In the end, this was Garen's first time fighting humans from the world of One Piece, and he had somewhat underestimated his own strength—and overestimated his opponents' defenses.
After all, in the original manga, battles were intense, but very few characters actually died in combat.
It was as if everyone had Mundo's constitution or Tryndamere's tenacity—people could get slashed and lose dozens of pounds of blood, only to get back up, power through near-death with a burst of energy, and return fully restored after a few hours of rest.
But when Garen swung his sword in anger at the pirate in front of him—grinning wickedly—he realized the philosopher Emiya Kiritsugu had been right all along:
"People die when they are killed."
The first thing to react was the mechanical system notification in Garen's mind:
"Target eliminated. Experience gained."
The notification chimed three times in a row—meaning that single strike had claimed three lives.
Garen's experience bar surged forward, almost reaching the threshold for level two.
His heavy sword swept out wide, and everything in its path was utterly torn apart.
Because the enemies were packed tightly together, the greatsword's slaughter became even more devastating.
The airtight encirclement was instantly blown open, leaving a massive gap.
The pirate lackeys, who had been grinning with bloodlust just moments ago, now froze in place with chills running down their spines.
The scene was gruesome—so much so that describing it in detail would violate every core social value imaginable.
Garen felt a little nauseous, though likely due to his digitalized body, he experienced no physical discomfort.
But those massive blades still looming in front of him like a forest of steel gave him no time to dwell on his mental state.
Without hesitation, Garen activated the only skill he currently had:
"Decisive Strike!"
He raised his sword and charged toward the gap he'd carved out of the enemy encirclement, his final target: the furious pirate captain named Steel Blade.
With a 30% speed boost, Garen's body felt light and agile.
The golden glow swirling around his sword also made his strikes feel significantly heavier.
"Stop him!"
Steel Blade roared at his stunned subordinates, then let out another vicious command with a twisted grin:
"Kill this bastard! Then I'll take you all to sack this island!"
As a true pirate, Steel Blade prided himself on his strength—but he was no honorable duelist.
Sacrificing his lackeys to wear down stronger opponents was his go-to tactic.
To the pirate lackeys, Garen's triple kill was terrifying—but not as terrifying as their own ruthless captain.
And the promise of looting the town reignited the greed and bloodlust burning in their hearts.
"Kill him!"
The lackeys screamed and shrieked, trying to drown their fear in noise.
Backed by sheer numbers, they roared with fake bravado and charged at Garen like moths to a flame.
Garen's plan to go straight for the enemy commander was foiled, and he was forced to stop and deal with the swarm.
His skill meant for the enemy leader now had to be wasted on some unlucky lackey.
So, the golden sword came crashing down on the poor fool in his path.
The so-called "bonus damage" described in the skill was vague, but when applied to the fragile human body, the results were crystal clear.
Unlike the previous three who died to basic attacks, this one was torn apart so brutally it rivaled a gory war film.
"Target eliminated. Experience gained."
The system's voice chimed again.
"You have reached level 2."
Garen felt a jolt through his body, followed by a strange transformation:
Speed, strength, endurance—every physical attribute surged upward in an instant.
His dim skill bar lit up, signaling that he could now learn a new skill.
Curiously, Decisive Strike seemed to be maxed out after just one level, so he couldn't upgrade it further.
Clang!
Two massive blades slammed into Garen's back, clashing with his armor in a sharp metallic ring. His health bar dropped slightly.
Now was no time to study the system.
Staying focused, Garen immediately spent his new skill point on his E ability: "Judgment."
The skill's description was hilariously vague, only a single line:
"Spin your greatsword rapidly for 3 seconds."
Even as blades crashed against him, Garen couldn't help but complain:
"What, it's just spinning my sword around? What's the difference between using a skill to spin and just… spinning on my own?"
The difference revealed itself immediately—
Garen used his newly learned skill Judgment amid the charging pirates.
And unlike spinning manually—this spin was fast.
