Today, the small bar of Foosha Village was lively with the pirates' usual loudness.
"Bwahahaha! Drink up!"
"A toast to Luffy's courage!"
"What a foolish boy, with guts bigger than his head!"
A tick appeared on Ace's forehead. He glared at the noisy pirates and yelled, "Shut up! Stop encouraging him!"
"It didn't hurt at all!" Sitting on the high stool, with a bandage under his left eye, Luffy tried to put on a brave face, though tears still lingered in the corners of his eyes.
Ace snapped his head toward him, giving him a harsh glare. "You idiot! Instead of proving your so-called bravery, you are just showing everyone how stupid you can be!"
"Now, now, don't be too angry. Anger is not good for your health."
Then there was Sabo, trying to be a peacemaker. "I'm sure Luffy has learned his lesson by now."
Soon after he finished his words, they both watched as Luffy ignored them, jumped off the stool, and went to bother Shanks.
"Shanks, I have proved it! I am not the least bit afraid of getting hurt. You are going to take me with you on your next voyage, right?! I want to be a pirate already!"
Since he could not best his powerful older sister, now he was resorting to pleading with the pirate captain to let him join the crew.
Shanks had intended to laugh and tease the boy, but seeing Ace's glaring eyes from the back, he swallowed the words he had wanted to say. Instead, he calmly replied, "Look, kiddo, I've never agreed to take you on my ship just because you did a foolish thing like stabbing your own face."
"But you said you would take me if I proved I was tough!"
"Not by stabbing your face, dummy!"
"Enough, Luffy! Just wait until Naru hears about this, and then we will see how she sorts you out. You are not going anywhere until you are seventeen, remember?"
Although he shivered at the mention of their elder sister, Luffy could not resist responding, "Then I want to be seventeen now."
Shanks shook his head with amusement. "Kiddo, it does not work like that. You have to wait another ten years for that. Besides, Ace is right. You have not won a single sparring match against Naru. How could you leave without fulfilling your promise? Real men keep their promises, you know?"
Before the conversation could continue, the entrance of the bar suddenly crashed open with a loud bang, splintered wood flying in all directions. The lively atmosphere froze as pirates and villagers alike turned to face the intruders. A group of filthy men swaggered in, arrogance dripping from every movement. They were mountain bandits, and their leader, a rough-looking man with a thick mustache and a sneer plastered across his face, took the lead. Higuma, as he was called, strode forward, beady eyes scanning the bar with blatant disdain.
"Oi, bartender! We are here for some sake! Get us the best you have!" Higuma barked, his voice grating on the ears.
Makino, unused to confronting rude and aggressive people, swallowed nervously but maintained her polite tone. "I am sorry, but we have run out of sake."
"What?" Higuma's voice turned sharp. "You dare tell me a place full of pirates has no sake? What are they drinking then? Fruit juice? Milk?"
Shanks, still seated at the counter, lifted a bottle of sake. "Here, if you do not mind, you can have this. No hard feelings."
For a moment, Higuma seemed caught off guard. Then his sneer deepened. With a swift motion, he knocked the bottle from Shanks' hand, shattering it on the floor.
The bar fell silent.
Higuma scoffed.
"What kind of fool do you think I am? You pirates think you are above everyone else, huh?" He pulled a crumpled wanted poster from his coat and slammed it onto the counter. "You see this? I have an eight million Beri bounty on my head! I have killed fifty-six men. Fifty-six! You weaklings have no idea who you are dealing with."
Shanks, unfazed, calmly knelt to gather the broken shards of glass, ignoring the bandit's display entirely.
Makino tried to protest. "Shanks-San…"
"It is fine, Bartender-San. Phew, these are some sharp glasses," Shanks said while continuing to pick up the fragments.
The casual dismissal made Higuma's face flush with fury. "You bastard…!" He reached for his sword, preparing to teach the pirate a lesson.
Before he could strike, another voice cut in sharply. "Oi."
The bar's attention turned to Ace. He had risen from his seat, arms crossed over his chest, dark eyes burning with disdain. "Are you done running your mouth yet?"
