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The tavern was louder than most places Rael had visited. Drunken laughter clashed with the clinking of mugs, the thick scent of sweat and cheap alcohol mingling with the tang of overcooked meat and spilt beer.
Rael sat in a shadowed corner, his back to the wall, one leg crossed over the other. He sipped something that barely passed for ale. His golden eyes, half-lidded, swept across the room, half-bored.
Then he heard it.
"I'm tellin' ya! I saw 'em with my own damn eyes! The Straw Hats!"
The voice came from a short man with a red bandana tied tightly around his head. He waved his mug wildly, sloshing beer across the sticky table. A few rowdy patrons leaned in, the name alone catching their interest.
Rael's ears perked up. His expression stayed unreadable.
"Straw Hats?" a burly man scoffed. "Just a rookie crew. One ship and a rubber-brained captain. Hardly worth talkin' about."
"Rookie?" The bandana man barked a laugh. "That 'rubber-brained' captain punched Buggy the Clown through a wall! Buggy's not top-tier, but he's no pushover either."
Rael narrowed his eyes.
Buggy. That name he had heard before—loud, flamboyant, dangerous if underestimated. A pirate with a Devil Fruit power, if memory served.
Another listener leaned in, curiosity piqued. "You sure you saw 'em?"
"I was in Orange Town," the man insisted. "Saw the rubber kid with my own eyes. Weird hat, red vest, big grin. There was a girl with orange hair too—quick fingers. And a green-haired guy with swords? He cut down a whole gang of Buggy's men like it was nothing."
"Sounds like a circus act, not a crew."
"Maybe. But that captain—Luffy, I think—they say he's got the power of the Gum-Gum Fruit. I saw him take a cannonball to the gut. Didn't even blink."
Rael's attention sharpened.
Gum-Gum Fruit… A Paramecia type? The name was unfamiliar, but the concept wasn't. The idea of a man stretching like rubber, fighting pirates with brute force and laughter—it clashed with everything Rael had seen in this world so far.
Then came a voice from nearby.
"You don't drink like the rest of them."
Rael didn't look up immediately. There was no malice in the tone. When he finally glanced over, he saw a young man—barely more than a boy—standing nearby. He wore a weathered brown cloak and carried a satchel. His hands bore faded scars, and his eyes were too tired for someone his age.
Rael spoke softly. "You've met them?"
The boy blinked. "I… yeah. On Dawn Island. The captain, Luffy—he took down a bandit. Huge guy, had a bounty. Didn't even hesitate. One punch."
"Describe him."
"Black hair, always wears a straw hat. Grins like a fool, like everything's a game. But…" the boy hesitated, "he stands up when it counts. Doesn't care about who's watching. He just does the right thing."
Rael stayed quiet, letting the words settle.
That kind of spirit… reminded him of someone long buried in memory. A soldier from the Demon King's war. A hero who never smiled unless it was to give hope.
"Why are you telling me this?" Rael asked.
"I dunno," the boy admitted. "But you… you don't feel like the others here. Everyone's scared of you, but you didn't even flinch when that kid at the dock spilled fruit on you. You helped him up. No words. Just… kind."
Rael's eyes flickered. "So?"
"So I trust you."
He studied the boy a long moment.
Then smirked faintly. "You shouldn't."
The boy laughed nervously. "Too late."
[System Notice]
New Passive Unlocked:Hero's Aura – Civilians instinctively trust you. Enemies sense danger.
Quest Updated:Track the Straw Hat Pirates – New clue discovered.
Timeline Confirmed:Pre-Syrup Village Arc
Crew Members Confirmed: Monkey D. Luffy (Gum-Gum Fruit), Roronoa Zoro (Swordsman), Nami (Navigator/Thief)
Next Location Identified: Syrup Village
ETA: 1 day
Rael stood, the chair scraping against the wooden floor.
He dropped a coin onto the table.
"Thanks," he said, almost absently. "Stay out of trouble. Storm's coming."
The boy blinked. "Are you… going after them?"
Rael paused at the door. "I don't know yet."
He glanced back over his shoulder, golden eyes sharp.
"But they interest me."
That night, under a sky full of stars, Rael stood at the cliff's edge. The wind tugged at his coat, the sea glimmering dark and endless below.
"Rubber boy, huh?" he murmured to the wind.
A smirk played at the corner of his lips.
"Let's see what kind of pirate you really are."
[System Notice]
Multiversal Karma Alignment:Chaotic Neutral — leaning Heroic
Current Objective: Follow the Straw Hat crew's trail to Syrup Village
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