“Kid, you’ve got guts, killing my man right in front of me.”
Looking down at Foxy, Scar, the pirate captain known for the massive scar on his face that resembled a centipede, sneered. The scar narrowly missed his eye, adding to his rough and menacing appearance, complete with a thick beard.
In this world, not having a few scars on your face or body meant you hadn’t truly lived dangerously. Scars were seen as a badge of honor, a mark of a man.
To become strong, scars were a part of the journey.
“Kid, join my pirate crew, and I’ll spare your life.”
Squatting down, Scar grabbed Foxy’s hair, yanking him up. He roughly pulled the wooden splinter out of Foxy’s left eye, feeling a pang of regret.
A crippled Devil Fruit user would fetch a lower price.
But he still extended the olive branch.
“Ah…”
Foxy screamed as the splinter was removed, his left eye a bloody mess, the eyeball destroyed.
He couldn’t see. His left eye was blind.
The pain was unbearable, preventing him from opening his eyes.
Blood and tears covered his face, Foxy trembling from both pain and fear.
“You devils, go to hell!”
At that moment, Aphelandra picked up the kitchen knife and swung it at Scar’s neck.
Dropping Foxy, Scar’s left hand grabbed Aphelandra’s wrist like a claw, his right hand’s machete slicing through her without resistance, blood spraying everywhere.
“Aphe…”
Foxy, half-opening his right eye, saw Aphelandra’s pained expression, blood and tears streaming down.
Her mouth was full of blood, Aphelandra glanced at Foxy, her lips moving, “Live well.”
Her hands went limp, her head slumping to her chest.
With a cold snort, Scar tossed her aside like a ragdoll, her blood quickly soaking the ground.
For her, death was a release.
“Kid, have you made up your mind?”
As if squashing an ant, Scar remained indifferent.
“Boom… crash…”
A loud explosion interrupted them, cannons firing closer and closer from the coast.
“Captain, we’ve got trouble! The Marines are here, and many of our men are dead!”
Several terrified pirates ran into the village, fleeing in panic, gunfire and explosions echoing all around.
“Do you know who’s leading them?”
Scar remained calm, unfazed.
“It’s… it’s Vice Admiral Tsuru from Marine Headquarters.”
“What?”
Scar shuddered, his rough face filled with terror.
“Captain, that woman’s terrifying! She’s captured countless pirates with bounties over a hundred million. We need to run!”
The other pirates, hearing Tsuru’s name, couldn’t hide their fear.
“Take the kid, let’s go.”
Without hesitation, Scar prepared to flee, not even considering fighting.
On the ground, Foxy watched Scar’s panic, unable to believe this man who had just overpowered him was now acting like a frightened mouse.
“Captain, he’s a burden.”
A pirate protested, worried they wouldn’t escape if they had to drag Foxy along.
“Then kill him.”
Scar no longer wanted to recruit or sell him; he just wanted to leave quickly to avoid death.
“Yes.”
A pirate fired at Foxy without looking back, quickly disappearing into the courtyard.
The bullet sped towards Foxy, but the cooldown had ended.
A pink ring of light enveloped the bullet, slowing it to a crawl. Foxy rolled away, and when time resumed, the bullet barely missed him, embedding in the ground.
Lying on the ground, Foxy could only watch Scar and his men disappear, powerless to stop them.
He was too weak.
Turning his head towards Aphelandra’s bloodied body, Foxy clutched his left eye. If he were stronger, could he have protected them?
Would his eye still be intact, and would he be spared this agony?
In the 48 days he’d been in this world, every villager had helped him. Without them, he wouldn’t have survived.
Even animals had feelings; how much more so did humans?
Especially since Aphelandra had used herself to divert the pirates’ attention, a debt Foxy could never repay.
The sound of battle outside gradually faded.
“There’s someone alive here, we need a stretcher.”
A Marine in basic uniform and cap spotted Foxy struggling against the wall in the small courtyard.
Foxy was in bad shape, bleeding internally, his mind fuzzy.
Hearing the call, two Marines rushed over with a stretcher.
“Careful, he’s seriously injured.”
The lead Marine, seeing Foxy’s bloody left eye and collapsed chest, was furious.
“Damn pirates, not even sparing children.”
“Th-thank you…”
Blood gushed from his mouth as Foxy spoke, looking at the Marines with newfound appreciation.
Originally, he wanted to join the Marines just to survive, but now his perspective was changing.
“Don’t speak, we’ll take care of you.”
The lead Marine tried to reassure Foxy with a warm smile.
On the stretcher, Foxy endured the pain, looking at the street. The smell of gunpowder and burning flesh filled his nose.
Bodies were everywhere, people he had greeted just that morning were now dead.
Passing by Ernster’s house, Foxy saw Ernster slumped over the fence, a deep wound exposing his insides.
The old lady next door had a bloody hole in her chest, her eyes bulging as she lay dead at her door.
Many women lay in disarray, violated, and murdered.
Everyone he saw had died horribly, even children and the elderly.
Foxy no longer felt sick or afraid. His intense anger and hatred had overshadowed everything else.
The peaceful village had been destroyed.
Before this, life had been so beautiful.
Simple, honest villagers, living quietly without conflict—what crime had they committed to deserve this fate?
Why was this world so ugly?
Was this what being a pirate meant?
Inhuman, worse than beasts.
Seeing was believing. Watching the anime, it all seemed thrilling—heroic battles, touching friendships, fascinating Devil Fruits, and Haki.
But this horrifying scene made Foxy truly understand the world’s nature.
Anime was just anime, told from Luffy’s perspective, filled with justice and sunshine. Even dark moments were glossed over; otherwise, it would have been censored long ago.
Despite this, Foxy had naively thought he understood.
But the world’s madness and cruelty were far worse than he imagined.
At its core, the world wasn’t at fault; people were. Human nature was.
Dazed, Foxy’s eyelids grew heavy, and he faintly saw a beautiful, mature woman before losing consciousness.
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