“A honey badger?”
Darwin’s body had transformed without warning.
In the next instant, one vicious claw tore across the second mate’s chest.
The man screamed as he was sent flying backward.
Five hideous wounds appeared across his chest, so deep that his internal organs could be seen through them.
He crashed onto the deck several meters away, blood pouring from his nose and mouth.
There was no saving him.
“Hahahahaha!”
Darwin basked in the horrified stares surrounding him.
“You small-time pirates have probably never seen a Devil Fruit user before, have you?”
This was effectively his first real battle after setting out into the world.
With everyone’s attention focused entirely on him, Darwin’s desire to show off immediately exploded.
“Shocked?”
“That’s right! You’re seeing exactly what you think you’re seeing!”
“I ate one of the legendary treasures of the sea—a Devil Fruit!”
“And mine is a Zoan-type Devil Fruit that gives me the power of the fearless honey badger!”
Darwin spread his arms.
“Now choose.”
“Submit—or die!”
Hisoka hesitated.
Norton’s eyelid twitched violently.
The third mate and the navigator were even more stunned.
The second mate had been stronger than either of them—
Yet Darwin had practically killed him with a single attack.
The navigator’s eyes trembled.
Then they darted around.
Suddenly, he forced a flattering smile onto his face.
“Lord Darwin, I’m the navigator!”
“If I switch sides right now, would you be willing to take me in?”
The corner of Darwin’s mouth rose.
This was exactly the reaction he wanted.
He laughed loudly.
“Of course!”
“The navigator is one of the most important and indispensable people aboard any ship.”
The third mate’s eyes nearly bulged from rage.
“Marba! What the hell are you doing?!”
“Have you forgotten that we already swore to remain loyal to the boss forever?!”
Marba turned his face away in embarrassment.
Sure, they had said that.
But he didn’t want to die!
Besides, weren’t pirates constantly betraying one another anyway?
The moment he rationalized it, Marba immediately sneered back with complete confidence.
“If you’re so damn noble, then you can die with that idiot Norton!”
“I’m not joining you!”
“I told him ages ago to restrain himself, but he refused to listen.”
“Look at him now!”
“Everyone’s abandoning him!”
“Piece of shit.”
Norton’s expression turned livid.
“You advised me?”
“Then tell me, during all those raids, which pile of treasure did you ever take even one Berry less from?”
Marba’s expression stiffened.
At that moment, however, Darwin turned toward Rook with an amused smile.
“Kid.”
“Your name’s Rook, right?”
“I’ll give you another opportunity to join us.”
“You’d better think very carefully before answering.”
The threat in his words was obvious.
Rook rubbed his temple helplessly.
Then he glanced toward Norton.
The captain’s gaze was exceptionally cold.
Rook took a deep breath.
Then slowly exhaled.
“Mr. Norton.”
“Looks like they aren’t planning to let you leave this place alive today.”
“How does that make you feel?”
Norton hesitated.
He had already prepared himself for death.
Even if he died, he’d intended to drag at least one of these three bastards down with him.
But after hearing Rook’s words—
Perhaps there was still another possibility.
“Want to work together?”
Norton asked.
“You don’t seem like the type who enjoys being threatened either.”
Darwin immediately interrupted with a vicious expression.
“Kid.”
“Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness.”
Rook’s gaze moved toward Darwin’s cold eyes.
Internally, he chuckled.
I’ve cut down plenty of wild animals lately.
But a Zoan user?
That’s a first.
Looks like I got lucky.
Let’s see how one feels to cut.
“Hisoka!”
Darwin shouted.
“Do it!”
He moved first.
His feet slammed against the deck.
His body leaped over the fallen mast and shot straight toward Rook.
Sharp teeth.
Razor-like claws.
A powerful body.
Darwin closed the distance in an instant.
Rook’s gaze sharpened.
This was probably the strongest opponent he had encountered in this life.
Power erupted through his legs.
Rook stepped forward.
His sword swept horizontally.
A cold gleam appeared in the air.
Darwin reacted instantly.
He swung his right arm.
