Inside the tavern of Magino, Kaito Sakamoto transformed a bracelet into a flintlock pistol, as if performing a magic trick.
Beckman was slightly taken aback by this display."Can you really perform magic?"
Kaito didn't respond, instead spinning his arm. The pistol morphed into a dagger, and with another twist, it returned to a bracelet.
Beckman immediately recognized that this was no ordinary accessory."I found it.""It can turn into any weapon I desire," Kaito explained, emphasizing that anything could be picked up.
"Hmm...""Is it a Devil Fruit?""The Navy has indeed developed a technology that allows items to consume Devil Fruits.""For now, only the Navy possesses this technology," Beckman added, his gaze shifting to Kaito, clearly implying something."I'm not part of the Navy.""There are good and bad within the Navy, but the most important thing is to serve the Celestial Dragons.""I'm from Loguetown, working with my brothers to escort merchant ships.""If you lack strength, you can only operate within the four seas; the Grand Line is not somewhere you can go.""I found this bracelet while working on a ship. When no one was around, I took it.""A few days ago, the merchant ship we were escorting was suddenly attacked by a group of very strong individuals.""I think they might be after this bracelet.""Thanks to the unique ability of my fruit, I managed to escape under everyone's cover, but I was still injured internally and fell from the sky, only to encounter Vice Admiral Garp and Luffy."
Kaito elaborated on his explanation, providing more detail than what he had told Garp.
Beckman flicked away his cigarette butt, crushing it under his foot."So you want me to teach you how to shoot because you seek revenge?""Also, which Devil Fruit did you eat?""Life is about having a goal to pursue, and revenge is definitely something to be sought.""It's a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit called the Replication Fruit, which allows me to replicate others' abilities."
Kaito took a sip of grape juice; after speaking so much, he felt thirsty."Replicate directly? Is that for real?"It wasn't that Beckman didn't believe it; if that were the case, all their years of hard training would be undone in an instant. That hardly seemed fair.
"There are flaws.""I can only replicate half the strength.""Plus, there's a time limit; once the time's up, I'll have to replicate again if I want to use it.""However, if it's a skill-based ability, once I replicate it, I can remember that technique and learn it easily.""I was a complete novice in the kitchen just seven days ago."
There was a hint of arrogance in Kaito's explanation, but indeed, this fruit was incredible.Beckman lit another cigarette, sizing up Kaito. If it was true, he would consider bringing Kaito on board."Replication Fruit.""Alright, so you want me to teach you?""Watch closely; if I'm satisfied with your attempt, I'll teach you."
"Lachy!"Beckman suddenly shouted, pulling out his gun. The chef of the Red-Haired Pirates, Lachy, turned around, seeing Beckman pointing his gun at him, the muzzle wobbling slightly upward.Lachy understood, flashing a bright smile as he took a bite of a large bone and tossed an empty wine bottle into the air with his left hand.
At the moment he threw the bottle, Beckman raised his gun and pulled the trigger."Bang!""Smash!"Smoke billowed from the gun as the bottle exploded mid-air."Ohhhhhh!!"The crew cheered enthusiastically at their vice-captain's sudden display of skill.Luffy watched with sparkling eyes, amazed at how cool it was!
"Have you lost your mind, Beck?"Only Shanks dared to say such a thing to Beckman.
Beckman blew on the muzzle of his gun, holstered it, and turned his attention back to Kaito."Alright.""It's your turn."
Kaito glanced at him, raised his hand, and the flintlock pistol appeared automatically. Closing his eyes, he activated the fruit's ability, replaying in his mind the sequence of Beckman drawing his gun, raising the muzzle, and pulling the trigger, analyzing each movement as if in slow motion.
Opening his eyes, Kaito, having never touched a gun before, now felt surprisingly comfortable with it."Lachy, help him out."
Lachy, chewing on his meat, couldn't believe that this kid in a wheelchair also had such shooting skills.But he didn't ask and directly tossed another bottle into the air.
Kaito immediately raised his gun."Bang!"The bullet fired, captured in slow motion, creating a shockwave that followed as it zipped through the air."Smash!"Lachy raised his hand and caught the bottle; it wasn't a complete miss for Kaito—at least he shattered the bottle's neck."Ohhhhhh!!""Didn't expect that!! Kaito, right?""Who would have thought you were hiding your skills? Impressive! Impressive!"
Now that Kaito had taken the stage, the crew was still very supportive, surprised that a kid in a wheelchair could shoot like that.Jesus Burgess, the sniper of the Red-Haired Pirates, also expressed admiration for Kaito's shot. Without hard training, he wouldn't have reached this level. Although Kaito hadn't hit the center of the bottle, given his age, it was already quite impressive.What he didn't know was that today was Kaito's first time ever handling a gun.