Kaito Sakamoto carefully examined the small white snake coiled around his wrist. Its smooth scales shimmered under the sunlight, casting a mesmerizing glow. Feeling the coolness against his skin, Kaito found the sensation strangely refreshing. He had to admit, this unusual fascination with snakes wasn't something many shared—most people would have bolted by now if a snake had wrapped itself around their wrist.
As he admired the snake, a mysterious voice echoed through the forest, clear yet distant, resonating with a strange, haunting timbre.
"Do not come any closer."
Kaito looked toward Luffy and the others as he stepped closer in defiance of the warning. The voice said not to approach—so of course, Kaito felt compelled to. That's human nature, after all.
"Who are you?" Luffy blurted out, asking the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Who... me?" The voice responded, carrying an ethereal quality. "I am the Guardian of the Forest!"
"What?" Both Nami and Luffy looked at each other in confusion. The Guardian of the Forest?
Kaito raised his hand with a smirk. "I know! He's saying his mom is the Guardian of the Forest."
Nami: "..."
"Oh, so that's how it is." Luffy nodded, completely on board with this strange interpretation—his unique way of thinking made him all too willing to accept such nonsense.
"You actually believe him?" Nami looked furious, unable to believe her two companions.
Meanwhile, the hidden speaker grew irritated as well. "What?! My mother? That's not even the point here!"
"Enough!" the voice thundered. "Didn't you hear me? Do not come any closer! If you do, I'll unleash the forest's wrath upon you!"
"Wrath, huh? And who exactly are you?" Luffy challenged, his tone tinged with defiance. Humans tend to resist threats, especially someone as headstrong as Luffy.
"This guy's weird," Kaito commented.
"What did you just say, straw-hat boy?" The mysterious voice sounded especially annoyed at the word "weird."
Despite her fear of ghosts, Nami called out, "I know you're nearby! Show yourself!"
Kaito nodded in agreement. "Yeah, they're definitely close by."
Then, with a quick turn, Kaito's eyes locked onto an unusual sight: a large box, out of which sprouted a massive black afro. From inside the box, an arm emerged holding a gun, pointed right at Kaito. Sweat dripped from the unseen face, wondering if they should pull the trigger.
Kaito merely smiled and walked closer.
"No! Don't come any closer!" The previously all-encompassing voice now clearly originated from the box itself.
Ignoring the warning, Kaito continued approaching until, in a panic, the figure in the box fired.
Bang!
The bullet struck Kaito on his right side, but instead of penetrating, it dented his skin and ricocheted back toward the shooter, who ducked just in time, leaving a fresh hole in his afro.
"Whoa!" The figure stumbled backward, completely thrown off. He finally tumbled out of the box, revealing a face surrounded by dense, scruffy hair that looked more like a bicycle seat cushion than a beard. A circle of thick stubble encircled his mouth, with one conspicuous missing tooth.
"What was that noise?" Luffy and Nami returned, drawn by the commotion. They saw the strange box-man sprawled on the ground, struggling like an overturned turtle.
"It's... a person?" Nami exclaimed, bewildered.
Luffy laughed. "Hey, it's a broom-head!"
Kaito grinned. "I think 'box-man' fits better."
Frustrated, the box-man glared at them. "Hey! Help me up already!" he demanded, his tone tough, though his request was anything but.
"So, you've got a Devil Fruit power, huh?" Nami remarked as they helped the box-man to his feet and made their way to the cliff's edge.
"Yeah, I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, so I'm a rubber man," Luffy said proudly.
The box-man looked at him, baffled. "You? I thought it was the long-haired guy!"
"Actually, I'm curious too," Nami said, looking at Kaito. "Kaito, why do you have Luffy's abilities?"
Luffy chimed in before Kaito could answer, "That's because Kaito's got this power where he can mirror others' abilities. I call him... the Mirror Man!"
"That's my partner," Luffy added with pride. "He's awesome."
"A power to mimic others' abilities?" The box-man and Nami both looked stunned.
"Can you copy navigation skills too?" Nami asked, her voice tinged with a mix of awe and alarm. Kaito nodded, and she gulped, feeling a bit threatened.
"That's quite something. I've never met people like you," the box-man said thoughtfully.
"And I've never met someone who lives in a box. Are you rich?" Luffy mused. To him, boxes were for treasure, so someone living in one must be wealthy—at least, that was his logic.
The box-man scoffed, almost tricked into Luffy's bizarre line of reasoning. "Since when did you see rich folks looking like this?"