"You little brat!"
Allen's contempt angered Black Kis; after all, he was a great pirate with a bounty of twenty million!
This situation was simply unbearable.
However, facing the invisible aura emanating from the Marine officer in front of him,
Black Kis, as a Devil Fruit user of the Dog-Dog Fruit, could clearly smell the scent of danger.
Although the person in front of him was only seventeen or eighteen years old, he instinctively felt that he shouldn't attack Allen.
He closed his eyes, furrowed his brow, and forced a smile that he thought was friendly.
"Sir, we have no recent grudges and no past enmities. Why must we fight to the death?"
Black Kis spread his hands and slowly stepped forward to confront Allen.
"How about this? You pretend not to see us, and we split the spoils five-five? How does that sound?"
Black Kis thought he had offered his highest price, looking at Allen with a smile.
Allen was also amused by the pirate in front of him.
"Hahaha, I have to say, you really know how to adapt."
Facing Allen's ridicule, Black Kis's veins bulged on his forehead, but he still suppressed it, his mouth twitching.
"How about it? I am full of sincerity."
Allen always dealt with such vicious pirates with thunderous methods.
Suddenly, one came to bribe him. As the saying goes, one does not hit a smiling person who offers a hand.
Sizzle... It was indeed a bit difficult to act.
Although Allen was prone to corruption, he never plundered the common people's wealth. How could commoners have more money than the kingdom?
Although he was lustful, he never forcibly abducted common women. This kind of thing is all about mutual consent, isn't it?
If Black Kis was willing to offer a large amount of money and leave voluntarily, Allen might let him go.
Apparently, Black Kis chose his own path of no return.
If Black Kis were allowed to burn, kill, and plunder in front of Allen, wouldn't that be slapping Allen's face?
Who in the West Blue would still fund 'military expenses' annually in the future?
"'Hound' Black Kis, standing before you is Colonel Allen of the 104th Navy Branch!"
"Are you bribing an upright Marine?"
Allen no longer intended to babble with the group of pirates in front of him.
"Forget it, I'm too lazy to explain principles to you. You are not worthy of hearing them."
Allen slowly walked towards Black Kis, his cloak, emblazoned with the word 'Justice,' fluttering in the sea breeze.
He revealed a seemingly ordinary katana hanging at his waist, with a dark purple hilt, an oval tsuba, and a brown scabbard.
Black Kis was immediately enraged upon seeing this.
"Damn it! Do you really think I'm easy to bully?!"
"Awoo… Ooh…"
Black Kis let out a beastly roar, his upper body transforming into that of a hound, like a werewolf.
"Brat, I'll make you regret it!"
Allen naturally knew the abilities of Animal-type Devil Fruits. This was Black Kis's half-beast form.
Animal-type Devil Fruits significantly increase the user's physical attributes.
In Allen's eyes, the health bar looked like this:
HP: 2878 / 3261 → 3878 / 4261
Constitution: 101.12 → 121.12
Strength: 110.86 → 130.86
Agility: 126.54 → 146.54
Looking at Black Kis in his half-beast form, Allen couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
"It's been a long time since I encountered a Devil Fruit user!"
Allen drew the katana from his waist with his right hand, and an ordinary-looking katana appeared before everyone.
Seeing how ordinary the weapon in the person's hand was, Black Kis burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, I thought you were so impressive! A Marine Colonel is so poor that he uses such a broken sword."
The pirate minions next to Black Kis also laughed.
"If you Marines are so poor, do you want me to give you some food?"
"Yeah, yeah, kid, just kneel down and accept the charity."
"…"
It was clear that Black Kis had completely convinced himself that the oppressive feeling earlier was just an illusion.
There were countless powerful swordsmen in the Grand Line, but this was the West Blue, and he didn't believe the young Marine in front of him had that kind of strength.
Allen ignored the mockery of the many pirates and instead looked at the katana in his hand.
