Caw—
Caw, caw—
Several seagulls skimmed across the azure sky. Blue heavens and white clouds set a scene of carefree tranquility.
A ship cut through the sea, its wake spreading in white criss‑crossing lines and leaving behind the gentle rush of breaking waves.
"We'll soon reach the Polestar Island. It's the point in all of East Blue that lies closest to the Grand Line.
Loguetown—birthplace of the Pirate King—sits there, and it's also where he was executed. People call it…
'The Town of Beginnings and Ends!'
That's where our trip ends. Beyond it is the Grand Line, and that's no place for ordinary folk like us…"
At the mention of Pirate King Roger, the tourists showed complex expressions.
It was that man who ushered in the so‑called Great Pirate Era.
Even the East Blue—once deemed the weakest and most peaceful sea—is now plagued by pirates. Many nations, islands, towns, and villages have been thrown into chaos, their people driven to misery. All of it began with a single sentence from that man.
Yet in spite of everything, countless people remain fascinated by "Pirate King Roger," and visitors to Loguetown are never few. This cruise ship was one such tour.
Just as the captain finished his lively introduction, someone sensed trouble.
"Th‑that… what is that?!"
"A black flag—ships with cannons…"
"Bad news! Pirates!"
Panic erupted. Ear‑splitting screams rang out as faces turned deathly pale.
The captain, trembling, raised his telescope.
"That's…
the Nass Pirate Crew?!
But we're already near Loguetown—how dare they strike here?
Quick, first mate—turn us around!"
"Captain… it's probably too late!"
Moments later two massive Nass pirate ships closed in like sharks, boxing the cruise ship in from both flanks. Grinning pirates opened fire without hesitation.
Bang—
Bang bang bang—
Shrieks and wails filled the air as passengers scattered in terror. Grappling hooks clanged onto the railings, and one brutal figure after another leapt aboard.
"Get up there and kill them all!"
While the captain shouted, the first mate fired a distress flare—blazing into the sky before bursting apart. But everyone knew help would not arrive in time.
Bang—
A pirate kicked the first mate flat and ground a boot into his head.
"Stay put!
Hand over every last coin and maybe the boss lets you live.
Otherwise—"
He pressed harder. The mate screamed in agony.
Terrified passengers were herded into the center, ready to hand over their money in hopes of mercy. Then a towering, broad‑shouldered man strode forward. The other pirates bowed low.
"Captain Billy!"
Billy carried a long blade that gleamed with murderous frost as he marched up the deck. The tourist‑ship captain recognized him from a wanted poster.
"Billy, captain of the Nass Pirates!
Bounty: 3 million Berries!
His sword is called Mountain Mist, one of the legendary Fifty Skillful Grade Blades!
They say he can cleave a shark in two with a single strike—hence the nickname 'Shark‑Slayer!'
How did we run into such a monster?!"
Billy eyed him coolly.
"You're this tub's captain?"
"Y‑yes…"
"Good. The ship is mine, and so is everything on it. Hand over your valuables and then jump overboard."
A collective gasp rose.
"B‑but I can't swim!"
Billy sneered.
"How's that my problem?
Interrupt me again and toss him over first!"
"Aye, Captain!"
Two pirates seized the man's arms, ready to heave him into the sea—when a youthful yet chilling voice cut in.
"Let him go."
Billy the Shark‑Slayer and his men froze.
"Who said that?!"
The crowd parted to reveal a young man reclining on a deck chair, eyes closed in repose. Silence blanketed the ship.
"Is he crazy?
Provoking the Nass Crew—with the Shark‑Slayer here?!"
Billy scowled.
"Someone's in a hurry to die… Kill him first!"
The two pirates flung their captive aside, drew blades, and slashed at the youth.
Bang—
Bang bang—
Two crisp reports—and the pirates collapsed unconscious. No one had even seen the young man move.
Billy's face darkened.
"Brat, who are you?!"
The youth opened his eyes. Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Wh‑what's with those eyes?!
Blood‑red pupils…
Demon Eyes?!"
Billy jolted.
"Devil Fruit user?
Or some exotic race?"
The young man said nothing. Expressionless, he picked up a fallen katana and tested its grip, a fleeting nostalgia in his gaze.
He was—Uchiha Chiyu.
He had entered a brand‑new yet familiar world:
One Piece.
This body was merely an avatar, a projection, but it was still him—starting again from scratch.
"What a feeble vessel…" he sighed.
His innate Sharingan remained, yet his other powers were gone—like his early days before becoming a jōnin back in the Shinobi world. But perhaps that was fine; a new world offered new paths to strength. In truth, he had missed the visceral thrill of blade‑to‑blade combat.
