A newcomer in the Marine branch.
Someone like Sub-lieutenant Diman desperately needed accomplishments to climb the ranks.
So, capturing even a rookie pirate newly arrived in the Grand Line from the South Blue…
would further his career.
That was likely why the man had come to see him.
“Damn it!
The prisoner in the lower hold has escaped!”
Skyler walked through the corridor step by step, pushing open iron doors one after another, his eyes fixed on the system screen.
Behind him lay guard soldiers collapsed in pools of blood.
From the staircase above came the loud shouts of Marines and the harsh shrill of alarm whistles.
[Host: Qin.]
[Comprehensive Ability Rating: A rising star with great potential on the seas.]
[Identity: Pirate.]
[Role: First-Class Swordsman.]
[Remaining Combat Points: 627.]
[Equipped Sword: Imperial Arm – March of the Dead: Yatsufusa.]
[Skill Slot: Rank A – Basic Swordsmanship (Thrust, Chop, Slash, Upward Cut), Rank A – Evasion Footwork (An instinctive reaction forged from years of life-and-death combat), Rank A – Soaring Dragon Flash (Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu), Curse Control (Additional skill of Imperial Arm – March of the Dead: Yatsufusa).]
Much of the text on the panel had changed.
His ability rating had gone from’Strong Adult’ to ‘Rising Star of the Seas’, and his role shifted from’Swordsmanship Apprentice’ to ‘First-Class Swordsman’.
His combat points had originally been five hundred, but killing Sub-lieutenant Diman yielded a hundred-point reward, and the remaining twenty-seven soldiers gave one point each.
Most importantly, the two basic skills—Swordsmanship and Footwork—had turned from grey to gold, evolving from the lowest Rank F to Rank A.
Growing from Rank F to Rank A was the limit with no further room for improvement, indicating that Skyler had perfected his foundation in swordsmanship.
Unlike Soaring Dragon Flash, which he had comprehended from Himura Kenshin’s insights, these two basic skills were passive…
whereas the former was an active skill that could be triggered manually.
Because Curse Control was an additional attribute of the Imperial Arm, it had no power rating.
Above Rank A were Rank S, SS, and SSS, each representing extraordinary techniques and trump cards.
Swordsmanship Apprentice, Swordsman, Sword Master, Grand Swordsman, and so on—each realm consisted of nine levels, with level nine being the lowest and level one being the highest…
Skyler had transformed from an apprentice into a First-Class Swordsman.
In the eyes of outsiders, crossing more than a dozen bottlenecks in just three days meant a cultivation speed that shot up like a rocket.
He could be considered a monster.
But…
for Skyler, this was far from enough.
A First-Class Swordsman would make him an matchless powerhouse if placed in other anime, such as Baki or Rurouni Kenshin…
but here in the world of the Pirate King, he still had a long way to go.
The power scaling between low-fantasy and high-fantasy worlds was inherently worlds apart.
With that thought, he closed the system.
Looking toward the stairs leading up to the deck, shadows flickered as a large group of Marines swarmed over after hearing the alarm.
They seemed to have set up their firearms, waiting to shoot him full of holes the moment he showed his head.
“Let’s start…
right here.”
Skyler murmured softly.
…
“What’s going on?” On the deck, Major Therne strode out from the main cabin, grabbing a passing soldier and demanding sternly.
He had a scar on his left cheek.
His short hair stood up like steel needles, and combined with his sharp gaze, he exuded an aura of authority and strength.
“Reporting to the Major, the prisoner we locked in the hold for transport has escaped!
It’s Demon skyler from the Tils Pirates…” The soldier saluted.
“Where is Sub-lieutenant Diman?!”
Major Therne sensed that something was wrong.
“Sub-lieutenant Diman…
he…”
The soldier hesitated.
If the criminal had escaped while Sub-lieutenant Diman was safe and sound, how could he have just stood by and watched the pirate break out?
This Marine warship had two deck levels.
On the lower deck, dozens of soldiers had formed a battle line, blocking an iron door exit that led down to the hold’s cell block…
The soldiers were extremely nervous, for they could already hear footsteps growing clearer.
That pirate…
was coming out!
Bang!
The half-open iron door was suddenly slammed open.
