The moon hung high in the sky, its light casting a pale glow over the quiet ship. Kikidori sat alone on the deck, his back against the mast, his head lowered. His shoulders trembled slightly, but no sound escaped his lips. It was a silent cry—a cry that spoke of pain too deep to put into words.
The rest of the crew gave him space, knowing that Kikidori needed time. All except one.
Luffy, ever the beacon of relentless optimism, couldn't stand to see Kikidori like this. He sat cross-legged on the floor a few feet away, scratching his head as he tried to come up with a plan. His usual antics worked on Kikidori before, so surely, they would work now, right?
A wooden plank leaned against the railing nearby, left there during repairs earlier in the day. Luffy's eyes lit up.
"This always makes him laugh," he said to himself, grabbing the plank. Without hesitation, he swung it over his head and let it crash down on his skull.
*Thwack!*
The sound echoed across the deck, but Kikidori didn't even look up.
Undeterred, Luffy stood up, grabbed the plank again, and smacked himself even harder this time.
*THWACK!*
The crew, hearing the commotion, peeked out from their rooms. Nami rubbed her temples, annoyed. "What is he doing now?"
"Is he… hitting himself with a plank?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That's Luffy for ya," Sanji muttered, lighting a cigarette.
Robin stepped out, arms crossed. "He's trying to cheer Kikidori up."
Chopper's ears twitched. "But… Luffy's bleeding!"
Sure enough, a thin line of red trickled down Luffy's forehead.
"Why doesn't he stop?" Usopp asked.
Franky crossed his arms. "Because it's Luffy. He won't stop until Kikidori laughs."
Luffy kept going, ignoring the growing pain in his head. Each time, he swung the plank with more force, determined to get a reaction. His grin never wavered, even as blood dripped onto the deck.
Finally, Kikidori's voice broke the silence, low and filled with pain. "Luffy… stop."
Luffy froze mid-swing, lowering the plank. For the first time that night, Kikidori looked up. His face was streaked with tears, his eyes red and swollen.
Luffy dropped the plank and sat beside Kikidori, his usual grin replaced by a rare moment of quiet understanding. He didn't say anything—he just sat there, letting his presence speak for itself.
After a few moments, Luffy stood and left, giving Kikidori the space he needed.
The next few days were quiet. Kikidori kept to himself, slowly processing everything he had been through. The crew gave him the time he needed, though they occasionally tried to cheer him up in their own ways—Chopper offering his favorite snacks, Robin sharing stories, and even Raiko keeping his usual jabs to himself.
And then, finally, after several days of silence, Kikidori emerged from his room with a faint smile on his face.
That same day, a seagull flew overhead, dropping a bundle of freshly printed wanted posters onto the deck. Luffy was the first to notice, grabbing the bundle with excitement.
"Wanted posters!" he shouted, holding them up like a trophy. "Let's see what we got!"
The crew gathered around as Luffy began handing out the posters.
"Zoro!" he said, tossing Zoro's poster to him.
"Sanji!"
"Usopp!"
"Chopper!"
Each crewmember took their poster with varying levels of excitement, but none matched Kikidori's. He bounced on his toes like a kid on Christmas morning, his eyes shining with anticipation.
When Luffy finally handed him his poster, Kikidori snatched it eagerly, his grin stretching from ear to ear.
"What's it say? What's it say?" he asked, his voice filled with energy for the first time in days.
The crew leaned in to look, and Kikidori held up the poster for everyone to see.
It featured an intense, dynamic shot of Kikidori mid-swing, his sword glinting in the sunlight. The text below read:
**WANTED**
**Kikidori**
**"The Serpent King"**
**Bounty: 1,500,000,000 Berries**
The crew erupted in cheers.
"1.5 billion!" Usopp exclaimed, his jaw dropping.
"That's super impressive!" Franky added, giving Kikidori a thumbs up.
"Not bad, kid," Zoro said with a smirk.
Even Raiko begrudgingly muttered, "Yeah, yeah, good for you."
Kikidori beamed, holding the poster close. For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt genuinely happy. His crew—the people who truly cared about him—were there to celebrate his success, and for once, the pain of his past didn't feel so heavy.
He looked up at Luffy, who was grinning just as widely. "Thanks, Luffy," he said softly.
Luffy laughed, scratching the back of his head. "What are friends for?"
Kikidori couldn't help but laugh, and the sound was music to the crew's ears.
The day ended with a feast, as it always did on the Sunny. Kikidori's wanted poster was pinned up in the galley for everyone to admire, and the crew celebrated late into the night.
For now, Kikidori's heart felt a little lighter, and that was enough.
End of Chapter 82