Chapter 7: The First Head
Charlotte's crimson eyes gradually cleared, the violent aura surrounding him ebbing like a receding tide. The oppressive force of his Conqueror's Haki faded into the breeze.
Alex Jesse, the so-called captain of the Bear Pirates, staggered upright, panting hard. The suffocating pressure that had held him frozen was gone—but the fear in his gut remained.
He stared at the boy with disbelief. "You… What the hell are you?"
Charlotte raised his head, brushing a bloodied strand of hair from his brow. His voice was calm, almost casual.
"Rockefeller Charlotte."
He grinned faintly, his heart light. The fire that had smoldered inside him was finally given breath, and the resulting catharsis left him invigorated.
Sword in hand, he locked eyes with Alex Jesse. "You'll be my first step to ruling the seas."
The words weren't a boast—they were a promise.
"Don't get cocky, brat!" Alex Jesse snarled. "I'll avenge my crew with your corpse!"
He lunged, swinging his massive blade with all his strength.
CLANG!
Charlotte caught it one-handed.
Steel shrieked against steel. With a twist of his wrist, he flung the blade wide, then stepped in and slashed.
A crimson line blossomed across Alex Jesse's chest.
"ARGH!"
The pirate howled and tumbled to the ground, blood soaking through his coat in a widening stain. He clutched his chest, eyes wide with pain and panic.
But then, something changed.
With a defiant grunt, Alex Jesse hurled his sword aside.
Charlotte paused, raising a brow. Surrendering?
No. Jesse let out a guttural roar.
"RAAAARGH! You forced my hand!"
His muscles bulged. Fur erupted across his body. His jaw elongated into a snout, and his eyes turned yellow with rage.
"ROOOOAAAAR!"
A monstrous black bear now stood where Alex Jesse had been.
"A Devil Fruit user?" Charlotte muttered, surprised. "Zoan-type, huh."
The bear's voice boomed. "You're damn right. I'm not just any pirate—I'm Alex Jesse the Bear, captain of the Bear Pirates!"
The wound across his chest began to knit itself closed, skin regenerating before Charlotte's eyes.
Charlotte gave a low whistle. "Rapid healing… figures. Zoan-types have monstrous stamina."
He flicked blood off his blade.
"But don't think that's enough to beat me."
He dashed forward, a blur of motion, blade raised.
Jesse let out another roar and brought both massive paws down in a crushing blow.
CLANG!
The sword met bear flesh—and barely broke the skin.
Jesse laughed. "Hah! Is that it?"
He surged forward.
BANG! CRACK!
Charlotte's blade shattered under the impact. He skidded back, tossed aside the broken hilt, and rolled his shoulders with a smirk.
"Guess I haven't mastered the sword yet."
Then, clenching his fists, he shifted his stance. "Fine. Let's go hand-to-hand."
He vanished again, a blur of speed.
BOOM!
Charlotte's fist slammed into Jesse's gut. The bear grunted and stumbled, stunned.
Charlotte's body steamed, white heat rising from his skin.
He wasn't holding back anymore.
Before Jesse could recover, Charlotte followed with an uppercut to the jaw.
CRACK!
Blood sprayed from Jesse's mouth—along with a torn chunk of flesh. A pink lump hit the ground with a wet smack.
Charlotte blinked. …Did I just punch his tongue out?
The giant bear flew backwards, high into the air.
Charlotte leapt up after him.
"RAAAAH!"
With a spinning whip-kick, he brought his heel crashing down on Jesse's skull.
BOOM!
The impact drove Jesse like a meteor into the sea.
The ocean—the natural enemy of all Devil Fruit users.
As his body hit the water, he reverted to human form, unconscious.
Charlotte dove in after him.
He resurfaced a moment later, dragging the limp body of Alex Jesse to shore. Grabbing a blade from the wreckage, he didn't hesitate.
SHLK!
The sword came down. Blood arced.
Jesse's head rolled free.
Charlotte exhaled slowly, lifting the severed head by its hair and hoisting it high.
A moment later, he tied it to the mast of a nearby pirate ship and left it hanging like a flag.
His first kill. His first conquest.
The battle had ended quickly—but the devastation remained.
Bodies littered the port. Pirates and civilians alike lay unconscious, cut down by sword or Conqueror's Haki.
Charlotte didn't bother waking them. Let them lie in their own silence.
He turned toward the three pirate ships docked at the harbor, striding toward them with purpose.
There had to be something valuable aboard.
Weapons, food, maybe a Devil Fruit if he was lucky.
He scoured each ship carefully.
What he found was disappointing: only ten million Beli and some low-grade plunder.
But in the cargo hold of the last ship… something else.
Charlotte paused.
People?
He activated his Haki.
Yes—weak, flickering presences. Barely alive.
Charlotte descended into the dark bowels of the ship. The door creaked open.
Inside, dozens of thin, hollow-eyed people huddled together in filth. Tattered clothes clung to skin and bone. None of them spoke.
None dared to.
Charlotte's footsteps echoed through the silence.
"Who are you?"
A few turned toward the sound, flinching.
A boy, drenched in blood, stood at the threshold like a phantom from a nightmare.
Several recoiled instinctively.
Charlotte scanned the room, his expression unreadable.
No one answered.
He sighed. "Fine. Stay scared. I'm not here to beg for thanks."
He turned to leave.
"W-Wait!" a voice cried out.
He stopped.
It was a young woman, her voice weak but desperate.
Charlotte turned back, locking eyes with the speaker in the gloom.
She forced herself to her feet, swaying slightly.
"M-My lord… we're from the Kingdom of Kakna. Our country was attacked… the Bear Pirates enslaved us. Please… save us."
Charlotte stood in silence for a moment.
Then he took a step forward.
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