In the captain's quarters, Rono's muscle tissues visibly pushed the bullets out of his body. Without saying a word, he stood up, arms spread wide. Veins bulged across his body as pale bone spikes extended from his joints. At his wrists, the spikes pierced outward from underneath his palms, while countless small spines protruded from the sides of his bones—he looked like a monstrous beast.
Whoosh!
Rono took a deep breath, then stomped the floor, using the recoil to launch himself at the pirate captain. The force of his step left a crater in the wooden planks.
The pirate captain reacted quickly, dodging Rono's first strike with a sidestep and countering with a slash.
Clang!
His sword was completely blocked by Rono's bone armor.
Rono didn't stop. He immediately followed up with a backward elbow strike, throwing his entire weight into a charge.
Shhhhk!
His bone spike pierced straight through the pirate captain's abdomen. Then, with a violent upward twist, it ripped open a 30-centimeter gash in the man's belly—fatal for sure.
The pirate captain dropped his sword. Knees buckling, eyes wide open, he collapsed face-first onto the floor. Regret filled his dying gaze.
"If I'd just eaten that Devil Fruit… If only… If only I hadn't gone after that ship…"
With the Devil Fruit and all those treasures, he could've sailed to the East Blue, sold it all, and lived a life of luxury…
Rono's eyes remained cold and indifferent—like a killing machine, utterly emotionless.
"The captain's dead! He killed the captain! Everyone, attack! Avenge the captain!"
Though the narration seemed long, less than a minute had passed. By the time the other pirates arrived, their captain was already dead.
Rono remained silent, turning slowly to face the pirates...
Ten minutes later
A red-haired boy, his clothes in tatters and his body drenched in blood stood dazed amid a deck littered with corpses. His expression was a little vacant.
"System… what just happened to me? At the end… why did I lose control?" the boy asked, pausing for a moment.
"System, show character panel."
Beep!
"The host accidentally activated the system's combat mode—Berserker Template. While this mode is active, the host gains enhanced combat perception, emotional suppression, and improved integration of learned abilities," the system explained with its usual seriousness.
'Character Panel Activated…'
Body Strength: 31 (Upgradeable)
Bone Strength: 36 (Upgradeable)
Abilities: Regenerative Factor, Bone Claws, Devil Fruit (Manipulation-type)
Combat Mode: Berserker (5-minute limit, 24-hour cooldown)
Available Upgrade Points: 3
Note 1: A certain famous berserker once said: "Come on, one-on-one, you strike first—try dodging this, you coward! Dare you?"
Note 2: While you now have the strength to crush small fry, don't slack off—the revolution has not yet succeeded!
Note 3: Hard work builds strength, and real battles prove results.
"Oh, so that's what it was. But can we, uh, turn off that emotion-suppression feature? I don't like feeling out of control!" Rono frowned.
"…Wait—why is this mode timed? And why does it have a cooldown? Am I playing a video game here?! Σ·д·"
Rono clenched his right fist and slapped his palm, staring at the battle mode panel in disbelief.
Beep.
"That's because your mind can't handle it. If you go beyond five minutes in your current mental state, there's a high risk you'll spiral out of control and become nothing more than a mindless killing machine. The cooldown exists for the same reason. The intensity will increase over time."
The system's standard robotic voice echoed.
"So, young man! Train hard! This… is youth!"
"…System, just talk normally, will you? What the hell is that Gai-sensei voice? Don't tell me you're gonna make me wear a watermelon suit too…"
Rono stopped ranting and recalled that scene in his mind.
"AH!!!"
Rono grabbed his head, twisting his body like a noodle, throwing a fit in the middle of a corpse-covered deck.
The system:
"￢_￢… I'm just watching. Not saying a thing."
Since the pirate ship had already sailed some distance, Rono couldn't return to the cargo vessel. Not that it mattered—he'd only planned to reach anywhere and join the Navy. It wasn't like he had roots anywhere.
As for why he wanted to become a Marine?
Because his heart was full of justice, and he wanted to make the world a better place for all people! Not because he was alone, couldn't sail, and had no other way to leave the sea!
Anyway, Rono set his sights on the nearest port.
Meanwhile…
Back on the cargo ship, Captain Asiya and the surviving crew searched the entire vessel but couldn't find Rono. Nick, his right hand bandaged, suddenly exclaimed, "Captain! I remember now! That damned kid ran off to the pirate ship by himself! Said he was going treasure hunting!"
Everyone had witnessed Rono's intense training the past few days, so no one thought he'd do something suicidal. But still! The pirate ship had already fled, meaning Rono had gone 1vN against pirates.
A heavy silence fell.
An old sailor sighed and quietly began cleaning up the bodies of the dead.
The others dispersed, resuming their tasks with grim expressions.
In their hearts, they had already pronounced Rono dead.
Even if the enemy captain wasn't particularly strong, he still had a bounty of 16 million—not someone a 15-year-old could defeat. And since the battlefield had been the cargo ship, which was now a wreck, they couldn't give chase anyway. Their ship was too slow and damaged.
"Sixteen million, five million, seven million… Wahaha! I've struck gold! I'm rich overnight!"
Rono, holding a stack of wanted posters, matched them one by one to the heads around him. Any that didn't match? He kicked them into the sea. The ones that did? He piled them neatly to the side.
Once everything was sorted, Rono opened his character panel again—this time to upgrade.
After some thought, he figured most of his strength came from his bones anyway, and with his regenerative ability, he wasn't afraid of dying. So of course, he went full offense!
Happily, he assigned all 3 upgrade points to Bone Strength, bringing it to 39.
He extended his bone claws and noticed they seemed… shinier and smoother. Maybe it was just his imagination.
Casually, he slashed at the ship's railing.
Clunk.
The claws got stuck in the wood.
"…∑·д·lll What the hell?! Wasn't it supposed to slice through iron like butter?! It can't even cut a wooden railing?!"
"Who the hell told you it could slice through iron like butter?! And with your strength? Even a Grade 21 Great Blade might not cut!"
The system deeply regretted not having a physical form. Otherwise, it would've strung Rono up and beaten him.
"Oh, huh ⊙0⊙! I guess no one said that out loud. Must've just been my assumption! Ahahaha!"
Rono chuckled as he pulled out his claws and scratched his head.
"You were just fantasizing! I saw you sigh! That regretful look in your eyes!!"
The system rolled its imaginary eyes.
"Haha, don't sweat the small stuff! No big deal!" Rono said dismissively, waving his hand.
"..."
Under the blue sky and over the clear sea, a black-flagged, triple-masted pirate ship sailed toward a small town not far away.