"It seems they really don't know how powerful you are, Ryūjin Jakka."
Yes, the seemingly ordinary katana in Allen's hand was actually the Zanpakuto 'Ryūjin Jakka'.
This was the reward he picked up from his first pirate kill. Since then, he had never picked up a more rare reward, though there were many sword techniques from other worlds.
Perhaps it was a beginner's reward from his golden finger.
Black Kis's face showed a fierce light, and he directly revealed his claws, rushing towards Allen at an extremely fast speed.
"Die, brat! I'll tear you in half."
Facing Black Kis's Assault, Allen remained motionless, instead beginning to regulate his breathing.
"The brat is scared silly, isn't he?!" Seeing Allen motionless, Black Kis was overjoyed.
Could it be that this Marine Colonel got his position through connections? He showed no reaction to my attack.
Just as Black Kis thought he had succeeded,
Allen exhaled a breath tinged with flame from the corner of his mouth, his eyes narrowing.
"Hmph… Flame Breathing!"
The 'Ryūjin Jakka' in his hand erupted in roaring flames, covering the blade.
At this moment, Allen concentrated his strength in his lower body, his feet pushing off forcefully, instantly bursting into a high-speed charge.
His entire body vanished from his original spot.
Black Kis looked horrified, realizing that such a large person had suddenly disappeared.
"…Where is he?"
Just as Black Kis was still searching for his enemy, he suddenly felt a scorching aura appear.
Then, reflected in his pupils, was a katana enveloped in flames.
The surrounding air twisted due to the heat of the flames.
A demonic whisper-like voice sounded in his ear.
"Flame Breathing - First Form: Unknowing Fire!"
At this moment, Black Kis slowly looked at his chest. A long sword mark extended from his abdomen to his chest, and the wound felt as if flames were scorching it.
He turned his head with great difficulty, saying with immense pain and struggle:
"You… you are… a Devil Fruit user!"
Allen stood with his back to Black Kis, twirling the katana in the air in a 'sword' flourish, the flames adhering to the blade slowly disappearing.
"…Rest in peace."
The katana was sheathed.
Suddenly, countless flames spread from the wound on Black Kis's body, and the scorching flames mercilessly devoured him.
Black Kis let out an unwilling scream.
"Ah… Ah… Help… Help me."
2.5 seconds later, Black Kis lay on the ground, charred black, having lost all signs of life.
A moment of silence fell.
Dozens of pirate minions nearby were utterly astonished, their jaws dropped, and their eyes looked as if they would pop out.
Everything happened in an instant.
One second they were immersed in the joy of their Captain's overwhelming victory, the next second their Captain was instantly killed, and with one move at that.
The huge disparity felt like a rollercoaster ride.
They even doubted if they were dreaming, but the smoking, charred body in front of them, emitting the smell of burnt meat, made them recognize reality.
"The… Captain is dead!"
"…It was one strike, right…"
"Ah… The Captain was instantly killed with one move!"
…
Allen paid no attention to the pirate minions nearby, because he saw a golden glowing orb on the head of the charred corpse.
Arriving at the charred corpse, Allen directly stepped on its head, and the golden orb was immediately absorbed into his body.
A simple text flashed before his eyes:
"Picked up reward: Mark (from the Demon Slayer World)."
Seeing the picked-up reward, Allen murmured,
"Another skill from the Demon Slayer World?"
Sun Breathing, Flame Breathing, and now the Mark—he now had three.
As for the origin of Sun Breathing, it was like a beginner's gift package; upon transmigrating, he found this breathing technique existing in his mind…
Although the combat power of the Demon Slayer World was much lower than that of the Pirate World,
the flame amplification from 'Ryūjin Jakka' greatly increased the temperature of the flames produced by Flame Breathing, which significantly raised the upper limit of breathing style sword techniques in the Pirate World.
To be able to control the power of nature without eating a Devil Fruit.
Who wouldn't be tempted?