Shanks was someone who loved throwing parties. Takumi knew this all too well. Shanks was naturally a generous, easygoing guy, so it wasn't surprising that he decided to treat everyone in the tavern to drinks.
As the tavern owner made the rounds, delivering Shanks' drinks to each table, the lively atmosphere was suddenly interrupted. The tavern door was kicked open with a loud crash.
In walked a man wearing a tea-green headscarf with a blue gemstone headband on his forehead, his face looking rather mean. He swaggered in with a group of underlings, all of them with an air of arrogance.
The cheerful buzz of the tavern quickly died down.
"It's… it's the Desert Bandits!" someone whispered in panic.
"What? How did they get into town? Where are the guards?" another patron fretted.
"We're doomed! They're known for burning, killing, and looting. If they've set their sights on us, we're done for…" the murmurs grew into fearful chatter.
The leader of the bandits, apparently called Dak, let out a hearty, smug laugh. "Hahaha! Looks like your luck just ran out. I'm Dak, and if you don't want to get hurt, you'd better hand over all your valuables!"
Dak's underlings fanned out through the tavern, brandishing guns and swords. They began demanding money from the patrons, and those who hesitated found themselves being robbed outright.
The tavern owner cowered behind the bar.
Chaos ensued as patrons scrambled to avoid the bandits, leaving only Shanks and Takumi calmly drinking their wine.
One of Dak's men approached the bar, pressing a long blade against Shanks' neck. "Hey! If you wanna live, hand over all your cash, now!"
Shanks glanced at the man and then raised his hands in mock surrender, smiling. "Alright, alright, I'll give you what I've got. But listen, you guys can rob us if you want, just don't go hurting any innocent customers."
"Don't you get it? We're desert bandits! We don't negotiate with anyone! Now, hand over your money!" the bandit snarled.
Shanks cooperated, handing over the few remaining gold coins in his pocket.
The bandit snatched the coins and then turned his attention to Takumi, eyeing the sword at his waist. The man's eyes widened in recognition as he realized what it was—a Kitetsu blade, a prized sword known even among those with some knowledge of weapons.
Despite knowing the sword's cursed reputation, the bandit couldn't resist its value.
Shifting his blade from Shanks' neck to Takumi's, he demanded, "Hey, kid, give me that sword!"
Takumi continued sipping his drink, his expression unfazed. He turned his gaze to the man, his voice cold and indifferent, "Take the sword away."
"Are you deaf? Give me the sword, or I'll kill you!" the bandit threatened, his patience wearing thin.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Shanks chimed in, finishing the last drop from his bottle before grabbing another. "That kid's not someone you can mess with. Besides, that sword isn't something you can handle. If you value your life, take the money and leave before you bite off more than you can chew."
"Enough of your crap! You think I'm afraid to kill this brat?" The bandit, enraged, swung his sword at Takumi's head.
Takumi didn't even flinch as the blade came down.
With a sharp 'crack,' the bandit's sword shattered upon contact with Takumi's neck. Takumi remained completely unharmed.
"Huh? How… how did this happen? My sword… it broke?" the bandit stammered in disbelief.
Shanks took a swig from his bottle, a hint of a smile on his lips. "Not bad, your Haki's getting stronger."
Takumi said nothing, merely continuing to drink.
"What the hell happened? You couldn't even take down a kid?" one of the other bandits jeered.
"Need some help with that? If you split your loot with me, I'll give you a hand, hahaha," another mocked.
The man called Hopi looked at his broken sword, his face flushing with anger and embarrassment. "Must've been a weak blade. Damn kid, don't get cocky. I'll show you just how dangerous we desert bandits can be!"
Hopi grabbed a revolver from one of his comrades, pointing it at Takumi's head and pulling the trigger without hesitation.
The bullet flew straight toward Takumi's head.
But just as it was about to hit, Takumi casually tilted his head, and the bullet whizzed past, embedding itself in the wine rack behind him.
Stunned, Hopi emptied the rest of the revolver's bullets at Takumi. "There's no way you dodged that on purpose! This time, you're dead, brat!"
But Takumi dodged each bullet with ease, barely moving from his seat. He then turned and shot Hopi a cold, piercing glare.
The realization hit Hopi like a ton of bricks. This wasn't luck—this kid had dodged every single bullet. Terrified, he took a step back. "W-what the hell is this kid? How did he dodge all those bullets? This can't be real!"
The other bandits stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.
Shanks, still leaning casually on the bar with a drink in hand, looked at Takumi with an approving smile. "Looks like your Observation Haki is coming along nicely too."
"What's going on?" Dak, the bandit leader, finally made his way over, noticing the commotion.
Hopi quickly ducked behind Dak, his voice trembling. "Boss, that kid… he's not normal. I think he might be a monster."
"Monster? Don't be ridiculous, he's just a kid," Dak snapped. He hadn't paid attention to what had just happened, too busy looting the other patrons.
"Boss, maybe we should just leave," Hopi suggested, fear creeping into his voice.
Dak shot him an angry glare. "Are you kidding? We're desert bandits! We don't leave until we've taken everything of value from this place!"
Dak turned his cold gaze on Takumi, brandishing his spiked club menacingly. "Kid, looks like you've scared my men. Let's see if you've got the guts to face me!"
Without another word, Dak swung his massive club, made from a special material that could easily crush rocks, straight at Takumi's head.
Takumi calmly channeled Armament Haki into his right hand, meeting Dak's club with a single punch.
With a deafening crash, Dak's spiked club shattered into pieces, scattered across the tavern floor.