“Thunder Half-Moon Slash!”

Kaito Raien roared as lightning crackled from his Fangtian Huaji, the massive halberd gleaming with cold brilliance as it sliced toward Bullet.

This was a new kind of attack — at the very least, Barrett had never encountered anything like it before.

[+20 Anime Points from Bullet]

[+20 Anime Points from Jabra]

[+50 Anime Points from Buggy]

[+50 Anime Points from Shanks]

[+30 Anime Points from Sunbell]

[+1 Anime Point from Random Onlookers] ×215

Kaito hadn’t noticed the growing crowd. He had previously disabled the system’s notifications during battles, as the beeping disrupted his focus. Unless he checked manually, he wouldn’t be aware of the reactions building around him.

Electricity crackled in the air, rupturing space itself with thunderous blasts. Kaito’s small frame wielded the towering halberd with fierce energy, and with the help of the Strength Potion, his power was on par with even the strongest warriors.

BOOM! BAM!

The Fangtian Halberd collided with Bullet’s hardened arm. The clash sent shockwaves outward, and for the first time, a look of seriousness crossed Bullet’s face. He squinted at Kaito and grinned excitedly.

He had assumed Kaito was just another arrogant brat, but the strength behind that strike was monstrous — freakish, even. Bullet couldn’t help but be impressed.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Bullet cracked his neck loudly. The next moment, a powerful, overwhelming aura — hellish and fierce — burst from his body.

Devil Form!

“Bullet’s getting serious!”

Somehow, both Rayleigh and Roger had arrived to observe the clash. Rayleigh frowned slightly at the sight of Bullet’s transformation.

“Should we step in and stop them?”

“No… let them go on. I want to see what Kaito is truly capable of when he fights with everything he’s got,” Roger said, smiling confidently as he clapped Rayleigh’s shoulder. “Don’t worry — I’m here. There won’t be any accidents. Hahaha!”

That was the charm of Gol D. Roger.

He might act childish or impulsive at times, but when it came to serious matters, his confidence could give anyone peace of mind.

He was, after all, the captain of the Roger Pirates.

Kaito clenched his halberd tighter.

“Looks like it’s time to go all out.”

“Divine Demon Possession!”

The most powerful technique from his “Three Styles of the Demon God.”

Kaito took a deep breath and opened his eyes — his aura exploded in a flash. At that moment, all of his stats — strength, speed, defense — doubled.

“Now this is getting fun!”

Bullet laughed like a beast and charged forward. His heavy fists rained down like hammers, fast and relentless.

Kaito held his ground, swinging his halberd to deflect every strike. While it looked like an even match, Kaito knew… if this continued, he would lose.

But retreating wasn’t in his nature.

“Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!”

“Wood Release: Wood Clone Technique!”

Kaito activated his Wood Release arsenal. Even if he couldn’t win right now, he’d never accept defeat without a fight. With his incredible stamina and the no-handseal healing trait of Wood Release, his recovery even surpassed most Zoan-type Devil Fruit users.

A hundred-meter-long wooden dragon surged toward Barrett. Meanwhile, five wood clones launched five different jutsu in sync.

Bullet tried to retreat but was suddenly entangled — vines! At some point, Kaito had silently trapped his legs.

The wooden dragon coiled around Bullet, wrapping him tightly. The constriction was so intense that Barrett’s eyes widened in shock — he couldn’t break free!

Even more terrifying, the pressure kept increasing. Barrett’s limbs began to tremble; his bones felt like they were being crushed.

BOOM! BAM!

The five wood clones dropped down from the air, attacking Bullet with precise Wood Release techniques.

Victory seemed near…

Until the ground beneath Bullet suddenly cracked. His body began to bulk up as more and more earth fused with him — the power of his Devil Fruit finally awakened.

The wooden dragon cracked and split with a loud snap, losing its vitality and turning into dead lumber. At the same time, Bullet deflected every incoming strike from the clones.

Just as the two combatants prepared to clash again—

Roger stepped in.

With a single motion, he stopped both Kaito and Bullet’s attacks. A dominating force engulfed the battlefield.

Conqueror’s Haki.

The sheer presence made the ordinary civilians who were watching faint instantly, their eyes rolling back as they dropped like dominoes.

The battlefield fell silent.

“There’ll be plenty of time for sparring later. Let’s go.”

With those words, Roger led the crew back to the Jackson. No one questioned him. Even the battle-hungry Bullet followed without complaint, though his gaze toward Kaito still burned with desire for a rematch.

“Whoa! Kaito, you’re seriously crazy strong!”

Buggy zipped to Kaito’s side, his eyes sparkling like stars.

“Not really. Compared to Captain Roger, I’ve still got a long way to go,”

Kaito replied calmly, looking at the figure walking ahead of them.

The journey had only just begun.

“?(?,?)?”

Buggy pouted. “Kaito, did you forget you’re only ten?!”

“Well… age doesn’t matter when you’ve got dreams,”

Kaito laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

“Jeez… great, another little monster on the ship,”

Buggy grumbled, trailing after the group.

“Kaito…”

Shanks clenched his fists, silently watching Kaito’s back. They were about the same age, but Kaito had already left him far behind.

Continued...

10: Manga