Chapter 4 — Walking Through Gunfire
Bang!Bang!
Bullets struck Shinji Ikari one after another.
Strangely, the pain was far less than before. The Devil Fruit inside his body had already absorbed the previous damage and transformed it into energy, allowing him to adapt to attacks of this level.
Pasted text
Shinji could clearly feel it.
His body had grown stronger.
After a one-sided exchange of gunfire, the smoke slowly cleared.
The boy still stood there.
Unharmed.
Stubbornly staring straight ahead.
Every bullet that hit him had its damage converted into energy by the fruit's power, strengthening his speed and strength.
But Shinji's mind wasn't on the battle.
He kept remembering the two gray-haired villagers lying dead inside the house.
If that was the case…
Every building in this village might be filled with corpses.
Maybe there had been newly married couples here.
Babies who had just learned their first words.
Teenagers dreaming about tomorrow.
Young girls with bright futures.
Their lives—
To these mad pirates—
Were nothing more than tools.
Wallets to be emptied.
Thinking of that…
Shinji, now several times stronger than before, stepped forward.
He began experimenting.
With every step he took, he activated Iron Body at the exact moment his foot touched the ground.
Bang!
More bullets hit him.
And suddenly Shinji felt it.
The real enemy was ahead.
Inside that building that looked like a granary.
These beasts who could ambush and slaughter helpless villagers were hiding there, laughing in the shadows.
Bang!
As Shinji moved closer, his mastery of Iron Body improved with every step.
"Fire!"
A roar echoed from the granary.
The pirates panicked.
Gunfire erupted wildly.
This round of attacks was far more intense than before.
But Shinji moved faster and faster.
He knew the enemy might try to escape.
He had to keep advancing—activating Iron Body at each step, freezing briefly, then moving again.
He had to find their leader.
Boom!
Through the smoke, Shinji finally reached the granary door.
He hadn't given the enemy a final chance.
He had made it.
"Shinji!"
Koby shouted in shock.
He couldn't believe Shinji had walked forward through a storm of bullets.
Even more unbelievable—
He barely seemed injured.
Was Iron Body really that powerful?
Well… almost.
From the perspective of the Marines and the pirates watching from above—
There was a gunshot wound on Shinji's back.
Dark blood slowly flowed from it.
The boy smiled faintly.
He only showed them his back as he gave Koby and the others a thumbs-up.
"Damn… does that guy even feel pain?" Helmeppo gasped.
"What did he see in there?" Koby murmured.
He had a feeling it was connected to Shinji's brief disappearance earlier.
"Hahahaha!"
"I'm dying laughing! Boss, that kid is injured!"
"Still pretending he's fine for his friends? That shot is enough to kill him!"
The pirates burst into laughter.
From their point of view, Shinji was finished.
The bullet had hit near his spine.
Even if he survived, the pain alone should paralyze him for life.
The wooden door creaked open.
A large bearded pirate stepped out.
One of his eyes was missing.
One arm had been replaced with a cruel iron hook.
He held a pistol in both hands, aiming directly at Shinji's head.
"So that's Iron Body…"
"Looks like one of the legendary Six Powers of the Marines. Only elite soldiers can learn it."
"I didn't expect to see it here."
He grinned with yellow teeth.
"But you're clearly not that skilled. That bullet should've taken away your ability to fight."
Shinji wanted nothing more than to slap the grin off that man's face.
But the pirate wasn't wrong.
A bullet near the spine could cripple a normal person instantly.
The intense pain, combined with the damage to his body, made it difficult for Shinji to stay standing.
When he finally collapsed, he deliberately leaned against the wall instead of falling flat.
Sweat poured down his body.
The fruit inside him was converting the injury into energy.
Its vitality was endless.
But the unbearable pain made it impossible for him to maintain Iron Body continuously.
He breathed heavily.
Cold sweat rolled down his cheeks.
His Marine uniform was completely soaked.
Am I going to die?
For a moment, Shinji thought so.
But then—
Out of the corner of his eye—
He saw inside the granary.
Piles of gold.
And piles of corpses.
Not a single living person.
No…
He didn't know what the villagers had suffered before they died.
But their bodies lay motionless in pools of blood.
This place should have been peaceful.
A small paradise.
If it weren't for these damned pirates.
"AAAAAAAH!"
Shinji roared hoarsely.
Why had his first real battle in this world turned into something so cruel?
Now he understood.
That strange expression Garp had earlier.
With Observation Haki, the Vice Admiral had probably sensed the entire island long ago.
Before they even arrived—
There had already been no survivors.
Shinji clenched his fists and slammed them against the wall.
Again and again.
The pirate captain, however, had no intention of killing him.
Instead, he pressed the gun against Shinji's forehead.
Grinning widely.
"Feeling hopeless?"
"I'm Captain Bloodhook, with a bounty of eight million Berries!"
"Wherever I go, nothing survives!"
"Hahaha! I love seeing that desperate look on the faces of Marines. You think you're heroes who can save everyone?"
"Impossible!"
"This is the East Blue. You can't even leave Loguetown! That demon Marine Smoker is there—and sometimes even Vice Admiral Garp shows up!"
"If you don't grab wealth quickly, you'll never become famous. You'll never become Pirate King!"
He grabbed Shinji roughly, holding him hostage with the gun near his temple.
Clearly pleased with his own cleverness.
"That Vice Admiral's ship is too obvious. I spotted it early. If I didn't take a hostage, there'd be no way out."
"You're amazing, boss!"
"Hahaha! These idiots!"
"We've won again!"
The pirates believed victory was certain.
They had gold.
And a hostage.
Escape should be easy.
Then—
Clink.
Captain Bloodhook glanced down.
A bullet rolled across the ground near his feet.
His eyes widened.
The boy in his grasp now had a terrifying look in his eyes.
"Impossible…"
The pirate seemed to realize something.
The bullet had been pushed out.
Which meant—
The wound was healing.
What kind of monstrous recovery was this?
"Nothing is impossible," Shinji said coldly.
"Go to hell!"
Bang!
The pirate fired immediately, aiming for the temple—one of the most vulnerable points on the human body.
This time, Shinji didn't show any fear.
"Iron Body!"
The gunshot echoed.
Shinji's fist moved.
Each bullet that struck him had only made him stronger.
The fruit inside him transformed every injury into energy.
By now, his physical ability was nearly ten times stronger than when the battle began.
At the start, Iron Body had required him to stand still.
Later, he learned to activate it with each step.
Now—
With all his strength gathered—
His punch struck like solid steel.
"Black Tiger…!"
His fist drove forward.
"Impossible—"
The pirate couldn't even finish speaking.
Shinji's hand pierced straight through his chest.
He pulled his blood-covered fist back out.
Then stepped over the corpse without another glance.
Gunshots rang out again.
Shinji walked forward calmly toward the granary.
Five pirates were still hiding there, firing desperately.
But this time—
With every step he took—
The bullets could no longer harm him.