Finally, it was time to show his strength.
Heberfil Charlotte had always lived by two words—low profile.
But today, he had to take action.
Charlotte sighed slightly.
This town, this place—his base for the rest of his life. How could he allow others to destroy it? The people here were kind, and it was his hometown.
If that was the case, then the only good pirate was a pirate crushed to dust.
Charlotte's gaze turned cold.
In an instant, he moved—swift as the wind.
"Puff~"
Charlotte reappeared, his sword still dripping with fresh blood. Behind him, dozens of pirates collapsed to the ground—dead.
"Huh?"
Spike, the captain of the raiding crew, furrowed his brows. The remaining pirates, now enraged, clenched their weapons.
"Kill him!"
The pirates charged. A reckless, brainless strategy.
Gunshots rang out—Bang! Bang! Bang!
Most of the bullets missed their mark, scattering around Charlotte, their aim laughable. He barely acknowledged them.
Spike's expression darkened. Fear crept into his sharp eyes.
Charlotte remained emotionless.
His blade gleamed—a harbinger of death. Every movement, every flash of his sword, brought another life to an end.
When the chaos settled, Charlotte stood among a mountain of corpses, an unsettling sight that made the surviving pirates hesitate.
But hesitation meant nothing now.
Since they had chosen to act, there was no mercy.
The enemy must understand—death awaited them all.
Ordinary pirates posed no real threat to Charlotte. In the face of true strength, the weak would always remain weak.
Numbers meant nothing when each step he took ended another life.
His footwork was masterful, his blade ruthless. A single step, a single strike—death.
"Damn it!"
Spike gritted his teeth. His men were falling like flies, yet he still tried to suppress his fear with anger.
At the port, the members of the Heberfil family were watching in awe.
Seeing Charlotte slaughtering pirates with ease, their admiration soared.
"Boss is mighty!"
"Boss is mighty!"
The usually calm and gentle leader was now a storm on the battlefield—unrelenting and terrifying.
Charlotte paused. A surge of momentum radiated from him, overwhelming the air itself.
His sword hummed—a sound that sent chills down the spines of those still standing.
His voice was low, but every word carried weight.
"Ittoryu—Divine Wind: Tiger Slash."
A single cut.
The air itself seemed to split as a violent gust of sword energy erupted from his blade.
The iron-cutting technique, the ability to feel the breath of all things—this was the foundation of true sword mastery.
To cut iron was the first step. To walk the path of a swordsman meant stepping into the ranks of the strong.
This was Charlotte's understanding. His years of training, his mastery of swordsmanship, the insights he had gained from a legendary swordsman on this very island—it had all led to this moment.
And today, he would finally reveal what it meant to be a swordsman of the New World.
A whirlwind of slashes tore through the battlefield.
Pirates were shredded like paper. The blood-soaked ground was a testament to the carnage.
"S-Swordsman…!"
Spike's pupils contracted in sheer terror. His entire body trembled.
Charlotte's expression remained blank.
"The enemy must be prepared to die."
There was no escape.
The flash of his sword was like lightning—swift, brilliant, and deadly.
One sword, ten swords, a hundred, a thousand...
To Charlotte, it was as if he had returned to those countless days and nights of relentless training—swinging his blade over and over, perfecting his cuts.
"Puff!"
The last thing Spike saw was the blinding light of Charlotte's blade.
The next moment, an ugly wound split across his chest.
Spike screamed. His massive naginata slipped from his hands as he collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from his body.
The battle was over.
The battlefield was a bloodbath.
Among the onlookers, Aaron Ivan, Charlotte's most trusted subordinate, rushed forward like an excited child.
He had never expected his boss to be this powerful.
That was Spike—the leader of a feared pirate crew—and yet, in front of Charlotte, he was nothing.
"Boss, you're incredible! The world needs to know about you!"
Hearing this, Charlotte felt a headache coming on.
If he became too well-known in the New World, things would get troublesome.
This wasn't what he wanted.
He quickly changed the subject.
"Ahem. Ivan, I don't care about fame. Get everyone to clean up the battlefield. Burn the pirate corpses before they spread disease in town."
Ivan's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Yes, boss! Understood!"
He hurried off, rallying the younger members of the Heberfil family to clean the area.
"Brother Ivan, these pirates finally got what they deserved!"
Many of them had lost family members to raiders like these.
A younger crewmate grinned.
"Yeah! This was a glorious battle! The boss is way too strong!"
Ivan, witnessing his boss's overwhelming power firsthand, felt nothing but pride.
"Brothers! The boss has protected our town and our homeland. This is the glory of the Heberfil family!"
The cheers grew louder.
"Boss Charlotte—hero of the town! The pride of the Heberfil family!"
Excitement filled the port.
---
Charlotte, however, had already boarded the enemy's pirate ship.
He rummaged through the captain's quarters and found 30 million berries.
Not much, but not bad either.
Outside, Ivan had already gathered the pirates' weapons and stacked the bodies in a neat pile, preparing for the burning.
It was quite a sight.
As expected, Aaron Ivan was still as reliable as ever.
Charlotte patted his shoulder.
"Well done, Ivan. Let's finish this."
"Yes!" Ivan shouted, a bit too excitedly.
Charlotte winced.
"Not so loud—I'm standing right here."
The bodies were set aflame.
Even Spike's corpse was burned alongside the others.
There was no other choice. The nearest Marine base was too far, and sailing there just to claim a bounty was too risky.
So, the pirates were reduced to ashes, their remains scattered into the sea.
Charlotte nodded in satisfaction.
"I can't help it. I'm just too kind!"
Considerate as ever.
After assigning Ivan to handle the remaining cleanup, Charlotte quietly returned to the Heberfil family estate.