Chapter 13: Loguetown

As night fell, three shadowy figures crept stealthily toward the Ikano family villa. Ryu, who had been wearing a blindfold for months to enhance his Observation Haki, detected their movements instantly. His heightened senses made every footstep outside sound like thunder in his ears.

"These footsteps... they're familiar. I've heard them before, but whose are they?"

Removing his blindfold, Ryu glanced out the window. He only wore the blindfold indoors; outdoors, it wasn't necessary. Peering into the darkness, he recognized the intruders immediately. "Ah, those three work at the winery. What are they doing here in the middle of the night? Are they planning to ask for a raise? They don't exactly strike me as hard workers. Guess I'll have to deny them if they try—can't let favoritism upset the others."

A moment later, the trio knocked on the villa's front door.

"Coming!" Mia's voice called out.

The door creaked open, revealing the nervous maid. Upon seeing the three men, she tilted her head in confusion. "You're from the winery, right? What brings you here so late?"

"Hehehe, Miss Mia, we were hoping you could do us a little favor," one of them said with an unsettling grin. The other two mirrored his expression, their intentions clear.

From the staircase, Ryu watched the scene unfold. His face darkened as realization hit him. As a fellow man, he understood all too well what these scum were after.

So, this world has its share of parasites too.

"We're bored and thought you might want to join us for some fun. What do you say?" the leader sneered, stepping closer.

"I'm sorry, but I still have work to finish. I can't go with you," Mia replied, instinctively backing away. Something about their demeanor set off alarm bells in her mind.

"Don't worry! You can multitask—hehehe." With that, the ringleader grabbed Mia's wrist.

"Ah! Help! Master Ryu!"

"Hahaha, Ryu's fleet left this morning. That guy's definitely long gone by now!"

"Remove your filthy hand."

At the sound of Ryu's cold, familiar voice, the leader froze, his face turning pale. Slowly, he turned his head upward in disbelief. "R-Ryu?! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be delivering goods?"

"I said, remove your filthy hand."

When the thug hesitated, Ryu sprang into action.

Shlick!

A bony arm soared through the air.

"AAHHH!! MY ARM!! MY ARM!!"

The remaining two thugs bolted, but Ryu wasn't about to let them escape. BloodThirst flew from his grasp, impaling one man through the chest. The last thug barely managed a few steps before Ryu caught up, snapping his neck with ease.

Now, only the one-armed man remained.

Mia stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock at the gruesome spectacle before her. Without hesitation, Ryu dragged the bodies—including the groaning, one-armed man—out of the villa.

"Mia, clean up the house, will you?"

"O-Okay!" Snapping out of her daze, Mia scrambled to grab a mop, frantically scrubbing away the bloodstains. Her sole thought was to erase any trace of the incident, ensuring no one would discover what had transpired and tarnish Ryu's reputation.

Meanwhile, Ryu took the trio to a remote wilderness. Using his blood pouch, he drained them dry. The two already dead felt nothing, but the one-armed man endured the agony of slowly being reduced to a desiccated husk—a fitting punishment for daring to touch Mia.

Returning to the villa, Ryu found Mia still visibly shaken. "Mia, if anything like this happens again, call me immediately. Understand?"

Realizing his concern, Mia nodded vigorously. "I understand, Master Ryu!"

"Good."

Though outwardly calm, Ryu's heart churned with bitterness. In his past life as a novelist, betrayal had been alien to him. The writing community thrived on mutual respect, where success depended solely on merit, not underhanded tactics. This was his first encounter with such treachery, and it stung deeply. But it also taught him a valuable lesson: relying solely on himself for protection wasn't enough.

He needed trustworthy allies to safeguard Mia and Gray when he was away. From now on, character would matter more than skill when recruiting people.

Hopefully, my trip to Loguetown will yield some results.

That night, Ryu set sail. The deaths of the three men barely caused a ripple in the village. In the world of pirates, lives were cheap, and casualties were commonplace.

Days later, Ryu arrived in Loguetown. Armed with a stack of wanted posters, he began memorizing the faces of criminals. Thanks to his vampiric abilities, his memory was nearly photographic—once seen, never forgotten.

Though East Blue was considered weak, there were plenty of low-tier criminals with bounties ranging from hundreds of thousands to a few million Beri. At Level 20 and with a Power Level of 370, Ryu felt confident tackling pirates with rewards of one or two million Beri.

Of course, his true strength far exceeded that estimate—he possessed Observation Haki and wielded BloodThirst. Still, caution dictated he avoid targeting stronger foes; one misstep could spell disaster.

Come to think of it, Ryu mused, Zoro bought both Wado Ichimonji and Sandai Kitetsu from a weapon shop in Loguetown. Maybe I should browse around. A spare blade wouldn't hurt in case something happens to BloodThirst .

As if sensing his thoughts, BloodThirst emitted a soft hum of protest.

"Quiet, don't complain."

The sword fell silent immediately.

With that settled, Ryu tied a cloth over his eyes, pretending to be blind. A blind child carrying a clearly extraordinary katana wandering aimlessly through the streets—it was bound to attract attention. And attract attention it did.

He wasn't planning to actively hunt anyone. No, this was a fishing expedition—and he intended to reel in his prey.

After all, he needed 1,000 units of blood. It didn't matter whether it came from bounty hunters or ordinary civilians.

"Out of the way! Stop running!"

Suddenly, a commotion erupted nearby.

Instinctively, Ryu turned toward the source of the noise.

Dozens of footsteps echoed—a lone figure sprinting ahead, pursued by a group.

Was it the Marines chasing down a pirate?