Trader In The World Of Pirates!!!

"Hiss~"

Zenitsu exhaled, releasing four short bursts of white air. But almost immediately, his energy seemed to drain, and his aura weakened dramatically.

A few seconds later…

His tightly closed eyes fluttered open, revealing a pair of wide, confused eyes.

"T-Tanjiro…?"

Zenitsu looked around in bewilderment, but then suddenly, a heavy breathing sound reached his ears.

A shudder ran through him, and he slowly turned his head.

To his horror, he saw a demon with its tongue dragging on the ground, blood pouring from its neck, and its four eyes staring right at him.

"Ahh! A DEMON!!!"

Zenitsu shrieked, leaping up and clinging to Tanjiro in terror. His entire body shook, his hair standing on end, and his face drained of all color.

"You…"

Tanjiro, momentarily stunned by Zenitsu's sudden outburst, was left speechless.

But even amidst the confusion, Tanjiro didn't lose focus on the task at hand. With a firm voice, he gave a commanding order to the Larvesta.

"Larvesta, use Spinning Silk!"

"Chirp!"

Without hesitation, Larvesta responded to the command. It was just as curious about why the yellow-haired boy had suddenly latched onto its trainer, but it knew that demons meant points—and points meant power. A glint of determination flashed in its eyes as a thick wave of silk surged forward, wrapping tightly around the disoriented long-tongued demon.

The poor demon, still reeling from its near-decapitation, found itself trapped again in a cocoon of unyielding silk, leaving not even a hole to breathe through.

Of course, demons are immortal, so temporary suffocation wasn't a big deal for it. 

"Ahh!" 

The sight of Larvesta in action sent Zenitsu into another fit of terror. He quickly jumped off Tanjiro and scrambled backward, retreating until he hit the wall. Trembling, he pointed a shaking finger at the insect.

"T-That… that thing…"

"What is that?!"

"Zenitsu! How can you speak like that?!"

With the demon now completely restrained, Tanjiro pretended to be annoyed, gently stroking the head of Larvesta before smiling warmly.

"This is Larvesta, my most trusted partner!"

Tanjiro and Larvesta had formed a deep bond through their evolution, so his words were no exaggeration. However…

Even crows scared Zenitsu, so a few reassuring words weren't going to calm him down. Despite watching Tanjiro's affectionate interaction with Larvesta, Zenitsu still couldn't muster the courage to step forward.

It was then that Tanjiro began to realize…

This fellow Demon Slayer was undoubtedly powerful, yet unexpectedly timid.

"What a strange guy," Tanjiro muttered to himself.

Seeing that Zenitsu was still too terrified to approach, Tanjiro decided to call back Larvesta. Zenitsu stood frozen for a moment, his gaze fixed on the pokeball.

Then, with a quick motion, Tanjiro grabbed the demon, still wrapped tightly in its silk cocoon, and placed it on the wooden box where Nezuko rested.

The sight of this made Zenitsu panic all over again.

"Tanjiro… why are you carrying that demon on your back?!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Tanjiro lightly patted the cocooned demon. With a dull thud, its head drooped unconscious, and it ceased struggling altogether.

Tanjiro smiled mysteriously.

"Just wait, you'll understand soon enough."

"…"

Zenitsu fell silent, a strange unease creeping over him. For some reason, in that moment, Tanjiro seemed more frightening than the demon he carried.

Finally…

After much coaxing and cajoling, Zenitsu hesitantly followed Tanjiro deeper into the mansion. But this time, he kept a strict three-meter distance between them, unwilling to get any closer to the demon.

Tanjiro, eager to capture more demons, didn't mind at all.

Now… all he wanted was to capture every last demon in this mansion!!!

Then, take them to Sir Enel and exchange them for a wealth of points!

Tanjiro had a feeling…

This time, he might just catch a big fish!

…

Two hours later…

'Boom! Boom!'

A thunderous noise suddenly erupted from within the massive mansion, reverberating like a storm.

Dust and smoke filled the air, obscuring everything in a thick haze.

Through the swirling smoke, a wild, booming laugh echoed:

"Bwahahahahahaha!"

