In the end, Luffy was dragged back by Ace and Sabo.
After all, the kid had injured dozens of Marine soldiers — even if it wasn't intentional, punishment was still necessary.
So, his two older brothers hauled him back, and the task of disciplining Luffy naturally fell to Garp himself.
With Kaito there, Luffy behaved himself for once, and even when they boarded the ship, he didn't cause any more trouble.
...
As soon as the three brothers left, Nami ran up immediately, pouting and grumbling,
"Kaito, where have you been all these years? You never came to see me or my sister!"
There wasn't much he could say — back then, Kaito had left in a hurry, and aside from a few people at headquarters, everyone else really thought he'd gone missing.
After giving Nami a simple explanation, she didn't press him any further. Before long, she was cheerfully dragging Kaito back toward the tangerine shop.
Nojiko stood at the door, peering anxiously down the street. When she saw Kaito's figure appear, her face lit up with a radiant smile — the kind that looked like a young wife welcoming her husband home.
Kaito couldn't help but laugh.
Nami, standing beside him, huffed,
"Still playing favorites, huh? You didn't smile like that when you saw me! You and my sister are both the same!"
Kaito pinched her nose teasingly.
"You… if only you were half as mature as Nojiko."
Nami puffed up like a startled kitten.
"What do you mean I'm not mature?! You've been saying that since I was little! I don't accept that!"
"Then deal with it. If you keep shouting, I'll take Nojiko back to headquarters and leave you here with the orange trees."
"Hmph! Fine! You win this time!"
Nami turned her head away, but her grip on Kaito's arm only tightened.
...
While the two of them were bickering, Nojiko came running up to them, calling softly, "Kaito."
She handed him a half-peeled tangerine.
Seeing this, Nami immediately complained,
"What about mine? Sis, you can't play favorites too! Otherwise, I'll be the poor little sister here!"
Nojiko chuckled and handed the other half to Nami, patting her on the head gently.
"How could I ever play favorites? But look at you — still clinging to Kaito like when you were a child."
Nami's cheeks turned red. She stuck out her tongue and mumbled,
"I don't care! If I don't keep an eye on Kaito, he'll run off again!"
Kaito put a hand on his hip, exasperated.
"Run off? You make me sound like some kind of thief. Honestly, you're more like a little cat burglar yourself."
"Ha! Aren't you? You were just saying you'd take my sister away — and the worst part is, you weren't even going to take me!"
That made Nojiko's face turn bright red. She lowered her head, stealing glances at Kaito.
Kaito sighed, then with a flick of his wrist, a melon-shaped Devil Fruit appeared in his hand.
Nami's eyes widened as she leaned closer curiously.
"Is that... a Devil Fruit?"
Kaito smirked, tossing it lightly in his palm.
"This is the Warp-Warp Fruit. If you eat it, you'll be able to find me anytime you want."
"Really!? Kaito, are you giving it to me!?"
"What else would I do with it? I've already refined it — even if you eat it, you won't be weakened by seawater. Don't worry."
"That's amazing! You're the best!"
Before Kaito could react, Nami jumped up and planted a loud kiss on his cheek, leaving Nojiko completely stunned.
Kaito hadn't expected her to be that bold — especially right here on the street!
Click!
A series of heartbroken gasps could be heard around them.
Kaito glanced around and saw several young men wearing expressions of pure agony. Looked like some of them wouldn't be sleeping well tonight.
Before long, Nami couldn't resist taking a bite of the Warp-Warp Fruit — and immediately, her face turned purple as she spat it out.
She stuck her tongue out, tears welling in her eyes.
"Kaito, this thing tastes awful! I've never eaten anything so disgusting in my life!"
"That's what you get for rushing it!"
Kaito rubbed his forehead helplessly, then snapped his fingers — transferring the Warp-Warp Fruit's ability directly into her body.
"Alright, now try out your new power."
Nami blinked, still a bit dazed, but she could feel it — as if anywhere she'd ever been was now within instant reach.
She thought of something, and in the next instant, vanished.
...
At the Marine branch base, Tashigi was in her office, resting her chin on her hand.
"I can't believe I actually got to see the King himself today… If only I could get closer…" she muttered to herself.
"Heehee~ Tashigi-san, you can come over to my place tonight! Kaito's not leaving yet!"
Tashigi jumped up in shock, spinning around to see Nami leaning over the back of her chair.
"Nami!? When did you get here?"
Nami grinned proudly, blinking from one side of the room to the other in rapid bursts of movement.
Tashigi was dumbfounded.
When Nami finally stopped, Tashigi hesitated before saying,
"That kind of movement leaves no trace at all… it can't be Soru. Don't tell me—you ate a Devil Fruit?"
"Bingo! It's the Warp-Warp Fruit! Kaito gave it to me! Cool, right?"
"Incredible… Rocks used this very Fruit to escape Marine sieges countless times. For Kaito-sama to give it to you… it means you're really important to him."
Hearing that, Nami's heart practically melted with joy — even happier than when she first got the Fruit.
She grabbed Tashigi's hand.
"Alright, Tashigi-san, come back with me!"
"Eh? Wait—Nami, I still have work—"
Whoosh!
Before she could finish, Nami teleported them both straight back to the tangerine shop.
...
The moment they arrived, they saw Kaito and Nojiko sitting together.
Nojiko was gently feeding Kaito a tangerine slice, her smile full of warmth and contentment.
Their sudden appearance startled her — the tangerine slipped from her hand.
Kaito caught it mid-air, and in return, fed her a slice himself.
The scene was downright domestic.
After Nojiko finished eating, Kaito turned to Nami with a teasing grin.
"You've already mastered your power enough to bring someone back that fast, huh?"
"If I didn't hurry, my sister might've been eaten by you already!"
Nojiko glared at her.
"Nami! What nonsense are you talking about? You're cooking dinner tonight!"
That shut Nami up right away.
Kaito rested his chin on one hand, watching her with amusement for a moment before saying,
"Nami, I've thought of a new title for you. Want to hear it?"
"Huh? It's not 'little cat burglar' again, is it?"
"Of course not. How about... Phantom Cat?"