Escaping Death

Sorry for not updating for the past 10 days. I have some things in live.

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Kid had been knocked to the ground by Mihawk moments earlier slowly rose to his knees. His eyes immediately locked onto Mihawk, who was slashing Kai with his sword.

"K-Kai…" He looked at the scene in horror, all kinds of thoughts surging into his mind. He started blaming himself for recklessly attacking the Strongest Swordsman in the World which led them to this situation.

SPLASH!! Kai crumpled to the ground, his chest torn open, barely clinging to consciousness amidst his own blood.

"COUGH!-COUGH!...Why...didn't you finish me?" Kai mumbled, face down on the ground, coughing up blood and writhing in agony.

"You're pretty interesting. It will be a shame if you die here, I'd like to witness how high you may rise" Mihawk calmly responded, his focus fixed on the furious Kid who had just risen to his feet.

Kid's fists clenched tightly as he spoke "Strongest swordsman in the world or not...no one harms my little brother and walks away unscathed!" His eyes flashed red, and a surge of energy radiated from his body, rendering everyone in the port unconscious, except for Kai and Mihawk.

"Conqueror's Haki?!" Kai exclaimed, shocked not by his brother's possession of it but by its awakening in such dire circumstances. "Stand back! You'll only get yourself killed!"

"Conqueror's Haki…you also possess the qualities of a king" Mihawk gazed at Kid in surprised "What an interesting pair of brothers you are" Mihawk remarked in surprise, his gaze shifting between the two brothers. In a sudden move, he vanished and reappeared behind Kid, catching him off guard. With a powerful strike to the nape, Kid was rendered unconscious instantly.

"Hmph..." Mihawk said no more, merely observing the two brothers for a moment before turning and departing on his boat.

"Huff...Huff...that was too close," Kai breathed heavily, lying on his back and waiting for someone from their crew to return or for Kid to wake up. His face was pale, his body weakened from blood loss.

Thankfully, Kid's Haki had incapacitated the Krieg Pirates.

A few minutes later, Kid regained consciousness.

"What just happened?" Kid questioned, rubbing his sore neck.

"You were knocked out by Hawk-Eyes," Kai replied. Kid quickly got to his feet and rushed to check on his brother.

"Are you okay?" Kid asked, glancing at Kai's injuries.

"Yeah, it's nothing. Just help me up," Kai replied, though his injury could become life-threatening if not treated soon.

"Hawk-Eyes Mihawk... I'll settle the score with him in the future," Kai said as he steadied himself with Kid's support, and the two headed back to the Victoria Punk. However, some of Krieg's men, who were out in the city, blocked their way.

About a dozen of them aimed to exploit the two brothers' vulnerable state due to their injuries.

"We'll be taking your heads. Your bounties should fetch us a nice sum," one of them sneered, pointing his saber at them before they encircled the pair.

"These guys just don't learn," Kid muttered. Kai surveyed them silently before speaking with a commanding tone.

"Get lost!"

Kai's intense gaze seemed to pierce their hearts, and an overpowering force emanated from him as he unconsciously unleashed his Conqueror's Haki.

"What's wrong with you?!" The pirates were overcome with terror as Conqueror's Haki washed over them. They turned and tried to flee, but their eyes rolled back, and they passed out one by one.

'Did I just use Conqueror's Haki too?' Kai was surprised but then chuckled in excitement. 'What a rare coincidence for us to awaken it at the same time. Good to know I have it; it's essential for reaching the top.'

While Kid and Kai both awakened Conqueror's Haki simultaneously, they did so under different circumstances. Kid's awakening was triggered by emotion, similar to Katakuri, Doflamingo, and Ace. Kai's, on the other hand, was due to his sheer willpower and unyielding spirit in the face of adversity.

"You scared them to death" Kid remarked with a smirk.

"That's Haki," Kai corrected.

"Haki?" Even though they were both training in Observation Haki, Kai hadn't explained what Haki was to Kid.

"You used it earlier too. I'll explain later. Let's head back for now."

Afterward, they returned to the Victoria Punk. Upon seeing Kai's condition, the crew was horrified and immediately took him to a room for treatment.

Kai and Killer had both sustained life-threatening injuries from Mihawk, but for Kai, it wasn't a defeat. He had awakened his Observation Haki during the fight. Facing Mihawk, they had no chance of victory, so escaping with their lives and gaining a power-up was the best outcome.

"You're too reckless, Kid. How could you attack the Strongest Swordsman in the World? Because of you, Kai and Killer almost lost their lives!" Bonney scolded.

"Shut up! How would I know that? Besides, that guy wasn't going to let us go that easily," Kid growled in response.

"Calm down, both of you—" Killer began, but it only further infuriated Kid.

"I get it, I've learned from my mistake. I'll be more careful in the future," Kid replied.

"Enough! Let's forget about this, shall we? Don Krieg's fleet is still out there, and they will surely come after us. So, for now, let's clean them out," Kai stated, still wrapped in bandages. "I'll leave that job for you since I'm still recovering."

