1 Chapter 1: Cautious Kuro

East Blue Region, 153 Marine Branch.

Upon the tumultuous seas stirred by a raging storm, a naval vessel sails.

"Officer Kuro, we've spotted a pirate ship ahead!"

Inside the cabin, a bearded naval officer reports to the person in front of him.

Facing the bearded man is an individual in the standard navy uniform, with a head of black hair uncovered by a hat. His lazy gaze and overall appearance suggest a person in their mid-twenties.

Kuro scratches his head, sets down the newspaper, extinguishes his cigarette, and solemnly says, 

"Petty Kass, how many times have I told you? When encountering a pirate ship, first gather information about their bounty. If it's above three million, we proceed with caution. If it's below three million, fire at will, but try to avoid boarding battles. Our priority is sinking the enemy ship."

"Yes, sir!"

Petty Officer Kass salutes and leaves.

This bearded man is all right, but he's too serious about everything. No matter how many times you tell him, he insists on reporting everything.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Outside, the sound of cannons echoes.

Kuro sighs helplessly.

"Why, oh why was I born in the era of The Great Pirate Era"

The seas are tumultuous, and powerful individuals clash with each other. It's just...

Hard to get excited about!

Ruxiru Kuro, twenty-four years old, with the biggest dream, which is to safely live out this life!

In the world of One Piece, where everyone seems to have a knack for "life return" and recovering from injuries with just a day or two of rest, it's a vibrant and lively place.

But who in their right mind would get excited in this world?

Certainly not Kuro.

Having traversed this world for over twenty years, he understood one thing: without sufficient strength, he would never venture out into the open.

Fortunately, he came into this world with a special skill, the "Divine Wind Mirrage Style," inherited from his master who passed away. 

After years of continuous practice, he mastered this swordsmanship to a level surpassing even Roronoa Zoro.

But is that enough in this world?

Admirals, Yonko, Shichibukai, some strong members of the Revolutionary Army, and those peculiar and extraordinary individuals—it seems like it might not be sufficient.

He needed to be cautious.

So, he joined the Navy.

Being a pirate in this world? His name is Ruxiru Kuro, not Pirate Clow; he doesn't have that kind of aptitude.

Being a Pirate Hunter? Too troublesome, and he might attract unwanted attention.

After careful consideration, the safest option seemed to be joining the Marine.

Moreover, this is the East Blue, the weakest of all blue seas, where individuals with abilities are almost treated like legends, and the average bounty is three million, making it relatively safe.

Kuro enlisted at the age of fourteen and, after a decade of careful progress, became a Warrant Officer

(T/N: Note, here in translation, the ranking is a bit confusing for me. But I try my best to make it logical)

Even in the East Blue, he couldn't afford to be careless. He didn't want to expose his strength; what if it attracted the attention of formidable opponents? Not a good idea.

He's a swordsman, and with the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye, around, he couldn't afford to become famous and catch his attention.

So, Kuro has a principle: no capturing pirates with bounties of three million or above.

Surpassing the average bounty line, who knows what strange techniques and abilities those pirates might have? What if things go south?

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The cannons continue to rain, and Kuro, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, strikes a match.

Cigarettes and cigars are essential for the Navy; how can you not smoke?

His body is of this world, full of vitality; he can smoke freely without worries.

Bang!

The cabin shakes, and the match falls from his hand.

"Attack!"

In the next instant, a thunderous battle cry fills the air.

"Trouble?"

Kuro's expression changes, and he swiftly grabs the standard-issue sword from the side, stepping out of the cabin.

Splish-splash...

The torrential rain accompanies the raging storm, causing the warship to sway uncontrollably.

Almost face-to-face with the warship, a battered pirate ship is engaged in a close-quarters skirmish. 

On the deck, a group of disheveled pirates clashes with the Navy, brandishing weapons.

"Petty Officer!"

Kass, wielding a sword in his left hand and a gun in his right, shoots down a pirate with a single shot and shouts, "It's the Giant Axe Pirate Crew!"

His eyes aren't blind; he can see.

Among those pirates, a giant, standing at least eight feet tall, wields a colossal double-sided axe, effortlessly toppling a group of Navy soldiers. Anyone could see that.

"Little ones, kill them all and take their ship!"

With a single swing of his axe, the giant sends a group of Navy soldiers flying, shouting.

Kormo, the captain of the Giant Axe Pirate Crew, has a bounty of six million Berries.

Twice the standard of Kuro.

Kuro glances at the sky and curses, "Damn weather."

The opposing ship, having encountered internal conflict and barely holding together in the storm, has resorted to attacking the Marine ship.

Otherwise, in situations like these, unless dealing with an exceptionally vicious crew, a couple of shots would usually scare them off.

"Now isn't the time for me to step in. The enemy's numbers are inferior, and it might not be necessary for me to act. If they manage to capture this group of pirates, I won't attract unnecessary attention."

