The red-hot katana pierced into Barbarossa's body with a sizzle, and the acrid stench of burning flesh quickly filled the air.
"I'll kill you!" Barbarossa snarled, his face twisted in rage. Despite being stabbed, he had already drawn his curved sword.
Barbarossa was nothing if not ruthless. Instead of retreating after being wounded, he stepped forward aggressively. William tried to pull his blade back, but Barbarossa, sweating profusely from the pain, forced his left arm to hook the katana with his iron claw. Then, with a powerful upward slash, he swung his curved sword at the katana.
A sharp clang echoed through the room. The intense heat had weakened the katana's material, and it snapped under the force of the strike. The glowing red tip of the blade spun upward between the two men before flying into the air.
On one side, William's face darkened as he stared at the broken blade in his hand. On the other, Barbarossa grinned savagely.
"You think you can beat me just because I'm not using my Devil Fruit powers?"
As the broken blade reached their eye level, William, who had been silent until now, suddenly spewed a mouthful of the liquor he had been holding in his mouth. The alcohol splashed onto the glowing red-hot fragment, igniting into a burst of flames that roared directly into Barbarossa's face.
Caught off guard, Barbarossa let out a scream. The fiery attack wasn't particularly powerful; though the flames ignited his hair and beard, they were easily extinguished with a pat. The burns on his skin were minor, hardly a concern for a hardened pirate like Barbarossa.
What truly caused his scream was the damage to his single eye. His vulnerable eyeball, exposed to the sudden burst of fire, was seared despite his instinctive attempt to shut his eyelid. The pain was unbearable, and his vision was completely lost.
Panic from the sudden blindness, combined with the intense pain, drove Barbarossa into a frenzy. He wildly swung his sword toward where William had been standing, but William had already rolled to the ground, evading the attack.
A flash of steel sliced through the captain's quarters. Behind William, Barbarossa's slash cleaved through the wall, leaving a gaping hole in the wooden structure.
William's roll was anything but graceful, but it brought him to Barbarossa's legs. Without hesitation, he slashed his broken blade across Barbarossa's ankle, severing one of his feet.
With a loud thud, Barbarossa dropped to one knee, and William swiftly moved behind him.
Hearing the sound, Barbarossa swung his curved sword backward in a desperate arc. But William raised his arm to block the swing at its joint, then drove his broken blade into Barbarossa's wrist, severing the hand that gripped the sword.
"This is for Vallon!" William growled, his voice low and cold.
Reaching out, William caught the falling curved sword and, with a powerful swing, hacked off Barbarossa's left arm at the shoulder.
Barbarossa screamed in agony as he toppled to the ground. Blood poured freely from his severed limbs, pooling on the floor.
The fire, sparked by the earlier clash, had spread throughout the room. Flames climbed from the bookshelves, engulfing papers, curtains, and even the wooden walls. Yet William seemed indifferent to the growing inferno. He crouched beside Barbarossa, who was gasping for air.
"Hayreddin, Reis—they were both killed by me," William said, his bloodshot eyes reflecting the flickering flames. His face, smeared with blood, was a terrifying sight. "From the moment I set foot on this ship, I've been planning how to kill you all. But don't worry—you and your brothers won't be lonely. I'll send Arcadio and Roy to join you soon."
Barbarossa, unable to stand, writhed on the floor. His hair, once again, began to writhe and grow, attempting to shield him in his moment of desperation.
William sneered. With a flick of his blade, he threw a burning curtain over Barbarossa.
"Who... who are you?!" Barbarossa screamed.
The hair armor that had once deflected swords ignited instantly upon contact with the flames, turning Barbarossa into a human torch. He rolled on the ground, screaming in agony, until a sharp hiss marked the abrupt end of his cries.
Like an executioner, William stood over the dying pirate, raising the massive curved sword high. With a single, decisive stroke, he severed Barbarossa's head.
The grotesque head rolled across the floor like a ball before coming to a stop under William's boot. "You can ponder that question on your way to the afterlife," William muttered coldly.
"One Piece:The True Codex"Primary Conspirator: 'Red-Beard' Barbarossa. (Deceased)
The notification from the Plaza of Fate appeared before William's eyes. He closed them briefly, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Then, he picked up Barbarossa's bloodied, twisted head and examined it. Grabbing the hair, he tied the head to his belt.
The flames continued to spread, consuming the room. Without wasting any more time, William opened the iron box and retrieved the Devil Fruit, carefully tucking it into his coat.
Before leaving, he cast a glance at the burning desk. The ship's log and other books had already been consumed by the fire. Regretting the loss, he turned and left without looking back.
…
On the bow of the ship, William paused to look back at the captain's quarters, now engulfed in flames. From his coat, he pulled out the Devil Fruit.
His gaze fell on the strange, swirled fruit. His expression was unreadable. This peculiar fruit, small as it was, was worth 100 million Beli—a fortune, and practically priceless. In the East Blue, where such fruits were rare to the point of being legendary, many dismissed their existence as mere fairy tales.
No matter how hard William tried, he couldn't understand how eating such a fruit could grant unimaginable power. But he wasn't a scientist, nor did he have the interest or ability to uncover its mysteries. Before him lay only two choices: eat it or don't.
He hesitated briefly, recalling the weaknesses Barbarossa had displayed due to his Devil Fruit powers. But after only two seconds of deliberation, William raised the fruit and bit into it.
The allure was simply too great. With just one fruit, Barbarossa had risen to infamy as one of the most feared pirates in the East Blue. For William, the temptation was irresistible.
The Plaza of Fate had been a great help to him, but its origins and purpose remained a mystery. It was like suddenly receiving a massive, unexplained fortune—no matter how much you spent, you couldn't shake the unease.
The Devil Fruit, despite its drawbacks, was a kind of insurance.
William took another bite, grimacing as the bitter taste filled his mouth. He didn't stop at one bite, though. Despite the fruit's horrendous flavor, he forced himself to finish it, chewing and swallowing even the skin.
Even with his resilience, the experience left him on his knees. One hand braced against the deck, the other covered his mouth to keep from vomiting.
From the Red-Beard Pirates' ship, a few crew members had been secretly watching William. They noticed a sudden mist rise from the Swordfish Pirates' ship's bow, only to dissipate almost instantly. It was so fleeting they thought it might have been a hallucination.
Leaning weakly against the railing, William muttered to himself, "Endure the bitterest hardships, and you'll rise above others..."
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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