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Time passed. In the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by, and the food on Bai Ina's little boat had run out three days earlier.
Food was a lesser concern. What mattered more was the fresh water aboard. He could use his long sword to spear fish from the sea, and though few fish would follow the boat, he could just about catch one a day. But every drop of fresh water was precious.
Finally, two days later, the fresh water was completely gone.
That day, Bai Ina didn't train. It was the only day he hadn't trained since leaving Frost Moon Village. But it wasn't because he'd grown tired of training. He was out of water.
His cracked lips and the dizzy spells that kept washing over him forced him to stop training for the day.
At that moment, Bai Ina was sprawled on the deck, which had been heated by the midday sun. His head hung over the side of the boat, and he held his long sword beside his ear, blade pointed down. He looked like a lion watching its prey, ready to strike at the right moment.
Plop—
The sound of a blade breaking through the water rang out. In almost the blink of an eye, the long sword in Bai Ina's hand plunged into the sea. His force was so great that it stirred up a spinning vortex underwater.
A pleased smile tugged at the corner of Bai Ina's mouth. He straightened and pulled the swordpoint from the water. With a splash, the fish on its tip thrashed its tail in pain, sending ripples across the surface. It was a beautiful sight.
But Bai Ina had no interest in admiring it. He took the carp off the sword, grabbed its gill cover, and tore out the gills. Blood gushed out almost instantly.
He hurriedly shoved the entire fish head into his mouth. The fishy, bitter blood rushed down his throat and into his stomach, yet a look of pleasure appeared on his face. At that moment, the foul-tasting blood was as delicious as spring water to him.
Only after not a drop more blood would flow did Bai Ina remove the fish head from his mouth. He scraped off the scales with his sword, removed the innards, then sliced the fish into translucent pieces and slowly chewed them one by one.
Since he'd drained all the blood, leaving no clots behind, the raw fish slices were crystal clear. They were smooth and carried a hint of sweetness.
"Phew—"
After finishing this hard-won lunch, Bai Ina let out a long breath. He glanced up at the midday sun and frowned, then turned and went straight into the cabin.
If he trained at this time, he'd lose even more water. With no fresh water to drink, he didn't hesitate to go inside and rest.
As soon as he lay down, Bai Ina quickly fell asleep. The young boy's long, grueling training sessions made it easy for him to drift off.
He slept for half a day. Then, just as dusk was approaching—
Bam!
A loud crash came from outside the cabin. The instant the boat shuddered, Bai Ina's eyes snapped open, a flash of bloodlust crossing them.
Bai Ina reached for the long sword beside him and silently made his way to the cabin door, listening for what was happening outside.
"What happened?"
"Shark Captain, the lookout dozed off and didn't notice the little boat here, so we hit it."
"Hahaha, Captain, that little boat sure is lucky. It didn't even capsize!"
Once the man called Shark Captain understood what had happened, he burst into an arrogant laugh. "Hahaha! Ram it over! I want to see which blind bastard dares to block our course!"
"Aye!"
The others roared with laughter.
Bai Ina's brows lifted slightly at their words, and a flash of killing intent crossed his eyes. He opened the cabin door and stepped out, looking toward the large sailing ship beside his little boat.
The first thing that caught his eye was a skull flag with sharp teeth.
Pirates?
On the other side, the pirates gathered along the ship's railing saw Bai Ina and burst into loud, grating laughter.
"Ha! Turns out he's just a filthy beggar."
"Kid, have you even grown all your hair yet? What are you doing out at sea?"
"Hey, hurry up and sink that wreck! Give the filthy little brat a bath. Just looking at him makes me sick!"
"..."
It was no wonder they acted that way. Bai Ina really did look like a dirty little beggar. He was still wearing the same clothes he'd left Frost Moon Village in half a month ago, covered in mud and yellow-brown sweat stains. Even from the pirates' ship, they could clearly smell his sharp, sour stench.
Bai Ina paid no attention to their jeers. In a flat voice, he asked, "Pirates?"
"What, has the kid been scared witless?"
"Hahaha, maybe he has."
His question set the pirates laughing again. One of them smugly waved a wanted poster and sneered, "You disgusting little brat, take a good look! This is the wanted poster for our captain, Giant Shark Bandejie of the Shark Pirates. Our captain's a great pirate with a bounty of 500,000 Beli!"
