“Captain, several small boats have been following us for a while now.”
Vice Captain Jango lowered his telescope and handed it over.
“Probably those bounty-hunting rats again.”
Kuro’s expression darkened as he took the telescope and looked toward the stern.
Sure enough, four or five small boats were trailing them from a distance.
The skull-and-crossbones flying above the Bezan Black had never been lowered.
Anyone with functioning eyes could tell that this was a pirate ship.
Ordinary sailors would have gone out of their way to avoid them.
These people, however, were deliberately closing the distance.
They were obviously after the Black Cat Pirates.
And since none of the approaching vessels belonged to the Marines, there was only one likely answer.
Bounty hunters.
Kuro clicked his tongue in irritation.
This was hardly the first time bounty hunters had come after him.
As his reputation grew, so did his bounty.
It had already reached sixteen million Berries.
For most pirates, a bounty like that was something to brag about.
Unfortunately, fame came with consequences.
The higher Kuro’s bounty climbed, the more frequently Marines and bounty hunters appeared in pursuit of him.
He had long since grown tired of the constant harassment.
More than that, he was beginning to grow tired of the pirate life itself.
“If I could assume a new identity…”
The thought surfaced briefly in his mind.
But that was a problem for another time.
First, he had to deal with the flies buzzing around his ship.
Kuro lowered the telescope.
“Change course. Ram them.”
His voice sharpened.
“Smash those boats apart.”
“Yeah!”
The Black Cat Pirates immediately sprang into action.
Pirates rushed across the deck, adjusting the sails and turning the ship as everyone moved to their assigned positions.
Bane, meanwhile, stopped his training and grabbed a container of water, gulping it down as quickly as he could.
If a fight was about to break out, he had no intention of entering it already exhausted and dehydrated.
Especially after what had happened moments earlier.
[Armament Haki has advanced to LV2!]
He had even tested his newly improved Haki against a blade.
The edge had failed to break through his defense.
Of course, Bane wasn’t foolish enough to assume that meant his Armament Haki could stop every weapon.
His own strength might simply have been too low during the test.
Still, the result was encouraging.
After several days of training, both his Physique and Spirit had risen by one point.
His body was clearly becoming stronger.
And now, for the first time since obtaining the System, Bane was about to enter a real battle.
He found himself looking forward to it.
This was the world of pirates.
Fighting and killing weren’t rare disasters here.
For many people, they were simply part of daily life.
Bane knew he would have to adapt sooner or later.
And with his current strength still firmly in rookie territory, this was a perfect opportunity to gain actual combat experience.
More importantly, Kuro was here.
As long as his Big Brother was around, a few bounty hunters shouldn’t be enough to turn this into a life-or-death disaster.
The risk was relatively low.
The Bezan Black wasn’t an especially large pirate ship, but compared to the small boats pursuing it, it was practically a giant.
The moment it turned and charged directly toward them, the bounty hunters realized what Kuro intended.
“Move!”
“Get out of the way!”
The smaller vessels scattered in panic.
Most managed to dodge.
One wasn’t so lucky.
CRASH!
The Bezan Black slammed straight into it.
Wood shattered under the impact, and the small vessel broke apart almost immediately.
“AAAAH!”
The bounty hunters aboard screamed as they were thrown into the sea among the wreckage.
The survivors on the other boats didn’t retreat.
Instead, they took advantage of the Black Cat Pirates’ sudden turn and rushed closer.
Grappling hooks flew through the air.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The hooks caught along the ship’s railing, followed by thick ropes.
One after another, bounty hunters began climbing aboard.
“‘Hundred Plans’ Kuro!”
One of them landed on the deck and raised his weapon.
“You’re not getting away this time!”
Another grinned greedily.
“That sixteen-million-Berry bounty is ours!”
Kuro merely pushed his glasses up with the heel of his palm.
The long blades of his Cat Claws gleamed beneath the sunlight.
“Idiots.”
He glanced at the men swarming onto his ship.
“Kill them.”
“Kill!”
The deck erupted into chaos.
Bane had already been itching to test himself.
And right on cue, the System responded.
[Quest Triggered: First Show of Strength]
[Description: A group of reckless bounty hunters has targeted your Big Brother, Kuro. Kuro is furious. This is your chance to step forward and prove your worth.]
[Objective: Kill at least 1 bounty hunter.]
