"What the hell! Is that strength even real?"
"He just blew a man's head apart with one punch! Only captains at the top of the food chain can pull that off!"
The pirates stared in disbelief. Less than a second ago, one of their comrades had been standing beside them, and now his skull had been reduced to pulp, splattering blood and bone across the dirt. Their wide eyes locked on the young man before them Kael Draven who looked barely eighteen yet radiated a killing intent that made even seasoned killers tremble.
"Captain, that kid… something's wrong with him!" one pirate stammered as the others began to retreat, their bravado melting into panic.
It wasn't that they feared death pirates lived with it every day but to watch a human head explode like a melon was another matter entirely. The headless corpse still twitched on the ground, blood pooling beneath it. None of them dared take another step forward.
But their captain, Jackman the Iron Fist, wasn't impressed. His lips twisted in disdain as he barked orders at his terrified men.
"Pathetic! He's just a brat. There are twenty of you twenty! You can't handle one little punk? Get in there and cut him down! I'll be watching. Hack him to pieces! Avenge your comrade!"
The pirates exchanged nervous glances. They didn't want to go near Kael, but disobeying Jackman meant facing the wrath of their captain rumored to have eaten a Strength-Enhancement Devil Fruit. With nowhere to run, they swallowed their fear and began circling Kael, looking for an opening.
Kael, meanwhile, didn't move. His eyes gleamed with excitement.
When he'd killed that pirate just moments ago, he'd felt it a faint surge of energy flowing into his body, stronger than before. It was as if the man's essence had been devoured by the system inside him.
He quickly realized something crucial: to fully absorb an opponent's attributes, they had to die by his hand.
If that was true, then the path to power was clear he just needed to kill.
"Kid! You're distracted! Trying to fight so many of us while daydreaming? You're dead meat!" one pirate roared as they all charged at once, blades flashing under the moonlight.
Kael didn't even flinch. His expression remained calm, almost serene, as he let his agility explode to its limit.
In an instant, he moved.
His body shot forward like lightning. Before the pirates even realized what was happening, Kael's fists slammed into their chests one after another each strike perfectly placed over the heart.
Crack.
The sound of shattering ribs echoed through the night.
One pirate after another dropped, their hearts crushed. Kael stepped through them like a reaper walking among the damned, his crimson-smeared fists moving with mechanical precision. Blood sprayed across his face, yet his expression never changed.
He could feel his strength climbing with every kill. His body burned with new vitality, his pulse pounding like a war drum.
A slow grin spread across his face a dark, twisted smile that belonged more to a monster than a man.
"Not bad," Kael muttered, flexing his fingers. "A fine way to grow stronger."
Then, without warning, he whirled around and drove his fist through the skull of a fleeing pirate.
The man's head burst like a ripe fruit, red and white gore splattering across the sand. The remaining pirates froze, horror twisting their faces as Kael stood amidst a sea of corpses, his breath steady, his eyes bright with exhilaration.
In less than a minute, over a dozen men lay dead. Every strike, every kill, fed his system his body evolving beyond human limits.
Even the tougher lieutenants among the pirates fell easily, their so-called "experience" no match for Kael's monstrous growth.
When the last of them dropped, Kael finally turned toward the trembling Jackman.
The once-arrogant captain was drenched in sweat. His lips quivered as he watched Kael stride through the carnage, his eyes glowing faintly red beneath the moonlight.
"I… I've never seen anything like this," Jackman stammered. "You… you're not human! I don't want to be a pirate anymore! I want to go home!"
Kael smirked coldly. "You think you can run?"
In a blur, he vanished from sight. When he reappeared, a surge of crimson energy rippled outward the overwhelming aura of Conqueror's Haki.
Jackman froze mid-step, his mind reeling.
"Conqueror's… Haki?! What kind of monster are you?!"
His instincts screamed danger. Acting on reflex, he coated his arm in Armament Haki, the skin turning obsidian-black as he threw a desperate punch.
Boom!
Their fists collided with a deafening crack. The shockwave sent sand and debris flying in every direction. Kael was pushed back several meters, his boots digging trenches into the ground.
But instead of faltering, his grin widened.
Because in that brief clash he'd absorbed even more power.
[Ding! Host has absorbed 200 Strength!]
[Ding! Host has absorbed 132 Strength!]
[Ding! Host has absorbed 78 Agility!]
[Ding! Host has absorbed 67 Agility!]
[Ding! Host has absorbed 400 Stamina!]
[Ding! Host has absorbed 239 Stamina!]
[Ding! Host's body has reached threshold: Armament Haki unlocked (Beginner)!]
[Ding! Host's body has reached threshold: Observation Haki unlocked (Beginner)!]
Kael felt power flooding through his veins like molten iron. He wiped a streak of blood from his lips, his arms now darkened by hardened Haki.
"Come on," he growled. "Show me what you've got!"
All three forms of Haki surged to life around him. The air crackled as his presence expanded, his killing intent pressing down on the trembling pirate captain.
Jackman's eyes bulged in disbelief.
Impossible. A few minutes ago, the boy hadn't even possessed Haki. Yet now he was radiating the power of a seasoned fighter, his aura sharper and more oppressive than Jackman's own.
As dread filled his heart, one horrifying thought clawed its way into his mind
This boy doesn't just grow stronger in battle. He evolves. Instantly.
Kael's voice cut through the silence, cold and resolute.
"Old man, your strength will be the fuel for my growth. Let's see how much you're worth."
Jackman stumbled backward, his voice breaking into a terrified scream.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer!"
But Kael was already moving his figure blurring into a streak of motion as the air trembled with the weight of his fury.
Tonight, the Iron Fist would fall.
And the name Kael Draven would be whispered across the sea like the first warning of a coming storm.
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