Higuma blinked in surprise before scoffing. "And who are you, brat?"
Ace ignored the insult. "You think waving around an eight million Beri bounty makes you frightening? That only proves you are a small fry, you arrogant fool." He tilted his head slightly, a cocky smirk forming. "I have met bandits with larger bounties who were not half as full of themselves as you."
It was a lie. Dadan's bounty was only three million Beri, but nobody outside the family knew that.
Higuma's face twisted with rage. "Why you little—"
Years of training under Garp had hardened Ace. He was not intimidated by a small, arrogant bandit. Whether influenced by Garp, or guided by Naru's lessons about justice and standing for the helpless, Ace truly looked down on someone like Higuma. Seeing Shanks remain calm, and his crew doing nothing, did not mean Ace would allow a brainless hooligan to cause trouble in his grandfather's hometown.
"You walk in here, cause trouble, and think you are some big shot just because of a measly eight million Beri on your head?" Ace scoffed. "Pathetic."
Higuma turned red with anger, but before he could speak, another brat joined in.
Sabo, standing beside Ace, grinned. "Do you even know whose place this is? Do you really think you can just waltz in like you own it?"
Seeing his brothers step up, Luffy wanted in. He stuck out his tongue at them. "We'll tell Grandpa about this! Blehh!"
Higuma and his gang, accustomed to terrorizing mountains, were not used to being challenged by brats. However, pride in their reputation as notorious mountain bandits made it impossible for them to tolerate disrespect from children.
"Tch, you mean Garp? That old man?"
One of the bandits chuckled mockingly. "Hah! What does it matter? No Marines or heroes are here to stop us."
Higuma smirked, crossing his arms. "Even if this place belonged to some Marine, he is obviously not here to protect it." He leaned forward, voice dripping with mockery. "Or are you going to call the 'mighty' Marine Hero Garp? Even if this is his hometown, he clearly does not care enough to send a couple of guard dogs!"
Then, a chilling voice echoed from the entrance. "He doesn't need to send anyone."
All eyes turned toward the doorway. A lone figure stood there, arms crossed. Her presence sent a ripple of unease through the bar. "I'm alone is enough to deal with you fools."
The one who spoke was Naru, her blue eyes carrying a lazy sharpness as she observed the bandits like one would inspect dirt on their shoe. Compared to several months ago, her long hair was now tied back, revealing the sharp angles of her face, her expression unreadable but holding an undeniable authority.
Ace smirked at the sight of the familiar figure. "Took you long enough. Look at this guy, he thinks that his eight million Beri makes him dangerous!"
"Took a detour," she replied simply, then turned her gaze toward the bandits. "Eight million Beri, huh?" She scoffed, shaking her head. "That could feed this entire town for a couple of years."
Higuma growled. "You little b—"
He lunged at her, but he barely took a step before a blur of movement stopped him. In the blink of an eye, Naru closed the distance, delivering a brutal kick to his stomach. Higuma flew backward, crashing into a nearby table and sending it splintering under him.
The other bandits hesitated for a brief second before roaring in anger and charging at her. That was when Ace cracked his knuckles, stepping beside her with a sharp grin. "Don't hog all the fun, sis."
Luffy, despite the lingering tears at the corners of his eyes, brightened immediately. "Yeah! Let's beat them up!"
Sabo twirled his pipe staff in his hands, sighing dramatically. "Guess I'll join in before they embarrass themselves."
Then chaos erupted.
Ace ducked under a bandit's clumsy swing, retaliating with a precise punch to the gut that sent the man sprawling. Luffy, grinning wildly, charged another bandit, landing a solid hit to his face before dodging a retaliatory strike. He giggled, bouncing around with reckless excitement. "Come on, fight me, fight me!"
Sabo moved with precision, using his pipe staff to disarm and trip multiple bandits in smooth, fluid motions. "You guys really don't know how to fight, huh?" he commented as he knocked a bandit out cold.
Naru, meanwhile, moved like a force of nature, effortlessly taking down opponents on all sides. With every fluid motion, a bandit fell, groaning in pain. One lunged from behind, but she twisted mid-air and slammed her heel into his face, sending him tumbling across the floor.
