"Nani?!"
The sudden rush of wind behind him sent a chill down Wintink's spine. He whipped around just in time to see a massive slash heading his way. Terror overtook him. Ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder, he dove to the side, tumbling away in desperation.
Boom!
The impact split the earth with an earsplitting roar. A deep gash tore across the courtyard, stretching over a dozen meters in length and gouging through the flagstone like paper.
"Cross-sama, you're using too much force!"
The servants in the courtyard cried out in unison, alarmed.
Cross paid them no mind. Seeing his attack miss its mark, he leapt down from the balcony without hesitation. His landing struck the courtyard like a thunderclap, shattering several stone tiles beneath his feet and forming a spiderweb of cracks that spread outward in all directions.
"Mo–Monster…"
Wintink's arrogant façade had completely vanished, replaced by a face twisted in pure horror. Scrambling to his feet like a man possessed, he fled toward the courtyard wall, not even daring to look back.
But then something strange happened.
Instead of colliding with the wall, his body simply passed through it, vanishing into the stone as if it were mist.
"Ahhh—Ghosts!!!"
The servants were dumbfounded. Their eyes bulged in disbelief as they screamed and clutched their heads in terror. From their perspective, it was as if a ghost had just slipped through solid stone.
"A Devil Fruit power that lets you pass through walls… Could that be the Paramecia-type Through-Through Fruit?"
Cross narrowed his eyes, analyzing the scene as the mental image of a big-headed man-child flickered to life in his memory.
After all, in his previous life, he'd been a devoted One Piece fan, he'd watched every episode, never missed a movie, and followed the lore obsessively.
That said, it had been 15 years since he reincarnated into this world, and his memories from his past life had grown fuzzy. He had to concentrate to recall the finer details.
But if Ed Wintink really was the user of the Through-Through Fruit, a Paramecia-type that allowed the user to phase through all non-living matter, then it made sense why he'd been so smug about being the top assassin in the North Blue.
Cross vaguely remembered: the ability let users move freely through walls and obstacles, making it easy to infiltrate even the most heavily guarded places. That would explain the guy's flashy silver suit, he'd expected to walk in, kill his target, and walk out, completely unfazed by security.
"But unfortunately for you, you ran into me."
With a cold smile, Cross sprang forward, covering several meters in a single bound as he vaulted clean over the courtyard wall and into the forest beyond, fast as a gust of wind.
If memory served, the big-headed man-child he'd seen in canon eventually inherited the Through-Through Fruit.
Which meant this guy, Ed Wintink, was fated to die sooner or later.
So why not send him to the afterlife a little early?
In the forest, Wintink was fleeing for dear life.
With one arm disabled, his balance was shot, and every step was a struggle. He stumbled again and again, crashing through underbrush like a wounded beast. But he didn't stop.
He couldn't stop.
If he stopped, he died.
"One-Sword Style… Sky Severance!!!"
A youthful yet commanding voice rang out through the forest like thunder.
Wintink's instincts screamed at him. His entire back went cold as dread seized him like a vice. Against his better judgment, he looked back, just in time to see a brilliant arc of blade-light cutting through the air like a divine judgment.
"Oh shit…"
BOOM!
The ground exploded with a deafening roar.
A massive rift tore through the forest, a gaping wound that extended from the point of impact all the way to the distant shoreline, hundreds of meters away.
But the rumbling didn't stop. Dust clouds billowed outward, swallowing the trees in a gray haze.
"No more movement…"
Cross tilted his head, listening for any sign of life. Sword still in hand, he slowly approached the edge of the chasm he'd created.
Moments later, dozens of guards from the Amphitrite household arrived, panting from the run. When they caught sight of the devastation, they froze, staring slack-jawed at the shattered forest and the enormous fissure that had torn it apart.
"Haha… Might've overdone it a little," Cross said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head and flashing an embarrassed smile at the stunned guards.
"…"
Their silence was deafening. They all stared at Cross with deadpan expressions, clearly thinking the same thing:
A little?! You call this a little?!
The worst part? This entire forest belonged to the Amphitrite family.
Which meant the damages… were coming out of his pocket.
Repairing the landscape, refilling the fissure, and restoring the forest to its original state—none of that was going to come cheap.
"Count-sama!"
Suddenly, a gray-haired man in a dusty black tailcoat came running up. It was Henry, the old butler.
"Henry-jiisan, what's wrong?" Cross quickly sheathed his sword and rushed to meet him.
In this life, his mother had been Penson Gloria, a merchant's daughter. She died of illness not long after giving birth to him.
His father, Amphitrite Holland, had always blamed Cross for her death. To make matters worse, Cross had displayed incredible strength from birth, even breaking a midwife's fingers moments after being born. That only deepened his father's belief that he was some kind of monster.
As a result, Holland had been cold and distant to him from day one.
It was Henry, the old butler, who raised Cross like a son.
Seven years ago, when the Great Pirate Era began and Gold Roger was executed in Loguetown, the seas erupted into chaos. During a return trip from a voyage, Holland was attacked by pirates and killed after resisting.
Cross, just eight years old at the time, inherited the Amphitrite family title. From then on, it had been him and Henry, master and butler, bonded like family.
"Huff… huff… huff… Just now, His Majesty the King…"
Henry was already 76 years old and had served three generations of the Amphitrite family. After sprinting this far, he was clearly winded. Just as he began to speak, he caught sight of the enormous chasm stretching from the forest to the sea.
His eyes rolled back in shock, and he clutched his chest as if about to faint.
"Henry-jiisan!"
Cross's expression changed in an instant. He dashed forward to catch the old man and pressed a hand to his chest, urging, "Breathe... deep breaths! Come on, deep breaths!"
"Henry-san!"
"Butler-san!"
The surrounding guards panicked, quickly rushing over.
Then, just as suddenly, Henry straightened his back, cleared his throat, and broke into a loud, hearty laugh.
"HAHAHAHA! Got you all, didn't I? I'm perfectly fine! HAHAHA!"
"…Here we go again."
The guards all rolled their eyes in unison.
"Henry!!" Cross flushed red with anger. "Have you never heard of the boy who cried wolf?! Next time I'll just let you drop dead!"
Henry, ever the mischievous old rascal, grinned ear to ear. He patted the dust from his coat and said in a mock-stern voice, "Cross-sama, you're a nobleman now. Causing a scene like this isn't becoming of your status!"
"Tch."
Cross clicked his tongue in annoyance and muttered, "You're getting more long-winded with age…"
But then, Henry's face grew serious.
"More importantly, His Majesty the King sent a messenger. He's summoned you to the royal palace. Says there's something important he needs to discuss."
"Are you kidding me?!"
Cross was completely baffled.
"I'm just a fifteen-year-old kid. What kind of 'important matter' could I possibly help with?!"