บท 12: Chapter 12 - Blood Fang Pirates (2)

Skylar was panicking. This isn't how it was supposed to go. The old man was not here. All they had to do was loot the place, catch a few slaves, and leave. This was supposed to be an easy raid. But a single brat ruined the entire plan.

The said brat, at the moment was staring at him blankly. Raiden, who had just awakened his conqueror's haki, had no real control over it. The initial burst knocked out most pirates but failed to do the same to Skylar. In fact, it just made him more enraged.

"This fucking demon!" Skylar gritted his teeth and glared at Raiden, who was looking at him with a hateful stare.

He clenched his fist in anger, feeling humiliated. 'How dare he look down on me. I was supposed to be a supernova! How dare a mere brat make a mockery out of me!'

"Huhuhu. You little fucker. I'll show you the strength of Rabid Dog Skylar. I'll cripple you and make you watch as I torture every villager one by one. YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" He screamed with a maniacal laughter.

There was a reason Skylar had a high bounty. His trump card.

Raiden watched as Skylar's already massive 2-meter frame increased in height. He grew to a height of 3.5 meters, with massive, bulging muscles, pitch-black claws, and a long wolfish snout. He was covered in blood-red fur.

Skylar was a devil fruit user, and in East Blue, they were almost invincible.

Raiden watched the man with wide eyes. This was the first time he had seen a devil fruit user since he came to this world.

"Observe." He muttered quietly.

[Ding]

[Rabid Dog Skylar (Partial-Hybrid State)

Strength - D-->C

Agility - E-->D

Constitution - D-->C

Devil Fruit - Inu Inu no Mi - Model: Red Wolf]

Raiden's eyes widened in horror as he looked at those stats. "Shit!" Before he could say anything, Skylar moved.

Raiden could barely react as a massive fist came flying towards him at breakneck speed. Raiden quickly crossed his arm to protect his chest from being blown off.

"Ugh!" He flew backwards and smashed into a house. Raiden coughed up blood with a pained expression.

He was lucky Skylar punched him instead of using his claws; otherwise, he would've been ripped in half. Even then, the punch was extremely damaging.

[20% damage received!]

[Rampage is activated. Stats increased by 30%]

Skylar walked towards Raiden with a smug look. He enjoyed breaking people. And he would love to do the same to this brat. Raiden had killed off so many of his crewmates. He'd take his sweet time with the boy.

"Huhuhu. Boy, where is that bravado from before? Come on, get up. It's only getting started. Huhu." Skylar commented mockingly.

With shaking legs, he got up on his feet and glared at the man in front of him with an animalistic glare.

Raiden steadied himself, wiping the blood from his mouth. His vision blurred for a moment before clearing.

'Sure enough, his strength is no joke.' Raiden thought, spitting out the remnant of blood in his mouth.

Skylar laughed, seeing Raiden struggle to stand. "Is that all you've got, brat? I expected more from the demon who took out my crew!"

Raiden clenched his fists, feeling the surge of power from [Rampage]. His body felt lighter, stronger. He charged at Skylar, aiming for a quick strike. But Skylar was still slightly faster, dodging and delivering a brutal kick to Raiden's side.

*Crack!*

Raiden heard the sound of his ribs breaking. He flew back, skidding across the ground and crashing into another building.

[40% damage received!]

[Stats increased by 50%]

Raiden gasped for breath, each inhale sent a pang of sharp pain in his chest. He pushed himself up again, the increase in stats barely compensating for the damage he had taken. Skylar approached him leisurely, savoring his advantage.

"Damn brat! You really are something. Still not down eh?" Skylar sneered. "But you're not strong enough to beat me, currently. And I won't let you become strong enough to do that."

Raiden wheezed out a laugh. He had sustained a lot of damage in the battle with Skylar. With each blow, he was losing his sanity more and more, as the effect of [Rampage] became more and more potent.

Fortunately, he still had decent enough control over himself and hadn't lost his mind yet.

"The fuck are you laughing at, brat? Have you lost your mind?" Skyler growled with a glare.

"Lost my mind? At least not yet." Raiden said in between the laboured chuckles.

He got up on his feet and twirled his daggers. He quickly used force palm, making the dagger fire itself at the pirate at breakneck speed.

Skylar's eyes bulged at the speed of the attack. He barely dodged that strike and instinctively prepared himself for the follow up attack.

Skylar waited with baited breath for the anticipated attack...but it never came.

'Hm?'

He looked around, with a confused face. 'What is going on? Where is that br-'

"Hey! Brat! Why are you running away?!" Skylar yelled in confusion and anger.

Skylar, blinded by anger, started running after the boy. He was sure the boy was trying to mock him again.

Raiden didn't really care about the screaming pirate and ran towards one of the ports with Skylar in furious pursuit.

"Get back here, brat!!" Skylar bellowed, his voice echoing through the now silent village.

