Big brother, I want to become the strongest pirate in the world!

sizzle.

"It's melted... Nice! The lethality has increased!"

Kazan looked at the spot where the black sword was inserted; the iron part that had come into contact with the blade had already melted into molten iron.

"Then, let's try this one! Rage Burst!"

Bang!

A red circle appeared beneath Kazan's feet, and then blood gushed out and shot into the sky. The blood landed on the deck without causing any change.

"Heating the blood to enhance the skill's lethality—it didn't work, but it feels feasible! A combination of Berserker skills and Devil Fruit abilities."

Kazan's theory is that applying the heating effect of the Steel Fruit to the Berserker's Blood Aura shouldn't be a problem! His current mastery of the Steel Fruit isn't high enough to do it yet, but once his fruit ability level increases, he definitely will be able to!

At that time, the already high damage of the skills will be increased to another level. Although it does not solve the problem of targeting Logia-type Devil Fruit users, it is still a major breakthrough. After all, none of the Four Emperors are Logia-type users, and even Blackbeard, who came later, is a Logia-type user who cannot transform into an element.

Moreover, no time traveler would have intended to let that guy live to the end.

Oh, and there's this other guy who needs to be killed as soon as possible.

Chapter 038 Reencounter with Shanks

call out!

"Hey! Bro~ Can't you slow down a bit?! Monet can't take it~"

"Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and master your half-baked Observation Haki."

On the deck, Kazan reached into a box full of bullets and pulled out seven or eight.

Heat it until it melts, then knead it a bit, and it becomes a miniature dagger.

Kazan tossed the iron plate, then fired it at Monet in mid-air with all his might once again. The fierce whooshing sound sent chills down one's spine as it pierced through Monet's body. A flurry of snowflakes covered the area, and Monet, now with a hole in his body, returned to normal.

"You couldn't even dodge such a big target. If I had just shot you with bullets, you would have been riddled with holes by now!"

"Waaah..."

"Keep practicing!"

"Oh."

Standing next to the two were Bon Clay and Bellamy, both of whom were now bruised and battered. They hadn't been training in Observation Haki, but rather in Armament Haki.

The former, Bon Clay, has already mastered Observation Haki, which will be further enhanced in battle. His immediate priority is to master Armament Haki, which is sometimes effective and sometimes not.

Bellamy's aptitude for Armament Haki is much higher than his Observation Haki, so Kazan decided to develop his Armament Haki first.

The simplest way is to get beaten up and beat someone up.

Kazan's method of training Armament Haki was simple and brutal: he would only use Armament Haki to fight the two people hand-to-hand, without using any other abilities. This way, he could also train his Armament Haki to some extent.

It's worth mentioning that there was also a little creature running laps around Kazan, panting heavily.

Huffing and puffing, just like a little wild boar.

That's Little Sugar, who was forced to start training as soon as she turned five.

Since following Kazan, Sugar has been taken care of too well. She can eat whatever she wants and do whatever she wants. She doesn't even walk by herself anymore and has to be carried by her brother. Now she has become a chubby little girl with a round belly.

Kazan felt this wouldn't do. He was determined to raise his sisters into unparalleled beauties, so he hardened his heart and made Sugar start running training every day, partly to lose weight and partly to build a physical foundation for using the Door-Door Fruit's power in the future.

Days passed slowly in this routine. More than half a month had passed since they set off from Neferu Island, and Kazan and his group finally arrived at their next island.

There are no towns or countries on the island, only a small village that looks quite lively, much like the windmill village.

"Phew... Let's go. Let's rest here for a few days and replenish our supplies before heading to the Kingdom of Krent."

This time, Kazan and his crew didn't hide the warships anymore; they simply docked them on the shore.

Firstly, it serves as a deterrent to petty thieves on the shore. After finally getting a few days of rest, Kazan doesn't want any more ignorant pirates coming to cause trouble. Unlike Neferu Island, this place isn't remote, and the chances of encountering pirates here are quite high. Generally, weaker pirates would leave immediately upon seeing a naval warship.

Kazan hid the ship earlier for another reason, fearing it would be stolen since no one was watching it. However, the village is small, and Kazan can see the warships on the shore from anywhere, so he would notice immediately if someone tried to steal it, making hiding unnecessary.

……

Five days later.

"Haha! We meet again!"

Kazan looked at the red-haired man in a straw hat who blocked his way and greeted him warmly, and thought to himself, "Holy crap."

"Because of this?"

Kazan raised his hand and brandished the twin swords at his waist.

"Ah, we only noticed these two knives when we got closer. It's mainly because of that warship on the shore. We left some marks on it when we fought last time, didn't you notice?"

Shanks looked at Kazan with a smile; he now had a very good impression of Kazan.

The first thing Shanks did after landing was to check on the situation in the village, which was no different from when he returned before.

This is Shanks' hometown. Although Shanks joined Roger's ship a long time ago and has no connection with these villagers, it would be better if everyone were healthy.

