"Wow, you were amazing!" Catherine exclaimed, punching Shirakawa playfully in the chest as he defeated Dagmar. It didn't hurt, of course.
"Of course. You didn't expect anything less, did you?" Shirakawa said, striking a pose he thought was cool.
"But you made quite a mess," Catherine said, her stomach churning at the sight of Dagmar's gruesomely bisected corpse.
"Shirakawa, that move was so cool! What's it called?" Shanks asked, still awestruck by Shirakawa's aerial attack.
"How about... Tathagata's Divine Sword?" Shirakawa suggested.
"No way! That's a terrible name!" Shanks protested, the image of the majestic attack ruined in his mind.
"Just kidding. I call it 'Falling Petal.' How's that?" Shirakawa asked, seeing Shanks's disgusted expression.
"Falling Petal. That's better. But I don't think you were falling very fast. How come Dagmar couldn't dodge? And it looked like he was crushed by something heavy."
"Want to try it?" Shirakawa raised an eyebrow at Shanks.
"Sure! I want to experience the mystery of your swordsmanship!" Shanks drew his sword, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Shirakawa smirked. Suddenly, Shanks felt an immense weight crush down on him.
"What's happening?" He struggled to stay upright, his face contorted in effort.
"Hey, Shanks, are you okay?" Buggy asked, worried.
"He's fine. He's enjoying it," Shirakawa assured him.
"Shirakawa, what did you do to Shanks?" Catherine asked.
"Nothing much. Buggy, want to try too?"
"No thanks!" Buggy shook his head vigorously, backing away from Shirakawa.
"Don't worry, it's free of charge."
Shirakawa's smirk made Buggy uneasy. Before he could refuse, the gravity intensified, and he collapsed onto the ground, unable to lift his head.
Shirakawa quickly released the pressure, shaking his head. "Looks like the gap between Buggy and Shanks is widening."
"Hey, what was that?" Buggy demanded, once he could move again.
"A secret," Shirakawa replied with a grin.
Shanks, drenched in sweat, finally couldn't take it anymore. Shirakawa released the gravity, and Shanks slumped to the ground, gasping for air, but with a satisfied smile on his face.
"You were controlling gravity, weren't you?" Shanks asked after catching his breath.
"As expected of Shanks. You're quite knowledgeable, unlike Buggy, who's still clueless," Shirakawa said, teasing Buggy.
Buggy blushed, embarrassed. Shirakawa was right; he had no idea what had just happened.
"Did Buggy try it too? How long did he last?" Shanks asked.
Shirakawa didn't want to hurt Buggy's pride. "He lasted a bit shorter than you," he said, looking away.
Buggy, who was prepared to be mocked by Shanks, felt a wave of gratitude towards Shirakawa.
"Shirakawa, you're a true friend! I'll never forget this!"
Shirakawa shuddered at Buggy's intense gaze.
"Wow, Buggy, you're amazing!" Shanks exclaimed, genuinely believing Shirakawa's lie.
Catherine giggled, having witnessed the entire scene.
"Oops, I forgot about her," Buggy said, realizing there was another witness.
He looked at Catherine, who winked and made an 'OK' sign playfully.
Buggy relaxed.
"What were you laughing at?" Shanks asked Catherine, oblivious.
"I was just happy, thinking my mom might give me a little brother today," she replied with another giggle.
"Oh, congratulations then!" Shanks said, believing her lie.
Shirakawa almost laughed out loud. 'What a ridiculous lie,' he thought. 'She's seventeen or eighteen. Her mother must be in her forties. There's no way...'
He managed to hold back his laughter.
"Okay, let's rest for a bit, then continue our journey. We have a long way to go."
It was the first time Shirakawa would be traveling such a long distance, and he was looking forward to the adventures that awaited them.
"Let's go," Shanks said, quickly recovering his energy.
"Alright, let's go."
As they journeyed, Shirakawa grew increasingly annoyed with Shanks, who kept asking him to use his gravity power on him.
"Now I understand how you got so strong so quickly. You have a built-in cheat code," Shanks said after a few days of this.
"You're just realizing that now? I thought you figured it out the first time I used it on you," Shirakawa said, exasperated. He was starting to regret bringing Shanks along.
Buggy, on the other hand, was unusually quiet, perhaps not wanting to draw any more attention to himself.