Garen suddenly turned into a human whirlwind, rapidly spinning in the middle of the enemy horde, his greatsword whipping through the air like a tornado.
The speed was terrifying. The high-speed spinning sword stirred the air around him, kicking up a mini cyclone.
Any pirate struck by the spinning blade was shredded like meat thrown into an industrial blender—flesh and blood flying everywhere.
The spinning top cleared whole swathes of enemies at once—far more efficient than basic attacks.
Garen's experience bar surged again, nearly hitting level three.
This leveling system, unlike the game's original version, had very low experience requirements early on—but grew exponentially with each new level.
Garen also noticed something very unscientific about this skill.
Despite hitting countless enemies, the blade's speed and power didn't decrease at all.
It maintained full output, 100% efficiency, regardless of collisions—
No one could stop him from spinning.
By the time the three-second spin ended, there wasn't a single pirate left standing around him.
Blood, broken blades, and tattered clothes were scattered in every direction, dyeing the ground a terrifying shade of red.
Garen's once-pristine armor was now soaked in blood, giving off an eerie, almost demonic glow.
No pirate dared approach him again. In the face of such hellish carnage, their will to fight shattered completely.
"D-Damn it..."
Even Captain Steel Blade lost all his arrogance, his fierce expression now laced with genuine fear.
As a powerful fighter, Steel Blade could tell more clearly than anyone:
From the speed and strength of Garen's sword dance just now—this was a truly dangerous opponent.
But Garen gave him no time to hesitate.
After clearing the field, Garen once again activated his now-cooled-down Decisive Strike, raising his greatsword and charging directly at Steel Blade.
Garen's strike came crashing down. Steel Blade raised his blade to block—
The impact rang out like a thunderclap, echoing through the streets.
Steel Blade was no pushover. Unlike the cannon fodder earlier, Garen could no longer cut through him like paper.
But Steel Blade didn't have it easy either. Garen's full-force strike made his hands tremble and his muscles ache.
All in all, a level 2 Garen and a pirate worth 10 million berries were just about evenly matched.
The two clashed fiercely.
(At this point, imagine two burly men hacking at each other. Detailed fight description omitted.)
But after a while, Steel Blade realized something was wrong:
While Garen didn't seem stronger than him, and his sword strikes looked simple—
He couldn't dodge any of them.
No matter how he tried to sidestep or maneuver, Garen's sword always found him.
So, Steel Blade was forced into a completely defensive stance, blocking strike after strike.
It was exhausting.
Worse, every few seconds, Garen's greatsword would glow, and the power of his strike would suddenly increase.
He would also occasionally turn into a human spinning top again, wildly chasing Steel Blade with a whirlwind of slashes.
Logically, the one attacking should tire out faster.
Steel Blade could only grit his teeth and hope Garen would tire himself out first—then he could counterattack and win.
But five seconds passed. Then ten. Then thirty...
Steel Blade was now covered in deep, bleeding wounds. He was panting, drenched in sweat, and clearly running out of steam.
Meanwhile, Garen was still full of vigor and fighting at full strength.
Despite being drenched in blood, none of it was his.
Look closely, and you'd see—even the silk hanging from his armor hadn't suffered a scratch.
That said, Garen wasn't without injuries.
With no combat training, he had taken several solid hits despite having an undodgeable sword.
Steel Blade's attacks lived up to the bounty on his head. After this intense duel, Garen's health had dropped to around 40%.
But with a digitized body, as long as his health bar wasn't empty, Garen could always fight at full power—like a perpetual motion machine.
Eventually, it was Steel Blade who couldn't hold out.
Our once-proud pirate captain, who had ruled the seas, had never suffered such a humiliating battle in his life.
Steel Blade gritted his teeth, muscles bulging in desperation, and suddenly shouted with all his strength:
"Wait!"
"Huh?"
Garen paused instinctively.
"I give up!"
Steel Blade roared in frustration, tossed his sword aside, and turned to flee.
(End of Chapter)