Trader In The World Of Pirates!!!

Seven days later.

"Is this the place?" 

Enel, now accustomed to modern urban life, stood outside the entrance of a hospital. He was dressed in a light blue sports sweater and a white baseball cap, blending in effortlessly with the crowd. 

Over the past week, through simple intelligence gathering, he had gained a general understanding of the framework of this new world. 

From a broad perspective, it appeared very similar to the low-tech plane Sir Leo had once mentioned. 

But there was one distinct difference... 

In this world, there existed creatures known as ghouls—beings that preyed on humans. 

Ghouls bore the same appearance as humans. Without specialized detection instruments, it was nearly impossible to distinguish them from the human population. 

However, one key trait set them apart: 

Ghouls couldn't consume normal human food. 

To them, ordinary food was akin to poison. Eating it would cause severe nausea and physical harm, potentially even resulting in death. 

Enel had learned this information from the news displayed on a TV screen in a mall. It was a basic, surface-level understanding, but it was all he could gather for the time being. 

"So, it's a world where monsters that eat people roam freely," he thought to himself. 

He chuckled dryly before sighing. 

"This kind of theme again... I can't tell if it's just my luck or the nature of the world itself." 

As he spoke, Enel's observation haki flared slightly. 

After a week of recovery, his strength had returned to a solid level 20. 

Though not extraordinarily powerful, it was more than enough to deal with the cannibalistic woman from the other night, should she reappear. 

He would make her experience 'true cruelty'. 

Unfortunately for him, she had already met her end. 

The cannibal's organs had been transplanted into the boy she had attacked, Kaneki. 

Enel had learned this from a news report on free TV a few days earlier. The incident had stirred up a storm of public opinion that lingered even now. 

But those events were of little consequence to Enel, a dimensional merchant. 

Today, his purpose for visiting the hospital was twofold. 

First, he wanted to see the young man who had narrowly escaped death alongside him. 

Second, he wished to confirm something. 

Though it had been brief, Enel had sensed in Kaneki the same essence he had once perceived in Tanjiro: a profound and 'ultimate tenderness'. 

With his formidable observation haki, Enel's observation blanketed the entire hospital. 

In no time, he located Kaneki, unconscious in his ward. 

A faint smirk formed on Enel's lips. 

"As I thought, my instincts were right." 

As a dimensional merchant, Enel possessed a vision that transcended the limits of individual worlds. He understood that those who exuded such an extraordinary aura were often destined for exceptional fates. 

Combined with the boy's harrowing escape and the transplant of ghoul organs, it was clear that this boy stood on the cusp of a transformative journey. 

This realization sparked Enel's interest. He decided to monitor the young man's growth and unfolding story. 

For now, Enel remained cautious. Unfamiliar with the strength hierarchies of this world, he avoided reckless actions or premature transactions. 

After locating Kaneki, he didn't approach him directly. 

Instead, he concealed himself and continued to observe the boy silently, his observation haki keeping a vigilant watch over him.

  ...

  ...

Just like that... 

Three days passed. 

During this time, Enel remained near the hospital. While gathering as much information about this world as he could, he kept a close watch on Kaneki's condition. 

Although his strength was still far from fully restored, Enel's powerful observational abilities allowed him to "see" with clarity. 

He could see that Kaneki's body was changing—growing stronger with each passing day. 

By now, all the injuries on Kaneki's body had healed completely. Within him, a pulsating, scarlet organ had begun to take form. 

"Interesting. Is this another case of turning a human into a man-eating demon?" 

A gleam of intrigue flashed in Enel's eyes. 

Having witnessed Nezuko's transformation before, Enel was curious to see how Kaneki, now altered into a human-turned-carnivorous monster, would confront the life that awaited him. 

Over the next few days, Kaneki's physical condition continued to improve. In fact, his body had progressed beyond mere recovery—it had surpassed the boundaries of normal "health." 

Under Enel's watchful gaze, Kaneki grew stronger, evolving from an ordinary human to someone whose power now approached level 10. 

Of course... 

Kaneki himself remained unaware of these changes. 

Haunted by the traumatic events he had endured, his mental state had deteriorated. His spirit seemed drained, leaving him in a constant state of depression. 

Even the daily visits from his best friend, Hideyoshi Nagachika, couldn't lift his mood. 

At each meal, Kaneki barely ate. 

Through his observations, Enel began to suspect that something was amiss with the hospital itself. 

