Chapter 47 — The Monster from the New World
A Marine warship slowly stopped near the island's shore as cold wind swept across the beach.
Kai was the first to jump off the ship, landing softly on the sand. Behind him came Jim and the other Marines.
Kai took a few steps forward before calmly clapping his hands together.
— Kiri Kiri no Mi…
Mist Radar Technique.
The moment he spoke, thick gray mist spread rapidly from beneath his feet, covering the beach, the trees, and the entire forest ahead.
Several minutes passed.
Then Kai finally spoke.
— I found them. They're in the center of the forest… and it seems they're waiting for us.
Jim frowned.
— Are you sure they're the ones we're looking for?
Kai nodded slightly.
— Yes. And among them… I can sense someone extremely powerful.
At least twice as strong as me and Rear Admiral Yamakaji.
Jim immediately became serious.
He personally knew how strong Kai and Yamakaji were.
If Kai said something like that… then their enemy was truly dangerous.
— Kai… if he's really that strong, then we should wait for Rear Admiral Yamakaji and fight together.
Kai simply waved his hand dismissively.
— What? You think I can't handle him alone?
Jim wanted to reply, but Kai continued:
— Don't worry, my friend. I've grown much stronger over the years.
And honestly… I think this guy will be the perfect opponent to test how far I've come.
A small smile appeared on his face.
— Besides, don't forget. I'm a Logia user. If things get too dangerous, escaping will be easy for me.
Jim stayed silent for a few moments before finally sighing heavily.
— Fine… but be careful. We know nothing about this man. So I'm coming with you.
Kai raised his hand to stop him.
— No, Jim. You're not coming with me.
— But—
— You have another mission.
Kai turned slightly toward the sea.
— Take the Marines and destroy the pirates' ship.
If we cut off their escape route, we can hold them here until reinforcements arrive.
He paused briefly.
— And my mist also found the wreckage of a Marine ship nearby. There may still be survivors there.
Jim went silent.
For several seconds, he stared at Kai's face.
At the white blindfold covering his eyes.
At his calm expression.
He understood.
Kai wanted to fight alone.
Jim wanted to refuse… but after thinking carefully, he realized Kai was right.
Destroying the pirate ship would improve the situation greatly.
He took a deep breath.
— Fine… you win. But please… be careful.
Kai said nothing.
He simply turned toward the forest.
— Soru.
His body instantly vanished.
A second later, he was already rushing through the forest at incredible speed.
Jim watched him disappear before sharply turning toward the Marines.
— Everyone prepare yourselves! Carry out Senior Lieutenant Kai's orders!
In the center of the forest, a group of pirates stood inside a small clearing.
Among them sat Grant "Iron Tusk," calmly waiting with his eyes closed.
Unlike him, the other pirates trembled in fear while nervously looking around.
Suddenly—
Grant opened his eyes.
He looked downward as if he had sensed something.
— He's here.
At that exact moment, Kai appeared on the opposite side of the clearing.
The moment the pirates saw him, many immediately turned pale and stepped backward.
Some even fell to the ground in fear.
Grant merely snorted.
He carefully examined Kai.
A teenager.
Seventeen or eighteen years old.
Dark blue hair.
A handsome face.
A white blindfold proving he was truly blind.
Behind him fluttered the white coat of a Senior Lieutenant of the Marines.
While Grant studied Kai, Kai was also analyzing him through the mist.
A clear image of Grant slowly formed inside Kai's mind.
Finally, Grant stood up.
— So you're the famous Bloody Mist these weaklings were talking about?
Honestly… you don't look that dangerous.
Kai answered calmly.
— And who are you?
Grant grinned proudly.
— HA-HA-HA-HA!
I am Grant "Iron Tusk"! A pirate from the New World with a bounty of five hundred million berries!
His grin widened.
— Well? Are you scared?
Grant expected fear.
Or at least surprise.
But Kai merely raised an eyebrow.
Then he quietly laughed.
