After receiving friendly directions from a homeless man, Kaito Sakamoto rushed towards the direction of Ace and Sabo, thinking there were still good people in the world. However, upon arriving, he found no sign of them; Ace and Sabo had already moved their treasure.
Kaito, having trained his shooting skills, had developed excellent eyesight and noticed faint figures of Ace and Sabo on a hillside not far away. He hurried over, feeling exhausted. When he arrived, he saw Ace and Sabo burying their treasure, so he decided to replicate their physique before speaking to them.
"Ace!"
"Where's Luffy?"
After replicating their appearance, Kaito shouted, startling both Ace and Sabo.
"Kaito!"
"Luffy has been captured by Pursemie from the Blue Sauce Pirates!"
"Where? I'm asking you! Which direction?"
Kaito yelled, frustration bubbling up; any delay could mean more punches landing on Luffy.
"You! That's a real pirate! He kills without blinking!!"
Sabo couldn't help but interject, reminding Kaito that facing off against a true pirate was different from dealing with street thugs.
"I'm asking you for the direction!"
"Why do you think Luffy would betray you?"
"I just arrived at your old treasure site, and there wasn't a single person! Luffy has not betrayed you!"
Kaito was furious. While he understood their doubts about Luffy enduring torture, they needed to switch perspectives.
Kaito's words struck Ace and Sabo like a thunderbolt. They couldn't believe Luffy had resisted torture and hadn't betrayed them. Just moments ago, they were considering silencing him.
...
"Speak up! You brat!"
Pursemie, wearing spiked gloves, relentlessly punched Luffy, who was nearly a bloody mess. Yet, Luffy remained silent.
Upon seeing Luffy in such a state, Kaito felt a surge of sadness and anger.
"Stop!!!"
Sabo and Ace charged forward, wielding pipes.
Seeing Ace and the others approach, Pursemie felt relieved; he wouldn't have to face the captain's punishment.
"Coming to me voluntarily? That saves me the trouble! Hand over the money!"
Pursemie grabbed Ace by the head, his large hand easily enveloping Ace's skull, while Sabo struck Pursemie from behind, saving Ace.
Taking advantage of the moment, Kaito rushed in to rescue Luffy.
"Kaito!!! It hurts so much!!!" Luffy cried, tears streaming down his face.
Kaito nodded, filled with concern. "I know. I'm sorry I'm late! But remember to check if your teammates are behind you next time!"
As Kaito spoke, he felt anger rising; if they had just come together to pull him from the trash heap, none of this would have happened.
After escorting Luffy to safety, Kaito glanced at the fight between Ace, Sabo, and Pursemie. Pursemie was a genuine pirate, towering over them, and despite Ace and Sabo being injured, he bore his own wounds as well.
"Phew!"
Kaito exhaled, raising his arm as a flintlock appeared, aiming at Pursemie's head.
"....."
In the end, Kaito refrained from shooting Pursemie. If he didn't kill him, Pursemie's captain would let him off the hook, so he quickly adjusted his aim.
"Bang!"
The bullet flew out and accurately hit Pursemie's right arm.
"Ugh!"
The shot silenced the scene, drawing the attention of Pursemie, Ace, and Sabo towards Kaito.
Kaito's eyes were cold as he remembered Luffy's condition, aiming another shot at Pursemie's left foot.
"Ah!!"
This time, Pursemie couldn't hold back his scream.
"Come back!" Kaito shouted, bringing Ace and Sabo back to their senses. Though they were young, they had seen guns before, but seeing someone younger than them fire a weapon was a first.
"Don't chase after him; bullets don't have eyes!" Kaito warned Pursemie's men, then shouldered Luffy and began to retreat with Ace and Sabo.
...
The four escaped to the new treasure site of Ace and Sabo. Kaito finished bandaging Ace and Sabo before focusing on Luffy, who was the most seriously injured. Of course, his medical skills came from his hometown.
Ace and Sabo watched Kaito's back, filled with curiosity about why he seemed to know everything.
"Kaito, who… exactly are you?"
"Why are you so skilled at bandaging?"
"And how do you have such incredible weapons?"
"You can shoot, and you're so accurate!" Ace couldn't help but ask.
Kaito paused his movements, slowly turning to face them with a sigh.
"Sigh!"
"Actually, I was trained by a killer organization."
"They select talented and capable children to join, providing free training to enhance their skills."
The word "free" was emphasized as Kaito smiled and continued, "You two have great potential, being able to fight against pirates at such a young age. So, what do you think? Want to join?"
Ace and Sabo were momentarily stunned; who wouldn't want a chance to enhance their skills for free?
"Really!!"
Kaito's smile instantly vanished.
"False."
"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
"...."