Luffy resolutely made a cut on his right cheek to show his determination.
Kaito Sakamoto could only watch, feeling a phantom pain in his own cheek. Damn that empathy!
"Don't do it!"
"Luffy!"
At that moment, the members of the Red-Haired Pirates, who had been watching the show, suddenly panicked.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!"
"You fool! What are you doing!!"
Shanks quickly darted over, trapping Luffy under his arm and "capturing" him back onto the deck.
"Someone get this idiot treated!"
Kaito sat in his wheelchair on the dock, observing the commotion on the ship. The joys and sorrows of humanity were foreign to him; all he could feel was their noise.
...
"Alright, let's disembark. Seriously, don't do things like this in the future."
"Scars on a man's body are badges of honor; it doesn't count if you did it to yourself."
The ship's doctor, Bon Clay, helped Luffy stop the bleeding and applied a bandage. Although it wasn't a serious injury, it would definitely leave a scar, and he was quite angry about Luffy's "self-harm." Of all places, why the face?
"Get off the ship, get off! Seriously, you've given us a great welcome gift, Luffy."
Shanks urged Luffy to disembark from behind. They might as well go drink instead.
...
"Hmm?"
"Who's this?"
As Shanks and Luffy descended the stairs from the ship, they finally noticed Kaito.
"This is Kaito; he fell from the sky and is an amazing cook."
Before Kaito could finish his introduction, Luffy enthusiastically chimed in.
Kaito thought to himself, has he just become "Sister Kaito"?
"Yes, just like Luffy said."
"The experience of falling from the sky is no picnic."
Looking at his legs, which were wrapped in bandages, Kaito replied with a faint smile on his face.
"Ha ha ha, that's definitely no fun!"
"To have to take care of Luffy in this condition is just tragic, ha ha ha!"
Shanks mockingly laughed at Kaito.
"Huh? Shanks, how do you know it's not me taking care of Kaito!!"
"You said he cooks really well. Didn't he take care of you and make your meals these past few days?"
"...."
Luffy was left speechless; it did seem that way. But Kaito's cooking was genuinely delicious.
...
"Brothers! Cheers! To Luffy's courage, our great journey... and our new friend, Kaito! Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
The crowd gathered at Makino's tavern for a feast, and Shanks raised his glass joyfully.
Kaito took a sip of grape juice and smiled briefly.
Ah, thanks for mentioning me! It would have been even better without that pause.
At the bar, Luffy joined in the revelry and brought up his desire to go out to sea.
Kaito remained in the back, still seated in his wheelchair.
Next to him sat the infamous first mate of the Red-Haired Pirates, Ben Beckman.
With his long black hair tied in a ponytail, a few bangs fell to the left. He wore a black V-neck T-shirt, military green cargo pants, and black combat boots, with a yellow belt holding a flintlock rifle.
Compared to the front row, where his crewmates were embracing each other and singing, Beckman appeared more composed, casually lounging back in his chair.
"Hmm?"
"Ben Beckman."
Noticing Kaito staring at him, Beckman friendly introduced himself.
"Kaito Sakamoto."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Beckman."
"Smoking is harmful to your health."
Kaito's remark made Beckman pause as he was about to light a cigarette.
"I don't care."
"I meant it's harmful to my health."
"...."
"Ha ha ha, you little brat, I'm going to smoke anyway. What are you going to do about it?"
This was the first time Beckman had met a kid like this, and he found it amusing.
"I'm not going to do anything. I can't beat you."
"However, if you feel bad about it, while you're in the village, how about teaching me some shooting skills?"
Kaito voiced his intention. All of them were powerful individuals; it would be great to learn from one of them.
"You want to learn how to shoot?"
"Do you have a gun?"
"And what about your legs..."
Beckman fired three questions in quick succession.
"Do you shoot with your feet?"
"Who says I can't shoot with my feet?"
"....."
"I have a gun."
Kaito raised his right hand and, with a flick of his wrist, a silver flintlock rifle appeared in his grasp, almost like a magic trick.
Half a month ago, after removing the bandages from his arms, Kaito discovered a silver bracelet had magically appeared on his right wrist when he woke up the next day.
He couldn't take it off, but he didn't mind; it looked quite nice.
However, a couple of days later, when Kaito wanted to eat an apple but didn't have a knife, he was surprised when a fruit knife suddenly appeared in his right hand, while the bracelet disappeared.
Kaito was astonished but had a faint idea about the bracelet's purpose.
"Could it be...?"
He willed it, and the fruit knife instantly transformed into a long sword.
"Just as I thought!"
Kaito contemplated again, and the long sword transformed back into the bracelet.
This bracelet had the ability to transform into any weapon.
Kaito thought this must be the third ability that the management system hadn't mentioned.
It perfectly complemented his own power to replicate others' abilities with the Copy Fruit.