Warrior’s Training

――"My treasure? If you want it, I'll give it to you. Search for it! I left everything in that place!"

A few months ago, with these words spoken by the Pirate King, Gold Roger, just before his death, people were driven to the sea, and the era of the Great Pirates began. Many became pirates, and numerous rookies set their sights on the Grand Line.

However, of course, not only new adventurers were inspired by the words of the Pirate King. Those who were already pirates aimed for his legacy as well.

In the chaotic seas of the latter half of the Grand Line, a single pirate ship was sailing. The crew on board was of a considerable size, and the man serving as the captain had a relatively high bounty on his head.

He was neither a particularly great nor a particularly bad pirate – somewhere in the middle. While he was not on the level to challenge figures like Roger or Whitebeard, his pride prevented him from becoming someone's underling.

Amidst such delicate circumstances, the information about the Pirate King's treasure, "One Piece," suddenly appearing in the Grand Line, was enough to spark a surge of enthusiasm among these men. Even though it was an entirely baseless dream that they could become the next Pirate King by obtaining the One Piece, they sailed on with high spirits.

On that day, the weather was clear, and the wind was calm – an unusual occurrence for the latter half of the Grand Line.

In the somewhat tranquil atmosphere, both the captain and his subordinates relaxed a bit. It was precisely at this moment that a loud sound, like an explosion, echoed through the air.

"What's going on!?"

The captain shouted, and his subordinates looked around the ship, but they couldn't spot anything unusual. However, as they observed their perplexed crewmates, the captain's eyes fell on a strange scene.

In the center of the confused crew, standing on the deck, was a young man with light purple hair tied back and dressed in a dark brown suit. His eyes and nose were black.

While his facial features still bore a hint of youth as he was transitioning from a boy to a young man, the atmosphere he exuded was distinctly different.

"Who's this brat... and how did he sneak in?"

One of the subordinates muttered suspiciously, and the rest, sensing an ominous aura, began to gather around the young man. They had no idea how he had infiltrated the ship or where he had come from.

Gathering around the young man were dozens of subordinates, each of them seasoned enough to have survived as pirates in the Grand Line.

And these subordinates...

"...Razor."

In an instant, it seemed as though the young man's figure blurred, and then, like marionettes whose strings had been cut, they all collapsed.

"What!?"

Witnessing this shocking scene, the captain quickly raced through his thoughts.

"He knocked them all out at once? Haki... no, I didn't sense any Conqueror's Haki. Besides, my men shouldn't be weak enough to faint from ordinary Conqueror's Haki."

Feeling panic rise in his heart, the captain moved his gaze, and his eyes fell on the face of one of the fallen subordinates. A hole that resembled a gunshot wound was visible on the subordinate's forehead, making it clear that he was not unconscious but dead.

"What is this guy...? Did he kill dozens of my men in an instant...?"

A chilling sensation ran down his spine. In the midst of complete silence, the young man's gaze slowly turned to the captain.

It felt as though a grim reaper had locked onto its prey from the darkness...

"Ugh, aaahhh!"

The captain's reflexive shout was born either from the anger of his subordinates being killed or the fear of facing an overwhelmingly powerful adversary...

Drawing his sword, enveloped in Armament Haki, the captain leaped and swung the sword down at the young man with all his might.

"...Paper Art."

It appeared as though the sword passed right through the young man's body. Simultaneously, the surrounding scenery seemed to slow down, and everything became vividly clear. Without the captain noticing, the young man had somehow moved right beside him.

In the final moments of death, in that compressed instant, the captain saw the young man raise his right index finger.

"...Finger Pistol."

The last thing the captain heard was those words.

***

On the deck of a pirate ship where no one else was alive, a young man flipped through a stack of wanted posters next to the body of a man who appeared to be the captain.

"... The bounty is 78 million berries."

Even though I could use Haki and my power level was over a billion, it seems like this amount is reasonable for now. The era of the Great Pirates has just begun, and bounties are generally lower than they will be later. Mid-level pirates like this are often underestimated by the Marines, as their attention is mostly focused on exceptionally powerful pirates. It will probably change once the era becomes more competitive, but for now, it works in my favor.

Before joining a job that would restrict my actions, I embarked on a journey for my warrior's training about half a year ago. The first two months were spent gaining experience in the first half of the sea, and afterward, I began my activities in the latter half of the Grand Line.

Of course, there was no reason to go through the trouble of taking the underwater route, so I crossed the Red Line by abandoning my ship.

I have engaged in many battles and killed quite a number of opponents. However, to be honest, I don't feel anything. I thought there might be some resistance when I killed someone for the first time, but no emotions arose. It seems that a few screws may have been loose during my body modifications.

As for my warrior's training, it's been going very smoothly. Actual combat significantly accelerates the growth of Haki. By using Haki in battle, I feel my Haki becoming more and more refined.

The most significant growth occurs when facing opponents who are skilled in Haki, but even when facing those without it, my progress is evident compared to regular training.

To my delight, there was an unexpected surprise. I have Conqueror's Haki. Honestly, I never thought someone like Spandam had the qualities of a king, so I assumed I couldn't use it. However, during a battle, something happened that seemed to involve Conqueror's Haki. Upon verification, it became clear that I have the potential for Conqueror's Haki.

This is a significant advantage. With my knowledge from the original work, being able to wield Conqueror's Haki will be a powerful asset. However, maintaining it requires considerable concentration, so I need to train further.

Well, that aside, the bounty of 78 million for this captain I killed is honestly "too high." If it were below 10 million, I could have cashed it in for additional travel expenses, but this amount is not good.

I don't particularly want to raise my name as a bounty hunter. Moreover, considering my future career in the intelligence agency, it's better if my true strength isn't widely known.

However, being too secretive could also lead to underestimation. A moderate approach would be ideal, like how Lucci from the original work was known enough to conduct undercover investigations without ordinary Marines recognizing him, but Vice Admirals know his face.

Yes, this pirate's bounty won't be exchanged. There's a reasonable amount of money onboard the ship, so I'll use that for my travel expenses... and then sink the ship.

With that decision made, I tore up the useless wanted poster with the captain's face on it and jumped.

"Storm Step."

The slash released from my foot cleaved the relatively large pirate ship in two, and then I used Moonwalk to return to the small boat I had left at a distance.

This is enough. I don't need a large sum of money for my life plan. It's more than enough, and I have no intention of going through the trouble of becoming a bounty hunter.

This is the latter half of the Grand Line, where shattered dreams of pirates turn them into forgotten fragments of the sea, disappearing without a trace... It's a common story.

Now then, I have another year and a half left for my warrior's training... I should prepare to hunt the next one.