"The moonlight is beautiful tonight. It feels like a waste to spill blood under such a sky. But... a pack of scum like this? Guess it can't be helped."
Cross looked up at the bright full moon overhead and slowly drew his blade, Kagehide, from his waist.
"One-Sword Style… Shockwave!"
In an instant, Cross unleashed a slash. A howling tempest of sword wind surged forth, sweeping away the dozens of pirates gathered at the warehouse entrance.
BOOOOM!!!
The violent shockwave swept out in all directions. A dozen pirates were blasted skyward like ragdolls, their bodies crashing into the massive hull of the pirate ship docked nearby with sickening thuds.
Within seconds, the warehouse entrance was a scene of utter carnage, pirates sprawled across the ground, bones shattered, tendons torn, howling in agony.
"H-He knocked them all back with just one swing… What is this kid, a monster!?" a trembling pirate stammered from where he lay on the ground.
"Don't be afraid! He's alone! Get the mortar up here and blast him to hell!"
A pirate on the shoreline, one of the few lucky enough to have avoided the initial shockwave, raised his musket and roared orders.
But before they could act, Cross shot out of the warehouse like an arrow, wind howling in his wake as he lunged into the mass of pirates by the docks.
Kagehide, one of the 50 Skillful Grade Swords, sliced through the air. Its razor edge made short work of swords, muskets, and even bullets mid-flight, before cleaving just as effortlessly through flesh, muscle, and bone.
In that moment, Cross was death incarnate, a reaper wielding a blade forged for slaughter. His sword seemed to have reached the mythical realm of "nothing it cannot cut."
Blades snapped. Guns were shattered. Throats were slit. Limbs severed. Chests carved open.
The moon was beautiful tonight, casting silver light across the land.
But what it revealed was a scene straight from a nightmare; a slaughterhouse bathed in moonlight.
Blood soaked the ground in thick, crimson pools. Severed limbs and mangled torsos lay strewn about. Entrails writhed grotesquely on the dirt like dying serpents.
It was bloodier and more horrifying than the goriest horror film imaginable.
Huff...
No one knew how long had passed before Cross stood amid the corpses, exhaling a slow, heavy breath.
"So weak," he muttered to himself. "Even weaker than that featherbrained bird… Heh, what the hell am I saying? Comparing that thing to this lot, what a joke…"
...
The matter was resolved cleanly. Every single member of the invading pirate crew was killed. Not one escaped.
Rob Lucci showed no intention of lingering. Before the sun had even risen, he departed Tobias Kingdom aboard a World Government vessel.
As for Cross, who had saved the lives of 500 citizens, it was no surprise he was once again hailed as a hero. The people of Tobias Kingdom offered him their heartfelt thanks.
After all, Tobias was a small nation. Five hundred people meant five hundred families. In terms of RPGs, it was like his reputation points had skyrocketed overnight.
Fortunately, King Haritch XIX was a generous and benevolent ruler. He didn't mind that Cross now enjoyed such widespread adoration. A lesser, more petty king might've already seen Cross as a threat.
On top of that, the Scoundrel Pirates had come with considerable firepower. After defeating them, the kingdom acquired a substantial cache of cannons and firearms, greatly strengthening its military. General Humil had been grinning ear to ear for days.
Still, Cross didn't stay at the royal palace for long. He soon bid farewell to the king, his ministers, and the general, and returned to his villa.
In his absence, the cracks he'd left in the courtyard had already been repaired. Only the massive fissure stretching hundreds of meters from the forest to the coast remained untouched.
Entering the villa's main hall, Cross sank comfortably into the sofa. A maid quickly brought him his favorite red tea.
There was no soda in this world, so like the nobility, he'd learned to sip tea to keep up appearances. As for red wine? He was still too young for that kind of posturing.
"Cross-kun, I heard about what happened this time. Well done! But to think even you got hurt this badly… It must've been dangerous."
The old butler, Henry, approached with a cane in hand. He immediately noticed the bandages wrapped around Cross's body and frowned in concern.
"These injuries aren't from here. I got them overseas. Just surface wounds, they'll heal in a few days. Nothing to worry about, Henry-jiisan," Cross said with a reassuring smile.
"That's good, that's good…" Henry nodded, though the worry on his wrinkled face didn't fade.
"By the way, Henry-jiisan, any thoughts on that crack in the forest?" Cross asked, steering the conversation elsewhere.
"I'm thinking of keeping it," Henry said thoughtfully. "We'll build a canal through it to bring seawater into the villa. That way, the pool and fountain can use seawater, cheaper and easier!"
"Seawater?!"
Cross's face went pale. He nearly spat out his tea.
"What's the matter?"
Henry blinked in confusion at Cross's expression. "Do you have a different idea?"
"Henry-jiisan… I ate a Devil Fruit while I was away. The side effect is that if I fall into seawater, I'll completely lose all my strength…" Cross said helplessly.
"A Devil Fruit?!"
Henry was visibly shaken. "Why on earth would you eat something like that? You mean... you've been cursed by the sea? You're a landlubber now!"
"Devil Fruits come with a price, sure, but they also grant power," Cross said, raising his hand and gazing into his palm. Then he looked back up and said, "Henry-jiisan, once I've recovered, I've decided, I'm joining the Navy."
"The Navy…"
At those words, Henry's face froze. It was as if time itself had stopped.
A long silence followed, then a soft smile spread across the old man's face. He sighed and said, "I see. You've grown up. It's time for you to head out into the world."
"I always knew this kingdom was too small to hold someone like you. I just didn't expect the day would come so soon."
"Henry-jiisan…"
Cross looked at his aging face, and his heart ached. His lips quivered. The words he'd prepared, words of farewell, gratitude, and promise, were stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.
He wasn't a block of wood. He wasn't some cold-blooded monster. Fifteen years together. Fifteen years of bond and care. That wasn't something you could just walk away from.
"Enough, Cross-kun, don't show me that weak face," Henry suddenly said firmly.
Then he smiled with pride.
"Joining the Navy is a thousand times better than becoming a pirate. You've become a man who can stand on his own. With your talent, staying in this tiny kingdom would only waste your potential. Your future is out there, on the sea!"
"Go. I'll be here, waiting. Waiting to see your name in the headlines."
"Let your name resound across the world, Amphitrite Cross!"
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