Trader In The World Of Pirates!!!

"Then..."

"Where should I find the other three traders?"

Enel squinted slightly as he looked down at Tanjiro, rushing along below him.

At this point, it wasn't hard for Enel to recognize Tanjiro's remarkable talent.

If the rules of this world were different, Tanjiro would have likely become a formidable warrior in just six years.

Of course...

Enel wasn't reflecting on Tanjiro's talent out of admiration.

Instead, he was thinking about finding as many worthy traders as possible, so he could complete his journey in this world quickly.

In his eyes, this world had already earned the label of "unqualified."

Once his internship was complete, he didn't plan to invest much more in it.

Sir Leo had warned him about this beforehand, but back then, Enel was a newly minted dimensional merchant and didn't pay it much heed.

After all, not every world was perfect or suited for the development of dimensional merchants.

Though this world had numerous individuals with power levels over 50, the world as a whole was relatively peaceful. Besides Demons, there weren't many supernatural beings to trade with.

Once the Demon King was defeated, this world's growth potential would be severely limited.

Unless...

A strange gleam flashed in Enel's eyes.

If he could sacrifice over a million points and use that to reshape the world...

Maybe, just maybe, he could create something miraculous.

After all, this was the first alternate world Enel had explored—it felt like a waste to leave it behind so easily.

What if he could stir things up, throw the world into chaos, and introduce Pokémon and other strange powers to the masses?

Given enough time, maybe this world could evolve into one filled with supernatural strength and vitality.

If that happened, those powers and vitality would become his reserve force, just as Sir Leo did in the pirate world.

A thousand thoughts raced through Enel's mind.

But soon, he realized that this was a matter for later.

His current priority was to quickly find more suitable traders and help them grow.

It had already been over a month since he arrived in this world...

Though he wasn't sure how Sir Leo conducted business in the pirate world at first, after more than a month, it seemed unreasonable for Tanjiro to be his only trader.

"Speaking of which, those kids who passed the Demon Slayer Exam with Tanjiro, despite their eccentric personalities, seem to have potential," Enel mused. "If I can recruit all of them as traders, they might not be far behind Tanjiro in terms of growth."

Given Tanjiro's own bloodline and the ancient Sun Breathing technique hidden in his memory, along with the blessings of two-color Haki and bond evolution...

Tanjiro's overall strength now allowed him to contend with enemies around level 30 without being overwhelmed.

However, due to the unique vitality of demons, Tanjiro could only subdue those around level 25 without outright killing them.

If he faced demons above level 25, the situation might end up like yesterday...

Thanks to the mysterious technique, Tanjiro nearly killed the two demons he faced with the sheer power of his "Sun Breathing Technique."

Luckily, he held back just in time, allowing him to earn those two thousand points.

"One month, from level 20 to level 30..."

"Not too bad, I suppose..."

Enel murmured to himself as he watched Tanjiro dash ahead.

---

Days passed.

Following the crow's guidance, Tanjiro soon arrived at a remote village.

According to the crow, something strange was hidden near this village.

Since it wasn't clear whether the presence was demonic, Tanjiro was dispatched to investigate.

However...

What Tanjiro didn't expect was to run into an "old acquaintance" on his way to the forest where the demon was suspected to dwell.

---

"Hey!? Zenitsu, if you don't hurry up, it's going to get dark!"

Even though the sun shone brightly overhead, the forest still exuded a gloomy atmosphere.

Tanjiro slashed through the vines blocking his path, moving forward with a serious expression.

The deeper he ventured into the forest, the darker his mood became.

His keen sense of smell picked up the scent of blood and death spreading from somewhere deep in the woods.

Tanjiro, already familiar with this stench, knew what it meant...

In the past few days while he had been traveling, at least one human had fallen victim to a demon.

Instinctively, he cast a fierce look toward Zenitsu, who was lagging behind with his own nichirin sword.

"!!?"

Zenitsu froze, startled by Tanjiro's grim expression, unsure of what he had done wrong. Already timid, he stammered with a trembling voice:

"I... I know... I'll walk faster!"

"Don't look so scary, Tanjiro," he whimpered, tears welling up in his eyes.

And just like that, the yellow-haired young man started crying.

"???"

Seeing Zenitsu break down, Tanjiro quickly realized he might have been too harsh.

After all, Zenitsu wasn't to blame for the demons' presence.

His expression softened, and he apologized:

"Sorry, Zenitsu."

"But if my senses are right, there's a demon lurking nearby."

"If we don't deal with it before nightfall, we could end up in serious trouble."

After explaining his concerns, Tanjiro turned back toward the forest.

