Location: Red Blade – Open Waters, Near the Fireveil Sea
The crew was sailing at full speed. The relic encounter on Nafir had shaken everyone. Shanks stood at the helm, unusually serious.
"Makino. Send word to the other contacts. No more docking for a week. We've got heat on us."
Ankit remained below deck, alone in the weapons room, sharpening his swords.
System Notice: 'New Skill Available: Dual Echo Step – Requires 20% Sync.'
Current Sync: 18.9%
He sighed, eyes flicking toward the blade reflection.
Even with all this power growing… he was still just a target. A mystery.
That made him dangerous.
And it was about to get worse.
Location: Night Fog – On the Sea
Midnight.
A sudden burst of fog enveloped the ship. Too dense. Too fast.
Benn Beckman called out orders. "All hands alert! This isn't natural fog!"
From the haze, ropes flew.
Harpoons. Claws.
A ship burst through the mist — black sails, purple flame insignia.
Bounty vessel: Reaver's Kiss.
Dozens of masked bounty hunters swung aboard. Their leader—a tall woman with curved sabers and glowing goggles—landed on deck with deadly grace.
"Bring me the boy with twin blades. Alive."
Shanks grinned.
"You picked the wrong ship."
[Fight: Red-Haired Pirates vs Bounty Crew – Fog Ambush]
Ankit rushed up from below deck, blades drawn.
"Don't let them box you in!" shouted Beckman, already sniping from behind crates.
The bounty hunters moved like shadows. Smoke bombs. Wire traps.
Ankit clashed with a dual-dagger wielder, moving unnaturally fast.
His first strike was blocked—but his second blade flowed behind it like a serpent.
CLANG—SLASH.
The dagger wielder dropped, groaning.
System Notice: "Adaptive Strike (I) – Success. Proficiency +2%."
Suddenly, a chain coiled around his ankle and yanked him off balance.
Three bounty elites closed in, clearly aiming to capture.
One jabbed a taser rod toward his neck.
Too slow.
[Combat Intuition Triggered]
Ankit spun mid-fall, cutting the chain with a cross-slash and launching backward in a sliding dodge.
He flowed up, swords weaving in a spiraling arc.
The hunters fell back, stunned by the speed and control.
"You shouldn't be this good," muttered one. "You're not on any bounty sheet that high."
Ankit's eyes narrowed. "You people keep trying to cage a storm."
Shanks Enters
The leader bounty woman came face to face with Shanks, blades crackling with energy.
"You could've walked away," she said.
Shanks pointed his sword casually. "You're attacking my ship. You think I'm the one who needs walking shoes?"
One move. One slash.
The woman's blade broke clean in half.
Aftermath
The Reaver's Kiss was destroyed and set adrift. Most of the hunters fled or were captured.
But the damage was done.
Beckman approached Ankit later.
"You held your own."
"I nearly got caught," Ankit said, grim. "I saw it in their moves. They weren't trying to kill me. They were following orders."
Shanks appeared behind them.
"And whoever gave those orders knows what you're hiding."
Ankit stayed silent.
Shanks looked at him, serious for once. "When you're ready… tell us the truth."
🔹 SYSTEM PANEL – Ankit 🔹
System Sync: 20.1%
Skill Level (Twin Flow Style): 7
New Skill Unlocked: Dual Echo Step (I)
Brief burst of speed to reposition mid-fight. Cooldown: 10 seconds.
New Trait: Focused Guard
Automatically adjusts second blade to defend critical zones after a failed strike.