Chapter 25 – I Have Never Known Fear

Thanks to the experience from his previous life, Sager had always had a clear plan for his career.

Unfortunately, luck had never been on his side—he never managed to follow through.

But now, as a pirate, things were finally beginning to look up.

"The Grand Line, huh..."

Lili murmured softly. Even though she had grown up in a royal palace, she had heard of the Grand Line's fearsome reputation.

"The pirates' graveyard… though some call it a 'paradise'. No matter what name you give it, it's a dangerous place. Can we really make it there? No—I mean, only you could, Sager."

He was strong. That much was undeniable.

Just over the past few days, they'd been chased down by warships—and each time, Sager had taken care of it all by himself. The rest of them hadn't been able to offer any help.

But they couldn't rely on him forever. Sooner or later, they'd run into another situation like Ennio, where Sager would be pinned down.

"Teach me how to become stronger, Sager."

Lili's voice was resolute. "I want to be as strong as you."

"I was going to teach you anyway."

A smirk tugged at the corner of Sager's lips.

"At our current level, even running into someone slightly powerful in the East Blue could end us—let alone surviving in the Grand Line."

Originally, he'd planned to bring this up after Lili had adapted a bit more to life at sea. He also wanted to raise the general strength of the crew first. But since she brought it up—there was no reason to say no.

"I'll teach you the Rokushiki. How much you can learn depends on you. The techniques put a heavy strain on the body. But you're a swordswoman—you don't have to master all of them. Focus on what suits you best."

Rokushiki was undeniably useful. But it wasn't necessary to learn every single technique.

Sager himself could learn them easily because their core principles overlapped with what he already knew.

But that wasn't true for everyone.

In Sager's eyes, the only ones with potential for Rokushiki right now were Lili, Akin, and Palu.

Lili was fast—she could start with Soru, and eventually get to Geppo.

Akin had a solid physique and a balanced skillset—he could try for all six.

Palu? Born to master Tekkai.

"Got it. I'll give it everything I've got!"

Lili nodded firmly and left the captain's quarters.

Sager picked up a bottle of wine, uncorked it, and poured himself a glass using a newly claimed gemstone goblet.

But he didn't drink it immediately.

He stared at his hand, the amber liquid catching the light.

"Haki..."

Compared to Rokushiki—which anyone could train—Haki was a whole different beast.

Even in the first half of the Grand Line, not knowing Haki could get you killed.

It was called "Paradise" only by those who had already failed in the New World and were forced to retreat.

And with the Marine Headquarters stationed there—what kind of main base wouldn't have Haki-users?

No—without mastering Haki, Sager wouldn't dare step foot into the Grand Line.

But it was proving difficult.

He had done targeted training. Even the Hokuto Shinken had techniques for cultivating inner force—"fighting spirit." But no matter what he did, it never manifested.

And without Haki, he couldn't even generate that fighting spirit. They were clearly one and the same.

Both were manifestations of willpower.

And in terms of willpower, Sager was no weakling.

He'd been plagued by bad luck for years, and yet never gave up on his dreams. No matter how many times his ventures failed, he always got back up.

He had the drive. He had the discipline.

But Armament Haki? Observation Haki?

Still completely out of reach.

As for fear or hesitation—those emotions had no place in him.

He stared into the wineglass. In the warm lamplight, the red liquid shimmered. Reflected in its surface—his head of white hair, and deep in his pupils, a fleeting glint of crimson, like a beast stirring beneath the calm.

With a tilt of the glass, Sager downed the wine in one smooth motion. He turned his head to the dark sea outside, his voice low, calm—but laced with unwavering conviction.

"I have never known fear."

From the moment he was born, he'd had will.

And from that moment on—not once had he feared anything. Not even death.

To him, dying was nothing.

What was truly terrifying... was dying poor.

Especially as a poor bastard with terrible luck.

He poured himself another drink and spoke as if to someone no longer there:

"Old man... that quiet life you always wanted—that was my dream, too. But I tried everything, legal or not. I can't just sit back and die broke, can I?"

The flickering light stretched his silhouette across the cabin wall.

Outside, the crew's drunken laughter echoed across the deck.

And in that tension between light and shadow—something was beginning to take shape.