"You're strong, demon protector!"

"But now…"

"If I defeat you, I'll become even stronger! Bwahahahaha…"

"Come on! Become my stepping stone!"

A gust of air, like a hurricane, rushed through the room.

A boy wearing a boar mask, wielding two serrated blades, charged toward Tanjiro with blinding speed, leaving an afterimage in his wake.

Tanjiro wore a helpless expression. His sword suddenly gleamed with a metallic luster as he raised it to block the oncoming attack.

"How many times do I have to tell you…" 

Tanjiro said, exasperated.

"I'm a Demon Slayer, just like you. I'm here to kill demons!"

"As for the details, I'll explain later…"

"How many times do I have to repeat myself before you understand?!"

Even a saint has their limits!

After nearly an hour of relentless attacks from the boar-masked boy, Tanjiro's patience was wearing thin.

Finally, his expression hardened.

"Gaaaaahhhh!!!"

He didn't know how to argue, so he let his frustration out with a battle cry.

In an instant, Larvesta entered its bond evolution state, and Tanjiro's body erupted in flames.

The intense heat filled the entire room.

"Vulcan's…"

A stream of scorching air escaped from Tanjiro's nose and the corners of his mouth.

"Blazing Blossom!!!"

'Boom!!!'

An enormous fireball, swirling like a vortex, shot from Tanjiro's hands, extending to the tip of his sword, where it condensed into a massive, fiery sphere.

Tanjiro twisted his waist, gripping his long sword tightly with both hands, and thrust it diagonally upwards.

As a Demon Slayer, Tanjiro had no intention of harming the boar-headed boy just because of this conflict.

However...

This time, he had to unleash his true strength to get the wild boar boy to calm down and stop taking things so lightly.

'Boom!'

Flames erupted into swirling whirlpools, surging towards the charging boar-headed boy.

"What!?" 

The violent blaze reflected in the boy's eyes, halting him mid-charge. His body tensed like a startled beast, instinctively recoiling from the fire.

In the next moment, the wave of flames descended from above, tearing through the ceiling and flooding into the room beyond. 

The sheer power of Tanjiro's magnificent strike shocked not only the boar-headed boy but also Zenitsu, who was clutching Nezuko's wooden box, trembling in the corner.

Beside Zenitsu lay two tightly cocooned forms, one large and one small, wrapped in Larvesta's silk.

The air seemed to freeze in the aftermath of the attack.

Only the faint crackling of burning wood filled the tense silence.

'Hiss~'

With a deep breath, Tanjiro released his bond evolution state. He slowly sheathed his Nichirin sword, his expression softening. It was as if the fiery anger from moments before had evaporated entirely. He turned to the wild boar boy, who was still frozen in shock.

"Now…" Tanjiro said calmly. "Can we talk properly?"

Tanjiro had to admit...

The strength of the boar-headed boy was impressive—enough to force him into using bond evolution. He didn't want to resort to such measures, but this guy wouldn't listen to reason otherwise, and Tanjiro had already spent over an hour trying.

What was even more astonishing was that the boar-headed boy's strength had visibly increased during their fight, seemingly thriving under the pressure of Tanjiro's relentless attacks.

There was no other choice. Tanjiro had to use his Pokémon plug-in to elevate his power to the next level, only then was he able to overwhelm the boar-headed boy.

Still, Tanjiro knew this peace wouldn't last long. With his aggressive nature, the boy would likely return to his wild ways soon.

Tanjiro had to use this window of opportunity to explain everything before the situation escalated again.

Taking a deep breath, he quickly spoke to the boar-headed boy:

"Just like you, I'm a member of the Demon Slayer Corps. We're both here to slay demons!" 

"The Nichirin Sword I carry is proof of that."

"The reason I blocked your attack wasn't to stop you from killing demons…"

"It's because I have a way to transform living demons into a kind of power that helps us grow stronger!"

"The fire ability you just saw—that's the result of this method!"

"This power allows humans to harness abilities like those of demons, without any negative side effects!"

