"Die!"
Belluc swung his massive greatsword in fury, the air howling from the sheer force of his strike.
Kairos Flint quickly dodged, avoiding the deadly edge for the time being.
Just one look at that weapon told him everything—this wasn't any ordinary sword. To be able to swing something so massive without hesitation, Belluc's strength had to be monstrous. His physique had likely reached the soldier tier, just like Kairos.
In contrast, the weapon Kairos wielded was a standard blade, nothing special. He couldn't go blow-for-blow in a head-on clash. His only hope was to wait for the right opportunity, find a flaw in Belluc's form, and go for a lethal strike.
Bang!!!
Belluc brought the sword crashing down onto the deck, splitting the wooden boards open on the spot.
It was heavy, devastatingly sharp, and swung with terrifying power.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Kairos dodged again and again, meeting some of the attacks with his blade, using clever angles to deflect Belluc's weapon just enough to shift its trajectory. Even so, his breathing was growing heavier—he had only been fighting for a little over a minute, and his stamina was already being drained at an alarming rate.
Not wasting time, he reached into his inventory and popped a low-grade body crystal into his mouth. It dissolved instantly, and the effects kicked in right away—his strength and endurance slowly began recovering.
Even in the middle of a life-or-death battle, his body was subtly improving.
But the effect wasn't dramatic. Probably because his current physical stats were already at the soldier level, and the body crystal he used was only ordinary. Its impact was far less noticeable than when he was still at the base level.
"You're quick, I'll give you that," Belluc growled with a sneer. "But this ship is mine now. There's nowhere for you to run. Once I catch you, insect, I'm going to break every single bone in your body."
Kairos gave a cold smirk. "You're getting cocky. Don't be surprised when you slip and fall in the gutter."
Before the transmigration, his life had been mundane, even ordinary. But he always believed he had the kind of heart that could face chaos. After all, what kind of coward could survive an hour in this brutal new world, kill over a dozen pirates, and still have the guts to take on their captain?
"Miracles don't happen to bugs like you!" Belluc raised his sword high, but—
Bang!!!
A gunshot rang out, cutting off Belluc's words mid-sentence.
His body jolted. Blood poured from a bullet wound in his abdomen.
"Who—?!" Belluc turned, eyes wide with rage. He spotted the shooter immediately—a young woman with fiery orange hair and a pistol still smoking in her grip.
It was her.
Nami.
Kairos caught it too. He hadn't expected her to interfere, especially not with a clean shot like that.
Was it an act of kindness… or just her greed for money?
He didn't know. What he did know, however, was—
Flaw!
Belluc's furious glance over his shoulder had left him wide open.
Whoosh!
Kairos struck without hesitation.
"Aaargh!" Belluc howled in pain. Kairos's blade tore deep into his arm. With enough force behind the swing, it came dangerously close to severing it completely.
The injury forced Belluc to drop his weapon.
Without missing a beat, Kairos snatched it from the ground—this massive, high-quality sword—and spun on his heels.
Slash!
This time, he used not only his own strength but also the momentum of the movement and the raw destructive force of the sword itself.
One strike.
Belluc's body was split in half at the waist.
"AAAAHHH!!!"
He didn't die right away. The pain from being cleaved in two sent his nerves screaming. It was a slow, agonizing end.
"Die."
Kairos drove the sword straight into his chest.
The blade pierced his heart.
Belluc, captain of the Great Sword Pirates, fell silent at last.
His body slumped and went still. He was dead.
The remaining pirates—over ten of them—watched in horror.
"Captain Belluc is dead! RUN!"
"Back to the ship! Hurry!"
"The guy who killed the captain is coming! We're dead!"
"Move! Let me through!"
Panic broke out.
The surviving pirates tripped over each other in a desperate scramble to flee back to their vessel. But Kairos had no intention of letting any of them escape.
To him, they weren't just enemies.
They were walking, talking piles of ability crystals.
So why would he let them live?
He raised his weapon.
And began cutting them down.
One by one.
None were spared.
None escaped.
Wounded, disorganized, and terrified, they stood no chance against him.
And so, the Great Sword Pirates were wiped out—completely obliterated.
At last, with the battle over and the deck slick with blood, Kairos turned toward the system prompt that had appeared before his eyes.
[Pickup items detected…]