"Too slow," she muttered under her breath.
The spectacle was... something else.
At the bar, Shanks and his crew were watching the scene unfold, utterly amused.
"Are we just gonna sit here and watch?" Yasopp asked, chuckling.
Shanks grinned, sipping his drink. "They don't look like they need our help."
Yasopp laughed heartily, throwing his head back. "Those kids are something else!"
Ben Beckman exhaled smoke from his cigarette, smirking slightly. "It is not every day you see a bunch of kids wiping the floor with a gang of grown men."
Makino, on the other hand, had her hands clasped nervously, concern written all over her face. "Should we stop them?" she asked, clearly worried.
Shanks waved her off casually, his grin unwavering. "No. This is a valuable lesson for those idiots."
Within minutes, the last bandit fell to the floor with a heavy thud, groaning in pain. Higuma, dazed and thoroughly humiliated, attempted to crawl away, but Naru planted her foot firmly on his back, pinning him securely.
The mayor arrived just in time to witness the aftermath. He looked at the defeated bandits, then at Naru, who casually dusted off her hands before addressing him. "Hi there, Grandpa Mayor. Can you send some people to tie them up? I will arrange for them to be taken away, and we can claim the bounty for the village fund."
As the townspeople cheered, the three brothers turned to Naru, grinning widely.
"We totally won that!" Luffy shouted excitedly, bouncing in place.
Ace smirked confidently. "Of course we did."
Sabo shrugged, leaning on his pipe staff. "Well, that was fun."
But Naru was not smiling.
Her sharp gaze locked onto Luffy, her expression shifting from amusement to something much colder.
"What happened to your face?" she asked, her tone carrying a dangerous edge.
Luffy froze, a nervous laugh escaping him as he rubbed at the bandage under his eye. "Uh... I-I can explain?"
The atmosphere turned tense.
Shanks took another sip of his drink and grinned. "Well, he's dead."
Ace crossed his arms, and after an annoyed huff, he said, "This idiot stabbed himself"
A beat of silence fell. Naru's eyes twitched.
"…He did what?"
Sabo sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "He wanted to prove that he was brave, so he stabbed himself under the eye. Then he ran around bragging about it."
"Yep, and he was crying, too," Ace added mercilessly.
"I was NOT!" Luffy shouted, puffing up his cheeks.
Naru's expression darkened. She slowly turned to face Luffy, who, despite his bravado, visibly shrunk under her glare.
"Luffy." Her voice was unnervingly calm. "Come here."
Luffy gulped. "Uh—"
Before he could move, Naru reached out swiftly and grabbed his cheek. Then she pinched, firmly.
"Ow ow ow ow ow! Nee-chan, let go!" Luffy wailed, wriggling in protest.
But Naru ignored him. She gave his cheek a firm tug, intending to stretch it slightly in frustration, but instead, it stretched unnaturally far. She froze.
"…What?"
Confused, she let go, watching as Luffy's skin snapped back into place like elastic. Her fingers twitched. Experimentally, she pinched his other cheek and pulled. Again, it stretched ridiculously far.
"Eh?" Naru blinked, startled.
"What the hell—" Ace and Sabo both leaned closer, eyes wide with shock.
"Luffy, have you always been this stretchy?" Naru asked, yanking his cheek again just to confirm.
"StoOoOopppp iiiiiitttttt!" Luffy wailed, flailing his arms wildly.
Sabo and Ace watched in fascination, while the Red Hair Pirates appeared equally taken aback by the bizarre display.
Shanks, who had been observing with mild amusement, suddenly stiffened. A terrible thought flashed through his mind, and his eyes darted toward the counter. His gaze locked onto an opened treasure chest, its contents missing. His stomach sank.
"Wait a minute…" he muttered, face paling. His voice rose sharply. "WHERE IS THE DEVIL FRUIT?!"
Everyone in the bar turned toward him, startled by the sudden outburst.
Luffy blinked, still trapped in Naru's grasp. "Eh? You mean that yucky fruit? It was really gross."