"Guess I've got no choice but to make some noise."

With a sea chart in hand, Sager no longer had to rely on guesswork.

At first light, he set course for Natya. After a full day of sailing, the island came into view at nightfall.

The Kingdom of Natya was an island nation. A high island—its perimeter surrounded by sheer cliff walls. Only one side had a shallow slope, used as a harbor.

The kingdom was like a giant staircase. From bottom to top, one could see villages, towns, and finally—the royal castle at the summit.

Lili lowered her telescope.

"Sager... this looks like it's going to be hard to take."

Even at night, the harbor was ablaze with light. Cannons were lined along the cliffs, and a glance through the scope revealed well-armed soldiers posted at regular intervals.

"Hard or not—I have to take it. I can't let this go."

Sager lowered his telescope too, tossing it back to one of the crew. He stepped forward, one foot planted firmly on the ship's prow.

"I'll go in first. I'll take out the cannons. Once the way is clear—you follow me in."

Charging in with the ship would be suicide. One good hit from a cannon and they'd lose everything—crew, treasure, and their only vessel.

No—better he go in alone.

"Wait, Sager—there's another ship approaching."

Just as he was about to leap off the deck, Lili's voice stopped him. She looked through the telescope again, this time to the left.

"It's the Black Sail Pirates."

"...Huh?"

Sager turned to look.

Cutting swiftly across the water was a sleek black-sailed ship, heading straight toward them.

Beside him, Akin tightened his grip on his staff. The other pirates drew swords and primed their flintlocks, faces tense.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing?!"

A shout rang out from the black-sailed ship before anyone could act.

A pirate at the bow yelled across the water:

"You idiots went raiding without permission?! And this ship—did you steal a Marine warship?!"

The ship drew closer. The pirate squinted and confirmed it was indeed a military vessel.

"You've got guts—sailing straight into the harbor like this! Withdraw now! Use the back entrance—wait... who are you?!"

As their ship neared, he finally got a good look at the crew on the warship—and realized he didn't recognize a single face.

"Enemies—"

"Shigan."

Before the word even finished leaving his mouth, Sager flicked his index finger forward.

The pirate's head snapped back like he'd taken a bullet. He crumpled to the deck.

"Geppo."

Sager stepped into the air. His body shot up like he was climbing invisible stairs.

In a flash, he landed on the enemy ship's bow, looking down on the pirates now scrambling to respond to the sudden assault.

The wind whipped through his hair, fluttering the jagged cape behind him.

A sharp grin spread across his face—white teeth gleaming in the dark.

"I've been looking for you lot for a while now. So this is your nest, huh?"

"You're—"

"Soru."

Before they could react, Sager vanished.

A blur passed straight through them, cutting across the deck and reappearing at the stern.

Fwip—

The sudden wind blew his Cape of Swords into a flurry of ripples.

He turned slowly.

Facing the paralyzed crew, their faces frozen in terror.

"Relax."

His voice was soft.

"I'll question each of you... one by one."

Secret pressure-point strike.

Sager had immobilized every single pirate with a technique from the Hokuto Ryuken—one that paralyzed the body through precise strikes.

This move had a name—Hokuto Kishōken.

Normally, striking the shoulder was enough to trigger numbness.

But at his level—it didn't matter.

Forehead, chest, back, legs—he could hit any point and produce the same result.

Not as flashy as the Hundred Crack Fist, but effective enough. Whether it had a name or not didn't matter much to him.

Their own warship pulled alongside the black-sailed ship. Lili leapt onto the enemy deck, drawing her rapier. Her cold gaze swept across the frozen pirates.

"Should we kill them?"

"Not yet. I still need them to show us the way."

Sager walked up to the nearest pirate, gave a slight smile—and quickly tapped the man's face and chest.

The pirate's face twisted. His body convulsed despite being paralyzed. Sweat poured down as he endured some unspeakable torment.

"Remember that feeling."

Sager tapped him a few more times. The man collapsed to the ground, gasping in ragged breaths, eyes wide with terror.

For a second there—it felt like his body had been twisted from the inside out. Like a hundred blades had shredded him from within.

And he couldn't even scream.

"Good reaction."

Sager nodded.

"Now tell me—where's that hidden tunnel you mentioned?"