Raiden glanced back and saw Skylar following him, a menacing grin spreading across his face. He pushed himself to his top speed, knowing he had to reach his destination before Skylar caught up.

The boost he received from [Rampage], made him quite a bit faster than the pirate, given that their agility stats were almost similar. Unfortunately, the damage was taking a toll on his body.

"Ugh!" Raiden groaned in pain and annoyance, but maintained his speed.

Just as Skylar was about to reach him, Raiden skidded to a stop at the edge of a wooden fishing platform. Skylar managed to land a hit, sending Raiden stumbling, but the boy landed exactly where he wanted to be.

Skylar, in his rage, didn't even check his surroundings.

Raiden shakily stood up at the end of the platform and turned to face Skylar with a grin. He had blood dripping out of the corner of his mouth.

"You weasel! Stop running and face your punishment, little boy! Huhuhu!!" Skylar was beyond pissed. Somehow, the kid was becoming faster and stronger as the battle continued.

Using the hybrid state of his devil fruit took a massive toll on his stamina. He had to admit, that without his hybrid state, the brat would've killed him by now.

What confused him, was the fact that the boy he decided to run away. The only reason he could think of, was the Raiden was trying to bid for time. Well, too bad for Raiden—Skylar wasn't going to let him get away that easily.

Skylar was confused to see the devilish grin on the little brat's face. He was further confused by what Raiden said next. "You stupid dog, let me show you why you need a clear head in battle..." Raiden muttered with a very gruff, animalistic voice.

Right at that moment, a pair of hands broke through the platform, grabbed Skylar's legs and yanked him down hard.

"Wha.." Skylar exclaimed in surprise. It took him only a second to realise what happened. Skylar's expression turned to that of a horrified one, unfortunately for him, there was nothing he could do.

The last thing he saw, was the mocking grin Raiden had. 'He had this all planned out!' Skylar thought with a horrified expression.

*Splash*

*Thud*

As soon as Skylar touched the seawater, his movements froze due to the curse. The water was shallow, but that didn't matter—he couldn't move.

'No way! NO WAY! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!' He screamed mentally. He was on the right track. A few more years, and he would've entered the grandline. Things were going so perfectly. So why now?

Skylar felt someone put their foot on his head and press it down on the sea floor. He wanted to flail, but he couldn't move! He heard someone saying something above him but didn't understand a word. He was drowning and knew he was going to die.

"Oh you must be thinking when we planned this out right?" Raiden said, "You see..."

_____

(FLASHBACK)

Raiden was on a boat with Toma, the old fisherman, after a battle. They sat quietly, the gentle rocking of the boat providing a brief respite from the chaos that had ensued earlier.

"Raiden, there's something you need to know about Skylar, the captain of the Blood Fang Pirates," Toma said, breaking the silence. His voice was gruff but carried a weight of concern.

Raiden looked up at the old with a curious gaze.

"That man...he is very dangerous. We made a mistake letting those survivors escape. He is a vengeful man, Raiden. Let's just hope he doesn't try to do anything before Rock is back." Toma said with a somber tone.

Before Raiden. Could even say anything more, he got up and pulled out a wanted poster. Toma sat back down and handed that over to Raiden.

"He's a devil fruit user?!" Raiden blurted out in shock.

Toma raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You know about devil fruits, Raiden?" He said in astonishment.

Raiden mentally winced. "Uh, y..yeah. I've heard rumours about them. I didn't know they actually existed." He quickly made something up.

Toma nodded in understanding. "Anyways. Raiden, make sure to not go to the sea for some time. We don't know what this mad man would do." He said seriously.

Raiden nodded, absorbing the information and filing it away for future use.

_____

(The flashback transitioned to Raiden spotting the Blood Fang Pirates' ship on the beach.)

Ronan noticed Raiden's change in mood and looked up. "Raiden? What's wrong?" he asked, fear in his eyes.

"Damnit! Why are they here?" Raiden said through gritted teeth.

"W..who? Who is it?" Ronan said with fear evident in his voice.

"Blood Fang Pirates..."

Ronan gasped in shock. "Pirates..." He knew that they were never good news. "What should we do now?!" He whispered.

Raiden was staring at the ship with a deep frown and gritted teeth. He turned his attention back to the fishman and suddenly he had an idea.

"Hey, Ronan! I need you to do something for me." He said with a tone of urgency.

Ronan was startled by the attention, but he hurriedly nodded nonetheless.

Raiden draped his arm over the fishman's shoulder and pointed in a particular direction. "Listen, I want you to wait for me there. As soon as I reach that place, I want you to..." Raiden explained to him his game plan.

"...stay underwater and wait for my signal. Only then execute the plan. You can do that right?" Raiden said with a serious tone.

Ronan, though confused, nodded and moved to the designated spot. He trusted Raiden's judgment despite the uncertainty of the situation.