All five claws closed together and struck the side of Rook’s sword.
CLANG!
The concentrated attacks collided.
A piercing metallic sound exploded across the deck.
Immediately—
A brutal force traveled through the blade and into Rook’s arms.
The sword was knocked aside by sheer strength, forcing Rook’s upper body backward.
A cold smile appeared on Darwin’s face.
His own body had tilted slightly backward from the impact as well.
But his abdomen tightened.
His feet dug firmly into the deck.
His knees bent.
He was already gathering power for another attack.
Then—
Bang!
Rook suddenly launched a straight kick.
His right foot slammed heavily into Darwin’s chest and abdomen.
The blow disrupted Darwin’s preparation.
Using the opening, Rook retreated two steps and reset his stance.
Darwin’s eye twitched.
He staggered backward several steps.
After that single exchange, Rook quickly assessed his opponent.
Darwin’s physical abilities were superior to his own.
But in terms of technique—
He was worse.
Rook inhaled deeply.
His expression became cold.
He stepped forward again.
Both hands gripped the sword.
One slash followed another in a fluid combination.
A dense curtain of cold sword light suddenly filled Darwin’s vision.
His expression became serious.
Darwin clenched one fist and launched a powerful straight punch.
At that instant—
He accurately read the sword’s path.
His fist collided directly with the edge.
Crack!
A muffled impact rang out.
The recoil forced both men backward.
The moment Darwin regained his footing, a sharp sting came from his hand.
He quickly raised it.
A cut had appeared across his knuckles.
The fist he could use to smash rock apart—
Had actually been wounded.
The injury wasn’t serious.
But Rook had unmistakably cut into his flesh.
Blood began seeping from the wound.
Darwin’s expression instantly darkened.
But Rook was already advancing again.
Sword light flashed continuously.
From time to time, sharp gusts of spiraling wind swept toward Darwin along with the blade.
Anger filled Darwin’s eyes.
Yet he no longer dared block the sword directly.
His transformed body was certainly tough—
But it wasn’t made of steel.
Darwin didn’t know whether Rook could actually cut through steel.
And testing that possibility with his own body seemed like a very bad idea.
So he could only rely on his heightened animal senses to repeatedly evade the incoming sword light.
Rook’s footwork shifted smoothly.
He circled Darwin while continuously unleashing razor-sharp attacks.
Darwin was completely suppressed.
Rage burned inside him.
But he couldn’t do much about it.
He would have dared take Norton’s blade head-on.
Rook’s swordsmanship, however, made him genuinely uncertain.
Finally—
Darwin suddenly retreated.
He leaped across the fallen mast and entered the other battlefield.
The moment he arrived, he shouted at Hisoka, who was currently being overwhelmed by Norton.
“Switch opponents!”
“Fighting that guy barehanded while he’s carrying a famous sword puts me at too much of a disadvantage!”
Without giving Hisoka time to respond, Darwin immediately inserted himself into the fight.
His fist crashed directly against Norton’s descending blade.
Bang!
The impact knocked Norton backward.
Darwin looked at his fist.
Only a few strands of fur had been shaved away.
Rook smiled.
Now this is what fighting should feel like.
Meanwhile—
Hisoka looked toward Rook as he crossed the fallen mast.
His eye twitched.
Then he noticed the chips and damaged edges along the sword in Rook’s hand.
That piece of garbage is a famous sword?!
Hisoka silently began cursing Darwin for being such an unreliable bastard.
“Rook.”
Hisoka cautiously watched him.
“If I remember correctly, I helped you before.”
“Are you really sure you want to fight me to the death?”
Rook’s expression darkened.
Suddenly—
“Aaagh!”
A miserable scream rang out nearby.
Rook glanced sideways.
The navigator, Marba, had just been punched in the face by the third mate and sent crashing to the deck.
The third mate immediately climbed on top of him.
Then—
Punch after punch smashed into his face.
Blood sprayed.
Teeth flew.
Marba howled and begged for mercy.
That navigator was finished.
Rook withdrew his gaze.
