"Hey! What are you bastards standing around for?! Help me!!!" Anos shouted at the crew.
He didn't want to admit it, at least not out loud, but he already knew. Ayr's power was beyond what he could handle. If this kept up, if he stayed suppressed like this, he was going to lose.
And on the seas, losing meant death.
"Let's go! Everyone together! There's only so many he can take on!"
"Charge!!!"
Swords drawn and shouting, dozens of pirates swarmed Ayr, surrounding him on all sides.
"The outcome of a battle," he muttered, tilting his head slightly, eyes scanning the horde closing in.
.
"…isn't decided by numbers."
A pulse of invisible force erupted from his body like a shockwave, spreading outward in an instant. The air twisted and the deck groaned.
And then silence, every pirate froze.
An invisible grip clutched at their throats, robbing them of breath. Their vision blurred, and it felt like the sky itself was pressing down on their skulls.
Conqueror's Haki.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
One by one, the pirates collapsed—eyes rolled back, unconscious, before they hit the ground.
Ayr stood alone amidst the fallen, the air still humming with pressure.
The power of Conqueror's Haki reflects the will of the one who wields it, and Ayr didn't just supress them—he crushed them.
Even a pirate with a bounty of 300 million wouldn't stand under that force. What chance did the crew have?
"This… This is Conqueror's Haki!"
"He awakened it? But only one in a million—!"
"He's a monster!"
A few veterans remained on their feet, but their bodies trembled as the pressure had sunk into their bones and they couldn't even lift their weapons.
Anos stared wide-eyed, lips trembling. His confidence had vanished.
"W-Wait! Let me live! I'll make you captain! I'll be your vice-captain!" His voice cracked, as the desperation leaking through.
Ayr's bounty was only 100 million—on paper, he should be weaker, but that no longer meant anything. Anos was scared and scared men give up pride quickly.
Ayr raised an eyebrow "What makes you think you qualify?"
He didn't even want a crew right now, and even if he did… he'd only take the strong.A man like Anos, despite his bounty, didn't make the cut.
Anos' body trembled as Ayr stepped forward, pressure rising again.
Cold sweat ran down his back. His boots slid slightly as the deck cracked beneath him, for the first time since becoming a pirate, Anos had no way to fight back.
"I'll give you everything on this ship!" he blurted.
Still, Ayr didn't blink.
"There's a Devil Fruit! We have one on board!" Anos screamed.
Ayr's eyes narrowed.
He hadn't gone to sea for treasure or fame, he had two goals: grow stronger—and find a Devil Fruit, with the fruit, he could bind to the Nine Tails.
And yet, despite a year of sailing and countless battles, he hadn't even found one.
Until now.
"…A Devil Fruit?" Ayr asked, voice low.
"Yes! Yes! It's yours! Just let me live!" Anos stammered, his voice almost breaking. "The treasure, the fruit—it's all yours!"
He knew this was the end, if he could go back, he wouldn't have let anyone fire at Ayr's ship and he would have never gone near him.
But it was too late.
"I kill you…" Ayr said slowly,
"…and everything's still mine."
Anos' heart dropped, Ayr's arm tensed. His blade flashed.
"Boom!"
The slash came down hard, crashing into Anos' crossed arms. Even with Armament Haki, the blow sent pain exploding up his bones.
"GAAAH—!"
The defense broke.
"You bastard!" Anos screamed.
"It's over."
A single motion.
Ayr raised his blade again, and brought it down.
Anos' body split down the center, his blood misted into the air, painting the deck red, and the crew froze
"The captain… he's dead!"
"Are we next?"
"Damn the guy at the helm!"
"We could've sold that fruit… and lived rich.."
They knew it now.
This was their grave. Their pride, and their riches—none of it meant anything in this moment.
And then—
"Shhkk—"
A burst of steel sliced the air, a flash of silver and heads rolled.
One after another, the last of the crew were cut down. The deck fell silent.
Ding. Congratulations. Sage Body progress +20.
Ayr exhaled slowly.
He didn't even look back at the bodies, there were only two ways to strengthen the Sage Body: training… and killing.
This was just another step forward.