He trusted that Zenitsu, as a fellow Demon Slayer, would understand the urgency of the situation.

However…

What Tanjiro didn't expect was…

Just as he finished speaking, a sharp sound of teeth clenching came from behind him.

Tanjiro turned around, confused.

To his surprise, he saw Zenitsu suddenly squat down, curl into a ball, and start trembling uncontrollably.

"D-d-demon… demon…"

"I'm going to die… I'm going to die… I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die…"

It was as if a switch had been flipped—Zenitsu went into full-on panic mode, mumbling and repeating himself while laughing nervously.

"Zenitsu?" Tanjiro blinked in confusion.

In his mind, anyone who could pass the Demon Slayer Trial should be tougher than this. 

Moreover, Zenitsu passed the exam successfully. By that logic, those who passed should be stronger than him, right?

But...

Smelling the thick scent of fear in the air, Tanjiro quickly realized that Zenitsu was genuinely terrified, to the point where his brain had short-circuited and put him on a loop.

"How… how could someone be like this?"

Using his observation Haki, Tanjiro sensed that Zenitsu's muscles and strength weren't much different from his own.

He was perplexed.

But he couldn't afford to spend too much time with Zenitsu right now—they had to take care of the demon quickly.

Tanjiro cleared his throat, "Ahem…"

"If you're too scared, Zenitsu, you can stay here."

"But it's getting dark soon. Who knows if there are any man-eating demons or other monsters lurking in this forest…"

"So, be careful, Zenitsu."

With that, Tanjiro didn't hesitate any further. Guided by the scent of blood, he walked off toward the source.

Zenitsu was left behind, huddling by a tree, muttering to himself.

"Monsters!? Demons!?"

"…I'm all alone!?"

Suddenly, Zenitsu snapped back to his senses.

Frantically, he scanned his surroundings and saw Tanjiro already some distance ahead.

In the next instant, his body seemed to turn into lightning as he dashed after Tanjiro, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist.

"No! Don't leave me alone!!!"

"I'll die! I'll die! I'm definitely going to die!!!"

"Please, Tanjiro, take me with you! Take me with you!!!"

"..."

"..."

"Can this guy really become a trader?"

High above, Enel, silently observing everything, scratched his ear in embarrassment.

He knew that Zenitsu could become incredibly powerful once he fell asleep, but watching him now… it was hard to believe.

'Sigh...'

"Seems like the path of trading isn't as easy as I thought."

Enel sighed and glanced into the distance.

With his vast range of sight enhanced by Haki, he suddenly spotted something—a young man wearing a boar mask rampaging through a gathering of demons, fighting with reckless abandon.

"Are there no normal geniuses in this world?!"

At first, he thought Tanjiro's extreme gentleness was strange enough.

But reality had just proven him wrong.

"Forget it, let's take this one step at a time."

Muttering to himself, Enel decided to observe a bit more before making a move.

---

Meanwhile, with Zenitsu clinging to him, Tanjiro pressed on and soon arrived at a massive mansion hidden deep in the forest.

"This is it, no doubt."

Tanjiro murmured to himself.

He glanced up at the sky.

Even though he couldn't see Enel's figure, he felt a strange sense of reassurance.

"Alright… let's go!"

With no hesitation in the face of evil, Tanjiro gripped his Nichirin sword and marched toward the mansion.

Seeing this determined display, the already skittish Zenitsu grew even more frightened.

"Uh, Tanjiro…"

It was at that moment that Zenitsu's innate ability kicked in.

He suddenly clutched his ears, a look of terror spreading across his face.

"Something's wrong, Tanjiro! Do you hear that strange drumming sound?"

"Huh?"

Tanjiro paused, confused. He shook his head gently.

Eager to confront the demon, he didn't stop this time and stepped through the mansion's entrance without hesitation.

Unbeknownst to him, Zenitsu possessed a special ability—super hearing.

While it wasn't as finely tuned as Tanjiro's sense of smell, it allowed Zenitsu to hear things most people couldn't, anticipate danger, and…

Run for his life!!!

As the eerie drumming echoed through the mansion, Zenitsu's legs trembled, and he instinctively started to back away.

But as he looked at the dense, ominous forest behind him…

He realized that wandering into that eerie thicket might mean he wouldn't survive to see the sunrise.

"This…"

Zenitsu hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and forcing his legs to move.

"Wait… wait for me, Tanjiro!"

Like Tanjiro, Zenitsu believed that anyone who could survive the terrifying trial on Mount Fujikasane had to be incredibly strong.

