One Piece: Blood Clan

"Get out of my way!"

The ringleader glared at Bors—who was blocking his path—and instinctively raised his foot as if to kick him aside.

Amid the ongoing apprehension of pirates, Dasky, freshly transferred to Loguetown, suddenly cried out in alarm at the unfolding scene, "Danger! Get out of the way!"

But the fleeing pirate had already swung his leg; it was clear that in the very next moment his kick would land squarely on Bors.

In that instant, Bors unsheathed his sword—and with a single swift strike, the pirate crumpled to the ground.

The pursuing Marine froze in disbelief. A pirate with a bounty of six million had been decimated by one swift, almost childlike, sword stroke.

Bors called out coolly, "Hey, tell me—can I cash this pirate in for his bounty?"

...

"Is that for real, Dasky?" came a questioning voice.

"Yes, Mr. Smoker," replied Dasky.

"And how do we handle this?" the superior pressed.

"Give the bounty to him—it was indeed his capture. And while you're at it, ask the kid if he'd be interested in joining the Marines."

"Understood, Mr. Smoker."

Soon after, Dasky handed Bors six million Berries and said with a mix of admiration and mischief, "Kid, you're incredible. Ever consider joining the Navy?"

Bors shook his head firmly. "I'm not interested in the Navy. Catching pirates doesn't pay enough—I'm not cut out for that life."

"Just think about it, kid. Don't you want to eradicate evil and keep the peace? As a Marine with your skills, you'd be famous in no time!"

"Does being a Marine really make you rich?"

"You'd also learn amazing techniques."

"Does being a Marine really make you rich?"

"Everyone would admire you, look up to you!"

"Does being a Marine really make you rich?"

Finally, his mentor sighed, "Forget it—you're definitely not meant for the Navy."

Content with his decision, Bors left the Navy outpost and immediately went back to fishing. He was determined to gather a thousand units of blood as quickly as possible and evolve—he was already impatient for his next stage.

As for Dasky's proposal, Bors had no intention of ever joining the Navy. With so many restrictions, who would ever choose a life confined by rules?

After all, he'd crossed over to live free and unburdened.

It wasn't long before Loguetown itself reminded him that he was being watched. Before he had finished his round, he sensed someone tracking his every move.

Stealthily, he slipped toward a deserted area and soon found himself in a dead-end alley, with two two-meter-tall brutes following close behind.

"Kid, do you need any help?" one of them asked as he advanced, while his partner hung back at the alley's entrance—both moving with the assured air of habitual criminals.

"No, thanks—I can get home by myself," Bors replied curtly.

"Why wouldn't you accept help? You're just a small kid lugging such a big, heavy sword. Let your uncle hold it; it's clearly heavy," the man insisted.

"Really? Thanks, uncle. But be careful—you know this is the famed 'Great Swift Blade of Twenty-One Forges.' It's very valuable; don't hurt yourself with it," Bors said, his tone polite yet guarded.

At that, the man's face twisted into a greedy sneer. He had heard of the legendary blade—as prized on the black market it could easily fetch tens of millions of Berries.

Glancing at his partner with a cold expression, he thought that if he could sell the sword, he'd split the profits rightfully, taking half without a doubt.

With that in mind, he reached for Bors' sword and said, "Don't worry—I'll be very careful."

Bors reluctantly handed his sword over. But in the very next second, the scabbard slipped from his grip. A flash of white light burst forth—and in an instant, the would-be thief was split in two. His partner, who had been keeping watch, turned around in shock—but it was already too late. Bors' blade had plunged deep into his chest.

Without pause, Bors dragged the corpse into the alley. He methodically drained it, extracting fifteen units of blood. Since neither man was a bounty target, the blood couldn't be traded for reward money.

Once finished, he stowed both corpses into a bag and later burned them in a secure spot to eliminate any trace.

In truth, besides capturing bounty criminals, Bors sometimes opted to purchase wild beasts for their blood. Yet unless the creature was exceptionally powerful, its blood was never as effective as human blood.

Three days later, a numb Dasky watched as Bors arrived at the Navy branch bearing two blood-soaked heads.

It was his seventh visit—and in only three days, the kid had captured seventeen bounty pirates, each one decapitated in battle. Though everyone knew Bors despised pirates, no one expected his hatred to have grown this deep.

Just yesterday, his files had been thoroughly reviewed: Bors was the son of Count Ikanu. Both his parents had been slain by a pirate crew six months ago, and he had been rescued by Vice Admiral Garp.

With his parents murdered by pirates, his ruthless actions, while tragic, were perhaps not entirely inexplicable—yet for someone so young to be so bloodthirsty raised fears of the dark path he might follow as he grew up.

Bors' deeds had not gone unnoticed. A persistent reporter had been tailing him since the day before yesterday. Bors had even deliberately allowed the man to witness the brutal decapitations, all the while carefully concealing the disposal of the bodies.

At that moment, the reporter's eyes shone with excitement as he watched Bors from a short distance. He could already smell a major scoop—a kid under ten, effortlessly hunting down formidable pirates. It was the kind of headline that would set the papers ablaze.

Now, Bors' reputation in Loguetown had grown. Fewer troublemakers dared cross him—everyone knew he was not someone to mess with.

Confidently, he removed his blindfold and swaggered off in search of more pirates.

Even though it had only been three days, his small blood bag had already accumulated 700 units of blood. Through his recent experiments, he discovered that blood quality varied greatly; the blood of powerful individuals was far superior to that of ordinary folk—a single sip could sustain him for hours, and its effect after training was dramatically enhanced.

In the future, he planned to try the blood of giants and fish-men—creatures whose potent blood would surely bolster his strength.

The very next day, new newspapers hit the streets of the East Blue—and all the headlines featured Bors' astonished face. One paper blared the title:

"Son of the Devil, Pirate Killer", Ikanu B. Bors.

Its story detailed how, in just three days, Bors had slain 17 pirates with bounties exceeding one million, each of them decapitated in defeat. Almost overnight, Bors had become a notorious figure throughout the East Blue.

In East Bro Village, Grey and Mia looked at the news with worried expressions.

In Windmill Village, the recently returned Garp saw the headline and immediately remembered that troublesome kid. "This kid—how has he improved so much?" he murmured.

Meanwhile, a member of the Red-Haired Pirates laughed and called out, "Hey, Captain, check out Bors—he's amazing. Who knows, maybe one day he'll even start beheading us all!"

...