"...by the way, Raiden. How did you know my name?"

"..."

"My 'energy' told me your name."

"Your energy can do that too?! That is amazing!"

"Yeah, now focus on the job."

(FLASHBACK END)

_____

"...so yeah. It was pretty simple plan. Ah, anyway, you stupid mutt, you didn't even realize my plan even after I brought you so close to the shore, huh? You pirates are fucking stupid." Raiden said in a gruff tone.

"Good job, Ronan. He turned towards the fishman and said with a grin.

Ronan, shy and proud, replied, "I-I just did what you said, Raiden. I'm glad it worked."

Raiden chuckled, "You did great, Ronan."

By then, Skylar's movements had slowed down a lot, and Raiden felt he had died.

"Sigh Anyway, I should go and check on Grandma and Bob. Oi! I enjoyed the fight, Rabid Dog Skylar. Farewell!" He pulled out his dagger and jammed it into Skylar's chest for good measure. You never know how long madmen in this world can hold their breath.

The following notification confirmed that what he was thinking was right.

[Ding]

[Rabid Dog Skylar killed. 1000 AP received.]

[First pirate with a bounty killed. AP received doubled.]

[First pirate with a bounty of 10 million+ killed. 500 AP received.]

[You've gained the trait Pirate Hunter]

[Pirate Hunter --> Someone has to clean the filth; I'll do it myself.

-->When fighting against pirates, all stats +10%

-->Fear Debuff - Pirates with weak will have their stats reduced by 10%.]

[Skill: Dagger Mastery (G) Learned.]

[Allows higher skill and control when using daggers.]

[The host is not engaged in combat anymore. Rampage will be turned off.]

[Use 25 AP to heal the host?]

"Yeah. Do it." Raiden muttered with a sigh. He picked up Skylar's body and threw it on the shore.

"Hey, Ronan. You should hide too. The marines would be here anytime. You can stay near that beach. No one really visits that place all that much." Raiden told the fishman with a serious tone.

Ronan just nodded his head fearfully and jumped into the sea, instantly disappearing from Raiden's view.

Raiden sighed, wincing lightly in pain. The battle was very close. He was sure he could've defeated Skylar once the boost reached 100%, but he was happy that he didn't have to take that risk.

Still he was happy with the results. He gained a decent amount of AP and a good trait. Considering most of his future fights would be against pirates and marines, he now had a good stat buff covering at least one of those.

"Hah! Can't take a rest right now." He said with a sigh. The system had healed him a decent bit. He had one last thing he needed to do, before he could get some rest.

Raiden hurried back to the village. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if the pirates that were knocked out regained consciousness.

_____

'Looks like they got it covered. All that for nothing.' Raiden thought with a deadpan expression.

Rock was back in the village with a marine warship. He still had strong connections in the navy and the men there still respected the old man. It didn't take long for him to gather a few soldiers and rush back. Eliza had done her job perfectly.

Rock was frantically checking Mary, making sure she was alright, while Mary was staring down with a red face—something Raiden never thought he'd see.

Bob was being taken care of by a beautiful marine woman. Raiden just hoped that the closet pervert wouldn't die of a nosebleed.

Raiden sat down with his back leaning against a tree and closed his eyes. He was severely exhausted. While the system could heal him easily, it also used a massive amount of nutrients in his body to that.

Also, [Rampage] had done a number on him.

Raiden almost fell asleep, when a pair of strong arms picked him up and hugged him tightly.

"Raiden, my boy!! Are you alright!? Are you hurt anywhere!?" Rock said in a frantic tone.

Raiden, who was startled by the sudden change in altitude, began squirming in the old man's arms. "Ugh, Grandpa...I'm fine, please let me go." He said with a strained voice.

Rock reluctantly put Raiden back on his feet and started checking him all over for injuries. Once he was satisfied, his tone became stern.

He grasped Raiden's shoulder and said seriously. "Raiden, where is Skylar?" Eliza had filled him up with everything that happened, so he knew what was going on in the village.

"Huh? Oh, you mean the captain? I killed him." Raiden said nonchalantly.

"..."

"Raiden...say that again." Rock said, blinking his eyes twice.

"I killed him, Grandpa. Geez, you know what, come with me. I'll show you." Raiden said with an exasperated sigh. He was just fucking with the old man, but he didn't care. It was pretty fun.

Raiden pulled a stunned Rock with him to the now-destroyed fishing platform, and there on the shore, was Rabid Dog Skylar, dead.

"Well, I'll be damned. You actually managed to kill a pirate that strong huh, brat? This is insane! Bwahahaha!" A gruff, loud voice rang out, grabbing the duo's attention.

Raiden's eyes widened when he heard the booming laughter. He could recognise that laugh any day.

The grandfather-grandson, duo turned around to stare at the source of the said voice and exclaimed at the same time.

"Vice Admiral Garp?!"

_____