"Kill me!"
The long-tongued man roared furiously as he charged forward, his blade slicing through the air with explosive speed—sharp enough to create sonic booms with each swing!
Just then, Lyra Bellem gritted her teeth, seized a nearby long knife, and dashed to block the strike aimed at Rei Damon!
"Wait a minute!"
The long-tongued man abruptly stopped mid-attack, stunned.
"I'm leveling up."
Even Lyra blinked.
> [EXP Full! Level increased to 3! Skill Point +1 awarded!]
Rei opened his Awakening Interface and quickly dropped the new point into Physical Fitness.
> [Physical Fitness: Level 2 – Body attributes increased by 5%!]
Rei blinked.
Both he and his opponent were momentarily speechless.
Long Tongue (mentally): "We're in the middle of a life-and-death battle, and you're upgrading your stats like it's a video game?!"
Rei (mentally): "Only 5% boost for Physical Fitness at Level 2? What a rip-off. Should've picked Observation Haki."
But there was no time for regrets.
"Come on, then!"
Rei lunged forward. His short blade, honed to a ghostly sheen, slashed like a venomous serpent toward Long Tongue's throat!
The pirate reacted quickly. Despite the long handle of his sword slowing him slightly, he parried just in time.
Rei's first strike missed. He spun to the side and repositioned, launching a clean uppercut to the man's chin!
A textbook punch—crack!—it connected, stars exploding in Long Tongue's eyes. The heavy weapon he wielded was too slow to counter.
Rei didn't stop.
He pivoted back in, slashing the dagger across the pirate's chest. A long, bloody scar bloomed instantly, staining the man's ostentatious outfit deep red.
Without hesitation, Rei moved to finish it. He slashed again—this time toward the neck!
Long Tongue grabbed his bleeding neck, staring at Rei in disbelief.
Clang!
His twin blades dropped from his trembling hands.
Then—stab!
Rei's dagger plunged into the pirate's abdomen.
Pain and blood overwhelmed the captain. His body weakened, mind slipping into darkness.
"Pfft."
Long Tongue collapsed, dead before he could utter a final word.
The surrounding pirates froze in shock, terrified.
> [Enemy Defeated: East Blue Pirate Captain – +2 Levels! Current Level: 5!] [Congratulations! Level 5 unlocked – **Basic Skill Tree Tier 1 (Unlocked): Navy Six Styles - 'Shave' and 'Mist Kick']
[Skill Slot Unlocked: Haki Detection Node (Locked until Lv.8)]
Rei pulled the dagger from the pirate's corpse with a fluid motion, blood trailing from the blade.
He looked toward the other pirates.
They looked like... cabbage waiting to be harvested.
Within minutes, another storm of blood and steel swept through the village.
Rei's blade struck down one pirate after another—efficient, ruthless.
By the time it ended, a dozen bodies lay sprawled in mangled positions. The dagger clattered to the ground, red with blood.
Just then, a tall figure finally arrived.
Hogan D. Brakk—Vice Admiral of the Navy—strode onto the scene.
His eyes widened at the carnage.
Bloodied corpses. Scorched earth.
And in the center: Rei Damon, standing calm and cold, soaked in blood like a warrior out of legend.
"...You alright, kid?"
Rei nodded, eyes no longer the same as before. His innocence had been burned away in combat.
This boy had changed.
"Clean up the area!" Brakk barked at the Marines.
"Grandpa Brakk, leave me those swords. I want to study weapon crafting in my free time."
Brakk raised an eyebrow. "Interested in swords now?"
Rei just gave a quiet nod.
After a moment of silence, Brakk waved his hand. "Move those weapons to the backyard of Lyra Bellem's house."
Then he walked over and inspected Rei for injuries, frowning when he didn't find any.
"How did you pull all this off?"
Rei shrugged, improvising a vague excuse.
Brakk gave him a deep look, then chuckled.
"Impressive. Starting today, I'll personally train you. You've got guts. Let's see if you've got potential too."
Rei's eyes lit up.
If he could learn Armament Haki early, he could save a ton of skill points!
"Alright!" he grinned.
Brakk flinched at Rei's intense gaze.
"…Why do I feel like a pig being eyed by a butcher…"
---
Lyra Bellem's house, evening
Around the table, everyone sat quietly.
Lyra, usually feisty, now behaved like a docile kitten.
Ajian stood with a straight back, watching Brakk devour a slice of orange pie.
"Kid," Brakk said between bites, "you've clearly been keeping up with training!"
Rei was about to respond, but—
"Of course he has!" Nami chirped proudly. "I've seen Big Brother Rei train day and night!"
Brakk smiled faintly as he looked at the three children.
Then a thought struck him—of his own grandkids…
"Come back to Windmill Village with me for a while. What do you say?"
Brakk reached out and ruffled Rei's hair with a rare softness in his eyes.
Ajian opened his mouth, but Lyra beat him to it.
"Vice Admiral Brakk, can Rei stay with us just a little longer?"
Brakk paused, thinking.
Rei tilted his head. "Grandpa Brakk, would there be space for me to live there?"
Brakk nodded. "Plenty."
"Then why not let everyone go together?" Rei offered.
Brakk's eyes lit up. "That's it! A short vacation for everyone!"
He pounded his chest. "I'll take care of everything!"
Lyra hesitated at first—but seeing Nami and Nojiko's eager expressions, she caved.
Soon after, everyone boarded a Marine warship.
---
The navy soldiers? Not so lucky.
They'd piled all the confiscated weapons in one corner of the village—and now had to lug them aboard.
Even Rei's personal barbell—gifted to him by Nami and Nojiko—had to be carried aboard.
Two soldiers grunted under its weight.
They glared at Rei.
He stood smugly on the deck.
"All of it. Don't forget the dumbbell rack!"
Their faces turned dark.
Nami climbed onto Rei's shoulders, mimicking his serious expression while gazing out at the endless blue sea.
Brakk relaxed in a deck chair, chewing on senbei.
Nojiko and Lyra stood awkwardly behind him, looking out of place—like country bumpkins visiting a palace.
Rei, meanwhile, accessed his system again.
A new function had appeared.
> [Destiny Alignment System: Choose your faction – missions and rewards change accordingly.]
[Option 1: Navy]
[Option 2: Pirate]
[Option 3: Adventurer]
Rei didn't hesitate.
He selected Adventurer.
> [Selection confirmed!]
[Phase 1 Mission Unlocked: Acquire your own ship.]
"...What?"
He turned pale.
There's literally a ship beneath my feet.
If the gods gave him a second chance…
Brakk, watching Rei go pale-red-pale again, muttered:
"What's with this brat…?"
He wisely chose not to finish that sentence.