Chapter 003 – Devil Fruit
"The marines aren't bad, but they're no match for Clart. The merchant ship should fall soon—I need to move fast!"
Seeing the merchant ship and its marine escorts being overwhelmed by the Scar Pirates, Kai felt a surge of urgency.
If he didn't snatch the Devil Fruit before Captain Clart, this whole risky plan would be a failure!
BAM!
Kai kicked aside the clutter blocking his path. His small body darted up to the deck, sneaking stealthily toward the merchant ship.
"Ah… die!"
Splat!
A merchant guard's eyes widened as a pirate's blade sliced through him. Blood sprayed everywhere. The pirate kicked the dying body, sending it tumbling straight toward Kai—crashing right in front of him with a heavy thud. Fresh blood gushed from the wound in thick spurts; the man was clearly beyond saving.
Up close, the brutal, visceral scene made Kai's pupils contract sharply. Glancing up at the deck, he saw scattered corpses—dozens of them—eyes wide with unwillingness in death. Blood stained the planks red. Kai's stomach churned violently, bile rising in his throat as if he might vomit.
"This… this is the One Piece world?"
His heart pounded wildly. Kai stared at the carnage, frozen. Watching death on a screen was worlds apart from experiencing it firsthand. His mind trembled hard. Only now did he truly grasp that beyond the hot-blooded adventure and excitement, this world was soaked in raw, bloody cruelty. For a moment, his brain went blank—he couldn't process it.
It was understandable. Kai had never witnessed real death before. Suddenly seeing so many lives snuffed out right in front of him left anyone in shock; most people couldn't adapt to such a scene instantly.
Crack!
Kai clenched his fists tightly. After a flash of chaotic fear, his eyes sharpened with fierce determination.
"If I can't even handle this—if I can't adapt to scenes like this—how can I become strong in this world? How can I reach the top? How can I get everything I want…?"
He berated himself inwardly, steeling his nerves. Forcing himself to accept the reality, Kai quickly slipped aboard the merchant ship and nimbly ducked into the cabin.
Thankfully, his tiny childlike frame meant neither pirates nor marines paid him any mind.
The screams around him—the terrified shouts of merchants and passengers inside—fell on deaf ears. Kai quickly scanned the area, zeroing in on the warehouse. He didn't need genius insight; two marines stood guard at the door. Where else would the valuables be? Even an idiot could guess!
"Hey, kid! Stop right there!"
The two marines shouted in unison as they saw the small boy charging straight at them.
"Get out of my way!"
Kai's childlike voice roared with surprising ferocity. He had no time to waste. Clenching his fist, he launched himself at the marine on the left.
The two marines were stunned—a kid daring to threaten them? Everyone inside the ship froze in shock too. When they saw the tiny boy attacking a full-grown marine, their jaws dropped. Was this brat a pirate too? Here to rob them? But he was way too small!
How much strength could such a little body even have?
Kai ignored their disbelief. His right fist slammed straight into the marine's gut.
BAM!
"Ahhh—!"
The marine screamed in pain as his body was hurled backward, crashing hard against the ship's wall. Only then did the other passengers erupt in gasps of disbelief, staring wide-eyed at the small figure responsible.
"Impossible… how…?"
The second marine gaped, muttering in shock. He was so stunned he didn't react in time—Kai's follow-up kick sent him flying too.
BAM!
In an instant, both marines were down. Kai felt no pride; they were just ordinary grunts. Their shock and carelessness made it easy. If they'd been alert, they might have stalled him for a bit.
His heart pounded wildly—thump thump thump—the Devil Fruit was right there!
"Before the Scar Pirates get in here, I need to find it fast…"
Kai forced himself to stay calm. Without even glancing at the lock, he launched a powerful kick at the wooden door.
BOOM!
He could shatter giant trees with a punch—what was a flimsy door? With a deafening crash, the warehouse door flew open. A dazzling burst of golden light exploded outward, momentarily swallowing Kai's small silhouette.
When the passengers' eyes adjusted, Kai was already gone from view. If not for the two unconscious marines and the shattered door, they might have thought it was all a dream.
"There!"
Kai ignored the piles of glittering jewels and treasures. His eyes locked straight onto a small chest beside the valuables. Instinct screamed that what he wanted was inside.
Heart racing with excitement, he dashed forward, snatched the chest, glanced back to confirm no one had entered yet, and eagerly pried it open.
A strange, grapefruit-like fruit lay inside—purple skin covered in heart-shaped patterns!
"It's really a Devil Fruit… and a Paramecia type!"
Kai's voice trembled with joy. In general, Paramecia fruits resembled grapefruits, Zoan like bananas, Logia like pineapples. This one was nine chances out of ten Paramecia!
"Hey, you little brat! Put down what's mine right now!"
A furious roar exploded from behind him just as he held the fruit triumphantly.
"Shit—it's Clart!"
No need to turn; that angry bellow belonged to the Scar Pirates' captain—the 10 million Berry bounty pirate Kai had no confidence beating head-on.
"What now?"
Panic flashed through him, but his mind snapped into cold focus.
"No choice… gotta go all in!"
Staring at the fruit in his hand, Kai made his decision in an instant.
Amid Clart's enraged shouts, Kai shoved the Devil Fruit into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
"You bastard brat! Stop! That's my 100 million Berries!!"
Clart's eyes turned bloodshot with fury—he looked ready to devour Kai alive.