I'd be happy about Power Stones!(Power Stones = Bonus Chapters)
"..."
Kyle, who hadn't even raised his gun, was suddenly stunned.
Seeing Koby crying so miserably, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
"As expected of the future King of Cowards."
"Recognized the danger and knelt immediately. Impressive."
Kyle swore…
He was just trying to scare the kid a little, to make the upcoming conversation easier.
Who would've thought Koby would be so sensitive and end up looking like this?
"That's enough! Quit your whining! Cry one more time and I'll blow your head off!"
Bang!
A deafening gunshot rang out.
Kyle fired a blank round behind Koby.
Of course, it was just a regular lead bullet.
He wasn't rich enough to waste Seastone bullets.
Under the pressure of the gunshot, Koby really did stop crying.
Trembling, he looked up in confusion and saw Kyle staring at him with a complicated expression.
In truth, Kyle was also feeling quite emotional at the moment...
You had to admit.
Reincarnation was truly a skill.
Who would've thought that this whimpering coward actually possessed a rare and special form of Observation Haki?
Up to the time Kyle transmigrated…
In the entire One Piece world, there were fewer than ten known users of special Observation Haki!
There was Roger and Luffy with the ability to hear the voices of all things, Usopp with ultra-focused farsight, Enel and Aisa of Skypiea with wide-range perception, and...
Koby, with the power to sense emotions.
In the original storyline, Koby, who was about to desert, only stood up to stop Akainu because he sensed the pain and sorrow in the "voices" of those dying around him.
Those emotions gave him the courage to act.
But clearly, he chose the wrong side.
Just like every Marine has their own form of justice…
Koby's justice is a kind of weak kindness masked as righteousness.
He doesn't want to die, nor does he want to see others die—friend or foe.
But that's just not realistic.
Kyle could understand Koby's fear of death.
Few people could face death with a smile.
Which was why Smoker was so shocked when Luffy smiled before Buggy's execution in Loguetown.
But Koby stopping Akainu during the Paramount War was clearly a betrayal of his duty as a Marine—and a betrayal of the fallen soldiers.
Still, despite his many mistakes and flaws...
After Akainu became Fleet Admiral, Koby continued to rise steadily within the Marines, both in rank and strength.
Aside from having Garp as a powerful mentor, Koby's talent was undeniably top-tier.
Saying he had the potential of an Admiral or Yonko might be an exaggeration.
But even Smoker, a Marine from the elite academy with a Logia fruit, made it to Vice Admiral…
Koby, who mastered both the Six Powers and Haki in just three years, was at least a candidate for Admiral in the future.
More importantly, Kyle believed Koby's personality and appearance fit a certain anime archetype perfectly.
Like Tsunayoshi Sawada—the hyper-intuitive protagonist—Koby was soft-hearted but kind.
And since Koby was purely a martial artist…
He'd be compatible with plenty of character cards!
His timid nature made him easier to manipulate and control.
His overwhelming talent meant he wouldn't be a wasted investment.
To Kyle, Koby was the perfect "tool."
There was no way the Dusk Pirates weren't recruiting this kid!
So he planned to give Koby a little scare and then recruit him.
He just hadn't expected Koby to be this easy to scare.
He'd barely said anything before Koby dropped to his knees, begging for mercy.
But then again…
A 15-year-old who'd been kidnapped at 14 and made to work as a cabin boy on a pirate ship for a year…
All he wanted was to survive—even if it meant being pathetic. That wasn't a crime.
And at the time of the Paramount War, Koby was only 16.
He might grow out of his weakness with age.
Besides, once character cards were applied, loyalty to Kyle would be absolute...
At the very least, Koby wouldn't oppose Kyle's decisions like in the original story.
Unfortunately, Kyle didn't have the charisma of the Sun God Nika, nor did he intend to waste breath trying to inspire Koby…
For now, the best method was force + temptation!
And in his hand was something Koby absolutely couldn't resist…
The Navy enlistment order Kyle had secured from Sengoku a few days ago!
Join a pirate crew—and become a Marine!?
Kyle was sure Koby would never refuse this offer!
Under the looming threat of the gun barrel, Koby quickly stopped crying.
At Kyle's signal, he stood up, trembling.
Kyle put away his musket and looked Koby over, then asked—though he already knew the answer:
"You're really not a pirate?"
"S-Sir, I swear I'm not a pirate."
Koby sobbed as he recounted his miserable story.
The memory was so humiliating that his eyes turned vacant, like he'd died inside.
"About a year ago, I was out fishing when I accidentally boarded Alvida's transport ship…"
"And then…"
"She forced me to stay on her pirate ship, doing menial chores under their command."
"But I swear!"
"I've never done anything evil!"
He raised three fingers and swore to the heavens.
It might've seemed laughable to make such a vow to a pirate, but since Kyle hadn't harmed the villagers of Shells Town, Koby subconsciously saw him as a good person.
"Hm."
After a pause, Kyle nodded and said:
"So you've been doing chores for a year, huh?"
"Looks like you've got experience."
"W-Well… I guess…"
Not knowing how to respond, Koby scratched his head, giving a vague answer.
But Kyle's next words froze him on the spot.
"Perfect. I need a handyman on my ship."
"From today on, you're the Dusk Pirates' cabin boy!"
"..."
"HUH!!?"
"W-Wait, sir…"
Koby opened his mouth wide in shock, trying to protest.
But then he saw Kyle's expression harden slightly, frowning as he said:
"What? You got a problem with that?"
"..."
"No, sir! I'm honored!"
Forcing a smile uglier than crying, Koby choked down his despair and responded cheerfully:
"It's my honor to serve you!"
Escaping the tiger's mouth only to fall into a wolf's den—how could Koby possibly be happy?
But for now, survival came first.
He had no desire to end up like the pirates of Alvida's crew—corpses rotting in the sun.
Kyle nodded, satisfied with Koby's response.
"Stay here with me. Once the mayor brings the money, we're setting sail!"
"Yes, sir!"
With his experience serving Alvida, Koby quickly fell back into the role—resigned to his fate, he obediently stood by Kyle's side.
Roughly half an hour passed.
Kyle hadn't yet seen the town mayor return with the ransom, but he did see Tashigi come back after slaughtering the pirates.
"Good work, Tashigi."
Seeing the girl covered in dust and blood, Kyle quickly stepped forward to greet her with concern.
But the moment she saw Kyle, the once-battle-hardened swordswoman instantly turned into a calm and gentle sword maiden.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Captain Kyle."
Tashigi's face lit up with excitement.
This mission to eliminate the pirates had made her realize just how powerful she'd become!
With spiritual power flowing through her, her limbs felt endlessly strong.
Her sword swings had doubled in both speed and strength!