Everyone was prepared to fire, but in the next second, the figures rushing out made them freeze in shock.
The ones who rushed out weren’t pirate convicts…
but their commander Sub-lieutenant Diman and several of their comrades.
They were dead corpses!
Fatal wounds were clearly visible on their bodies, and their eyes had lost all color.
They were corpses moving for some unknown reason!
“Fire!”
Someone shouted, but it was already too late.
The appearance of these eight dead men was completely unexpected.
Furthermore, Sub-lieutenant Diman moved with immense speed, plunging into the crowd like a sharp blade.
Brandishing a large saber in his hand, he slashed wildly around him without distinguishing friend from foe…
In barely a minute, dozens of Marine soldiers fled in panic, their formation thrown into chaos.
Screams and chaotic gunshots echoed under the blue sky.
Only then did Skyler leisurely push open the iron door, walking out last.
Curse Control: any living creature killed by Yatsufusa would become his puppet!
Looking up, he saw the eight corpses, including Sub-lieutenant Diman, moving like marionettes without feeling any pain.
Even when struck by bullets, they still unleashed considerable lethality…
Unless their bodies were completely destroyed and deprived of mobility, the corpses would not stop attacking.
“Ah!”
“No!”
“Run!”
Seeing the Marines in complete disarray, Skyler abruptly quickened his pace and charged in.
With swift chops and slashes, his weapon unleashed flashes of silver light, dancing nimbly through the crowd like a white butterfly.
Wherever he passed, Marine soldiers collapsed one after another.
Whoosh!
Just then, a blur descended from the sky.
A heavy, powerful kick slammed directly into Sub-lieutenant Diman’s waist, instantly shattering his bones.
Without skeletal support, he flew through the air like a tattered ragdoll and slammed into the iron wall nearby.
The incredible force caved the ship’s wall into a shallow crater.
Skyler stopped his movements and slowly turned around…
beholding a dark-faced man.
The shoulder rank insignia indicated he was a Major.
The commander of this warship.
It was also this very man who had severely injured him with a single blow on the previous battlefield, leading to his capture.
“You’re actually a Devil Fruit user?!”
Major Therne looked at his dead and wounded subordinates scattered around.
Veins bulged on his forehead as he glared savagely at Skyler.
Internally, he was also secretly shocked.
The kid’s aura was completely different from when he was captured.
Moreover, it had only been a few days—how had his hair grown so fast?
His physical appearance had also undergone noticeable changes.
An ability to manipulate corpses?
Major Therne’s eyes gleamed sharply; this minor officer of the Tils Pirates was giving him a sense of danger.
“He was your subordinate after all…
Wasn’t that a bit too heavy-handed?” Skyler glanced at Sub-lieutenant Diman, who was now slumped like a pile of mud, and remarked to Major Therne.
Whoosh.
Major Therne didn’t bother wasting breath on Skyler.
He had to swiftly subdue this criminal and regain control of the situation.
It was Sori!
In almost the blink of an eye, Major Therne’s burly body was already airborne above Skyler’s head, unleashing a kick aimed at him just as he had done to Sub-lieutenant Diman.
Skyler didn’t move, for a dark figure blocked the way in front of him, getting blown away like a sandbag by the kick.
Only then did Skyler lightly step back a few paces.
“Hmm?”
Major Therne’s expression flickered slightly.
The human shield that had blocked the attack for Qin was a corpse.
“As expected of a field officer.
Even if you’re not an elite from Marine Headquarters, being appointed to a branch in the Grand Line is not something to be scoffed at,” Skyler remarked, whether in sarcasm or mockery.
As he spoke, Major Therne landed on his feet only to see the soldiers who had been killed by Skyler swaying as they stood back up from the ground.
They formed a circle, surrounding him in the center.
Skyler lowered his center of gravity, slowly raising his sword with cold eyes.
He spoke to the Marine Major, “You…
seem to be an even better toy.”
“!!!”
Major Therne’s face twisted into a grim expression.
Facing the pirate’s gaze, his scalp couldn’t help but tingle.
He sensed pure malice emanating from Skyler.
This pirate…
must never be released back into the sea, or the threat to justice in the future would be unimaginable!