[Bonus Objective: Kill 3 bounty hunters to double the reward.]
[Reward: 1 Attribute Point, Trust Value +3]
Bane’s eyes lit up.
For Big Brother Kuro!
For the attribute point!
Time to prove his loyalty!
His gaze immediately locked onto the closest enemy—a burly, bearded man.
Bane drew his blade and charged.
Clang!
Steel crashed against steel.
The bearded bounty hunter blocked the strike, snarled, and brought his axe down with both hands.
“Die!”
Anyone willing to hunt pirates for money usually had at least some confidence in their fighting ability.
Ordinary pirate grunts were rarely a threat to them.
Because of that, the bearded man didn’t take the young pirate in front of him seriously at all.
When he saw Bane raise his bare left hand toward the descending axe, a bloodthirsty grin spread across his face.
Idiot.
He could already imagine the blade cleaving straight through the boy’s arm.
Then the axe struck.
Clang!
The grin vanished.
The bearded man’s eyes widened.
A faint layer of Armament Haki covered Bane’s left hand.
The axe had stopped against it.
His skin hadn’t even been cut.
“What—”
Bane didn’t give him time to understand.
His blade flashed in a vicious backhand swing.
Shhk!
The bounty hunter’s head separated from his shoulders.
His body collapsed onto the deck.
Even in death, confusion remained frozen across his face.
He never understood why his axe hadn’t cut through Bane’s arm.
Bane stared at the corpse for a moment.
Strangely, he felt no nausea or hesitation.
Instead, his mind immediately began reviewing the exchange.
“My Physique is still only six. That guy was definitely physically stronger than me.”
His eyes dropped toward his left hand.
“But Haki really is useful.”
Armament Haki at LV2 was already strong enough for him to coat part of his body, and its defensive power was far beyond anything his raw physique could provide.
There was a drawback, though.
The stamina consumption was significant.
He couldn’t afford to waste it.
“If my Observation Haki were LV2 too, I probably could’ve avoided that axe without blocking it.”
Bane sighed internally.
“What a shame.”
Still, there was no need to rush.
As long as he continued benefiting from Kuro’s training bonus, his strength would keep increasing.
Sooner or later, he would climb all the way to the top.
His attention snapped back toward the battle.
“That one’s mine!”
Bane rushed toward another fight.
Several Black Cat Pirates were surrounding a bounty hunter nearby.
Perfect.
Bane slipped into the melee with his broad-bladed knife raised.
Slash!
Another slash!
And another!
By the time he stopped, the bounty hunter was already dead.
Bane blinked.
“That’s two.”
His confidence immediately surged.
Maybe these bounty hunters weren’t so terrifying after all.
Then—
A faint prickling sensation crawled across the back of his head.
Bane’s expression changed.
Observation Haki.
Danger!
He threw himself sideways without hesitation.
Bang!
A gunshot exploded across the deck.
A pirate grunt standing behind him jerked violently before collapsing.
A bloody hole had appeared in his head.
Bane turned.
Not far away stood another bounty hunter, a smoking flintlock pistol in his hand.
The man stared at Bane with a cold, focused expression.
A few beads of sweat slid down Bane’s forehead.
That had been close.
If his Observation Haki hadn’t warned him in advance, he would have taken that shot himself.
And there was absolutely no chance he intended to test whether LV2 Armament Haki could stop a bullet.
Blocking an axe was one thing.
A bullet was another.
What if his Haki failed?
He wasn’t gambling his life on that.
“You bastard…”
Bane glared at the gunman.
“Trying to shoot me in the back?”
He tightened his grip on his weapon.
“I’ll deal with you myself.”
[Stealth activated.]
Bane’s presence immediately dropped to its lowest possible level.
Even the sound of his footsteps vanished.
He began moving through the chaotic battlefield.
The bounty hunters’ attention was divided.
Most of them were focused on Kuro, Vice Captain Jango, and the Meowban Brothers—the most obvious threats among the Black Cat Pirates.
Hardly anyone was paying attention to Bane.
That gave him exactly the opportunity he needed.
He slipped around the edge of the fighting, quietly circling behind the gunman.
A moment later, Bane crouched behind a wooden barrel.
Silent.
Hidden.
Patient.
He tightened his fingers around the handle of his blade and waited for the perfect moment to strike.