He had thought his first treasure in life would be a Devil Fruit, but it turned out to be just some ordinary Berries, with no unexpected surprises.
"A scent of despair."
When he reached the bottom of the pirate ship, his Kenbunshoku Haki involuntarily sensed an extremely dense emotion.
After pushing open the door, he found many people with numb eyes and dispirited expressions; these were all people captured by the Great Cutlass to be slaves.
Possessing Kenbunshoku Haki that could perceive good and evil, he could also perceive people's emotions. That feeling of despair made his chest feel as if a huge boulder was pressing down, which was very uncomfortable.
"Crack!!!"
"Great Cutlass Kuka has been killed by me, and the entire Pirate Crew has been wiped out by me. Now you are all free."
Nox casually picked up a knife and cut off all the chains on these slaves, then turned and walked out of the bottom of the ship. The despairing emotions below made him very uncomfortable.
"Phew, the free air outside is still the best!"
Nox exhaled deeply and said cheerfully.
"Sir, my name is Lesley, please take me in. I am willing to follow you, whether as an ox or a horse!"
As Nox walked out, a woman in a white dress, who looked only fifteen and was just developing her figure, followed him.
Nox had just glanced at all the slaves, and she was the only one whose eyes still held a spark.
"You are already free. On this small island, as long as you are not lazy, you can eat your fill, support yourself, and even go find your family. You don't need to be an ox or a horse for me."
Nox waved his hand, saying that he was not interested in attracting women right now. At this stage, women would only affect the speed of his sword swings.
"Sir, I am the daughter of the island lord of Krak Island. I have studied medicine since I was young and am a good doctor on the island. I should be valuable to you."
"Before this, the Great Cutlass had already killed all my family members. I no longer have any family."
"Sir, rest assured, the Great Cutlass had only just abducted me when he died at your hands. I am still pure!"
Lesley stared intently at Nox and said without reservation.
"Oh? Why do you want to follow me?"
Nox couldn't help but take a few more glances at this bold woman. He had to admit that although Lesley's figure wasn't particularly developed, her face was surprisingly beautiful.
Even Nox, who had seen countless celebrity faces, found her face stunning.
Her golden shoulder-length hair and exquisite beauty even gave Nox a feeling of seeing Android 18 from Dragon Ball.
"Without power, one cannot even control one's own destiny and will eventually become a subordinate of the strong, or even someone else's slave!"
"I want to stay by your side, become strong, and never experience such a desperate situation again."
Lesley spoke her mind bluntly.
In her opinion, even if she lived on this island, it was still possible that it would be plundered by Pirate Crew, just like the island she lived on before.
Only by possessing great power could she be truly safe, and only then could she protect herself and even her family and friends in times of crisis.
Nox, so young, seemingly the same age as her, yet possessing the power to destroy the Kuka Pirate Crew and having saved her and granted her freedom, was undoubtedly someone she could rely on, her safe harbor.
"Very good, your words have moved me. My name is Nox, and I can give you the opportunity to stay by my side."
"However, I don't need useless people around me. If your performance fails to satisfy me, I will kick you out at any time."
Nox's Kenbunshoku Haki sensed that Lesley was not lying.
Her belief in pursuing power was very strong, and Nox was quite optimistic about her, so he decided to keep her. Besides, as a doctor, Lesley could serve as a ship doctor in the future, even if she couldn't be a combat member.
"Thank you, Lord Nox, for taking me in!"
Lesley said gratefully, and at the same time, a tear involuntarily fell from her eye. She had finally taken the first step in controlling her destiny.
"Senior brother, all the Pirate Crew are tied up!"
Seeing Nox disembark from the pirate ship, Kano ran over and said.
"When they wake up, interrogate them and see if any of them are navigators. If so, keep them. Those who are not navigators, kill them all. You do it personally!"
Nox looked at Kano and said seriously.
"Senior brother, don't worry, I guarantee the mission will be completed."
Kano pondered for a moment before replying.
"Very good. Her name is Lesley. Have Karoo take her to join the Sword Pavilion and practice swords with everyone."
Nox nodded in satisfaction, then pointed at Lesley behind him.
After giving his instructions, Nox returned to the Sword Pavilion. This time, he did not cultivate but lay on his bed, contemplating the gains from this battle and recalling his shortcomings during the fight.
After this battle, his swordsmanship had improved, becoming sharper, more ferocious, or rather, more suitable for killing.
And most importantly, he had awakened Haoshoku Haki, this aura of a king!
He clearly understood his strength. Now, even against a pirate with a bounty of fifty million, he could emerge victorious.
"Next, I will continue to practice swords, striving to break through to the Swordsman realm as soon as possible, and then practice the Rokushiki, these six types of martial arts. My body is very strong, but I lack corresponding martial arts to fully utilize my physical advantages."
"If I learn Shave, my speed will greatly increase, and Moonwalk will enhance my aerial combat capabilities. Iron Body will complement my Sword God Body Tempering Art perfectly."
"Life Return, learned after mastering the Rokushiki, should be comparable to the third layer of the Sword God Body Tempering Art. At that time, my Sword God Body Tempering Art will be able to break through to the third layer."
"Only after Awakening Busoshoku Haki will it be the true moment for the Sword God Body Tempering Art to show its effectiveness."
Nox summarized the gains and losses of the battle while planning his future training.
His current strength was still too weak; he couldn't even defeat a pirate with a bounty of one hundred million. Going out to sea was too dangerous. He would at least wait until he hit a bottleneck before venturing out.
Early the next morning, after breakfast, Nox prepared to practice the Rokushiki.
"Senior brother, senior brother, the master of Blade Edge Sword School and some core members left the island overnight yesterday."
Kano ran over in a hurry and said.