A heavy silence fell over the bar. The Red Hair Pirates froze, jaws dropping in horror. Shanks, face a mixture of disbelief and despair, turned back to Luffy.
"You… you ATE IT?!" he shouted, grabbing Luffy by the shoulders and shaking him frantically.
Luffy, now dizzy from both the shaking and the cheek-pulling, groaned. "Stoooop! You are making me sick!"
Naru folded her arms and glared at Shanks. "Oi, stop yelling at my brother," she scolded coldly. "And speak properly if you are going to say something."
Shanks let go of Luffy, running trembling hands through his hair. "Luffy, that was not just any fruit! That was a Devil Fruit!"
"A Devil Fruit?" Ace repeated, brow furrowing in disbelief.
"You mean those strange fruits that give people bizarre powers?" Sabo added. "Like the ones in adventure stories?"
"Yes!" Shanks groaned, rubbing his temples. "And the one Luffy ate was the Gomu Gomu no Mi. It turned him into a rubber man."
To demonstrate, Shanks grabbed Luffy's arm and gave it a sharp tug. Instead of resisting, Luffy's arm stretched out like rubber, lengthening far across the bar before snapping back with a comical twang.
The bar fell silent for a few moments.
Then,
"AWESOME!" Luffy shouted, holding out his arms and stretching them experimentally. "I AM A RUBBER MAN!"
Naru's eye twitched. She grabbed Luffy's face again and squished it between her palms, making him look ridiculous. "So you are telling me that my idiot little brother just ate a treasure and turned himself into a human slingshot?"
Luffy nodded enthusiastically despite the squished cheeks. "Mmmhmm!"
Sabo laughed at the spectacle, while Ace facepalmed in exhaustion. "Only you, Luffy… only you."
Naru let go of Luffy with a sigh before turning her sharp eyes toward Shanks. "And you," she said, glaring at the red-haired captain. "What kind of irresponsible pirate leaves a rare Devil Fruit lying around in a random treasure chest?"
Shanks winced. "I-It was not supposed to be opened!" he said, looking helplessly at his crew for backup. "I thought we hid it well!"
"Not well enough," Beckman remarked, smirking as he puffed on his cigarette. "You do realize you just gave Garp's grandson a Devil Fruit, right?"
That realization hit Shanks like a cannonball. His face went pale once more.
"Oh crap."
If Garp found out that his grandson had been influenced by pirates and had consumed a Devil Fruit under his watch, Shanks shuddered at the thought. That old man would come down on him like a hurricane.
Not wanting to deal with Shanks' impending breakdown, Naru turned on her heel and gestured toward the door. "Alright, we are leaving. Enough trouble for today."
Luffy, still fascinated with his new powers, stretched his arm and grabbed a chair just to see it snap back. "Whoa! This is so cool!"
Naru promptly smacked him on the head. "Stop playing around!"
The three brothers followed her out, but before they left, Ace shot a glare at Shanks. "You better take responsibility for this, old man."
Shanks' left eye twitched. "I am still a young handsome man, you brat!"
"Pfft! Old man!" Ace called one last time.
Once the kids were gone, a deep chuckle broke the silence.
Beckman, leaning casually against the counter, smirked at his captain. "You sure know how to pick 'em, Shanks."
Shanks groaned and slumped onto a stool. "Uhhh.."
Lucky Roo, munching on a piece of meat, chuckled. "But you have to admit, Captain… Those kids are something else."
Shanks, still recovering from the encounter, rubbed his head with a tired grin.
"Yeah," he murmured, watching the door where the siblings had left. "I really want to see how far they go."
Then he thought about Naru's attitude and chuckled.
"…But I doubt she'd ever agree to be under anyone. She's got the presence of a captain herself."
Lucky Roo laughed. "Yeah, I don't see her following orders. If anything, she'd take over the ship."
Shanks shook his head in amusement. "Maybe so."
The Red Hair Pirates laughed along, already imagining what kind of future those three chaotic kids would carve for themselves.
"Um, have you told them about the side effects after consuming a Devil Fruit?"
"..."
"..."
"Naru is smart. Surely she knows. Right?"
"..."