Chapter Six: The Alrita Pirates, Nami

(Once again, my heartfelt thanks to those who voted: Cool as a Glance, Addicted to Solitude, and You Outside the Pavilion. The issue with last night's chapter has been corrected! Because I am simultaneously working on two novels, I accidentally pasted a chapter from my other book. "The First Swordmaster in History" is my fantasy novel—feel free to check it out. My apologies again!)

Aboard the luxurious cruise ship, pirates ceaselessly hauled sacks of gold and silver onto their own vessel. Any civilian who dared resist met a brutal end.

“You stupid fish… I’ll swim over myself from here. But if you dare try to escape, I’ll hunt you down to the ends of the earth and gut you,” Shu Mingyuan said coldly, then leaped into the sea. In an instant, he transformed into a sleek fish, gliding swiftly toward the cruise ship.

The Lord of the Shallows whimpered. What kind of person was this, threatening him even as he left? Life was never easy for a sea beast… Torn between options, the creature finally followed the youth’s silhouette and sank beneath the surface, prowling the nearby waters.

The pirate ship, a little smaller than the cruise liner, had soft ladders dropped for boarding during battle. Shu Mingyuan climbed up one unnoticed. The pirate ship was deserted, the deck piled high with treasure, but otherwise empty. Shu Mingyuan swept his gaze indifferently over the wealth, then looked to the grand vessel above.

Within that ship, the clever thief Nami was likely still pilfering treasures, Luffy was probably still unconscious in a barrel, and Koby remained as timid as ever—the story had yet to truly unfold. Shu Mingyuan smiled, stepped onto a grappling hook, and vaulted onto the cruise ship.

Bang!

Not far off, a sudden crash of splintering barrels erupted from a storeroom. Yet with the ship resounding with shouts and slaughter, few paid attention.

“So, he’s finally awake?” Shu Mingyuan murmured to himself, alert for any change within the ship. According to his memory, the room where Luffy would awaken was of particular interest.

He glanced back toward the Alvida Pirates’ vessel, and sure enough, a striking figure in pirate attire had appeared on deck.

“So I’ve perfectly missed Nami… Not that it matters. She won’t get far.”

With a faint smile, Shu Mingyuan turned his attention to the pirates on the deck. Among them stood a grotesquely obese woman, her face covered in freckles, wielding a massive iron club and barking orders at all.

“That must be Alvida, bounty: five million Berries, and the future wielder of the Slip-Slip Fruit.” Yet no matter how he looked, Shu Mingyuan found it hard to connect her with the stunning woman she’d one day become.

“Hey, kid, who are you? How did you suddenly appear here?” a fierce pirate shouted, noticing him at last. Without waiting for a reply, the pirate swung his longsword down with all his might.

The youth shifted smoothly aside; the blade sliced the air by his ear. Shu Mingyuan raised his hand and, in a flash, struck the pirate’s wrist with the back of his fist.

The sword clattered to the deck. Shu Mingyuan seized it and, with a single sweep, drew a crimson arc through the air. Blood spurted as the pirate’s throat was laid open. Clutching his wound, the man toppled over the railing and fell, only to be devoured whole by a massive shadow lurking beneath the waves.

“Reality… so much crueler than the anime ever was,” Shu Mingyuan sighed. Everywhere he’d encountered bandits or pirates, there was only destruction and slaughter—nothing like the bloodless, sanitized violence of animation.

It was for this reason that he had no wish to become a pirate. He wanted only to be a hunter, and every pirate whose evil he’d witnessed would become his quarry.

The cruise ship’s deck was already littered with bodies, blood nearly covering the boards. The corpses of the victims, piled here and there, tormented the minds of the surviving hostages.

“You’ve committed countless crimes—let your ship be the starting point for justice.”

Since he’d decided to kill, Shu Mingyuan resolved to leave none behind.

He slid down the rope back onto the pirate ship, where he saw many pirates busy carrying loot from the deck into the hold.

The sight of this unfamiliar youth, his sword still dripping blood and murderous intent radiating from him, struck terror into the pirates’ hearts.

“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before!” one demanded.

Shu Mingyuan strolled over, a careless smile curling his lips. “I’m the one here to kill you all.”

Before they could react, he plunged the blade into the man’s torso.

A twist of his wrist, and the pirate’s innards were shredded—a death swift and merciless.

“You brat… you’re courting death!” The dozen or so pirates on deck erupted in fury, dropping their cargo to brandish their swords and surround him.

Blades descended from all sides, sealing off his escape, each strike meant to carve him limb from limb.

Shu Mingyuan raised his sword above his head. With the strength of nearly twenty grown men, he faced them without fear.

A thousand thunderbirds shrieked—the wild force of lightning crackled along his arm and sword, instantly shocking the pirates and sapping their strength.

Unleashing his power, Shu Mingyuan knocked aside every blade, then swept his sword in a broad arc, cutting down three men in a single stroke.

Without pause, his blade flashed again, a ribbon of blood trailing in its wake as he took another pirate’s head, which tumbled across the deck.

Savage.

The remaining pirates swallowed hard. Who was this boy, emerging from nowhere, whose skills were so terrifying, who killed as easily as cutting grass?

Their bodies trembled in fear. This youth was simply too powerful.

“Run. If I catch you, there will be no mercy.”

His sword was bloodied, crimson droplets trailing from the blade and sketching a sinister arc through the air.

Seized by terror, the pirates scattered. Some dashed for the rail, intent on leaping into the sea, but most fled toward the cruise ship. If they could just cross the grappling lines to Alvida’s domain, they might yet survive.

“Too slow,” Shu Mingyuan chuckled.

Silver lightning crackled in his left hand, and with a burst of speed, he left a blur in his wake.

A sharp wet sound—the lightning-charged hand pierced through a pirate’s back. Shu Mingyuan leaped into the midst of the fleeing men, and within moments, every pirate lay dead in their own blood.

Blood slicked the deck, treasure bags toppled and spilled their contents among the carnage.

Save for Shu Mingyuan, not a soul remained alive on the deck. He glanced toward the cargo hold and smiled, striding over.

Outside the door, he heard the sounds of boxes being rifled and guessed immediately that Nami was inside, stealing from the pirates.

Without hesitation, he pushed the door open. And there she was—the figure he knew so well.

Nami.