Higuma’s hand trembled uncontrollably.
Not from illness.
Not from exhaustion.
But from instinctive fear.
The primal terror every living creature experienced when standing before a true predator.
His sword clearly rested against Monkey D.
Luffy’s throat.
He held the advantage.
Yet somehow— The eight-year-old boy standing opposite him remained completely expressionless.
That calmness terrified him far more than rage would have.
Higuma had only seen eyes like those once before.
Not in pirates.
Not in Marines.
But inside slaughterhouses.
The eyes of a butcher staring at livestock.
No hatred.
No sympathy.
Only detached calculation.
“How should I cut this thing apart?” “DON’T MOVE!!” Higuma roared suddenly.
His voice sounded strained and distorted from panic.
“One more step…” “…and I’ll slit his throat open!” To prove he meant it— He pressed the blade harder.
The sharp edge cut into Luffy’s neck slightly.
A thin trail of blood slowly slid down the steel.
Even rubber bodies still bled when cut by sharp weapons.
Luffy squeezed his eyes shut instinctively.
Tears mixed with snot across his face.
Yet despite his fear— He refused to scream.
Because deep down, even Luffy understood one thing.
If he panicked now— Ace and Sabo would panic too.
Meanwhile, Kahn stopped walking.
But only stopped.
His hands remained casually inside his pockets.
The faint smile on his face even widened slightly.
“Oh?” “You actually dared to press down.” Kahn tilted his head slowly.
Like someone observing an ant foolishly raising a branch toward a boot.
“Looks like killing fifty-six people…” “…gave you confidence you shouldn’t have.” Cold sweat flowed into Higuma’s eyes.
The stinging pain only worsened his panic.
“Enough bullshit!” “I’m worth eight million Berries!” “Get me a ship!” “And ten million Berries too!” “Otherwise these three brats die right here!” The mountain bandit leader had abandoned all pretense now.
Only desperation remained.
Nearby, Portgas D.
Ace dug his bleeding fingers deeply into the floorboards.
His fingernails had already torn open completely.
But Ace barely noticed.
Only humiliation filled him now.
Weakness.
This— Was the true meaning of weakness.
Not merely losing.
But becoming a burden dragging everyone else toward death.
Kahn quietly sighed.
Honestly— This situation bored him.
Even low-budget television dramas would reject such third-rate hostage negotiations nowadays.
“No ship.” “No money.” Kahn slowly raised his eyelids.
Deep within his pupils— Crimson light flickered faintly.
“But…” “I can offer you two choices.” The temperature inside the inn seemed to drop instantly.
“First.” “Cut off the hand holding that sword.” “Then crawl out.” Kahn’s voice remained calm.
Almost lazy.
“Second…” His eyes narrowed slightly.
“I’ll personally remove every bone inside your body.” Higuma froze briefly.
Then suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.
“HAHAHAHA!!” “You insane brat!” “If I’m dying anyway…” “…then let’s die together!” Murderous intent flashed across his face instantly.
Negotiation failed.
Therefore— Kill the hostage.
That had always been Higuma’s survival philosophy throughout East Blue.
Without hesitation— He slashed downward.
Ace shut his eyes completely.
“LUFFY—!!” But— Blood never appeared.
Instead— Sizzle.
A strange burning sound echoed throughout the inn.
Like boiling iron plunged into cold water.
Higuma’s eyes widened instantly.
An unbearable heat exploded across his palm.
The steel sword in his grip turned bright red almost instantly.
The temperature became terrifying.
Like metal freshly removed from a furnace.
“AAAAAAHHHH!!” Higuma screamed violently.
Instinct forced him to release the sword immediately.
Clang!!
The overheated blade crashed onto the wooden floor.
The metal had already warped visibly.
Smoke rose continuously from it.
Luffy scrambled backward frantically while clutching his neck.
“HOT HOT HOT!!” “FIRE!!” The entire inn froze.
Nobody understood what happened.
Only the faint crimson glow within Kahn’s eyes slowly faded away.
Heat Vision.
Perfectly controlled.
Heating only the weapon itself without harming Luffy.
This was a precision application Kahn recently developed while experimenting beneath sunlight.
Using it to light cigarettes would probably be excessive.
But disarming enemies?
Perfect.
Meanwhile, Higuma desperately clutched his burned hand.
Blisters had already formed across the flesh.
The smell of cooked skin spread through the room nauseatingly.
“…Monster…” “…Demon magic…” Fear finally overwhelmed him completely.
“This brat’s a Devil Fruit user too!!” The remaining bandits panicked instantly.
Extreme fear quickly transformed into desperate aggression.
“DON’T PANIC!!” “He’s just a kid!” “EVERYONE ATTACK TOGETHER!!” Seven or eight armed bandits charged simultaneously.
Machetes.
Clubs.
Daggers.
Howling wildly, they rushed Kahn from multiple directions.
Against ordinary opponents, numbers often mattered.
Unfortunately for them— Kahn no longer considered ordinary humans threats.
He didn’t even remove his hands from his pockets.
“…Too slow.” Inside Kahn’s enhanced perception— Everything resembled slow motion.
The man holding the spiked club exposed his ribs completely while swinging.
The dagger user’s balance wobbled from excessive alcohol consumption.
Their breathing patterns.
Muscle tension.
Foot placement.
Every weakness became obvious instantly.
Honestly— The monkeys on Mount Colubo fought better.
Kahn moved.
No flashy martial arts.
No techniques.
Only overwhelming speed and monstrous physical force.
BOOM!!
His first kick landed directly against the chest of the club-wielding bandit.
No suspense existed whatsoever.
The man weighing over two hundred pounds launched backward like a cannonball.
Crack!!
The sound of shattered ribs echoed clearly.
His body smashed through the inn wall entirely before crashing outside into the street unconscious.
At the same moment— A dagger stabbed toward Kahn’s neck.
Whoosh.
Kahn casually tilted his head sideways.
The blade missed by centimeters.
Then— SMACK!!
He backhanded the attacker casually across the face.
The impact twisted the man’s head unnaturally sideways.
Blood and teeth exploded from his mouth instantly.
His body spun several times before collapsing flat onto the ground motionlessly.
Less than three seconds later— The only bandit still standing inside the inn was Higuma himself.
Everyone else either embedded themselves into walls or sprawled unconscious across the floor.
Groaning bodies filled the ruined building.
Meanwhile— Kahn calmly adjusted absolutely nothing.
Not even a wrinkle existed on his clothes.
To him— This entire fight merely resembled swatting flies.
He slowly walked toward Higuma.
Stepping over unconscious bodies casually.
“…This was your trump card?” Every footstep sounded like death itself approaching.
“No…” “DON’T COME CLOSER!!” Higuma finally broke completely.
His pride.
His reputation.
His eight-million-Berry bounty.
Everything shattered before this eight-year-old monster.
In desperation, Higuma suddenly grabbed a small black sphere from his pocket.
A smoke bomb.
A common escape tool among East Blue criminals.
The moment Kahn saw it— He smiled faintly.
Too late.