Chapter 1

East Sea, 153rd Branch Jurisdiction Waters.

CO

Amidst the storm-tossed sea, a warship drifted.

"Corporal Kuro, a pirate ship has been spotted ahead!"

In the cabin, a bearded sailor reported to the person in front of him.

The person opposite the bearded sailor was dressed in standard naval uniform, his hatless head revealing black hair, his bangs parted at the forehead, and his eyes filled with a lazy expression. He looked to be in his mid-twenties.

Kuro scratched his head, put down the newspaper, extinguished his cigarette, and said solemnly, "Corporal Kas, how many times have I told you? When we encounter a pirate ship, we must first determine the bounty. If it's over three million, we don't engage, no, we must be cautious. If it's below three million, we can bombard them, and try to avoid close combat. Our main goal is to sink their ship."

"Yes, sir!"

Corporal Kas saluted and turned to leave.

This bearded man was good in every way, but he was too formal, always needing to report everything, no matter how many times he was told otherwise.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sound of cannons echoed from outside.

Kuro sighed helplessly.

"Why, why was I born in the world of the Pirate King..."

Here, in the world of the Pirate King, it was the Great Age of Pirates.

The sea was turbulent, with powerful figures battling each other, making it a truly...

Uninspiring place!

I, Ruxi Lu Kuro, am twenty-four years old, and my greatest dream—

Is to live a safe life!

In the world of the Pirate King, where everyone has the ability to 'return to life,' and can recover fully after a meal and two days of rest, such a world...

No one would get excited in this world.

Kuro certainly wouldn't.

Having lived in this world for over twenty years, he understood one thing: without sufficient strength, he would never come out of hiding.

Fortunately, he was born with a special ability, the [Mumyo Shinpu-ryu] from the Ghost Eye Mad Swordsman. After over twenty years of continuous practice, he had mastered this sword style completely.

A mastery even greater than that of Nishiki Kyojiro.

But is it enough in this world?

Admirals, Four Emperors, Seven Warlords, and some of the strongest GM military figures, along with various bizarre and powerful individuals, seemed to make it insufficient.

He needed to be cautious.

So he joined the Navy.

Becoming a pirate in this world?

His name is Ruxi Lu Kuro, not Wang Kuro, and he doesn't have the qualifications.

Becoming a pirate hunter? Too much trouble, and easy to be targeted.

After much consideration, the safest option was to join the Navy.

And this is the East Sea, the weakest sea, where Devil Fruits are almost mythical, with an average bounty of three million, making it very safe.

Kuro joined the Navy at fourteen and, after ten years of careful effort, became a corporal.

But even in the East Sea, one cannot be too cautious. He didn't want to reveal his strength, as attracting the attention of powerful figures would be troublesome.

He was a swordsman, and the most obvious figure in this world was the World's Greatest Swordsman, Mihawk. If he became famous and caught Mihawk's attention, it would be disastrous.

So Kuro had a rule: he wouldn't capture pirates with bounties over three million.

Exceeding the average bounty, who knows what strange abilities or techniques those pirates might have. What if things went wrong?

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The cannons continued to fire, and Kuro, holding a cigarette, struck a match.

Cigarettes and cigars were essential for Navy personnel; how could he not smoke?

His body, adapted to this world, was full of vitality, so he could smoke without worry.

Bang!

The cabin shook, and the match fell from his hand.

"Charge!"

The next moment, a deafening battle cry echoed.

"Did we mess up?"

Kuro's expression changed, and he quickly picked up his standard-issue military saber and rushed out of the cabin.

Rushing sounds...

The storm brought heavy rain, and the warship swayed violently in the tempest.

Almost right in front of the warship, a dilapidated pirate ship was face-to-face with the Navy ship. On the deck, a group of ragtag pirates were already engaged in battle with the Navy.

"Corporal!"

Kas, holding a knife in one hand and a gun in the other, shot a pirate and shouted, "It's the [Giant Axe Pirate Crew]!"

His eyes weren't blind; he could see clearly.

Among the pirates, a man at least 2.5 meters tall wielded a double-sided axe, at least two meters long, and easily knocked down a group of Navy personnel. Anyone could see that.

"Men, kill them all and take the ship!"

The man, with one swing of his axe, sent a group of Navy personnel flying and roared loudly.

The captain of the Giant Axe Pirate Crew, Kormo, had a bounty of six million Berries.

Twice Kuro's standard.

Kuro looked at the sky and cursed, "Damn weather."

The pirate ship had been caught in a black-on-black conflict and was nearly falling apart in the storm, which was why they were trying to hijack the Navy ship. Otherwise, in such encounters, unless they were particularly ruthless, a few cannon shots would usually make them run away.

"No, I can't act yet. I have so many subordinates, and they haven't been injured. They don't necessarily need me to act. If they can capture these pirates, I won't draw attention to myself."

Kuro, with his elbow on the hilt of his saber, thought to himself.

He, Ruxi Lu Kuro, navigated the world with two words—

Cowardly... no, cautious!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Navy continuously fired their flintlock guns at Kormo.

It's worth noting that, except for a few with natural talent, most pirates and Navy personnel only had basic gun and cannon skills.

Terribly inaccurate.

All the bullets hit the floor around Kormo, and the few that managed to get close were blocked by his axe.

Moreover, despite the rain, the flintlock guns were still firing. Was Newton not born in this world?

"Die, all of you!"

Kormo, like a raging bull, used his axe as a shield and charged, knocking down the Navy personnel shooting at him.

Kuro's eyes twitched. Because of Kormo, the pirates' morale soared, and the Navy was being pushed back.

"Corporal, be careful!"

Corporal Kas's voice rang out.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Kormo aimed straight for Kuro and swung his massive axe down with great force.

No choice, old routine, act it out.

Kuro put on a look of righteous indignation, drew his saber, and shouted, "Justice will prevail!" as he charged forward.

However, the deck was slippery from the rain, and Kuro stumbled, very 'accidentally' slipping and 'coincidentally' dodging Kormo's attack.

Bang!

Kormo followed up with a punch, hitting Kuro and sending him flying. However, he flew a bit too far, 'coincidentally' colliding with a pirate and, even more 'coincidentally,' the saber pierced the pirate's chest.

"Cough, cough, indeed strong, but as a Navy man, I will not give in!"

Kuro, without even looking at the fallen pirate, coughed a few times, gripped his saber, and charged at Kormo again.

"Ha ha ha, you're trash!"

Kormo laughed wildly. This surprise attack was a success; these Navy personnel were all trash, no match for his axe.

He raised his axe, ready to split this overconfident Navy man in two.

But as he swung, Kuro 'coincidentally' slipped again, dodging his attack and slashing back.

Kormo, with his rich combat experience, kicked out when his axe missed, sending Kuro flying again, this time into another pirate. The force was considerable, and Kuro's saber flew out, spinning in the air and landing straight into the pirate's body.

Pierce!

"Justice will prevail!"

Kuro pulled out his saber and charged for the third time.