Tashigi tightly hugged her beloved sword, Shigure, after reclaiming it, and spoke timidly.
Now that she knew Kyle's true identity as a Navy operative, she no longer cared about his earlier deception.
On the contrary, she was now terrified that Kyle would be displeased with her poor behavior earlier.
And just as feared, the worst came true.
As soon as Tashigi finished speaking, Kyle, who had been gazing out to sea, suddenly let out a roar of anger.
"How can that be allowed!?"
Kyle turned around and pointed sharply at Tashigi as he scolded:
"Since you've chosen to become a pirate, then you must abide by pirate rules!"
"From today on, forget all those nasty habits you picked up in the Navy! Stop being so polite to everyone — show the authority and pride of a pirate!"
"B-but…"
Tashigi hesitantly raised her hand.
"Aren't we just Navy officers disguised as pirates? Do we really have to go that far?"
"Nonsense!!"
Kyle slammed the ship's railing with fury.
"What do you think being a spy is!?"
"Is this just a game of house, where we pretend to be a married couple and travel with a kid!?"
"..."
At that exact moment, Diga, who had just arrived, froze mid-step — clearly sensing his timing couldn't be worse.
"S-sorry! I realize my mistake!"
Startled by Kyle's yelling, Tashigi quickly bowed in apology.
"No bowing!!!"
Kyle grabbed her wrist and pulled her upright.
"Remember this! From today, you are a pirate!"
"You must be just like those people you used to capture…"
"Arrogance and pride — that is your true nature! Greed and desire — your new identity!"
"Even if you see your former superiors and comrades, you must act like a pirate!"
"We are spies! Agents! People who dwell in the shadows, never understood by the world!"
"If you don't want to jeopardize important Navy missions because of your incompetence, then learn how to truly become a pirate!"
"Do you hear me!?"
"Y-yes, I hear you!"
"Louder, I can't hear you!"
"Yes, sir—!!"
Tashigi took a deep breath and shouted with all her courage.
"Good! That's the spirit!"
Seeing her resolve, Kyle finally smiled in satisfaction.
He wasn't trying to be cruel.
It was just that this girl was far too kind and gentle.
So many anime and novels feature missions that fail because the heroine was too soft-hearted.
To prevent that from happening to Tashigi, Kyle decided to give her a mental vaccine early on.
This wasn't something that could be changed overnight — but time was on his side. He would teach her step by step.
He patted Tashigi on the shoulder.
"I hope you'll remember everything I've said today."
"Alright, that's enough chatting. Time to get to business."
A gleam of excitement flashed in his eyes.
"It's time you learned about the structure of our Dusk Pirate Crew."
With that, Kyle waved at Diga in the distance.
Seeing this, Diga quickly ran over.
Kyle crouched down to meet Diga's height and smiled.
"Let me introduce another member of our crew…"
"This is our pirate ship, the Diga, and its ship spirit — Little Diga!"
"Nice to meet you, Sister Tashigi!"
Little Diga lifted his hooded face and smiled at her.
"A… a ship spirit?"
"You mean… one of those legendary beings?"
Tashigi's eyes widened in astonishment.
She stared at Diga in disbelief.
Kyle chuckled:
"That's right. A real, legendary ship spirit!"
"And Diga isn't just any spirit."
"He not only controls the ship's navigation and speed — he also ate the Storm-Storm Fruit and has the power to summon storms!"
As he spoke, Kyle looked up at the sun's position and then ordered:
"Diga, a new day has begun. Head to the next island — we need to resupply."
"And while you're at it, drop a few hints for our Navy pals so they don't lose our trail completely."
"Aye, Captain!"
Little Diga saluted sharply and instantly vanished from view.
The next second…
A powerful gust of wind surged up and filled the Diga's sails.
The sudden acceleration made Tashigi stumble, nearly falling.
She steadied herself and pushed up her glasses, completely stunned by what she was witnessing — the powerful gusts, the ship charging forward under wave pressure…
A ship spirit was already a legendary concept.
And now she had just met one with a Devil Fruit ability.
It was utterly mind-blowing!
So this is the intelligence agency under the direct command of the Fleet Admiral?
What a den of hidden monsters!
Because of Little Diga's unique nature, Kyle's image in Tashigi's mind became even more awe-inspiring.
But that wasn't the end.
What happened next would shatter Tashigi's worldview entirely.
As Tashigi staggered, a large hand reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her.
Kyle smiled:
"Now, it's time for my own introduction…"
"You already know my name…"
"Kyle — special agent under Fleet Admiral Sengoku, captain of the Dusk Pirates, and user of the Imagination-Imagination Fruit."
"With it, I can turn imagined powers and items into reality!"
The "Imagination Fruit" was how Kyle explained the powers granted by his system.
He wasn't trying to hide things from his crew — using a fruit ability just made it easier to accept.
He smiled at Tashigi and said:
"Since you're now part of our crew, let me give you a gift from the world of imagination!"
With a thought, Kyle activated the character card in his inventory.
In an instant, a red flash shot from his bag and entered Tashigi's body.
Before she could react, a strange energy burst from within her.
At the same time, unfamiliar memories suddenly flooded her mind.
Slash, punch, step, ghost…
She had never heard of any of this — yet she understood it all, like someone who had trained extensively.
"I… am a Shinigami?"
Confused, Tashigi looked to Kyle for answers.
But Kyle couldn't respond right away — he was still immersed in his system, examining the newly unlocked Partner System.
This time, when Kyle opened the interface, it wasn't blank anymore…
Instead, it showed two overlapping figures: one real and one ghostly — Tashigi in the foreground, and Rukia in the background.
It was like past and present lives overlapping.
Next to their images was Tashigi's stat panel:
[Partner: Tashigi (Rukia Kuchiki)]
[Aptitude: A]
[Level: 1]
[EXP: 0/100]
[Combat Power: 35]
Beside this was a semi-circle aptitude chart showing Rukia's four stat categories:
[Total Aptitude: 350]
[Strength Aptitude: 60]
[Endurance Aptitude: 70]
[Agility Aptitude: 100]
[Spirit Aptitude: 120]
I'd be happy about some votes!