One Piece: Starting with Creating the Strongest Character Design

Deep in the harbor, a dark and damp warehouse has been converted into a temporary prison.

Five hundred soldiers from the Kingdom of Kalandi were imprisoned here. Most of them were huddled on the cold ground, and many of them still had bruises from being beaten by pirates.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by the shouts and heavy footsteps of pirates outside the warehouse.

The soldiers instantly tensed up, raising their heads and staring intently at the heavy wooden door, their eyes filled with vigilance.

"Squeak."

A screeching sound rang out as the wooden door was roughly pushed open.

Several pirates, armed with pistols and grinning menacingly, entered. Behind them, they escorted a tall, handsome young man—Lucci.

"Hurry up! Don't dawdle!"

One of the pirates impatiently poked Lucci in the back with the butt of his pistol, saying arrogantly, "You better behave yourself, or you'll regret it!"

Lucci remained expressionless, his steps unwavering as the pirates shoved him forward. He exuded a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay, as if everything before him was irrelevant to him.

"You'll stay with this bunch of useless trash too!"

The pirate leader sneered and shoved Lucci in front of the soldiers, his tone full of mockery.

"Stay with them and let them become our bargaining chip in negotiations with the World Government!"

The soldiers looked at the boy being brought in by the pirates, their faces instantly filled with surprise, and whispers rose and fell among them.

"Who is this boy?"

A young soldier lowered his voice and asked with a puzzled look in his eyes.

"Who knows? Was he captured too? But he doesn't seem scared at all..."

Another soldier frowned, his eyes fixed on Lucci, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

The pirates holding Lucci captive couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing their discussion.

One of the pirates slapped his thigh and said smugly, "You guessed right, he really is a prisoner."

"However, he is an envoy sent by the World Government!"

"What? An envoy from the World Government?"

These words instantly caused an uproar among the soldiers. Everyone looked at Lucci with shock, their doubts turning into disbelief.

"Haha, isn't that surprising?"

Another pirate glanced mockingly at the shocked soldiers, his tone growing increasingly arrogant.

"He seemed to have come to rescue you! Too bad, he still got captured by us."

"That's great! The World Government's envoy is in our hands, so they'll have to obey us. Our captain's throne is ours for the taking!"

The two pirates exchanged a glance, then burst into another round of wild laughter, their smugness and arrogance undisguised.

"You should all get along well. Perhaps when our captain ascends the throne, he might spare your lives!"

The leader of the pirates uttered a sarcastic remark, then led the others, laughing as they turned and left the prison.

"Bang!"

The wooden door slammed shut, plunging the cell back into darkness, with only a faint sliver of moonlight filtering through the window to barely illuminate the room.

After a brief silence, an older soldier, who looked like the captain, laboriously moved to Lucci's side, his voice full of concern as he cautiously asked, "Young man, are you alright? Did they do anything to you?"

Another soldier sighed, his voice filled with disappointment and worry: "Why did the World Government only send a child? They're really showing no regard for our kingdom and these five hundred lives..."

"Yes, how is the kingdom now? Is His Majesty the King alright? Have the pirates attacked the kingdom yet?"

The soldiers spoke one after another, their voices filled with anxiety, worry, and disappointment.

But Lucci seemed not to have heard their words at all, still standing there expressionless, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone in the cell, his eyes cold and indifferent.

After a moment, he spoke slowly, his voice low and cold, breaking the noise in the cell: "Are all the hostages here?"

The soldiers were taken aback, thinking he was concerned about their safety, and their anxiety eased slightly.

The captain who had just asked the question nodded quickly, his tone tinged with gratitude: "Yes, young man, all five hundred of us are here, not one missing."

Ignoring the gratitude in his words, Lucci slowly raised his head and, using the faint moonlight, roughly scanned the soldiers in front of him, quickly counting their numbers.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he calculated how long it would take to eliminate these five hundred hostages cleanly and efficiently, without wasting a single moment.

After finishing the inventory, he slowly withdrew his gaze, his tone remaining calm and even, without the slightest emotional fluctuation: "Yes, I understand."

"Storm Kick..."

Lu Qi's voice was cold and emotionless. He slowly raised his right leg, and a pale blue slash wave gathered at his toes, about to roar out.

The soldiers froze on the spot, their gratitude and anticipation instantly replaced by fear.

At this critical moment, a gentle yet irresistible voice suddenly came from behind.

Kitahara Tsune appeared silently behind Lucci without making a sound, as if he had always been standing there.

He still had a kind smile on his face, and reached out to gently press Lucci's shoulder.

The force wasn't strong, but it completely suppressed Lu Qi, and the slashing wave that had gathered at his toes instantly dissipated.

"!"

The soldiers in the prison trembled at the sudden appearance of the figure, instinctively shrinking back and staring intently at Kitahara Tsune.

Like Lucci, this boy exuded a strange sense of oppression. However, unlike Lucci, he radiated a friendly aura that made their tense nerves relax and their fear dissipate.

Kitahara Tsune slowly turned around, his smile still gentle, his eyes full of kindness, and gently waved to the panicked soldiers:

"Don't be afraid, everyone. I'm here to rescue you. Your king is well, and the kingdom is safe. Wait a moment, and I'll take you out."

After calming the soldiers down, Kitahara Tsuneo slowly turned his head and his gaze fell on Lucci.

His smile remained gentle, but a barely perceptible hint of hostility flickered deep in his eyes. His tone deepened as he softly asked, "Lu Qi, what were you trying to do just now?"

Lu Qi's body stiffened slightly, and his shoulders instinctively tried to break free from Kitahara Tsune's hand, his eyes filled with hostility.

He opened his mouth, wanting to refute.

He was simply carrying out his own "dark justice," purging these incompetent and weak people.

But when he met Kitahara Tsune's seemingly gentle but actually powerfully oppressive eyes, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

After a moment of silence, Lu Qi slowly lowered his head, his tone indifferent: "It's nothing."

"hehe."

Kitahara Tsune chuckled softly, releasing his hand from Lucci's shoulder. "Lucci, the dark justice you believe in is too superficial."

Lu Qi suddenly raised his head, his gaze fixed on Kitahara Tsuneo.