Shanks was very impressed that Kazan hadn't done anything bad since arriving in the village, and hadn't killed anyone. He didn't get along with the kind of people who bullied civilians, committed arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of evil deeds. Kazan wasn't that kind of person, which greatly increased Shanks' positive impression of him...

One slightly unfortunate thing is that Kazan was too inexperienced!

Young yet incredibly powerful! He's destined to become one of the top warriors on the high seas. Logically, bringing this kid in should be a sure win, but…

Young people have their own ambitions and paths.

"Hahahaha!!!"

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!

Kazan stared speechlessly at Shanks, who was laughing and patting him on the shoulder.

"elder brother!"

"Kazan!"

Monet and Bon Clay arrived from the side with Sugar. The two did not act rashly. Monet flew into the sky, ready to use the Snow-Snow Fruit's power to attack Shanks at any time.

Meanwhile, Bon Clay transformed into a large bird, dragging Sugar to a distant tree to watch over them. Once the battle began, he would immediately carry Sugar away.

Bang!

"Xiao Bei, stop!"

Kazan suddenly reached out and stopped Bellamy, who was rushing from behind and about to throw a punch at Shanks.

"Big brother."

Bellamy stepped aside, cautiously watching Shanks.

"Oh! Oh! These are your... family members! They all seem to be quite capable!"

Shanks, completely unconcerned about the tense expressions on everyone's faces, instead looked excitedly at Monet, who could fly, and Bon Clay, who had transformed into a giant bird.

There was an unexpected surprise!

Those who can fly over this ocean have a unique advantage, much like Logia-type Devil Fruit users.

What a terrifying bunch of brothers and sisters!

After taking a closer look at Kazan, who was his "older brother," Shanks nodded secretly.

With their older brother Kazan under their protection, there shouldn't be anything in the Western Sea that could threaten them. These little guys will surely become future powerhouses.

"Would you... like to join my pirate crew?"

Although Shanks still asked tentatively, he no longer had any desire to recruit them into his pirate crew.

His pirate crew was basically formed, and they weren't actually that short of crew members. Moreover, although they had been staying in 'Paradise', the Red-Haired Pirates were already a great pirate crew of the New World level.

Aside from Kazan, the other kids are no longer strong enough to keep up with his pirate crew. Although they'll eventually catch up with him thanks to their protection, but...

They are ultimately from different eras. These young people should shine brightly in the future and forge their own path, instead of following the powerful figures of the previous era on a tourist trip.

If Shanks had known the ages of Kazan and his crew beforehand, he wouldn't have had the idea of ​​recruiting them into his pirate crew in the first place.

"Huh? My brother is going to become the strongest man in the world! He doesn't even put Whitebeard in his eyes, how could he possibly become someone else's subordinate!"

Bellamy, Kazan's number one fan, didn't give Kazan a chance to speak and answered the question for him.

Kazan: "..."

Although it was a bit arrogant to say this in front of Shanks, Kazan did not refute his brother. First, he was being considerate of Bellamy's feelings; second, he genuinely shared the same thought; and third, Kazan knew that it was perfectly acceptable to say such things in front of Shanks.

The strongmen of the old era all had one thing in common: they appreciated young people with potential and ambition. As long as these young guys didn't do anything reckless, they would generally let them grow.

Although Shanks can only be considered a half-old-era figure and not yet the strongest, he has this mindset because he has been with Roger's pirate crew since childhood.

"The strongest in the world... Haha! Young people should have this kind of ambition."

Shanks was taken aback by Bellamy's words, then chuckled softly and pressed down on his straw hat.

The future doesn't look too boring.

Chapter 039 Draining the Red Hair

It was still that same warship, on the deck.

The red-eyed man and the red-haired man are sparring.

"Oh! Oh! So this is the power of the curse!"

Shanks held the jet-black Griffin with both hands, casually examining the black sword Darkmoon that Griffin was holding against and another sword covered in blood. With Shanks's discerning eye, he could naturally tell that although these two swords were not famous blades, they were, like his Griffin, fast swords.

Of course, Shanks was more concerned about Kazan's supposedly cursed ghost hand and his red eyes, which were made entirely of blood. If he weren't indistinguishable from a normal person except for his appearance, Shanks would probably have cut open Kazan's ghost hand to see what it was made of.

When Kazan activates his Blood Rage and Berserk state, he looks truly intimidating, at least in appearance. In addition, the blood energy he constantly emits makes the surrounding air seem thick and crimson.

Clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang clang.

Because he was afraid of destroying the warship, Kazan didn't use any special abilities, but instead relentlessly attacked Shanks with basic attacks that combined Armor Hardening, Steelification, and High Temperature.

Shanks controlled Griffin's movements with both hands, using his dual-color Haki, which far surpassed Kazan's, to block Kazan's storm-like attack.

But a red-eyed basic attack is no joke. Shanks can block most basic attacks with Griffin, but there will always be one or two times when he is too late. After all, in terms of swordsmanship alone, Shanks and Kazan are both intermediate, so the difference is not that big.

In such situations, Shanks can only use Observation Haki to dodge or use Armament Haki to cover his body and block.