The closer Kevin got to the shore, the louder the chaos became.
Screams.
Gunshots.
Laughter.
His steps were slow, uneven.
But steady.
The moment he stepped out of the forest—
The scene hit him harder than before.
Homes burned.
Villagers lay motionless.
Others were dragged like cargo.
Kevin's grip tightened.
"…Nothing changed."
He left for only a short time.
Yet everything had already fallen apart.
A pirate turned and spotted him.
"Oi, the brat's back!"
Another laughed.
"Didn't you already knock him out?"
Kevin said nothing.
But something about him felt… off.
His breathing was calm.
Too calm.
And the air around him—
Felt cold.
"…Huh?" one pirate frowned. "Why's it suddenly chilly?"
Kevin stepped forward.
Each step felt heavy.
Not physically.
But mentally.
His mind replayed the voice from before.
"Take it."
"…How?"
No answer came.
Only instinct.
A pirate walked toward him, swinging his blade lazily.
"You've got guts, kid… I'll give you that."
Kevin stopped.
His eyes locked onto the man.
And for a split second—
Something shifted.
The pirate froze.
"…What the hell…?"
Kevin didn't understand it.
But he felt it.
Something inside him…
Reaching out.
Cold.
Silent.
The pirate suddenly felt it too.
Fear.
Not normal fear.
The kind that grips your soul.
"…W-what are you—"
Kevin moved.
Faster than before.
Not fast enough to dominate.
But fast enough—
To surprise.
He grabbed the pirate's arm.
And in that instant—
The world went quiet.
Kevin felt it.
A thread.
Something invisible connecting them.
Life.
"…This is…"
The pirate's eyes widened in terror.
"LET GO—!!"
But Kevin didn't.
He couldn't.
His body moved on its own.
And then—
He pulled.
A scream tore through the air.
But not from Kevin.
From the pirate.
A faint, shadow-like mist was dragged out from his body.
Twisting.
Struggling.
"…WHAT IS THAT?!"
Other pirates stepped back in horror.
Kevin's eyes widened.
"I… did this…?"
The shadow trembled in his grip.
Then—
It shattered.
Gone.
The pirate's body collapsed.
Silent.
Lifeless.
Kevin staggered back.
His hands trembled violently.
"…Dead…"
He stared at the body.
"I killed him…"
This wasn't training.
Not sparring.
Not imagination.
Real.
Final.
Irreversible.
"Monster…!"
The word came from one of the pirates.
Kevin looked up slowly.
Their eyes were filled with fear.
Not anger.
Not confidence.
Fear.
"…Monster…"
The word echoed in his mind.
Something inside him responded.
Not rejection.
Acceptance.
Suddenly—
A sword cut through the air.
Clang!
Kevin barely blocked it.
Another pirate.
Stronger.
Faster.
"You little freak—!!"
Kevin was pushed back immediately.
His body still weak.
Still untrained.
He couldn't keep up.
Clang!
Clang!
Each strike drove him backward.
His arms screamed.
"I'm still… not enough…"
Even with the fruit—
He wasn't strong.
The pirate grinned.
"Whatever trick that was… you can't use it again, can you?"
Kevin's breathing grew heavier.
"…Maybe not."
The pirate raised his sword.
"Then die!"
Before the strike could land—
CLACK!
Another blade blocked it.
"…You're in the way."
The voice was familiar.
Kevin turned slightly.
It was Shimotsuki Kuina.
Her stance was firm.
Eyes sharp.
"You look terrible," she said.
Kevin let out a weak breath.
"…You're late."
Kuina smirked.
"You're alive. That's enough."
The pirate growled.
"Two brats now?"
Kuina stepped forward.
"Try us."
Their movements synced instinctively.
Kuina attacked head-on.
Precise.
Fast.
Kevin moved from the side.
Unpredictable.
Not strong—
But disruptive.
The pirate struggled to keep up.
"Damn kids—!"
Clang!
Kuina struck his guard aside—
"Now!"
Kevin reacted.
Without thinking—
He reached out again.
Grabbed.
And pulled.
The same cold sensation returned.
The same invisible thread.
The same—
Fear.
"NO—!!"
The pirate screamed—
But it was too late.
The shadow tore free.
And vanished.
His body dropped.
Silence fell.
Kuina froze.
"…What…"
She stared at the body.
Then at Kevin.
"…What did you just do?"
Kevin didn't answer immediately.
His breathing was uneven.
"…I don't know."
That wasn't entirely true.
But he didn't understand it fully.
And saying "I just took his soul"—
Wouldn't make things better.
Kuina stepped closer.
Her eyes serious.
"…That wasn't normal."
Kevin looked away.
"…Nothing about today is normal."
More pirates began retreating.
"Forget this! That kid's cursed!"
"Fall back!"
Within minutes—
They were gone.
The village was silent again.
But it wasn't peace.
It was aftermath.
Smoke.
Ash.
Loss.
Kevin stood still.
He didn't feel victorious.
He didn't feel strong.
He felt—
Empty.
"…Two people…"
His hands trembled again.
"I killed two people…"
Kuina stood beside him.
"…You saved others."
Kevin didn't respond.
Because deep down—
He knew the truth.
He didn't act to save.
He acted—
Because he wanted power.
From a distance, Koushirou watched silently.
"…A dangerous path…"
Kevin looked at his hand.
"…Death Reaper…"
The name echoed in his mind.
This was only the beginning.
And already—
He was changing.
As the sun began to set—
A new presence had been born in this world.
Not a hero.
Not yet a villain.
But something far more uncertain.
A boy—
Who could touch death itself.