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"Demon Child Dan!"
Rockstar's voice pierced the air—sharp, shrill, and filled with disbelief. His hand was already on the hilt of his blade, muscles tensed, ready for a fight.
He looked nothing like the carefree loudmouth from just moments ago.
Blackbeard Teach's face twisted with even more confusion.
"Demon... Dan?"
He glanced at Rockstar, then turned his eyes toward the floating figure in the sky—a chubby little toddler with perfect porcelain features, dressed in nothing but a pair of split-crotch pants.
This was the fearsome "Demon Child" that had startled Rockstar so badly?
What kind of joke was this?!
Even Burgess's eyes bulged wide. His deep voice rumbled, "Oi, red-haired brat, you sure you're not mistaken? This little squirt is the so-called Demon Child?"
No matter how he looked at it, this was just a crawling-age baby. Sure, flying was unusual—but threatening?
Not even close.
Beads of cold sweat gathered on Rockstar's forehead.
He stared at Dan with a death grip on his sword. His voice trembled slightly.
"No mistake. That's him. The son of Kaido. The Navy's ten-billion bounty monster—'Demon Child' Dan."
"That blurry photo in the paper? That was this exact face."
"Ten... ten billion?!"
Burgess's enormous hand trembled. The meat bone he'd been chewing fell to the deck with a greasy splat.
His rugged face froze in sheer shock.
A baby. With a ten-billion bounty?
What the hell—was he made of gold? Or diamond-studded platinum?!
"Zehahaha..."
Blackbeard let out his signature obnoxious laugh—but it lacked its usual arrogance. Instead, it rang out heavy and strained, with a tinge of unease.
"A ten-billion baby? Kaido's brat, no less?"
His deep-set eyes narrowed as he took a long, hard look at the tiny figure hovering in the air, as if trying to see through his very soul.
"G-58 Island. Three Vice Admirals from HQ—one killed, two critically injured. That was this little runt, right?"
Rocks D swallowed hard and nodded.
"It's all true. The whole ocean's been buzzing about it. The Navy took a massive blow to its pride over that incident."
"Tch—!"
Burgess sucked in a sharp breath, a chill crawling up his spine.
One punch took down a Vice Admiral?
Was that something a diaper-wearing infant was supposed to be able to do?!
His view of Dan shifted completely—from mockery, to cautious respect, to a creeping sense of dread.
Blackbeard's laughter faded into silence.
His eyes gleamed with quiet calculation.
Kaido's son. Ten billion bounty. That kind of power... that kind of potential...
If I could pull him into my crew...
No. Too dangerous.
This kind of monster was way beyond anyone's control—not now, not yet.
And he's Kaido's blood.
Blackbeard rubbed his jagged jaw where a few teeth were missing, his gaze deep and unreadable.
At that moment, the floating Dan turned his large, jet-black eyes toward Rockstar.
More precisely—toward the envelope hidden in Rockstar's coat.
Then, in a high-pitched but firm voice, Dan spoke.
"Letter. Give."
The words were soft, but they rang out clearly across the silent sea.
Rockstar blinked."Letter? What letter?"
Then it hit him.
Instinctively, he clutched the envelope stashed inside his shirt. It was the letter Captain Shanks had entrusted him with—one that was to be hand-delivered to Whitebeard himself.
"You brat! What do you want with that?!"
His tone turned sharp, hand tightening around his sword's hilt.
Sure, this kid had a hell of a reputation, but Rockstar wasn't just anybody—he was part of the Red-Haired Pirates!
He wasn't about to let a baby intimidate him.
Especially not over something this important.
Dan's tiny brows furrowed, a flicker of impatience in his eyes.
He raised a pudgy hand and pointed straight at Rockstar's chest.
"Letter."
This time, the tone was more forceful.
"Zehahaha! Now this is getting interesting!" Blackbeard grinned wide, clearly enjoying the chaos. "The kid wants your letter, huh? Wonder what Red-Hair wrote that's worth stealing?"
Rockstar's face turned stormy.
"Listen, brat. I don't care what you are or what you want. You're not getting this letter."
"You'd better fly off before I stop playing nice."
With that, he drew his longsword, the blade gleaming as he pointed it at Dan.
So what if the brat had a ten-billion bounty?
No way in hell was Rockstar backing down from a baby.
His pride—and the honor of the entire Red-Haired crew—were on the line.
Dan's gaze locked onto the sword pointed at him. A glint of icy cold flashed through his dark eyes.
Then he spoke, one word at a time.
"Say... it... again."
Despite the childish voice, the threat in his tone made the very air grow colder.
Burgess's heart skipped a beat.
This kid… is seriously dangerous.
Even Rockstar felt his confidence waver under that stare.
But he gritted his teeth and barked back, forcing himself to stay firm.
"I said—there's no way you're getting that le—"
"Eeya!! (I'm done talking!)"
Before he could finish, Dan's patience snapped.
He vanished.
"What—?!"
Rockstar's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
Too fast!
He hadn't even seen Dan move!
A wave of instinctual panic surged through him.
Reacting purely on battle instinct, he swung his sword in a wide arc in front of him.
It cut through empty air.
When he focused again, Dan was already right in front of him.
One tiny hand shot out—aiming straight for the letter tucked in his coat.
"Bastard!"
Rockstar's shock turned to fury.
This brat's speed and power—this is insane!
He twisted his body, dodging back, and reversed the grip on his sword. In one smooth motion, he slashed at Dan's neck.
He wasn't holding back anymore.
The strike came fast and brutal.
But Dan moved like water.
His tiny frame bent backward at an impossible angle, spine arching like he had no bones, narrowly slipping under the blade.
Even as he dodged, his hand never stopped reaching for the letter.
"Damn it!"
Rockstar was now full-on desperate. His attacks grew fiercer, faster.
Sparks flew as his blade flashed again and again, every strike aimed to end the fight.
No way this brat can keep dodging forever!
But—
Dan slipped through the storm of slashes like a greased eel.
Each time, his small body twisted and pivoted in the nick of time, dodging by a hair's breadth.
His movement was so sharp and fluid, even Blackbeard and Burgess were stunned.
That's no baby...
That's a veteran warrior in disguise!
"Eeya!! (Enough!)"
After dodging another flurry of attacks, Dan stopped holding back.
He planted his feet in the air, hovering completely still.
Then, from his tiny body, an overwhelming, indescribable pressure exploded outward.
BOOM—!!!
A shockwave of pure willpower blasted out from him in all directions, rippling through the air like an invisible tsunami.
Conqueror's Haki.
But not just any Conqueror's Haki.
Refined. Focused. Ruthless. Supreme.
The kind of Haki that could shake nations.
The kind only monsters were born with.
"..."
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