Continuing from the previous text, Kaito Sakamoto continued to... not deceive, but explain to Captain Karp why he had fallen from the sky.
"When I was young, I happened to eat a fruit that granted me powers. With the protection of my older brothers, I managed to escape, but after a battle, I was in the air for so long that I eventually ran out of energy and fell. Fortunately, I encountered you, Captain Karp."
"I have internal injuries, and if you notice blood at the corner of my mouth when I fell, that's evidence of my battle."
"I really didn't mean to deceive you, Captain Karp. I have nowhere to go; I've lost... all my companions."
"I thought that pretending to be foolish might allow me to stay here, so I tricked you. I truly have no ill intentions!"
Kaito wiped away his tears, genuinely reflecting on all the sorrows he had experienced over his eighteen years.
Who would have thought that the blood he coughed up when he drew the short straw for a weak ability would actually come in handy? Life is truly unpredictable, a chaotic blend of fortunes.
After listening, Karp's expression softened, and he withdrew the pressure he had placed on Kaito.
"Is that so?"
"What fruit did you eat to gain the ability to fly?"
"It's... the Paramecia-type, Replication Fruit."
After a moment of hesitation, Kaito decided to be honest. Since fate had brought him to meet Captain Karp, he would likely stay here for a while—he might as well take advantage of it!
"Replication Fruit?"
"Yes, it allows me to temporarily replicate the abilities of others."
"For example, if you, Captain Karp, use the Marine Six Styles in front of me, I can briefly replicate those techniques."
Kaito explained sincerely, but he didn't reveal everything. He could also replicate Devil Fruit abilities, and the strength depended on how he replicated them. Moreover, if it were techniques like the Marine Six Styles, he could remember the feeling after just one replication and practice it himself, fully mastering those skills.
In simpler terms, once he replicated those techniques, even after the replication effect wore off, he would still have the basics down—he wouldn't even need to practice.
"Hmm... that's quite a 'terrifying' fruit. To grasp the skills that others have honed over countless years in an instant is incredibly 'fair' for them!"
"Yet, this is the power of the Devil Fruit," Karp replied, his tone still calm. After climbing the ranks of the Marines to his current position as a naval hero, he had seen his fair share of wonders, so this revelation didn't shock him much.
"Get some good rest."
"You're too weak; you need to train well."
"There's a water jug on the table."
Karp got up and walked away, meaning he had agreed to let Kaito stay. Perhaps he saw the potential in Kaito's fruit and planned to nurture him and Luffy as the next generation of Marine talent.
However, things often don't go as planned.
Kaito's eyes widened slightly as he suppressed his excitement and said softly, "Thank you, Captain Karp."
...
Time is relentless. It walks on and on without pause; you can try to stop it, but it's futile.
Okay, the experiment failed.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
"Kaito! Is it ready? Is it ready?"
Luffy sat cross-legged on the ground, not caring about the mess, eagerly waiting for Kaito's grilled meat.
Kaito had been lying down for half a month, only now recovering enough to sit up, but his legs were severely injured, and he still needed a wheelchair.
Sitting in the wheelchair, he had Luffy push him to the village's restaurant kitchen for a look.
Karp was great at martial arts, but cooking was a challenge for him. Their meals often came from hunting or were simply handled without much thought.
Now that they knew Kaito could learn by just looking, they had to put that to use!
Thus, Kaito became the exclusive chef for this grandfather and grandson duo, even from his wheelchair.
"It'll be ready soon, just wait a bit. Let me sprinkle some cumin—ah, that aroma is mouthwatering!"
As he sprinkled the cumin, it melted onto the crisp surface of the meat, releasing a fragrant scent that made even Luffy drool.
Kaito skillfully drew a bone knife from his waist, slicing through a large piece of thigh meat and handing it to Luffy.
Luffy immediately took it, regardless of how hot it was, and took a big bite.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!"
He ended up sticking out his reddened tongue like a puppy that had just burned itself.
"Hmm, it's quite fragrant."
Karp, drawn in by the aroma, opened his eyes just in time for Kaito to present another piece of thigh meat to him.
"Oh, not bad, not bad."
"To think that just by watching for a week, you've developed such skills! That's truly impressive for a fruit ability!"
Karp sighed in admiration.
Kaito smiled in response but silently mocked the old man in his heart.
Today marked the eighth day of their training in the forest, which, of course, was Luffy's training. It also happened to be the last day of Kaito's first month in the Pirate World.
Karp's training for Luffy mainly focused on physical conditioning. He didn't demonstrate any of the Marine Six Styles or other techniques, leaving Kaito with no opportunities to replicate them.
Keep in mind that Karp was a pure martial artist who hadn't eaten a fruit. If Kaito could replicate his martial arts and keep it, that would be a lifesaver!
However, spending seven days replicating cooking skills, Kaito had gleaned some insights into the nature of his Replication Fruit.
He realized he could replicate skills just by watching, and if he didn't use them, he could store them for later. This way, he could observe powerful fighters in battle and directly replicate their abilities and techniques, getting stronger just by watching.
Still, it seemed that when replicating abilities this way, he could only replicate about half of their strength.