After feeling his body growing stronger, Lu Yu noticed that the small wounds he had received during the battle had completely healed.
As he processed the changes, a strange sensation washed over him. Suddenly, his surroundings became clearer, more defined.
"The awakening of Observation Haki?"
That was his first thought. He quickly opened his panel, and sure enough, [Basic Observation Haki] was now listed among his abilities.
It must have awakened during the fight just now.
Testing his newfound power, Lu Yu spread his Observation Haki throughout the ship. Almost immediately, he sensed other lifeforms onboard. Following his intuition, he made his way toward them.
A few minutes later, he reached the storage room below deck.
"I miss my mother..."
"My lord, please spare my child! I will be your slave! I'll do anything, just let my child go!"
"Bad guy, don't bully my mom!"
Countless voices filled the air.
Lu Yu's expression darkened as he took in the sight before him.
"This is a slave ship..."
Although he was a pirate, he despised the slave trade. Slavery wasn't uncommon in the world of One Piece, but seeing hundreds of people locked away like cattle was still jarring.
As someone who had reincarnated from another world, he still carried the modern belief in human rights. He didn't feel anger or hatred—just an innate disgust.
With a swift motion, Lu Yu unsheathed his Ame-no-Habakiri and slashed through the chains of the nearest cage.
"The people above are dead," he announced casually. "By the way, I'm not a good person—I'm a pirate. Can you make it back on your own?"
At that moment, the woman who had just been begging for her child's safety froze. Her face, which had been filled with hope moments ago, twisted into despair.
"Mom, this big brother saved us! We can go home now!" the little girl said excitedly, unaware of the heavy atmosphere.
But her mother didn't share the same optimism. Instead, her face grew even paler.
The woman collapsed to the floor, drained of all strength and hope.
One by one, others followed, dropping to the ground as if their last thread of will had snapped.
"Huh?" Lu Yu frowned. This wasn't the reaction he expected. Shouldn't they be overjoyed at regaining their freedom?
Moments ago, the room had been filled with cries and desperate pleas. Now, there was only silence.
"It's useless... We're going to die anyway..."
"We can't go back. Those nobles are dead. They'll blame us for it."
"We've been marked as slaves. Even if we return to our villages, we'll be hunted down... And we might bring disaster upon our loved ones."
Laughter mixed with sobs as a man clutched his head, muttering in despair.
Lu Yu finally understood. Because he had killed the nobles, these former slaves believed they had no future. Even if they escaped, society would still see them as slaves. And since they had been registered, the deaths of the nobles would likely be blamed on them.
Even with their freedom, they felt doomed.
"The Kingdom of Yacoslan?" Lu Yu muttered to himself.
He thought for a moment before stepping forward.
"If you truly believe you can only die, then I'll send you to your deaths," he declared coldly. "But if you want to live with dignity, then recognize that you are not slaves. You are people!" His voice grew sharper. "When you think of yourselves as slaves, you will always be slaves."
The murmurs slowly faded.
Then, one man hesitantly stood up. "I want to go home. My mother and children are waiting for me."
"I want to go back too! I refuse to live as a slave!"
"I'm not afraid of death! Why should I keep living ?!"
More and more people began to rise, their spirits reigniting.
Lu Yu smirked. "I already told you—I'm a pirate," he reminded them. "I'm taking this ship. If you want to return home, I'll drop you off at Cocoyasi Village. After that, figure it out yourselves."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and left.
As he stepped back onto the deck, Lu Yu took a deep breath. The stench of the slave quarters still clung to him.
Shaking it off, he made his way to the ship's treasure room. It didn't take long to find the massive sword, Wado Ichimonji, among the riches. As for the rest of the valuables, he simply tossed them into his system space.
Returning to his warship, he leaped onto the deck and called out to Kuina. "Here!" He tossed her the Wado Ichimonji without hesitation.
To him, this so-called great grade sword was nothing special. He already possessed Murasame and Ame-no-Hazan, both of which were far more powerful—comparable to the supreme-grade swords.
Kuina caught the blade and frowned. "I already told you—I won't become a pirate!" she said firmly. "I don't care how you know about me, but I have my own path. I'm going to Wano Country... I'm going to defeat Kaido!"
Before she could finish, Lu Yu cut her off with a chuckle. "What? Do you even know what you're saying?"
Kuina's face flushed in anger. "You may be strong, but you're nowhere near Kaido's level. He's one of the Four Emperors—the Captain of the Beast Pirates and the current ruler of Wano!"
Her disbelief spilled out in rapid succession, her flushed cheeks making her look unexpectedly cute.
Lu Yu grinned. "Of course, I know that."
He turned to face the sea, his expression shifting into something more determined. "That's why I'm inviting you to join my crew."
Kuina blinked in surprise.
"Unlike Kaido, we're still growing. We're constantly getting stronger, while he's already at his peak."
He gestured toward the slave ship. "Look at them. Wano Country is suffering the same fate right now. If you want to defeat Kaido, you need power. I can give you that."
He turned back to her, his voice unwavering. "I want the world to tremble at the name of the Dragon Hunter Pirates. I want our mark to be carved into the history of this era."
Holding out his hand, he asked once more, "Are you willing to join me?"
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