"I still haven't asked you, why did you not kill Don Krieg and the guy with the Tonfas?" Killer questioned.

"Let's say I need strong individuals if I want to conquer the New World, and those two certainly have what it takes to be strong," Kai said. "Tell the rest to keep an eye on them."

Over the next two days, Kid and the rest hunted down the remaining members of Don Krieg's crew, annihilating them, seizing their treasures, and burning their ships.

Victoria Punk, ship's brig,

Kai descended to the lower deck where the ship's brig was located. A few cells held Don Krieg and Gin, both chained and with sea stone shackles around their wrists, looted from marine ships.

"Yoo! Did you find the prison cells comfortable?" Kai greeted casually as he approached them.

"What's the meaning of this? How dare you lock me up, you senseless brat!" Don Krieg exclaimed, glaring at Kai with clenched teeth, frustrated but unable to break the chains due to his injuries and bandages.

Beside him, Gin remained silent, also wrapped in bandages from his fight against Killer.

"That's not how you speak to someone who has the power to end your life in a split second," Kai remarked to Krieg, who growled in response before speaking.

"I'm not accepting this. Free me right now. We're having a rematch!"

"Why aren't you killing us? You certainly can do that easily," Gin finally spoke, joining the conversation.

"I'm looking for talented recruits. After all, I can't become the King of Pirates with my strength alone. I need strong people who can watch my back, and you two have what it takes," Kai said with a grin as he approached their cells.

Krieg responded with hostility, "I'm the man who's going to become the King of Pirates, you brat. When I escape, you'll be the first person I kill, mark my words."

"That's it! An ambitious, fearless pirate and a fiercely loyal demon. I think you two will make a good team in my crew. What do you say? Join me, and you won't regret it."

"Hahaha! Don't make me laugh, I the mighty Don Krieg... join you? You must have a screw loose, kid," Don Krieg mocked.

"I'm not going to betray Don Krieg" Gin added.

"Kahahaha! As expected. Then how about this..." Kai said with a mischievous grin. "You two can fight me again. If you win, I'll let you go, and my crew won't harm you. But..."

"If you lose, you join me without complaining," Kai stated.

"What if I refuse?" Krieg inquired.

"Then I'll kill you here and now," Kai responded.

Krieg paused briefly before conceding, "Very well, have it your way."

"Good. The fight will happen in a few days. Rest and let your injuries heal for now. I don't want to face injured, weak opponents," Kai added, then turned and left.

The crew remained on Kita Island for a couple more days until the Log Pose recorded the magnetic fields of the next island, and then they set sail.

Of course, before leaving, the crew ransacked the island for supplies, taking any valuables from civilians' shops, nobles and even the treasury in the royal palace, they also took the supplies they need for the ship from the city merchants.

When the King and his royal army resisted, they were all murdered and crucified by the Eustass Pirates hands before they burnt down the place and departed.

Fortunately, the Marines didn't arrive until several days after the pirates had left.

Somewhere in the sea…The Victoria Punk,

A dozen figures stood on the ship's deck. Three faced off against each other, while the rest encircled them.

"Captain, kick their asses!" Heat and Wire cheered from the back.

"Remind me why aren't we just killing these shitheads" Kid asked.

"Kai wants to recruit them, a smart move since we have a small crew," Killer explained.

"I don't like the guy in the golden armor. He has a punchable face," Bonney commented with a slice of pizza in her mouth.

"Alright, brat, time to teach you a lesson!" Krieg declared as he drew his two pistols and revealed hidden gun barrels beneath his shoulders, firing at Kai. Simultaneously, Gin moved to Kai's side to take advantage of the situation and attack him.

"Demonic Dance!" Gin leaped forward with one of his tonfas swinging at Kai.

"That might have worked before, but now…" Kai said confidently, using Observation Haki to effortlessly dodge the bullets and block Gin's attack with his hammer. "A few bullets won't work on me!"

"What?!" Krieg and Gin exchanged shocked glances. They had believed they could defeat Kai by working together, even if it meant for Krieg to put aside his ego and pride.

"Don't fuck with me. The gap between us can't be that massive... With my arsenal of weapons and crew, I can overcome anything and anyone, even the mightiest fighters in the world!" Krieg declared, his anger clear.

"Overconfidence, superiority complex, and an unwillingness to learn from your mistakes are your weaknesses," Kai said, stowing his hammer. "I don't even need my hammer…my fists are enough. I'll show you true strength."

"Go to hell, you red-headed bastard!"

BAAAM!

BAAAM!

BAAAM!

"That ain't even a fight now, it's a total one-way beatdown," Bonney commented.

"Looks like Kai leveled up big time fighting Hawk-Eyes," Kid noted, keeping his cool as he observed the brawl.

In just a few minutes, Kai had taken down the two pirates effortlessly. The fight was completely lopsided, and he didn't even get a scratch, all thanks to his newly unlocked Observation Haki.

"You remember the deal, right? You lose, you're with us now," Kai approached the battered and bruised duo lying on the floor.

"Damn it..."