Who will stand against me?

"You can dream on. Come at me instead, and I'll chop your head off," said the captain as Lynx got up to approach him.

Still holding the chest tightly in his left hand, he drew his sword with the other hand.

Strangely, despite his provocative words and his sword pointed towards his opponent, the captain began to slowly retreat. Yet, he didn't even realize it. This action was the result of a thought that he himself didn't want to accept, the fear that was increasingly engulfing him.

As Lynx advanced, the captain continued to retreat until he was blocked by a wall behind him. A smile then appeared on Lynx's face, giving a satisfied and sinister look filled with blood still on it.

"Come on, give it to me."

The captain stumbled. And Nym took a step back.

She had felt something. It was certainly due to her experience on the Grand Line, where she had witnessed great pirates in action.

Lynx's words may have been simple, but they were accompanied by something very powerful. At that moment, he looked like a conqueror.

Nym's eyes began to shine as if she had finally found something she had been searching for a long time.

'He's strong,' she thought. 'But does he really have what it takes?'

A question that would immediately be answered when the captain's left arm fell to the ground, Lynx holding a piece of his sword in his hands.

The captain had tried to attack him earlier with that sword. But when it made contact with Lynx's skin, it stopped dead in its tracks.

Lynx had grabbed it with his haki-filled palm and effortlessly broke it.

In a split second, the captain's arm still holding the chest fell to the ground, followed by a gush of blood.

- RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! MY ARM... MY FUCKING ARM!!!! He screamed in unbearable pain.

- Can you feel it? The sensation of being tortured, can you feel it? Lynx asked. However, even though he was addressing the captain, he didn't expect any response and didn't seem like himself.

"No, that's not enough. Not yet," he added.

Now it was the captain's right arm that fell to the ground, making him let out a piercing scream.

Nym, observing the scene, began to wonder if it wasn't a bit too much.

She didn't expect Lynx to be this kind of person. But upon reflection, she realized it wasn't surprising. After all, what kind of man would be willing to be tortured day and night, without a drop of water or food, for the sole purpose of training?

Lynx was that kind of person, and he was also the kind of person who would give back double, or even triple, what was done to him.

That's exactly what the captain was experiencing at the moment.

The captain was slowly losing consciousness. However, he still had the strength to see Lynx pick up the chest from the ground, in his severed arm.

- Ah... ahah..., you'll never... never have access... to this fruit. Only I know where the key is hidden. He struggled to say, spitting out a huge amount of blood.

- So what? Are you stupid or something? Lynx simply replied.

He then took the chest in his two hands, covered with armament haki. It took him a little effort to break the lock and open the chest.

Inside it was the greatest treasure he would discover in his entire pirate life.

This wonder that he held in his hand captivated all his attention, but not only that, both Nym and the captain were captivated by the sight of it.

Gray in color, it had a spherical shape with spikes in certain places. It seemed to have a face, that of a demon. Numerous holes made up its body, and there were many patterns meant to represent waves.

"So here it is," said Lynx in awe. "Are you the Devil Fruit that will elevate me above this world? What power do you hold?"

There was only one move left for him to achieve his goal. He just had to take a bite. Just one little bite...

- CAPTAIN! We heard gunshots. What's going on? Interrupted the voices of two men who had just entered the room.

- Bang! Bang! Nym's pistol replied.

She had instantly reacted, thus protecting her new captain and the progress of their plan.

"Don't you see that the pirate world is experiencing a historic moment, you insignificant scoundrels?" she added, blowing the tip of her weapon to disperse the smoke.

Having seen what had just happened, Lynx looked at the captain again. Then, slowly, very slowly, he brought the fruit closer to his mouth, as if taunting the captain.

"Stop that, I forbid you to..."

Unfortunately (for him), it was already too late when he shouted. Lynx had already taken a huge bite out of the fruit.

...

- Ugh, it wasn't a myth. Devil fruits really taste like shit. Lynx exclaimed, grimacing.

- So, how does it feel? Nym asked. "Do you feel different?"

- Hmm... not yet, but it will come.

- I see.

- The problem is, I don't even know what fruit it is. Hey, any idea, Captain? He asked.

- ...

- Shit! I think he's already dying.

- Not surprising. By the way, the crew is getting agitated on the deck, they must have heard the gunshots. Nym remarked, as she looked out the window and heard their noises.

- In that case, let's calm them down with a little surprise.

Lynx then got up, grabbed the captain's hair with one hand, and lifted him up. He dragged him along the floor until they reached the door leading to the deck.

- Let's go, Nym.

- Yeah, Cap.

They left the cabin the same way they had entered, kicking the door down. This caught the attention of the entire crew in turmoil on the deck.

- HEY!!! You bunch of idiots, Papy Lynx has a surprise for you. He said, holding the captain by the hair towards the whole crew.

They all looked in fear, seeing their captain covered in blood, without his two arms, on the verge of succumbing.

"The... the... the captain, he was defeated... by this pathetic guy," some of them said. "We are at least ten times more numerous. Let's restore the captain's honor."

- Nym, calm their enthusiasm a bit.

- Yeah, Cap.

- Could you stop calling me Cap?

- Don't worry... Cap.

- Alright, go for it!

- Right away... Cap. She continued to annoy Lynx.

Where they stood was slightly higher than the deck, so she descended to be at the same level as the others.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, a small group of five came to greet her, swords in hand. But as soon as they entered Nym's field of vision, they were already dead.

The rest of the crew began to back away, while Nym advanced like a demon, her two weapons in hand, her red hair flowing despite the bandana.

Lynx, still above, watched her with a proud look. It was clear that he didn't regret recruiting Nym as his second-in-command. He thought about all that their crew would accomplish if he managed to gain her loyalty and recruit other powerful members.

Nym, on her part, continued to terrorize the crew.

- Since I'm a nice person, I'll give you a choice. Surrender or die! She said, pointing her guns at them again.

- Keep dreaming, bitch! One of them replied, and of course, immediately received a bullet in the head.

He looked at the others with a haughty expression and ordered, "Kneel!"

But they still hesitated.

"It goes without saying, you have a sense of loyalty. I won't say 'what's the point,' but think twice about it. Is it really the best thing to do in your situation?"

Their faces tensed up and they began grinding their teeth, bowing their heads in shame, one by one, they knelt down.

- Good choice! She said before addressing Lynx. "It's done, Cap."

- GG! He replied, giving a thumbs up. You see, you miserable scum, your crew abandoning you for their own survival?

The ship's captain had not yet kicked the bucket and remained conscious enough to see what was happening.

"What was their trust in you based on? Why did they follow you? I almost pity you.

But you must die. Do you know why?

*Sigh* It doesn't matter, you should have been prepared for this. The danger of death lurks every second, it never takes its eyes off us.

We live in a world of pirates, there are no saints sailing the seas. Every action has consequences."

Then, he plunged his hand right into the captain's heart, under the fearful gaze of his crew.

"My journey didn't start off the best way. But ease only creates weakness. Difficulty, on the other hand, destroys the morale of those who cannot overcome it.

I still have so many doors to cross, but one thing is certain. Nothing and no one will stop me.

I will rise above this world. And if I don't find the One Piece, at least... I will find Freedom."

****