked onto Kai.
"…So the fruit has awakened," he said quietly.
"The boy has been chosen."
A cold wind passed.
And the man smiled slightly.
"Now… the hunt begins."