I felt it.
An overwhelming power.
I tried to look at my hands—
but I couldn't see anything.
Darkness.
I understood immediately.
I was blind.
And yet… there was no fear.
Instead, a complete image of the world unfolded inside my mind.
Clear.
Vast.
Three hundred and sixty degrees.
Trees.
The ground.
Roots.
Every single mafia member surrounding me.
I felt them all, as if a radar had awakened in my head.
I didn't need to turn around to know who stood behind me.
Every movement.
Every breath.
While I was processing this, the mafia kept firing.
I felt the bullets pass through my body.
No pain.
No damage.
Where they hit, my body dissolved into mist.
So…
a Logia.
Mist.
I had never seen such a Devil Fruit in any anime or manga.
But that no longer mattered.
A different question surfaced.
How do I attack?
Mist is only gas.
It doesn't cut.
It doesn't strike.
Or does it?
A memory surfaced in my mind—
of a legendary man,
of a long sword,
of a technique that concealed everything.
I understood.
And I shouted:
— Kiri Kiri no Mi — Hidden Mist Technique!
At that instant, thick, blinding mist burst from my body.
It swallowed the area, sealing off every path of retreat.
The mafia screamed.
Just minutes ago, they had been tormenting a weak slave.
Now, a mist-born monster stood before them.
I felt them all.
Eight people.
Including their leader.
I took another step.
And whispered:
— Kiri Kiri no Mi — Mist Suffocation.
The mist moved.
It invaded their noses.
Their lungs.
Their bodies.
They began to suffocate.
Their faces turned blue.
Their screams became hoarse gasps.
One by one, they collapsed to the ground.
And never rose again.
When it was over, only one remained alive.
Their leader.
I canceled the ability.
The mist faded.
He looked around in panic—
and then…
I appeared right in front of him.
— P-please… — he stammered. — Don't kill me… I'll give you money… women… I'll help you escape…
He looked into my eyes.
Once blue,
now pale white-blue, ruined by a horrific injury.
I listened to him.
And inside me, rage boiled.
— I want… — I said calmly, — your death.
His face twisted.
— Then die, you cursed child!
He drew his sword and swung, trying to cut me in half.
The blade passed through me.
Without harm.
In an instant, I grabbed his arm, ripped the sword from his grip—
and with a single motion, severed his head.
Blood splashed across my face.
The headless body collapsed to the ground.
I looked at it.
And felt… nothing.
No fear.
No regret.
As if I hadn't just killed them all.
As if something inside me had died.
And something else…
had been born.