He looked at Hisoka and smiled coldly.
“If I remember correctly, I already handed over practically everything I owned to repay you.”
There was nothing else to discuss.
Rook’s foot slammed against the deck.
He burst forward.
A cold flash swept horizontally toward Hisoka.
Hisoka gritted his teeth and hurriedly swung his sword to block.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Clear metallic collisions sounded one after another.
Hisoka quickly fell into a disadvantage.
The concentrated force flowing endlessly through Rook’s sword gradually numbed both of Hisoka’s arms.
Then—
Rook cleverly redirected a vertical slash from Hisoka.
His sword was knocked aside.
Hisoka’s centerline was completely exposed.
Bang!
Rook’s foot slammed into his chest.
Hisoka retched.
His body folded forward as he dropped to his knees.
Panic filled his eyes.
He immediately looked up.
But by then—
The sharp point of Rook’s sword was already positioned directly in front of his throat.
Hisoka swallowed.
Fear filled his eyes.
“M-Mercy…”
Rook considered him for a moment.
His voice remained calm.
“You did help me once.”
“Whether intentionally or not, that much is true.”
“But it’s also true that you had ulterior motives.”
“If you’d gotten what you wanted, my life would’ve become worse than death.”
“Later, I gave you everything I had to repay your favor.”
“You accepted it.”
“So as far as I’m concerned, we’re even.”
“But personally…”
“I think my life is worth more than five hundred thousand Berries.”
He paused.
“This time, I’ll spare you.”
“But the next time we meet…”
“I’ll kill you.”
Relief and joy flooded Hisoka’s eyes.
He nodded repeatedly.
“Thank you!”
“Thank you, big brother! Thank you for sparing my life!”
“I’ll change!”
“I swear I’ll get rid of that awful habit!”
Rook withdrew his sword.
Then turned and walked away.
Not far away—
Norton’s eye twitched when he saw this.
This brat is actually that kindhearted?
Darwin, meanwhile, quietly relaxed when he noticed that Rook wasn’t coming after him.
He had already begun considering retreat.
But then—
After walking only a few meters—
Rook stopped.
Slowly—
He turned around.
Then he walked back toward Hisoka, who had only just climbed to his feet.
Confusion appeared in Hisoka’s eyes.
“Is there… something else you need me to do?”
The corner of Rook’s mouth gradually lifted into a faint smile.
“Hisoka.”
“Long time no see.”
“I told you…”
“The next time I saw you, I’d kill you.”
Hisoka froze.
His mind went blank.
The next instant—
Before he could understand what was happening—
A cold flash suddenly bloomed across his vision.
A numb sensation spread from his throat.
Hisoka grabbed his neck.
Blood gushed between his fingers.
His eyes bulged as he glared furiously at Rook.
“Hhh… hhh…”
“You…”
“You lied…”
His body fell backward.
Thud!
He landed stiffly on the deck.
A pool of blood slowly spread beneath him.
Rook looked down at him calmly.
“I didn’t lie.”
“I said I’d kill you the next time I saw you.”
“And I killed you the next time I saw you.”
“Who said seeing someone again a few seconds later doesn’t count as meeting again?”
The remaining people on the deck stared at one another.
Their faces twitched violently.
Internally—
They were screaming.
You call THAT meeting again?!
This bastard is way too sinister!
Your ‘next meeting’ was literally turning around, walking a few steps, then turning back?!
Hisoka died so unfairly!
Suddenly—
Rook turned his head toward Darwin.
“You said earlier…”
“That I didn’t know what was good for me.”
Darwin’s eye twitched violently.
Then—
Without hesitation—
He exploded into motion.
His body transformed into an agile honey badger more than two meters long.
Whoosh!
He smashed straight through the ship’s railing and landed among the crowd at the harbor below.
Darwin immediately rose onto his hind legs.
Facing the hundred-plus armed men surrounding him, he roared,
“Everyone from the Morgan Family, listen up!”
“Prepare for battle!”
◈ What do you guys think about the story so far?
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questions, suggestions, theories, or even things you didn’t like.
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