The sea around the small vessel churned with the impact of the cannonballs, sending plumes of salty white spray into the air. Silas steered the rudder with practiced ease, his face a mask of grim determination. Beside him, Princess Vivi clung to the railing, her eyes wide as she watched the black-sailed ship closing in.
"They aren't firing to sink us," Silas shouted over the roar of the waves. "They're firing to pin us down! They want to board!"
Kai stood at the stern, his coat fluttering in the violent wind. His golden eyes were fixed on the approaching ship, but he wasn't looking at the wood or the sails. Through his [Merchant's Domain], he saw the red, jagged pulses of thirty souls on the enemy deck. They were hungry, distorted, and belonged to men who had long ago traded their humanity for greed.
[Warning: Boarding Harpoons launched!]
[Target: Port Side.]
Three massive iron harpoons, attached to thick chains, slammed into the side of Kai's boat. The wood groaned under the strain as the larger ship began to winch them closer.
"Prepare yourselves!" a voice boomed from the enemy deck. A man with a metal mask and a jagged saw-blade sword jumped across the gap, followed by a dozen mercenaries. "Hand over the Soul Trader and the girl, and maybe we'll let the old man live!"
Kai didn't draw his dagger. Instead, he stepped forward, his shadow suddenly expanding and darkening until it looked like a pool of black ink on the deck.
[Skill Activated: Soul Puppet (Rank D).]
[Cost: 30 Soul Coins.]
[Target: The lingering essence of the fallen bounty hunters from Whiskey Peak.]
From the darkness of Kai's shadow, a figure began to rise. It had no face, only two glowing violet slits for eyes. It wore the tattered remnants of a bounty hunter's cloak, and its body was made of shifting, semi-solid smoke.
"What... what is that thing?" the masked mercenary stammered, freezing in his tracks.
"A debt collector," Kai whispered, his voice cold as ice. "He's here to collect what you owe the world."
The [Soul Puppet] moved with a speed that defied physics. It didn't run; it flickered from one spot to another, leaving trails of violet mist. With a single swipe of its smoky claws, it tore through the spirit of the first mercenary. The man didn't bleed, but he collapsed instantly, his eyes turning gray as his 'will to fight' was devoured by the puppet.
[Ding! Soul Energy Harvested: +8 Coins.]
[Puppet Integrity: 92%.]
Vivi watched in awe and terror. She had seen devil fruit powers before, but this was different. This was a manipulation of life itself. Kai wasn't just fighting; he was managing a resource.
"Kill the boy! Forget the puppet!" the masked leader roared, swinging his saw-blade at Kai's head.
Kai didn't even look at him. He simply raised his hand, and the air around him thickened. [Merchant's Domain: Weakness Detection] highlighted a glowing red crack in the masked man's soul—a moment of pure, unadulterated fear.
"Your price is too high," Kai said, his golden eyes meeting the mercenary's. "And your soul is bankrupt."
With a flick of his wrist, Kai channeled the stolen orange energy of Mr. 5 into a focused blast. BOOM! The masked man was sent flying back toward his own ship, his armor shattered and his spirit broken.