"If you don't believe me, once we capture all the demons in this house, I'll show you myself!"

Tanjiro paused, his sword still in hand, ready for anything. He had decided—if the boy kept attacking unreasonably, Tanjiro would have no choice but to knock him out, even if it meant getting hurt.

Besides, it was getting dark.

Tanjiro had a gut feeling that the demons in this forest weren't confined to just this mansion. He needed to wrap things up here and start hunting in the forest before time ran out.

After all... time was precious!

"You're saying… you can turn demons into power similar to demon abilities?" the boar-headed boy asked, his tone no longer as aggressive.

It seemed he was both frightened by Tanjiro's flames and intrigued by his words.

Seeing the shift, a smile spread across Tanjiro's face. He nodded firmly.

"That's right! Once we capture all the demons in this house, I'll show you."

"And if you want, you can gain this power too!"

"Sil Enel doesn't turn away new recruits, but he's always looking for the right candidates…"

Tanjiro had known this for some time.

Whether it was Zenitsu's incredible strength in his unconscious state or the wild resilience of the boar-headed boy, Tanjiro realized—without the power of his Pokémon plug-in, it was unclear whether he could have beaten either of them.

Zenitsu could explode with speed, matching Tanjiro at his fullest strength…

The boar-headed boy could endure nearly an hour of combat, rebounding from every strike with relentless fighting spirit…

These two were likely to become even more powerful traders than Tanjiro himself.

With their strength, the Demon Slayer Corps would gain new forces capable of taking down demons, preventing further suffering in the world.

Tanjiro's kind heart didn't care about who was stronger. He only cared about whether people could become strong enough to defeat demons.

He was willing to block a demon-slaying blade for the sake of getting stronger, and he wouldn't hesitate to share the power of demons to help others grow as well.

Having made up his mind, Tanjiro pointed to the two cocooned demons lying beside Zenitsu.

"If Sir Enel agrees, those two demons will be your key to entering a new world."

Tanjiro's voice brimmed with confidence. His expression was sincere, and his words carried conviction.

"That's it…"

The boar-headed boy, sensing Tanjiro's resolve, finally relaxed. Slowly, he removed his boar mask, revealing a face more beautiful than any woman's, framed by the flames that had slightly singed his hood.

Wiping the sweat from his face, Inosuke declared, "My name is Hashibara Inosuke!"

"If you're saying there's something that can make me stronger, then I'll believe you for now!"

"That's perfect!" Tanjiro exhaled in relief upon hearing this.

He had been worried Inosuke would remain stubborn and continue to fight.

In reality, although Inosuke was wild, he wasn't just a mindless brute. He had already recognized Tanjiro as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.

The reason he had kept fighting for so long wasn't due to blind aggression—it was because he had seen an impressive fighting skill in Tanjiro. 

The frustrating part for Inosuke was that, despite having complete control over his body, he couldn't replicate the techniques Tanjiro was displaying, no matter how hard he tried.

That was the main reason he continued to challenge Tanjiro!

But after hearing what Tanjiro said about gaining power through demons, Inosuke started to believe...

Maybe these techniques were indeed connected to those demons.

If that were true, it would be worth waiting just a bit longer.

After all, the person in front of him clearly had the power to kill him if he wanted to...

The memory of that blazing fire passing inches above his head still sent chills down Inosuke's spine.

If those flames had been directed at him, he wouldn't have escaped unscathed—even if he didn't die, he would've been badly burned.

Even wild beasts from the forest understand the concept of survival.

…

After some brief but direct communication, Tanjiro managed to calm Inosuke down, and also comfort Zenitsu, who had been trembling in the corner, clutching Nezuko's box. With some reassurance, Zenitsu rose to his feet and prepared to follow them.

However...

Just as the three of them were about to set off in search of more demons hidden within the mansion, a hoarse yet eerily gentle voice echoed from the large hole burned into the wall by the flames:

"Wretched demon slayers! How dare you cause chaos in 'my' house!!!"

"And now you even want to set it ablaze?!"

"Today..."

"I will never forgive you!!!"

"I will 'never' forgive you!!!"