A Pair of Wings!

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As the dust settled over the battlefield, Kai sheathed his blade and let his hand drift to his staff, his gaze sharpening as he watched the remaining Krieg Pirates scramble to retreat. Their panic, their desperation—they reminded him of rats fleeing a sinking ship. He tilted his head, a wry smile playing at his lips.

"Where do you think you're going?" he murmured, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

The pirates froze, the remnants of their courage crumbling as they looked back. In the distance, Krieg was still on his knees, a shadow of the fearsome figure he once projected. But none of that mattered now. The rats would be dealt with, one by one.

Kai raised his staff high above his head, and a gleaming aura surged around him, swirling in arcs of shimmering blue and silver light. Tiny shards of crystal began to form around the staff, growing in intensity, floating and vibrating as they gathered into an ethereal constellation. Each shard was like a miniature star, pulsating with lethal power. The pirates watched in horror as a cloud of glimmering projectiles expanded overhead, casting a spectral glow that lit up the dark.

"Crystal Barrage!" he called, his voice carrying over the chaos. With a swift flick of his wrist, the first wave of crystalline shards shot forward, splitting into a rain of deadly fragments that tore through the retreating pirates. Screams echoed across the battlefield as shards pierced armor and flesh, leaving streaks of blood in their wake.

The survivors, desperate and broken, tried to scatter in every direction, clawing at the ground to escape. But Kai's gaze remained fixed, his expression unyielding. He lifted the staff once more, this time weaving in another incantation, his eyes glowing with a merciless intensity.

"Star Shower!"

As the final shards and stars dissipated, Kai lowered his staff, surveying the aftermath with cold satisfaction. What remained of Don Krieg's crew was little more than scattered remnants, the battlefield now littered with the ruins of their failed ambition.

Kai lowered his staff, the last shimmer of starlight fading as he surveyed the wreckage of what had once been the Krieg Pirates. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, his gaze drifting over the battered remnants of their armor, broken weapons, and the few survivors who lay groaning on the ground.

"These guys made it to the Grand Line?" he said, shaking his head in mock disbelief. "I guess the sea has pretty low standards these days."

He kicked aside a piece of shattered armor as he walked past, glancing at a pirate struggling to pull himself up. "Seriously, was the ocean calm that day, or did you all just got lost and somehow managed to get here"

Mikita stumbled forward, breathing heavily but grinning triumphantly. She swiped a hand across her brow, glancing at Kai with a mix of pride and defiance. "Well? Satisfied with my 'job interview'?" she asked, sarcasm tinged with genuine curiosity. She seemed almost surprised at her own performance, and for a brief moment, there was something almost vulnerable in her expression.

Kai gave her a slow nod, his face betraying a faint smirk. "Not bad," he replied. "You didn't get yourself killed, which is more than I can say for most. Maybe you're not completely useless."

Mikita scowled at his backhanded compliment, but a spark of pride glinted in her eyes. She glanced down at Krieg's battered form, then back at Kai, curiosity in her voice as she asked, "So, what now? We just leave him here to rot, or do you have a plan?"

Kai's smirk deepened, the atmosphere around him thick with an electric tension. He raised his staff high, the air humming with the weight of impending destruction. The ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble as the crystals in the distance started to shimmer, pulsing with an unnatural energy. His eyes flicked to Krieg one last time, and with a single, almost careless motion, he thrust his staff forward.

A brilliant light erupted from the tip, a blinding beam of pure arcane force—a perfect manifestation of the Canon of Haima. The energy pulsed like the roar of a star collapsing in on itself, ripping through the air in a deafening wave. The beam struck the already beaten Krieg and his remaining crewmates on the ground with a force so immense that it shattered the remaining fragments of his golden armor like glass, reducing the once-feared pirate leader into nothing more than a charred ruin. The blast splintered the battlefield.

The echoes of the blast still rang in the air as Kai lowered his staff, his face unreadable. The dust settled, the ruins of the Krieg Pirates strewn about in their final moments.

"That's my plan," Kai said, his voice cool and indifferent, almost as if he'd been dealing with a trivial inconvenience.