While he couldn't uncover the full truth, one thing was clear: 

Kaneki's attending doctor was fully aware of the changes in his body. 

Whenever Kaneki expressed doubts about himself, the doctor would offer vague reassurances, urging him not to overthink. 

This continued until the day Kaneki was discharged from the hospital. 

It marked the fifteenth day since Enel's arrival in this world. 

---

Kaneki stumbled back to the apartment he lived in alone. 

His father had passed away when he was very young, and a few years ago, his mother had followed. 

For years, he had lived by himself. 

If not for his close friend, Hideyoshi Nagachika, who stayed by his side, encouraging him and studying with him, Kaneki doubted he would have worked so hard to get into the university they had both dreamed of attending. 

Originally... 

Kaneki had thought that Rize would be his new reason to live—a source of hope and motivation for the future. 

But he never imagined things would end up like this. 

What troubled him even more was the growing sense of unease about his body. 

Despite his doctor's reassurances that it was all psychological, Kaneki couldn't shake the feeling that something unimaginable was happening to him. 

When he arrived home, Kaneki noticed a bag of food hanging on the door handle. 

It was left by his best friend, Hideyoshi. 

The bag was filled with all his favorite items. 

Under normal circumstances, Kaneki might have laughed and thought, '"I guess it'll only end when one of us gets married..."' 

But now, he didn't have the energy to joke. 

He simply picked up the bag, entered his apartment, and shut the door without even turning on the light. 

After a moment, he sent a quiet "thank you" text to his friend. Then, without eating, he collapsed onto his bed and lay still, as if asleep. 

Time passed. 

The room remained eerily quiet. 

Eventually, Kaneki reached for the remote and turned on the TV. 

He sat by the window, not paying attention to the visuals but listening to the human voices coming from the screen. The noise offered him some comfort. 

However... 

A talk show began to air, catching his attention. 

The guest speaker was a scholar who specialized in studying ghouls, and he was explaining some of their traits: 

"Ghouls don't need to eat large amounts of food in a short period to survive." 

"Consuming a single corpse can sustain them for one to two months." 

"Unlike humans, ghouls can't derive satisfaction from normal food. They can only obtain nutrients by consuming humans." 

"Their tongue structure is entirely different from ours. They're incapable of tasting the flavors of regular food and find it unbearably difficult to swallow." 

As the scholar's voice continued from the TV, Kaneki's expression shifted. 

His eyes widened, filled first with doubt, then with realization, and finally with sheer madness. 

In an instant, the psychological conditioning painstakingly instilled by the attending doctor over half a month shattered like a fragile mirror.

"Impossible! Impossible!!!" 

Tears streamed down Kaneki's face. 

He stood abruptly, opening the meal brought by Hideyoshi. Without a word, he picked up a burger and took a massive bite. 

But the moment he tasted it, his body recoiled violently. 

The burger he once loved more than anything now tasted utterly vile—like consuming filth. His throat clenched, rejecting it instinctively. 

Kaneki ran to the bathroom, vomiting everything he had eaten. 

Madness consumed him. Refusing to accept this reality, he returned to the food, swallowing human fare only to retch once more. 

For nearly half an hour, this cycle repeated—eating, vomiting, eating again—until his strength gave out. 

Collapsing on the floor, weak and drained, Kaneki's blank eyes stared ahead. He clawed at his head, desperate to escape the torment. 

Finally, his trembling hands reached for the lone piece of hamburger steak left untouched. 

"This...this is the food Hideyoshi prepared for me…" he murmured. 

Resolute, he cut off a small piece and forced it into his mouth. 

The wave of nausea returned instantly, but this time, Kaneki clamped his hand over his mouth. He forced himself to swallow, despite the unbearable sensation. 

Tears of despair streamed down his face, slipping between his fingers as the weight of his fate consumed him. 

At that moment, the bloody darkness within him took root and spread. 

Meanwhile… 

On the rooftop across from Kaneki's apartment, Enel sat cross-legged, observing with a faint smile. 

"So…" 

"This world is just as twisted as I expected," he murmured with a sigh, making no move to intervene. 

It wasn't until Kaneki swallowed the food without vomiting that a hint of approval flickered in Enel's eyes. 

"Interesting. He's overcome his initial despair." 

But… 

"That's not enough." 

Enel remained patient, watching closely. He wanted to see if this young man, Kaneki, could radiate the same humanity and resolve as someone like Tanjiro. 

