Encountering Young Kaido

Kaya walked along the streets of Hachinosu.

The place deserved its reputation as Pirate Island. Signs of chaos were everywhere.

He had barely left the tavern when he saw no fewer than three fights to the death. Pirates were impulsive by nature, and it was normal for them to start fighting at the slightest disagreement.

The island had become like the natural world, operating by the same cruel, uncompromising rules as the animal kingdom. The victors truly were kings, while the losers became stinking corpses thrown into the sea.

Seen that way, having a tavern like Shakky's to keep things under control seemed to have its advantages. It could be considered a sanctuary.

Up ahead, another group of people had gotten into a fight.

A huge barrel of wine had been smashed, and the wine flowed across the ground, soaking into the earth. A gust of wind carried its aroma away, making the air a little more turbid.

"Kaido! Don't get too cocky, you bastard! How many years has it been since you joined? How dare you disrespect Lord Red Eye!"

"That's right! You spilled the drinks, so get on your knees and apologize! You think you can just pretend it never happened?"

"Don't think people will be afraid of you just because you're close to Charlotte Linlin. You're just a guy who climbed the ranks by relying on a woman!"

Several pirates' voices rang out, and the others joined in the shouting. They had surrounded a man, apparently demanding an explanation.

Kaido was tall, standing head and shoulders above the crowd.

Kaya spotted him at once. Kaido looked impatient and seemed ready to make a move.

Young Kaido? he thought. Interesting.

At only twenty years old, Kaido was a young version of himself at best in Kaya's eyes, nothing like the man he would be decades later.

"Hah? You bastards have been going on and on, but when you get down to it, you just want to pick a fight with me, right?" Kaido carried a spiked club over his shoulder.

When Kaya saw it, his thoughts suddenly wandered.

If he remembered correctly, Kaido had used a spiked club as his weapon from childhood through adulthood, hadn't he? Could that iron club have stayed with Kaido his whole life?

If it were destroyed... what would Kaido use? Would he switch to the path of the swordsman?

"Kaido, you really are a troublesome brat," another huge, burly man said as he stood up.

The man wore a mask, leaving only a pair of crimson eyes exposed. Two bloodstreaks ran down the mask like tear tracks, giving him an especially sinister look.

He wore a pair of steel-spiked gauntlets that gleamed with a metallic sheen, and he was a head taller than Kaido.

"Haha! Lord Red Eye is angry!"

"You're finished, Kaido!"

"Aren't you going to hurry up and apologize?"

"Get on your knees and call him 'my lord,' and you might live!"

The other lackeys immediately grew excited, while also taking care to retreat and make room for their Lord Red Eye.

Kaya found the scene amusing.

Kaido really hadn't commanded much respect back then. Even some unknown pirate nobody dared to provoke him.

Come to think of it, Katakuri, Charlotte Linlin's second son, had also been bullied and mocked as a child.

Pirates really were a freewheeling lot. They said whatever they wanted and did whatever they pleased, bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

Clang!

A violent noise suddenly rang out ahead, sending a blast of air sweeping through the area.

Kaido and the man called Red Eye were already fighting, exchanging blows that landed with heavy thuds.

Red Eye was much older and had apparently arrived on Pirate Island considerably earlier than Kaido.

Presumably, he couldn't stand seeing a newcomer like Kaido win other people's appreciation as soon as he arrived and often hang around with powerhouses like Rocks.

Bzzzt~

Kaya extended his index finger toward them. He didn't need a bow; he could gather the surrounding Reishi directly at his fingertip and use it to fire a Heilig Pfeil.

An azure arrow shot from his hand, streaking straight toward the two like a meteor.

"Who's there?!" Red Eye noticed it first. He turned and saw the blue arrow flying at him from behind, then raised a fist to knock it away with a single blow.

But the moment they made contact, the arrow exploded, releasing a burst of light in the shape of a five-pointed star!

Amid the thick smoke, Kaido backed away a short distance. In the very next moment, a vast expanse of blue light descended over him from above.

He looked up. The sky had been dyed a deep blue, and the drawn string of an enormous blue bow traced an arc through the air.

Points of light, as numerous as fireflies, gathered together, drawing toward and attaching to one another before merging. An enormous arrow appeared on the bowstring, its tip pointing straight down, brilliant light flowing across its surface.

Kaido's eyes widened. A second later, the enormous Heilig Pfeil thundered down and struck the ground.

He wasn't the arrow's target. He followed its path and, in that instant, saw it engulf someone standing not far away.

"Who was that?!" Only then did Red Eye charge out of the blue smoke, opening his mouth in a roar.

Red Eye had suffered a few injuries, and his clothes had been torn to shreds. Though his wounds weren't serious, the sneak attack had enraged him. He impatiently rubbed his gauntlets, which were fitted with steel spikes.

Kaido ignored Red Eye and continued looking ahead. As the wind blew the dust away, a figure came into view.

"Ka... ya?" Kaido froze for a moment.

Wasn't the person ahead Kaya? A blue longsword was embedded in the ground in front of him.

The sword was made entirely of glowing Reishi. Its form was streamlined, its blade slender and straight, widening toward the tip. Blue flecks of light flowed across its surface, making it look like solidified energy.

Kaya reached out and grasped the hilt. Where it met the blade was a large, X-shaped crossguard.

It was the arrow that had just fallen from the sky. When it struck the ground, it had turned into this sword of light.

It was also the Reishi Holy Sword Kaya had summoned.

Kaya lifted the glowing greatsword and walked toward them. After Kaido called out his name, the other pirates recognized him too.

"Kaya? That super rookie who joined the Rocks Pirates not long ago?"

"No, he hasn't joined yet, has he?"

"What's he doing here?"

"Come to think of it... didn't he just attack Boss Red Eye?"

The pirates exchanged glances as they watched Kaya draw closer, unable to make sense of what he was doing.

Red Eye narrowed his eyes. He couldn't understand it either, but this man was different from Kaido. Kaya had gone head-to-head with Rocks.

"What do you want... Argh!!"

Red Eye had barely opened his mouth, and before he could finish his sentence, his eyes suddenly bulged and he let out a heart-rending scream.

Kaya raised his hand and swung the sword. A streak of azure sword light flashed by, gone in an instant like lightning. Red Eye's lower body had been severed at the waist, and he collapsed helplessly to the ground!

"Aaah!" Red Eye screamed again and again, his mangled body falling into a pool of blood.

He couldn't understand why this was happening. He could only use what strength he had left to beg for mercy. "S-sorry, please spare me. I've been on this island for almost ten years..."

Kaya swung his sword again. This time, he cut Red Eye's throat.

Red Eye clutched his neck as blood gushed out, then toppled forward. In the last look in his eyes, only a trace of despair remained.