"Brat!" Billy roared. "Ignore me and you die!"
He stamped the deck—boards trembled under his sheer mass. Mountain Mist flashed and slashed toward Chiyu. Screams erupted.
Chiyu smirked, raising his katana.
Clang—
The blade snapped in two.
"Fragile… or perhaps that famous sword really is too sharp," he mused, sidestepping. Billy's swing ripped a massive fissure through deck and cabin alike—wood creaked in terror.
Billy gaped. Even disarmed, the kid dodged with ease?
Chiyu lifted another sword, smiling at last.
"Still not used to this body… but that just makes it interesting."
Uchiha‑Style Kenjutsu!
His Sharingan blazed crimson, reading every move. He wove past Billy's strikes, then—almost casually—drove his blade into the pirate's chest.
Squelch—
One exchange. The blade pierced the giant's heart.
"C‑Captain!" The pirates screamed.
Billy stiffened like stone, scarcely understanding what had happened before he toppled—boom!—and the ship shuddered.
Silence. Civilians and pirates alike stared as though seeing a ghost.
A 3‑million‑Berry menace—dead at the hands of a youth.
Chiyu barely spared a glance. He retrieved Mountain Mist, examining the legendary blade with approval. In his past life he had loved katana‑style close combat but rarely wielded renowned swords. Beginning this new journey with a Skillful Grade blade felt like destiny.
[You have freed Captain Billy from his pirate fate. Great merit earned: +100 Virtue Points]
That familiar yet distant system message echoed in his mind.
"He… he killed the Captain!
Kill him!"
The remaining Nass pirates charged. Chiyu showed no mercy.
Slash, slash, slash—
Steel flashed; fountains of blood sprayed. Five or six attackers were halved instantly.
"Worthy of the 'Shark‑Slayer' blade," Chiyu nodded.
The rest dropped weapons and fled, but he pursued, severing heads without hesitation. Blood soaked the deck; even knowing he slew only villains, the passengers blanched and screamed.
"S‑spare me! I was forced to join! I only plundered treasure—nothing worse!"
Chiyu ended him with a stroke. Soon fewer than four pirates remained—and he kept hunting.
"That's enough!"
A shout rang out. In their horror no one had noticed a Marine warship pull alongside. Two figures stood on its deck.
"It's Captain Smoker—and Sergeant Tashigi!"
Chiyu registered them without emotion. The voice had been Tashigi's; she and Smoker had rushed from Loguetown after receiving the flare, only to witness a massacre.
Tashigi cried out again as another pirate's head fell.
"Please stop! Even pirates deserve a Marine trial! Not every pirate is beyond redemption!"
Chiyu shook his head.
"You're wrong.
All pirates…
deserve death."
He thrust—another heart skewered. Tashigi collapsed to her knees.
"Captain Smoker, do something!"
Smoker, huge cigar clenched, crossed his arms.
"Who is this kid? A vendetta against pirates? Even I, who loathe this pirate era, am not this ruthless… He reminds me of Akainu."
He addressed Chiyu:
"Kid, I don't know who you are or why you hate pirates. But pirate eradication is Marine business.
If you're a bounty hunter, fine—take them alive and hand them over. If not, stop now or face the consequences."
Chiyu replied coolly:
"I'm no Marine, no pirate, no bounty hunter.
I bear no personal grudge.
I have a single goal—
to purge this world of evil."
Smoker and Tashigi blanched.
"Purge the whole world? Big talk… even the World Government wouldn't dare," Smoker growled. "Still—I order you, as a Marine captain, to cease killing and surrender the pirates. Or pay the price."
Chiyu leveled his blade at the last cowering pirate.
"I don't care."
Squelch—
One stroke; blood spurted. The Nass Pirates—annihilated.
Smoker's fury erupted.
"You're out of control, brat! White Launcher!"
He unleashed his Logia‑type Smoke‑Smoke power; half his body became swirling white smoke as he rocketed toward Chiyu, wielding his seastone jitte.
Chiyu's Sharingan flashed; he countered with Mountain Mist.
CLANG—
Steel met seastone. Shockingly, Smoker was forced back, his body rattled. Chiyu's blade darted for Smoker's heart—
Squelch—
—but it passed harmlessly through smoke.
"A Logia Devil Fruit… interesting," Chiyu murmured.
Cold sweat trickled down Smoker's temples.
"No hesitation—straight for the heart.
This lunatic really meant to kill a Marine captain!
Who on earth is he?!"