"A bounty?"
Bai Ina's eyes lit up, and a wicked smile curled his lips. He memorized the man's appearance on the wanted poster, then turned to search the pirates. Before long, he spotted a tall man standing at the back of the crowd.
The man called Bandejie carried a massive sword covered in sharp teeth on his shoulder. They looked just like the teeth of a shark.
After confirming his target, Bai Ina sprang forward, using the cabin as a foothold to vault over the pirates gathered along the railing.
He completed the whole maneuver in a flash, making it look effortless. The pirates on deck fell silent. By the time they came to their senses, Bai Ina was already standing safely behind them.
These men were arrogant, but they weren't fools. Few among them could have made a leap like Bai Ina's.
"Interesting. Looks like we've got a tough one here."
Bandejie chuckled and regarded Bai Ina with interest. "Kid, want to come aboard and join me? We're heading for the Grand Line to find the One Piece."
Bai Ina didn't even look at Bandejie. Instead, he examined the pirate ship as if it belonged to him, nodding in approval from time to time.
"Well? Not bad, right? Come aboard!" Seeing Bai Ina's reaction, Bandejie didn't get angry. He proudly invited him again.
Bai Ina nodded. "It's not bad. I'll take this ship!"
"Now that's more like it! With me, you'll—what?"
Bandejie assumed Bai Ina had agreed to join his crew, and he laughed eagerly. But when he realized what the boy had actually said, he froze. His face changed from pale to black, then from black to red.
"You little bastard, what did you say?"
Bai Ina didn't answer. He simply gripped his sword and walked toward Bandejie.
"Trying to get yourself killed? Kill that filthy brat and toss him overboard to feed the fish!"
At Bandejie's command, the dozen or so crewmen aboard charged forward with vicious grins. Bai Ina's skill had surprised them earlier, but that was all it was: a surprise. How strong could a little kid really be? So at their captain's order, they rushed him without hesitation.
More than ten swords and knives slashed toward Bai Ina.
At that moment, Bai Ina moved. His blade flashed from its sheath like a streak of light and sliced across the throat of one of his attackers.
Splat!
As blood sprayed, Bai Ina bent low and dodged another incoming blade. At the same time, he spun his long sword in midair, reversed his grip, and twisted around. The swordpoint instantly pierced the skull of a man behind him.
The next moment, he flipped backward, braced one hand against the deck, and kicked an attacker away before leaping clear of the encirclement.
Before the crowd could react, a bloodthirsty grin spread across his face. "One Sword Style—Fang Thrust!"
A silver dragon, trailing a storm of blood, tore into the crowd. After piercing three men in succession, Bai Ina pulled his sword back. Just then, a man lying at his feet suddenly opened his eyes and drove his long sword through Bai Ina's calf. Bai Ina's face paled, and his body faltered.
Right then, as Bai Ina struggled to move, a man leaped into the air and brought his sword straight down at his head.
A flash of madness crossed Bai Ina's face. He turned the tip of his sword, but not toward the man slashing down from above. Instead, he drove it into the heart of the attacker beneath him, plunging it deep into the deck.
At that moment, the other man's blade had already brushed Bai Ina's hair. It was about to cleave him in two. But in that instant, Bai Ina used the sword beneath him for support and spun into the air, kicking his attacker in the face and sending him flying. He spun through the air several times before sliding across the deck.
Two pirates at the spot where Bai Ina slid immediately leaped forward, slashing at him where he lay on the deck.
Splat!
With a wild grin on his face, Bai Ina yanked the sword from his calf. In almost the same instant, he used all his strength to hurl both swords. They pierced the two pirates' bodies and carried them several steps backward.
At the same time, he pushed off the deck with one hand and spun upright. As he rose, he caught the sword he'd thrown, sheathed it, and took a draw-cut stance.
"One Sword Style—Iai Slash!"
The strike came faster than the eye could follow. In an instant, it severed the blade of a pirate attacking from behind and sent his head flying into the air.
It seemed like a long time, but less than a minute had passed. The entire pirate ship was already filled with the stench of blood. Blood formed a stream across the deck, sloshing back and forth with the ship.
The deck fell utterly silent. The surviving pirates, Bandejie among them, stared in terror at the small figure standing unsteadily amid the corpses. Not one of them dared approach.
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