"Huff... huff... huff..."
Heavy breaths echoed across the deck of the Jackson ship. Kaito Raien was drenched in sweat, grinding through push-ups. This was his second day after crossing over—and also the very first day the system had assigned him permanent daily missions.
"System Permanent Mission: 1000 push-ups, 1000 squats, 1000 sit-ups, and 1000 punches daily. Complete the task to earn +10 Dimension Points!"
"Ah, that feels good."
Kaito stood up after finishing his rounds, exhaling deeply. He shook his head, the crisp sound of his joints cracking as the wood-style chakra worked its magic, rapidly restoring his drained stamina.
"Hey, you the newbie that Captain Roger rescued?"
A loud, cocky voice rang out nearby. Two kids about Kaito's age swaggered over. Leading the pair was a boy with a huge red nose—the future Emperor of the Sea, Baki "Clown" Doke.
The other was none other than the "Face Fruit" Devil Fruit user—the future Emperor known as Red-Haired Shanks, a name that the entire pirate world respected.
"Yeah, that's me." Kaito nodded calmly.
"Hmph. Since you're new, all the ship's chores—sweeping, washing dishes—are on you from now on," Buggy declared with absolute confidence and arrogance. At barely ten years old, this kid was bold enough to challenge Whitebeard Newgate himself—not something for the faint-hearted.
"Don't worry. Do your work well, and I'll have your back on this ship," Shanks added with a sly grin.
"You? Too weak. No thanks. Red Nose, move aside. Don't block my training," Kaito scoffed, brushing past Buggy. Right now, both Buggy and Shanks were nothing compared to him.
The clash between Buggy and Kaito caught the eyes of the other crew members on the Jackson, but none stepped in. After all, on a pirate ship, fights were inevitable. If Kaito was just some ordinary kid who couldn't handle a simple scuffle, he wouldn't last long on this journey.
Buggy's face turned beet red from Kaito's "Red Nose" insult. Furious, he raised his dagger and lunged at Kaito, aiming to teach him a lesson.
"Roger, you gonna step in?" Rayleigh, standing beside Roger, asked cautiously. After all, they were comrades on the same ship—any accident could be disastrous.
"No need. I think Kaito's not as simple as he seems," Roger said, his dark eyes studying Kaito intently. Something about him today felt different from yesterday—he just couldn't put his finger on it.
"Wood Style: Wood Wall!"
Kaito took a step back, and suddenly a massive wooden wall materialized in front of him, blocking Buggy's blade with a sharp clang.
"Wood Style: Binding Technique!"
Thick wooden vines shot out from the wall, instantly wrapping around Buggy like a giant bamboo-wrapped rice dumpling. No matter how he struggled, he was trapped.
[+20 Dimension Points from Roger]
[+20 Dimension Points from Rayleigh]
[+20 Dimension Points from Jaba]
...
[+10 Dimension Points from ] x15
The system's notification echoed in Kaito's mind. A faint smile appeared on his lips. Though he hadn't awakened his Observation Haki yet, he knew that nothing on this ship escaped the watchful eyes of the future Pirate King, Roger.
"Swish!"
Seeing his good friend caught, Shanks launched his attack. Compared to Buggy, Shanks was much stronger—he could easily take on ten Buggy.
But even the eight-year-old Shanks was too weak to match Kaito's wood-style powers.
"Hey, what are you doing? You don't really think you killed me, do you?"
Kaito stepped out from behind his wooden clone, teasing the stunned Shanks.
"You're... you're okay?!"
Shanks gasped, looking from Kaito to the wooden clone that looked exactly like him. Slowly, realization dawned.
"Are you a Devil Fruit user?" Shanks asked.
"Yeah, kind of," Kaito replied vaguely. In the world of pirates, wood-style could count as a Devil Fruit power—just a special kind that made the user immune to seawater's curse.
"Alright, enough fighting. Kaito, Shanks, you're both on the same ship now. Don't let silly jokes come between us. As comrades, you should trust each other with your backs," Roger said, walking over with a big grin, grabbing both their shoulders.
"Hmph!" Buggy, just released from his bonds, shot Kaito a glare full of resentment. Clearly, he was still mad about the "Red Nose" insult.
"Now that everyone's back, mates, it's time to celebrate! Let's have a feast for our new comrade!" Roger announced.
"Yoo-hoo! Feast time!"
"Party time!"
"Let's go!"
With the rousing pirate song "Binks' Sake" filling the air, the Jackson's crew erupted into celebration. Everyone let loose, and even Buggy couldn't resist shaking hands with Kaito in this cheerful atmosphere.
After all, Buggy was just a kid of eight or nine years old.
"Hey, Kaito, can you tell me what kind of ability you have?"
Buggy sat beside Kaito with a juice cup, curiosity shining in his eyes. After all, Roger's crew had only one confirmed Devil Fruit user—Douglas Bullet, the monster who always challenged Captain Roger from the bow of the ship!
"Guess!" Kaito replied with a sly grin.
Since joining Roger's crew, Kaito had been observing everyone carefully. Bullet hadn't gained his Devil Fruit powers until after losing faith and leaving the crew, all in his quest to defeat Roger and become the strongest.
Feasts were always brief but joyful. The night on the Jackson ship passed with laughter and camaraderie.
Continued...