Mysteries of the Eternal Skies

Chapter Three: The First Blood on the Sand

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He didn't wait for sunrise.

He woke Gyro with a firm shake.

— "Get up."

His voice was rough like burning coal.

Gyro gasped, wiping away sleep-tears with his sleeve.

— "Sir… I…"

— "Quiet. Move."

They stepped out of the charred hut, their feet sinking into the ashes of the ruined village. Behind them, the blackened remains hid nameless corpses.

The air was thick with smoke and gunpowder.

(No time for mourning. In this sea, the weak are fuel.)

They walked for hours until the sandy path opened onto the coast.

There, a half-burnt pier, and a small, damaged ship.

But more importantly: three men searching through bodies. Ragged clothes, short rifles, rusted swords.

One of them called out:

— "Hey! Who are you two?!"

Gyro froze.

Adam leaned down and whispered:

— "If I say run, you run. Don't look back."

Then he raised his head calmly.

— "We're looking for water."

The pirates exchanged greedy glances.

— "Hah, survivors. Bad luck... The boss pays well for young slaves."

One of them raised his pistol.

— "Surrender or die."

Adam dropped his arms like he was giving up.

The first one stepped forward.

As he bent to grab Gyro, Adam seized his wrist.

The bone cracked with a sharp snap.

The pirate screamed.

The second fired.

Adam dodged — the bullet tore through his shirt and seared his skin — but he grabbed the pistol and shot the second man in the forehead.

The third backed away, yelling:

— "Monster! What the hell are you?!"

Adam didn't answer.

He threw the empty pistol in his face as a distraction. As the man turned to run, Adam was already on him.

A punch to the throat.

An elbow to the temple.

His nose shattered — he dropped like a puppet.

Heavy silence followed.

Gyro gasped, kneeling.

Adam wiped blood from his hand.

— "Stand up. And remember what you saw."

He began searching the bodies.

Among them, he found a thick rolled-up scroll sealed with a strange insignia. He opened it cautiously, revealing a detailed list written in neat handwriting:

"Next Nevara Island Auction List:

– Ancient Legendary Swords

– Warrior Slaves from Northern Tribes

– Rare Sea Maps of Unknown Regions

– Enhanced Firearms and Ammunition

– Zoan-Type Devil Fruits (Animals):

• Wolf Fruit

• Tiger Fruit

• Wild Boar Fruit

• Eagle Fruit

• Turtle Fruit

...

– Devour Fruit (Paramecia) – Grants the ability to consume and merge with materials. Example: Eat a gun, and you can transform your arm into a weapon or reinforce your body with steel hardness."

Adam noticed that the Devour Fruit was listed at the bottom, without emphasis — as if it were an afterthought, worthless.

At the bottom of the scroll, a small map showed their current location, with a red line leading through three islands:

Auction Island, Light Training Island, Dangerous Beast Island, and finally "Sanctum Kingdom", marked with: "Land of War and Chaos."

Adam stood, looked at Gyro, and said:

— "This is our chance. We'll take their ship and head to the auction island first."

They boarded the pirates' ship, sailing beneath gray skies, the wind carrying the scent of salt, smoke — and coming blood.

In Adam's mind, every move was already mapped:

(In danger lies opportunity. Every island, a new gate. The Sa

nctum awaits — but it all begins with the auction... where they discard what I will turn into legend.)

✨ End of Chapter