Kuro, with his elbow resting on the hilt of his sword, muses to himself.

Bang bang bang!

The Navy fires their standard-issue guns continuously at Kormo.

It's worth noting that aside from a few individuals with sniper talents, whether they are pirates or Navy, most are only proficient in kind-hearted marksmanship and artillery. It's all over the place.

All those bullets hit the floor around Kormo, and occasionally, a lucky one is deflected by Kormo using his axe.

Moreover, despite the rain and the fact that these are standard guns, why can they still shoot?

Did Newton not exist in this world?

"Die, all of you!"

Kormo, resembling a raging bull, shields himself with the large axe and charges, knocking down the Navy soldiers shooting at him.

Kuro's eyelids twitch because of Kormo's impact, boosting the morale of the pirates and causing the Navy to retreat step by step.

"Warrant Officer, be careful!"

The voice of Petty Officer Kass echoes.

Thud, thud, thud!

Kormo aims at Kuro and charges, swinging his massive axe downward with tremendous force.

No choice, stick to the routine, and play along.

Kuro feigns a look of sorrow and anger, draws his sword, and roars, "Justice will prevail!" as he charges forward.

However, it seems that the deck is slippery due to the rain. Kuro stumbles a bit, 'accidentally' slipping away from Kormo's attack with remarkable 'coincidence.'

Bang!

Kormo follows through with a punch that lands on Kuro. He goes flying, but not too far. 

Quite conveniently, he collides with a pirate, and, with even more 'luck,' his military sword happens to pierce the pirate's chest.

"Cough, indeed powerful, but as a Marine, I won't surrender!"

Without a glance at the fallen pirate, Kuro coughs a few times, grips his sword, and charges back at Kormo.

"Hahaha, you're garbage!"

Kormo laughs mockingly. This surprise attack hit the mark; these Navy soldiers are all trash. They are no match for Kormo and his giant axe.

He raises the massive axe, ready to cleave through the overconfident Marine.

Yet, at the moment of the swing, Kuro 'accidentally' 'slips' again, evading his attack. He counterattacks with a swift slash.

With rich combat experience, Kormo adjusts quickly. The axe misses, but he retaliates with a kick, sending Kuro flying again. 

This time, the impact is significant, and Kuro's military sword is dislodged. It spins in the air, making a few rotations, and then lands straight on the pirate he collided with.

Splurt!

"Justice will prevail!"

Kuro pulls out his sword and charges at Kormo for the third time

Kormo continues to raise his axe, but Kuro 'accidentally' 'slips' again, getting knocked away. The sword, once more, naturally embeds itself in a pirate's body.

In a continuous cycle, Kuro charges again.

Kormo is infuriated. Is this Marine kid's luck just too good? Three times in a row, he evaded Kormo's attacks.

"This time, I'll cleave you!"

He changes his trajectory, no longer swinging vertically but instead rounding his massive axe for a horizontal strike.

Kuro's eyes narrow, and his pupils emit a sharp light.

"Sight Sword."

Kormo stiffens all over, subconsciously clutching his heart. At this moment, he feels a chill throughout his body, his legs weaken, and the axe is involuntarily flung away. The handle conveniently hits Kuro.

Kuro is sent flying again.

"Ah!"

A pirate clutches his chest and falls.

Kuro once again pulls out his sword from the corpse, his expression solemn. "Pirates, I will not yield!"

"Damn it!"

Kormo, with a face turned blue, gets up from the ground.

He doesn't bother retrieving the axe; instead, he stretches both arms wide and charges straight at Kuro.

And once again, Kuro is sent flying, coincidentally taking down another pirate.

Kormo is losing his mind. No matter how he deals with this Marine, he keeps 'flying' away.

Even if he seemingly catches his opponent, in that moment, he feels a chill throughout his body, as if struck in the heart by a sword. Then, he falls, and the Marine still 'flies' away.

After repeated occurrences, the pirates, who should have had the upper hand, are mostly down.

Kuro rises from the ground, effortlessly pulling out the military sword lodged in the pirate's body. He pants, his face pale.

"Warrant Officer!"

Petty Officer Kass looked at Kuro with concern. 

Although there were no visible wounds or bloodstains, his trembling body, and occasional suppressed coughs indicated that he had internal injuries.

Even so, the Marines would not surrender to the pirates!

"Justice will prevail! We won't surrender to pirates, ah!"

Kass, with tears welling up, roared and charged at a pirate, ending him with a single strike.

"Attack!"

The morale of the Marines visibly rose. Due to Kuro's 'miserable' collisions with the pirates and his weapons coincidentally 'unluckily' piercing them, the attacking pirates dwindled. 

Soon, the Marines gained the upper hand, causing the pirates to flee in disarray.

"Damn it, damn it!"

Kormo, seething with anger, trembled. Ever since he started dealing with this Marine, things hadn't been going smoothly—very unsatisfactory!

Initially, using the axe, he didn't notice anything unusual. But later, he felt something was off. 