Mikita's jaw dropped slightly, her eyes wide in disbelief. "He's crazy," she muttered to herself, taking a step back as the sheer power of the blast lingered in the air, like the remnants of a storm. She couldn't quite grasp how someone could act so nonchalantly after wiping out an entire crew with a flick of their wrist.

Just as she processed the chaotic aftermath, a sudden notification flashed across Kai's vision.

[+40k runes]

Kai looked down at the notification, then smiled to himself, a quiet sense of satisfaction in his gaze. "This should be enough," he murmured, the excitement of leveling up hitting him like a brief thrill.

From a distance, Mont Blanc Cricket, who had been silently watching the destruction unfold, slowly approached Kai. His eyes were wide with admiration and awe.

"You're quite capable..." Cricket said, his voice carrying a mix of respect and genuine wonder as he came to a stop before the man who had effortlessly dismantled a crew of pirates. He had seen strong men in this island countless times, but Kai was a new experience.

Kai turned towards Cricket, his expression shifting into one of casual command. The aftermath of his blast still lingered in the air, a sense of finality hanging over the field. His eyes were sharp, calculating as he regarded the older man.

"Consider that a favor," Kai said, voice steady and almost casual, though the weight of his words carried a silent expectation. "Even though they were small fries. Now, I want you to return the favor."

Cricket blinked, still absorbing the raw force of what had just happened, but Kai wasn't giving him much time to process.

"We have a ship here," Kai continued, his tone not leaving room for argument. "You'll see the flag of the new Warlord of the Sea on it—Buggy the Clown. And we need a pair of wings."

Cricket frowned, confused by the mention of wings. "Wings?" he asked, bewildered.

"Yeah," Kai replied nonchalantly, crossing his arms. "The same way Straw Hat had his. I don't want to be blown away by the Knock Up Stream, so a little bit of flight would be helpful."

Cricket's confusion deepened as he shook his head. "You do realize I told you it's not happening anytime soon, right?"

Kai sighed, a heavy, exaggerated breath, as if he was dealing with a child. He stepped closer, placing a hand on Cricket's shoulder in an almost patronizing manner, the contact surprisingly firm. "Just do it, old man," Kai said, his voice firm, but with an undertone of something that could almost be considered gratitude. "And you have my thanks."

Cricket simply stared at him, completely at a loss for words.

Kai turned away, as if the matter was already settled. But as he did, Mikita, who had been quietly observing the exchange, finally spoke up. Her brow furrowed with genuine curiosity.

"Why are you so determined to get to this fairy land?" she asked, the question filled with both intrigue and skepticism. She had watched him effortlessly handle their problems up until now, but this goal of his… she didn't quite understand it.

Kai's smile widened, a genuine warmth spreading across his face for the first time in their entire conversation. It wasn't the smirk of someone just playing a part—it was the smile of someone who had found something that truly mattered.

"Gold," he said simply, but the weight of the word lingered in the air. His gaze flickered briefly to the horizon, a glint of something distant in his eyes. It wasn't just about treasure, it was more than that.

Mikita blinked, taken aback by the simplicity of his answer, yet the certainty behind it told her all she needed to know. Gold, in all its forms, could mean power, opportunity, and something far more elusive.

Cricket finally seemed to calm down, the shock of the earlier events slowly fading as the weight of Kai's request settled in. He scratched the back of his head, still trying to wrap his mind around the absurdity of it all. But when he looked at Kai again, there was a grudging respect in his eyes. This young man was something else—unpredictable, unstoppable, and somehow always a step ahead.

"Very well, young man," Cricket said, his voice gruff but resigned. "I and the Saruyama Alliance will get it done in no time." He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. "But I'll remind you once again... the Knock Up Stream is not upon us yet. We've still got some time before the tides align."

Kai gave him a nod, unfazed by the reminder, as though he'd already factored that into his calculations. "Thanks," he said, the sincerity in his voice clear despite his usual nonchalance. "And be sure to find a nice spot to watch our departure once you're done."

Cricket raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by Kai's words, but said nothing in response. He just gave the younger man a curt nod before turning to get to work, muttering to himself as he walked off. His hands were already twitching, eager to begin the task at hand.

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If you wish to read up to 5 Chapters Ahead! or simply support me just because? then check out my patréon at

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