Because they had run so fast, by the time Law and Ace reached Kaito, Law was already bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
Compared to Law, who was panting heavily, Ace didn't look tired at all.
After all, Ace was the son of Gol D. Roger. He had been healthy since childhood and had often been "specially trained" by Garp. Now, he was even undergoing one-on-one training under Garp himself, and his strength was improving rapidly.
He might still be a kid, but physically, he was already much stronger than many ordinary Navy soldiers.
Law, on the other hand, had only recently recovered from his illness. And his current life was far more comfortable than what he experienced in the original anime, which made him focus more on studying medicine rather than combat.
As soon as the two boys reached Kaito, they were both immediately drawn to the horn on Kaito's forehead.
Ace exclaimed in shock,
"Kaito! Why do you have a horn on your head just like that idiot Yamato!?"
Ace's words instantly made Yamato's face darken. With a flash, she appeared beside Ace and gave him a solid punch to the head.
Ace cried out in pain, clutching the big bump that had instantly formed on his head as he glared at Yamato.
"You only bully me because I'm small right now! Just wait, I swear I'll grow taller and stronger than you someday!"
Kaito shook his head at that, thinking,
Taller and stronger? Yeah, good luck with that. Even when you grow up, you'll still look tiny next to her.
Yamato scoffed, then said with a huff,
"You think I'd be scared of a little brat like you? Taller and stronger? Ridiculous! Listen up! I've already learned a special training method from my sensei—you'll never beat me in this lifetime!"
"Nani!? Kaito, is that true!?"
Kaito didn't answer. Instead, he used the same method Yamato had used and gave her a matching bump on the head, finally quieting her down.
After sorting Yamato out, Kaito smiled and gently patted both of the kids on the head, then asked,
"So, what are you two up to?"
Ace jumped in first,
"I learned Soru from Grandpa today! Kaito, wanna see?"
"Oh?"
Kaito raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.
While Ace's talent was undeniable, his age was still a limiting factor. Soru required a high level of physical ability—had Ace really learned it already?
Ace was clearly provoked by Kaito's doubtful tone and was eager to prove himself.
He took a deep breath and began rapidly stomping the ground with both feet. To be fair, it actually looked somewhat impressive.
Kaito nodded to himself.
The Roger bloodline really does have some serious potential.
With a serious look on his face, Ace muttered,
"Soru!"
Whoosh!
Ace vanished from his original spot.
The next moment, he was plastered in a starfish pose against a large tree, and then slowly slid down.
The three girls—Kalifa, Ain, and the others—covered their mouths, stifling their laughter. Law facepalmed with one hand, utterly embarrassed by his friend.
Ace climbed back up, clutching his head in pain and grumbling,
"It worked earlier today! Why did it have to mess up at the crucial moment?!"
Kaito chuckled and shook his head. After making sure Ace was okay, he let him stay there wallowing in self-doubt.
He then turned to Law, whose eyes dropped when he saw Kaito looking at him.
Law couldn't help feeling embarrassed. Even though Ace's Soru had failed, at least it was something. If he tried to show off something, he'd probably make an even bigger fool of himself.
Thinking that, Law lowered his head, not daring to meet Kaito's gaze.
Kaito was used to Law behaving this way around him. Looking at Law, he asked,
"Law, Ace just showed me what he's been learning in the Navy. What about you? Do you have anything you want to show me?"
That question stumped Law.
He thought Kaito was asking about combat training, and he had little interest in that. Most of his energy had gone into learning medical knowledge.
Called out like that, Law felt more than a little flustered. He really didn't want to disappoint Kaito—his idol.
Seeing that Law didn't respond for a while, Kaito didn't get upset. He simply continued asking patiently,
"What's wrong? Having some trouble with your studies? It's okay—medicine is a complex subject to begin with."
"Huh? You mean... you were talking about medical studies?"
"Yeah. What else would I be asking about?"
"No, no—I thought you meant combat training. I didn't expect you meant medicine!"
Realizing Kaito was referring to medical studies, Law's eyes lit up. He immediately straightened up and said earnestly,
"Kaito-sensei, lately I've been studying the differences in physical structure between males and females..."
Kalifa and Ain both blushed at the topic. Only Yamato tilted her head, clearly not quite understanding.
Kaito looked a bit awkward too. He quickly stopped Law, who was about to go into full lecture mode, and reached into the Door-Door Space to retrieve a syringe-shaped Devil Fruit.
He placed it into Law's hand.
Law stared blankly at the fruit in his palm, then looked up at Kaito, clearly confused.
Kaito reached out to ruffle his hair and smiled.
"You've been working really hard on your studies lately. This is a reward for you. It's called the Horm-Horm Fruit. Eating it will help you go further down the path of medicine."
"This... is for me?"
Law looked at Kaito in disbelief.
He couldn't believe Kaito was giving such a valuable Devil Fruit to him.
He knew how precious Devil Fruits were—even the most useless ones could fetch over a hundred million Belly on the market.
That was more than what most people earned in a lifetime. And yet, Kaito was giving it to him just like that.
Thinking about it, Law's body began to tremble, and his eyes welled up with tears. He had no idea how he could ever repay Kaito's kindness.
Kaito saw his reaction and smiled knowingly, then crouched down to look Law in the eye.
"Don't feel pressured. This fruit isn't just for you—it's for the entire Navy. I believe that after you eat it, you'll be able to save countless Marines in the future."
Meeting Kaito's encouraging gaze, Law carefully held the Horm-Horm Fruit in front of him, swallowed hard, and then, eyes filled with determination, stuffed the entire fruit into his mouth.
Kaito's eyebrow twitched just watching it.
He's really doing it...
Kaito had just experienced a small sample of that fruit himself earlier—and even that tiny bite was enough to make his soul want to escape his body.
The thought of swallowing the whole thing made his skin crawl.
Sure enough, Law couldn't swallow the entire thing in one go, and had to chew it a few times.
Law opened his mouth, ready to spit it out—fortunately, Kaito reacted fast. He clamped a hand over Law's mouth and gave him a push.
Gulp!
And just like that, Law swallowed the whole thing.
Law dropped to the ground and dry-heaved, crying in pain. It took a long while before he finally lifted his head.
Fighting the urge to vomit, he looked at Kaito and asked,
"Kaito-sensei... was that really meant to be eaten by people?"