X's schedule was quite complex, organized almost hour by hour. He woke up every day at six in the morning, and by seven he was already starting his workday, which lasted until two in the afternoon. Sometimes, if Makino needed him, he stayed a little longer helping at the bar when there were many customers.
At three in the afternoon, his training in the forest began, a routine that lasted about two hours. Then, at six, he dedicated an hour to gathering information about this new world, a habit that had become part of his daily life.
After that, he allowed himself some free time, which he usually spent fishing at the port. He discovered it was the first time he had ever tried such an activity, and from then on, he never abandoned it. Without using his abilities, he was capable of catching between five and ten fish in a single session, which filled him with a certain satisfaction.
Finally, at ten o'clock at night, he went to rest, enjoying a long nap until the next day. And so, the cycle repeated again and again.
One day, like any other, X was attending to the citizens in the bar.
"Here, a bottle of alcohol," he mentioned without much energy.
"Thanks, kid," replied the man.
X nodded and slowly withdrew to the storeroom, from where he pulled out more sake, the most requested drink in the place.
Minutes later…
When he returned, he noticed that Shanks and his crew were already in the bar, laughing and drinking excessively. Luffy was sitting on a stool, with a bandage under his eye.
"I'll find some way to prove to you that I'm man enough to go with you," Luffy said with determination.
"Sure, you already showed us how good you are with a knife," Yasopp joked, while laughter spread throughout the place.
"Shut up!" Luffy shouted angrily.
"Don't be like that, have some juice," exclaimed Shanks, sliding a glass across the bar.
Luffy caught it quickly and began drinking enthusiastically.
"Hahahaha!"
All of Shanks' crew burst into laughter when they saw him drinking juice.
"Shanks? Since when did he arrive?" X reflected silently, analyzing the situation.
Luffy, meanwhile, looked confused.
"What's so funny?"
"I don't know any pirate who drinks juice," declared Benn Beckman between laughs.
As if it were all part of an act, they began to applaud… until suddenly, the bar doors swung open with a violent kick, and a group of men entered.
"Forgive us," said the tall man standing at the door. At that moment, the bar fell silent; every gaze turned to the entrance.
"Makino…" X whispered beside her.
"What's happening?" she asked, confused.
"Go inside, this is going to get ugly."
"But—"
The tall man, who led several subordinates behind him, began to enter. The captain of the group had dark skin, black hair, a trimmed goatee, and a scar in the shape of a cross over his right eye. He wore a long red coat over a white shirt, black pants, and a golden necklace.
"So these are the ones who call themselves pirates in this area… looks rather pathetic, to be honest," he said as he walked toward the bar counter and stood next to Shanks. On the other side, X pulled Makino's arm, as if trying to protect her.
"Gentlemen, what can I do for you?" Makino asked, visibly nervous.
"We're mountain bandits," the captain replied in a deep voice, "but we didn't come here to wreck your place. All we want is some sake; let's say ten barrels will be enough."
"I'm sorry, but in rea—" Makino began to reply, but couldn't finish, because X interrupted her, stepping in front of her, creating space between them.
"We've run out of sake at the moment."
"Hahaha, brat… do you work here? Well, it doesn't matter. Then tell me, what is it that they're drinking?" the bandit asked with a mocking smile.
"They just finished the last of it."
A heavy silence filled the room after those words. The tension was palpable in the air. The bandit opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted when Shanks grabbed a bottle from his side.
"Don't worry, you can have this aged rum I've got."
The bandit looked at him with disdain and, with a cry full of pride, exclaimed:
"I'm worth eight million Belly! Do you think a simple bottle will satisfy me?!"
With a swipe, he snatched the bottle from Shanks' hands and smashed it over his head. The bar fell silent once more. Only the dripping of spilled rum on the wooden floor could be heard.
"Oh… I made a mess, Makino, X," Shanks murmured, with his usual relaxed tone.
The bandits burst into laughter, and the captain added with contempt: "You're not worth my valuable time, so it'd be better if you got more sake as fast as possible."
With those final words, all the bandits left in a pack. Barely a few seconds passed before Shanks' crew broke into laughter, laughing as if nothing had happened.
X, on the other hand, only let out a tired sigh and dropped into a seat beside Shanks.
It was then that he noticed his friend Luffy, who was red with rage, trembling with frustration, until he exploded with a shout.
"Why did you let them make fun of you, Shanks?!"
Before the redhead could respond, X lifted his cup of milk, took a calm sip, and said: "Luffy, Shanks didn't attack him because he was insignificant. He won. Shanks won, because no one was hurt."
The white-haired boy turned his head and looked directly at the crew members, who also stared back at him with some surprise at his words.
"That's true, the bar could have been damaged and Makino could have been injured in a crossfight, even with Shanks protecting her. They left without anyone hurt and without damage to the property," replied Lucky Roux, while devouring a large piece of meat in his hands.
Shanks then intervened, fixing his gaze on both Luffy and X at the same time.
"Having power doesn't mean you always have to use it."
"I don't like it… they made you look weak," Luffy replied, frowning.
X remained silent, listening to the conversation, preferring to stay on the sidelines of that small dispute between Shanks and the boy.
Seconds later, Yasopp stood up and went to help X clean up the mess in the bar.
Luffy, meanwhile, turned his back to the counter, still upset. It was then that he noticed something under Yasopp's chair: a small decorative chest, covered with striking engravings. Curiosity got the better of him, so he picked it up and placed it on the bar to open it.
Upon doing so, he discovered inside a strange fruit, purple in color with spiral patterns that seemed to shift under the bar's dim light.
Driven by anger and his emotions of the moment, Luffy grabbed the fruit and took a big bite. The taste hit him immediately; his face twisted, struggling to swallow, until he couldn't anymore and ended up spitting it out in disgust, sticking out his tongue with tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
"This is disgusting…" he muttered, gagging.
Immediately, everyone turned toward him. Shanks, his crew, and also X fixed their gazes on the purple fruit the boy was holding in his hands.
The white-haired boy, recognizing those peculiar patterns, widened his eyes in surprise.
"That's… a Devil Fruit," X whispered, incredulous at what had just happened.