"Idiooot! That's a Devil Fruit! You'll never be able to swim again!" shouted Shanks while grabbing him by the legs and shaking him several times. "Spit it out! Spit it out right now! Spit out every last bite!"
"W-What are you doing, Shanks?!" exclaimed Luffy, confused. But suddenly, his legs stretched automatically, making his face slam against the floor with force.
Then, his body returned to normal, and he looked up at Shanks upside down. "What was that...?"
"What you ate was the Gomu Gomu no Mi! The Gomu Gomu no Mi is a Devil Fruit! Whoever eats it turns their body into rubber, but loses the ability to swim for the rest of their life!" explained Shanks, visibly shaken.
"Eh?! That can't be!" cried Luffy, increasingly worried.
"Idiot!" finished Shanks with a smack on his head.
Some time later, in Luffy's room, X was sitting on a wooden crate, while the boy rested on the bed.
"Damn it... I'll never be able to swim again!" said Luffy, letting a couple of tears fall.
"It must be the worst not being able to do it..." murmured X, turning his gaze toward the window, from where he could see Shanks's ship sailing away on the horizon.
"X... what am I going to do now?" asked Luffy, dejected.
The mentioned one only shifted his eyes slightly to observe him for an instant, then turned back toward the sea, where seagulls were catching fish mid-flight.
"Your life doesn't end just because you can't swim anymore. There are people who don't even like the sea. I don't count myself among them—I like it too much, especially fishing. Right now, I understand your worry, but the only thing I can tell you is... you can become a great pirate without even swimming."
"You... how do you know...?" muttered Luffy, surprised.
"I heard before, when you were talking with Shanks... that you wanted to be a pirate. And not just any pirate, but the Pirate King."
The boy's mouth fell open as he heard X's inspiring words. He couldn't understand how someone his same age could be so mature—he seemed like an adult.
"X... many times I've thought it, you're very mature. How can I be like you?"
Commented Luffy, jumping from the bed and clenching his fists with determination. He looked at the white-haired boy, who returned the gaze with a lazy smile before closing his eyes.
"I'll tell you tomorrow. It's my sleeping time."
"What?! Noooo!" protested Luffy, puffing his cheeks.
"Luffy, keep quiet, you'll wake up the others."
"Ah, right... sorry," he whispered, lowering his voice immediately.
With the light passing through the window, a sign that the day had begun, a noise coming from the bar caught X's attention. For a moment, he thought Shanks had returned, but soon he felt a terrible premonition: those who were there weren't them.
He quickly looked at Luffy, who was still asleep on the lower part of the bed. Then, with a snap, he appeared in the bar. Just as he had sensed, the bandits were arguing with Makino.
"Why is there still no sake?! I told you to get some!" shouted the captain.
"I'm sorry, I had to take care of two kids, so I didn't have time to get it," she replied firmly.
Her answer made all the bandits burst into laughter. Just when the captain was about to lay a hand on her, X snapped his fingers and, in an instant, all the subordinates fell into the sea, leaving only their leader, shocked.
"Who did that?!" he asked nervously, looking around several times. But the only thing he saw was X slowly approaching, hands in his pockets.
"I don't like people like you," said the white-haired boy, smiling mockingly as he tilted his head and formed a circle with his fingers.
"Brat?!" roared the captain.
X brought his hand to his right eye and, with another snap, the bandit disappeared. The bar was left completely empty and intact. Makino, frozen, didn't understand how X could have such unusual powers.
"Where did you send them?" she asked, worried.
"Well... the others I sent to the sea. And as for their leader... he's right here."
He raised his left hand, holding a wooden plank on which there was a perfectly detailed graffiti of the bandit captain.
"Whaaat?! Is this for real?!" exclaimed Makino, holding the plank, incredulous at what she had just witnessed.
"Ahh... they made me wake up ten minutes earlier than planned," yawned the protagonist, gesturing for her to return the plank. Makino handed it over without another word.
"Don't tell anyone about what I did, Makino."
X tossed the plank into the air, spun it with a flick of his fingers, and sent it straight into the sea. At that exact moment, one of the bandits trying to climb up the port was struck squarely by the board, falling back into the water.
Hours later, Shanks and his crew were saying goodbye to X and Luffy as they walked toward their pirate ship.
"Shanks! Remember! Someday I'll become much stronger and form my own crew!" shouted Luffy with conviction.
The red-haired man looked at him from the corner of his eye, smiled, and after turning around, removed the straw hat he always carried with him.
"Here. I'll be waiting. Keep your word and come find me," he said, placing the hat on Luffy's head while ruffling his hair. Luffy, unable to contain his emotions, let several tears fall.
"And you, X? Will you also be a pirate?" asked Shanks.
"I will be the one who changes this world," he replied firmly.
The entire crew fell silent for an instant, until, almost in unison, they nodded in approval.
"Perfect. Train and become stronger."
With a farewell gesture, Shanks raised his arm as the ship began to sail away. Little by little they grew smaller on the horizon, until they disappeared completely.
Several days later…
Luffy was with X. In front of them stood Garp, a tall man with short hair and a white beard, who was also the grandfather of the rubber boy.
"Luffy! How is it that you ate a Devil Fruit?! And who is the one by your side?" exclaimed Garp angrily.
"Hahaha, it's a long story. He's my friend X, he's really strong, that's why I brought him to be with me," answered Luffy with a carefree smile.
While grandfather and grandson argued, in X's head several questions arose as he watched the man. Although he seemed friendly, he exuded a suffocating pressure.
"Garp... a Vice Admiral of the Navy... I didn't expect him to be Luffy's grandfather. I need to be careful with this man," thought the white-haired boy, analyzing him from a distance.
"Come here, brat. I'll introduce myself, though surely you already know. I am—" Garp began to say, before being interrupted by X, who stepped forward.
"I know you. You're Garp, Vice Admiral of the Navy, known as the Hero of the Marines for having cornered the Pirate King on several occasions," declared X confidently.
"Hahahahaha!"
Garp let out a thunderous laugh. The crushing confidence and courage emanating from his grandson's friend surprised him: he didn't even seem afraid. He placed a hand on his chest, trying to calm the excitement that boy's attitude gave him.
"Not bad, kid."
"It'll be an honor to train with you, sir," replied X with a faint smile. Though inside, he thought: "Makino's personality is rubbing off on me... My God." He sighed, tired.