Although he attacked Kuro each time, his punches and kicks always felt like they didn't connect, as if hitting air. Yet, Kuro did fly away, seemingly injured.

Very awkward, very strange.

While Kuro displayed a sorrowful expression, he secretly chuckled, 

"Excellent, next, the Marines will collaborate to face the formidable pirate Kormo, engage in a fierce battle for three hundred rounds, and ultimately capture him. It won't be just me fighting; it will be the collective effort of the Marines. Such incidents are too commonplace; I'm sure I won't be singled out."

"I'm genuinely angry now."

Just as Kuro prepared to command the Marines to attack together, Kormo's voice suddenly became deep. 

He slightly hunched over, his back stooped, and his eyes transformed into golden vertical pupils.

"I will tear you apart!"

Kormo's figure surged, scales grew layer by layer from his back, his hands turned into claws, and the upper half of his head elongated.

Transforming into a lizard person.

Bang, bang, bang...

Bullets hit Kormo's back, sparking a burst of flames.

"Monster... monster!"

Some Marines shouted in horror.

This time, Kuro's expression was genuinely unpleasant.

A Devil Fruit user?

Why the heck?

"What's the Marine Evaluation Team doing? Six million for someone like him? The World Government isn't short of money; why not reward him with sixty million and send him into the Grand Line to meet his doom?" Kuro roared in his mind.

"Hehehehe..."

Kormo grinned widely, "I'm a Lizard Human with the 'Lizard-Lizard Fruit.' I didn't intend to use this ability, but you've pissed me off, especially you!"

He pointed at Kuro, roaring, "I'm going to tear you apart alive!"

"I won't let you succeed! Warrant Officer Kuro, rest assured, even if I die, I'll protect you!"

Petty Officer Kass shouted, standing beside Kuro.

I don't want this bearded guy to protect me. Get me a girl instead.

Kormo smirked.

"Then let's start with you!"

Whoosh!

Kormo shifted his body, swiftly weaving through the Marines, his claws aiming directly at Kass. The speed was so fast that a normal person wouldn't react in time.

By the time Kass made a move, the claw was already in front of his face. If it caught him, his head might be gone.

Bang!

At that moment, Kass felt a tremendous force from the side.

Kuro kicked Kass away, facing Kormo's giant claw. He quickly brought two fingers together, forming a sword-like gesture, and swiftly swept it across the blade. In a soft voice, he recited:

"Divine Wind Mirage: Killing Sword..."

Swish!

He leaned to the side, the blade gently gliding past Kormo's waist, and Kuro positioned himself behind Kormo.

"Mirage."

Amid this raging storm, Kormo unexpectedly sensed a gentle breeze. Subconsciously, he touched his waist, finding nothing unusual. 

He turned around with a sinister grin, "Lucky again, dodging my attack? Let's see how you escape this time!"

"Protect Warrant Kuro!"

Petty Officer Kass, who had been kicked down, brandished his sword and charged. He leaped high, slashing at Kormo's arm extended toward Kuro.

"It's useless!"

Swoosh!

As soon as the words fell, a burst of blood erupted from Kormo's arm, dripping onto the deck and washed away by the rain.

Kormo stared at his arm in bewilderment, then turned to Kass, who wore an equally incredulous expression.

"You!"

"Attack!"

The remaining Marines rushed forward. One Marine thrust his sword into Kormo's back. 

The skin, which should have been impenetrable to bullets, explosively burst with blood upon contact with the weapon, causing Kormo to stagger forward.

Then, another Marine swung a blade, cutting another streak of blood.

Now that this monster was injured, they could take him down!

Understanding this, the Marines intensified their attacks.

Kormo resembled a candle in the wind, continuously bursting with streams of blood amid the Marines, who were only half his height. 

It looked more like internal ruptures than slashes from the outside.

He was bewildered, he didn't understand.

For the first time in front of the Marines, he transformed. For the first time, he wasn't harmed by the Marines' weapons, feeling their fear.

The joy derived from power overlapped mutually.

This dual joy would bring even more happiness.

It should have been a joyful time enjoying the slaughter of Marines and seizing their ships.

Why, why did it turn out like this?

"That Marine!"

In his confusion, a flash of insight crossed Kormo's mind, thinking of the blade that had brushed past his waist just moments ago.

He looked at Kuro, only to see Kuro slowly sheathing his sword, a smile playing on his lips. He softly spoke to Kormo, who was surrounded by the Marines.

The voice was very light, almost inaudible, but Kormo understood the words.

"Did you hear that?"

Bang!

The sound of a bullet leaving the barrel.

Lead bullets rapidly approached Kormo's head.

Bang!!

Kormo's head explosively burst open in the area where the bullet hit, his towering figure falling like a felled tree on the deck, his head facing Kuro, eyes gradually losing focus.

"The gentle sound of the divine wind."

The blade, back into its sheath.

<End Chapter>

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