Chapter 002
"Scar Pirates are awesome…" "One hundred million Berries…" "Hahaha…"
After Clart finished speaking, the pirates erupted into cheers once again. To them, a Devil Fruit wasn't just power—it was enormous wealth!
"A pirate crew with a 10 million Berry bounty, huh… Heh heh… Thanks for delivering the Devil Fruit news right to me…"
Outside the tavern, after hearing Clart's confirmation, Kai's heart raced with excitement. A sly grin spread across his face as he muttered to himself.
"Little Kai, you're back! Quick, come help out…"
The tavern owner, a middle-aged man, spotted Kai and immediately called out happily. With a whole pirate crew partying inside, it was peak busy time!
"Got it, boss!" Kai replied with a quick nod.
Kai wasn't about to take Clart's word at face value. Using his cover as a tavern errand boy, he pretended to be innocently curious and kept asking questions to the drunken pirates. By the end, he was about 80% convinced that Clart was telling the truth.
Because the target of their robbery this time was none other than the richest man on Westmore Island—one of the wealthiest tycoons in the entire East Blue!
Kai looked no older than eight years old, so the Scar Pirates didn't bother hiding anything from such a "harmless little kid."
"Westmore Island… that name sounds so familiar…" Kai murmured to himself. Then, in an instant, he made a bold decision.
...
At the harbor of Biya Island, a sailing ship was moored. A pirate flag fluttered in the wind from the mast—a skull with a prominent knife scar on the right side.
"Heh heh! Scar Pirates—definitely the right one…"
Kai smirked as he confirmed the flag, then stealthily slipped aboard and hid himself in the ship's hold.
"Whether I can get my hands on a Devil Fruit soon depends on whether I can fish in troubled waters this time!"
That was exactly Kai's plan: secretly follow the Scar Pirates and, when they attacked the merchant ship, sneak in during the chaos and snatch the Devil Fruit first!
He knew how dangerous it was. But for the sake of a Devil Fruit—for the sake of becoming strong as quickly as possible—Kai was willing to risk it all!
Since he never got to truly live life to the fullest back on Earth, now that he was in the One Piece world, he was determined to make it spectacular.
Kai had never been the type to settle for mediocrity. Knowing the main story was still nine years away, he'd be a fool not to seize every possible chance to grow stronger!
The Grand Line awaited him. Countless beautiful women who made his heart race awaited him!
Thankfully, the Scar Pirates didn't take Biya Island seriously at all—they didn't even leave a single crew member to guard the ship. That made it easy for Kai to sneak on board.
After patiently waiting, the entire Scar Pirates crew finally returned to the ship and set sail toward Westmore Island!
...
A medium-sized merchant vessel slowly departed from Westmore Island. Lining both sides of the deck were two rows of armed guards—all hired by the ship's wealthy owner.
"Captain! Do you think we'll actually run into pirates this time?" a young marine asked nervously, turning to a middle-aged man named Dobby.
"Hmph! Relax. It's certain that some pirate crew has their eyes on this ship—but they won't be bold enough to attack when they see we have marines on board…" Dobby snorted disdainfully.
"Hehe… Really? I was kinda hoping to catch some pirates…" the young marine laughed, clearly relieved.
"Haha! Everyone knows you're scared of fighting, kid…" another marine who knew him immediately teased.
"Hehe, haha…" Laughter rippled through the group.
"Silence! Attention!"
Though Dobby's face also carried a smile, he quickly turned serious again.
Marines had to act like marines.
Snap! "Yes, Captain!"
The marines immediately snapped to attention—including the teased young one. But as the youth's gaze swept toward the front of the ship, his face instantly filled with a mix of excitement and terror.
"C-Captain…" "P-Pirates… they're coming…" "Everyone, prepare for battle—now!"
On board the Scar Pirates' ship, Clart stared at the distant merchant vessel, his eyes blazing with狂熱 greed. Tens of millions of Berries plus a Devil Fruit… Once he got his hands on that haul, he could recruit more men, buy better weapons, and finally set sail for the Grand Line!
"Boys! The treasure is right there in front of us—charge!!"
Clart raised his massive cutlass and roared, completely ignoring the fact that marines were on the enemy ship.
BOOM!
A cannonball screamed through the sky and exploded near the merchant ship, sending huge waves crashing and rocking the vessel violently.
"Damn it—it's the Scar Pirates! They must have found out about the Devil Fruit on board. Otherwise they wouldn't dare attack with marines present!"
Dobby's expression darkened instantly. He realized the secret had leaked.
"Return fire! Load the cannons—sink their ship!!" Dobby roared at his men.
"Yes, Captain!!"
...
Deep in the hold of the pirate ship, the corners of Kai's mouth curled into a faint smile.
It's finally starting…
Whether he could obtain a Devil Fruit as quickly as possible depended entirely on whether he could succeed in fishing in these troubled waters.
Carefully peeking out from behind the barrel where he was hiding, Kai confirmed the hold was empty of pirates. With agile movements, he leaped up and peered through a porthole.
Outside, the Scar Pirates' ship had already rammed into the merchant vessel. The two sides had plunged into fierce close-quarters combat. Roughly a hundred pirates were clashing against twenty marines plus the merchant ship's hired guards.
"Not bad… for a no-name crew like the Scar Pirates. Especially their captain, Clart—he's actually pretty strong. If I had to fight him head-on right now, I definitely wouldn't win…"
Watching Clart duel a middle-aged marine, Kai's eyes narrowed. He became even more cautious.