Although he doubted it, time was on his side. He needed to recover his strength, which wouldn't happen overnight. 

…

Inside the apartment, Kaneki, physically and emotionally spent, dressed himself neatly. 

With no sense of purpose left, he stepped outside, hoping to clear his mind. 

However… 

This walk would offer no solace. 

On the bustling streets, surrounded by throngs of people, Kaneki's expression grew increasingly tormented. 

The aroma of human flesh drifted into his nose, tantalizing him and luring him toward a line he swore never to cross. 

His mind clouded, and his left eye began to glow a distinct scarlet hue. 

"Are you alright, nii-chan?"

But just as he was on the brink, a child's voice pierced the haze, snapping him back to reality. 

Startled, Kaneki froze. A cold sweat broke out as he realized the horrifying thoughts that had crept into his mind. A chill ran down his spine, leaving him trembling. 

Desperate to stay grounded, he bit his finger hard, using the sharp pain to anchor himself. 

He fled home, running frantically. Without even removing his shoes, he raced to the bathroom and stood before the mirror. 

There it was: his left eye glowing with the unmistakable radiance of a ghoul. 

For a moment, he thought he saw a figure reflected behind him. 

It was Rize. 

She appeared suddenly, wrapping her arms around him and whispering with a chilling smile. 

At that moment, fragments of lost memories flooded Kaneki's mind. 

The truth hit him like a thunderbolt: 

His body had been implanted with ghoul organs. 

And now… 

He was no longer human. 

That day, Kaneki had no idea how he survived. 

Only the tears soaking his clothes bore witness to the endless pain pouring out of him. 

  ...

  ...

Time crawled by painfully slowly. 

Night descended. 

Driven by the torment of insatiable hunger, Kaneki, now fully aware of his predicament, stepped out of his home. 

He knew all too well what might happen if he ventured out tonight. 

But at this moment… 

It was no longer his mind that commanded him, but the primal instincts of his body. 

Kaneki stumbled through the streets like a lifeless shell, eventually finding himself in a quiet, desolate alley. 

Suddenly— 

A tantalizing aroma hit him. 

The scent was so mesmerizing it blurred reality, conjuring memories of his mother's warm home-cooked meals after school. A fleeting moment of happiness washed over him. 

Without thinking, Kaneki followed the aroma, his pace quickening as if drawn by an invisible thread. 

Until— 

He reached the depths of the alley. 

There, he saw a long-haired man crouched over a middle-aged corpse, feasting on its flesh. 

"Ugh..." 

The grotesque sight overwhelmed Kaneki's human consciousness, triggering an intense stress reaction. 

In that instant, the horrifying truth dawned upon him. 

The alluring scent that had lured him… 

It came from a human corpse! 

Tears welled up and spilled from Kaneki's eyes as despair engulfed him. 

With a thud, he collapsed to his knees. 

The noise caught the attention of the feeding ghoul. 

But instead of alarm, the long-haired ghoul offered Kaneki a kind smile. 

"Are you a ghoul too?" 

The ghoul's tone was almost casual. 

"I'm sorry, I haven't eaten in ages. Here, you can have some," he said, tearing the arm off the lifeless body and offering it to Kaneki. 

But just as the ghoul extended the limb— 

Chaos erupted! 

"Hey, hey, hey~ It's rude to enter someone else's private dining room uninvited." 

A playful voice rang out, followed by an explosive impact. 

Out of nowhere, a foot slammed into the back of the long-haired ghoul's head, unleashing a terrifying force. 

'BANG!' 

The ghoul's head was obliterated, blood and flesh splattering in all directions. 

The ghastly spray coated Kaneki, painting him in crimson. 

Kaneki froze, horrified, as the lifeless body of the ghoul crumpled before him. 

But the figure responsible for the brutal act stepped forward, standing menacingly in front of him. 

Speaking in a language Kaneki didn't understand, the stranger seized him by the neck, slamming him against the wall with murderous intent. 

Kaneki struggled desperately, but the stranger's grip was unrelenting—like steel pliers crushing his throat. 

As darkness closed in and Kaneki teetered on the edge of death— 

A purple blur darted into the chaotic alley. 

Moments later, a girl descended gracefully into the scene. 

Her scarlet eyes gleamed in the dim light, burning with an eerie intensity. 

Fixing her gaze on the ghoul who held Kaneki captive, she sneered with contempt. 

"So…" 

"Who's ghoul is this, exactly?"