— So you're a pirate from the New World?
A faint smile appeared on his face.
— Then what are you doing here?
Don't tell me you lost a battle and ran back to North Blue like a crying little coward.
Grant's body twitched slightly.
But that tiny reaction was enough.
Kai's mist felt everything.
Kai's smile widened.
— Ha… so I was right.
Grant's face instantly turned red with rage.
The other pirates nervously looked at each other.
— Your tongue is pretty poisonous, brat…
Grant pulled out two large curved blades from behind his back.
— Let me show you the difference between a man from the New World… and someone from one of the Four Seas!
He slowly walked forward.
From another perspective, anyone would think Grant had already won.
He was over 2.3 meters tall.
Kai looked tiny compared to him.
But Kai didn't move an inch.
The moment he sensed Grant approaching, he instantly grabbed his sword.
— Soru!
His body vanished.
A second later, he appeared behind Grant and launched a lightning-fast slash.
But Grant blocked it instantly using Observation Haki.
Kai immediately jumped backward.
However, Grant was faster.
He swung both blades violently, releasing a massive destructive shockwave into the air.
Kai didn't dodge.
— Sword Style: Mist Blade!
Kai's sword instantly became covered in gray mist.
He swung it.
A silent gray slash shot forward at incredible speed.
It was one of Kai's strongest techniques, created after years of training.
The two attacks collided.
BOOM!!!
An explosion shook the forest.
Smoke filled the battlefield.
— This is my chance.
Kai formed a hand sign.
— Hidden Mist Technique.
An enormous amount of mist burst from his body, quickly covering the entire clearing.
Grant frowned.
— What the—
Inside the mist, he could barely sense anything.
Even his Observation Haki became nearly useless.
Then—
SWISH!
A faint flash from a sword.
Grant attacked that direction instantly.
But there was nothing there.
Suddenly pain appeared on his arm.
Then his back.
His leg.
Another cut.
And another.
Kai continued attacking endlessly while vanishing within the mist.
Grant's anger exploded.
He placed his weapons away.
Then slammed both fists into the ground.
THE EARTH SHOOK.
But it still didn't work.
— ENOUGH!
Grant roared furiously.
— I'm done playing your games, brat!
Now I'll show you the true power of a pirate worth five hundred million berries!
He dropped onto all fours.
His body rapidly transformed.
Bones cracked.
Muscles expanded.
Seconds later, a gigantic elephant stood before Kai.
Kai stopped moving.
Even the mist warned him of danger.
Grant raised his enormous trunk.
— Watch carefully now!
He inhaled deeply.
Like a giant vacuum, his trunk began sucking in all the surrounding mist.
Kai's eyes widened beneath the blindfold.
He quickly used Geppo to rise into the air.
Within seconds, the entire mist field disappeared.
Grant could finally see clearly again.
He looked upward and spotted Kai in the sky.
— Here, take your mist back, bastard!
He swung his trunk violently.
— Air Current!
The compressed mist exploded toward Kai in the form of a monstrous air blast.
Kai tried to dodge.
But he couldn't avoid it completely.
BOOM!!!
His body was blasted straight into the trees.
However, the moment he crashed, his body transformed into mist, avoiding major damage.
He quickly reformed.
But before he could even breathe properly, the mist warned him again.
— Soru!
Kai instantly vanished.
A second later, Grant's massive trunk smashed the exact place where he had been standing.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Jim was speaking with the Marines.
— Lieutenant Jim! We found the pirates' ship and destroyed it!
And… among the wreckage of the Marine ship, we found no survivors…
The Marine lowered his head.
— Every Marine was brutally killed… most of their bones were crushed.
Jim nodded grimly.
— Good work. Gather everyone immediately. We're going to help Senior Lieutenant Kai.
The Marines quickly obeyed.
Jim turned toward the forest.
Toward the explosions, violent winds, and rising mist.
He quietly whispered:
— Kai… hold on a little longer. We're coming.