By sticking with Tanjiro, maybe he could be protected!

---

The two of them entered the mansion, one after the other.

But before they could even get their bearings…

A sudden outburst of manic laughter echoed from somewhere nearby.

"Bwahahahahahahaha…"

"The boar is charging!!! The boar is charging!!!"

Boom!!!

The screens on either side of Tanjiro and Zenitsu exploded, and a dark figure zoomed past them like a whirlwind, charging into another room.

In that brief moment, the strange figure—wearing a wild boar mask—turned its blue eyes toward them and glared.

"Eh!!!"

The sudden intrusion startled Zenitsu.

Even Tanjiro, who was prepared for battle, had his expression shift when he saw the bizarre creature—a man with the head of a boar.

"What… what was that?"

"I… I don't know either."

The two of them stared at each other, dumbfounded.

At that moment, a blue hand suddenly reached out from the room where the boar-headed boy had just broken in.

"Hiss~!!!"

Zenitsu's eyes widened in shock as he looked at the arm in front of him. His entire body seemed to freeze, turning him into a black-and-white sketch.

"A-a-a demon... It's an evil demon…"

"Huh?"

The demon, which had just crawled out, seemed momentarily confused by the wild boar-masked boy. Hearing Zenitsu's stammered exclamation, it quickly turned its gaze toward him.

In an instant, a sinister smile crept across its four-eyed face.

"Ah, I didn't expect another human to stumble in here!"

"Perfect timing. If I devour you, I'll become even stronger! Hahahaha…"

"I bet your brains will be absolutely delicious!"

As it spoke, the demon jerked its head violently. Suddenly, a massive, writhing tongue shot out from its mouth, darting straight toward Tanjiro.

However…

Tanjiro, having faced numerous trials and grown significantly stronger, remained unfazed by the demon's attack.

Without hesitation, a red and white Poké Ball appeared in his hand, and he calmly said, "Zenitsu, leave this demon to me for now... I'll show you something amazing shortly."

Not sure how to explain the dimensional transaction to Zenitsu, Tanjiro figured it would be easier to demonstrate. He gave a quick heads-up to Zenitsu to stop him from attacking the demon prematurely.

Truth be told…

Tanjiro didn't consider the long-tongued demon much of a threat.

But just then…

'Thud...'

Tanjiro suddenly felt a weight on his back.

Startled, he turned around, only to find Zenitsu had fainted from terror, collapsing into unconsciousness.

"This…"

Seeing the demon's attack racing toward him, Tanjiro had no time to release his pokemon. He quickly grabbed Zenitsu and dodged to the side.

'Crash!!!'

The disgusting, bullet-like tongue struck the spot where Tanjiro had been standing, sending debris flying across the floor.

"What's going on!?" Tanjiro muttered to himself. Supporting Zenitsu's limp body, he quickly summoned Larvesta to distract the demon while he figured out what to do with Zenitsu.

Holding Zenitsu in his arms, Tanjiro couldn't help but wonder how someone with a personality like this managed to pass the trial at Mount Fujikasane.

But just then…

The unconscious Zenitsu suddenly stood up, still in Tanjiro's arms.

"Zenitsu?"

Tanjiro watched, puzzled.

Zenitsu, however, remained sound asleep, his eyes shut tightly, as though he were sleepwalking.

Then, as if possessed, Zenitsu's hands reached for his sword.

'Whoosh...'

A burst of white energy shot from Zenitsu's nose like a sharp blade.

In the next moment…

Still asleep, Zenitsu murmured softly, "Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"

'Bam!'

Under the terrified gaze of the demon, a lightning-fast bolt of energy shot up, striking the demon square in the neck.

"Not good!!!"

Tanjiro gasped.

In a flash, he appeared beside Zenitsu, pushing himself to the limit with the "Shave" technique.

'Clang!!!'

Just as Zenitsu's Nichirin Sword sliced three-quarters of the way through the demon's neck…

A black Nichirin Sword stopped the blade in its tracks!

"Phew~"

"That was close!"

"I almost let you finish it."

Tanjiro exhaled deeply, stopping Zenitsu's strike with his arm.

With even greater force, he slowly eased Zenitsu's sword out of the demon's neck.

'Hisss…'

As a line of blood sprayed, the demon's wound slowly began to heal.

However…

At this point, the demon was utterly bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

Its four eyes blinked in confusion.

It looked left, then right.

On one side, a Demon Slayer capable of killing it instantly…

On the other side…

A Demon Slayer even stronger than the first, who had just saved it from the other Demon Slayer…

So…

Am I the one who's out of touch with the times?

What is going on in this world???