That entrance, that power, that visual effect… it was perfect!
I, Kyle, would call that a perfect display of skill! He wondered if any World Government news birds were nearby. Would his first real battle be recorded? Would he finally get his own wanted poster?
"Kyle, bounty…" he stroked his chin, lost in thought. "Hmm, it should at least start at a million Berries! The photo has to be a handsome one, preferably that shot of me walking on the waves just now!"
He was completely immersed in his beautiful daydream of becoming famous across the seas when Roger's loud, atmosphere-shattering voice boomed from the ship.
"Kuhahaha! Kyle! Well done! Come on back, it's time for a banquet!"
Kyle smacked his lips, still feeling like he could go for another round. The water beneath his feet rippled, and with a light leap, he landed back on the deck.
That night, a bonfire crackled on the deck, its warm light illuminating the faces of the three men. Several large pieces of fatty meat sizzled over the flames, their delicious aroma wafting through the air. Roger and Rayleigh raised their wine glasses, clinking them together with a dull thud.
"To our future great pirate, Kyle, on his first successful battle! Cheers!" Roger laughed, downing his rum in one go.
Kyle excitedly raised his own cup, about to join the toast, but Rayleigh subtly moved his own glass to block him. He looked down and saw that his wooden cup didn't contain rum. It was filled with… orange juice, emitting a sweet fragrance.
"Minors are prohibited from drinking alcohol," Rayleigh said, pushing up his glasses. His tone was calm but left no room for argument.
Kyle's excited smile froze on his face. "But…"
"Kuhahaha! Kids should drink juice!" Roger refilled his glass, giving Kyle a look of pure schadenfreude.
Muttering under his breath, Kyle angrily chugged a large gulp of orange juice. Tsk, orange juice is good, he complained to himself. Orange juice is healthy. It prevents scurvy!
After three rounds of drinks and five courses of meat, Kyle lay sprawled on a wooden crate, patting his round belly and letting out a satisfied burp. He gazed at the ship wreckage floating in the distance and was suddenly struck by a very serious problem.
"Damn Captain," he said weakly, "I think… we lost out on this one."
"Hmm?" Roger, who was now drinking straight from a wine barrel, looked at him in confusion.
"I smashed their ship," Kyle said, his expression pained. "The Berries, the treasures, the food on board… didn't it all sink to the bottom of the sea? We fought for nothing."
Roger paused, a piece of meat halfway to his mouth. A moment of realization dawned on his face, and he slapped his thigh. "You're right!"
Beside them, Rayleigh sighed helplessly. The way these two thought was always so strange.
"Kuhahaha! Little Kyle, you've got a good head on your shoulders!" Roger, his face flushed from the alcohol, stood up excitedly and staggered over to Kyle. "But money is a small matter! Your performance today was great, but there's still a lot of room for improvement!"
He held up a finger and wiggled it in front of Kyle's face. "Your attack was flashy, but the power wasn't focused enough! If you could just add that, the power could easily double!"
"That?" Kyle's brain was struggling to keep up.
"Haki! Armament Haki!" Roger grinned, giving him a look that clearly said, you don't even know this? "Come on! I'll teach you right now! Let me show you what true power looks like!"
Kyle instantly perked up. He leaped to his feet, his eyes shining with anticipation. Armament Haki! This was the signature ability of every strong fighter in the New World!
Rayleigh glanced at Roger's drunken state, and a clear warning of 'danger' flashed in his eyes. He opened his mouth as if to protest, but ultimately just let out a long sigh. He chose to pick up his drink and move back, wisely putting some distance between himself and the "teaching site."
"Watch closely, little Kyle!" Roger planted his feet in a wide stance, took a deep breath, and clenched his right fist. "Armament Haki… is like this!"
His fist was instantly coated in a glossy, jet-black layer that shone like metal. Then, with a loud grunt, he slammed it hard against the hull of their own ship!
"Hup!"
CRACK—SPLISH! A horrible, teeth-grinding crunch echoed across the deck, and time seemed to freeze.
Roger's fist… had gone straight through the ship's planks. A large, jagged hole now marred the hull, and cold seawater was gushing into the cabin with a furious roar. The festive atmosphere on the deck instantly dropped to a freezing point.
Roger slowly withdrew his fist. He looked down at the hole, which was still violently spewing water, then looked back at his own hand. The alcohol seemed to drain from his face, and his expression gradually went blank.
Kyle's excitement and anticipation turned to stone, then shattered into a million pieces. His pupils contracted into pinpricks, his mouth fell wide open, and his face twisted into an expression of pure, unadulterated horror. The next second, a heart-wrenching scream tore through the night sky.
"YOU DAMN CAPTAIN—!"
Kyle scrambled over to the broken hole, looking at the seawater pouring in and feeling his own heart turn to ice.
"The ship's going to sink! We're finished!" He fumbled desperately, trying to block the hole with his hands, but the force of the water was too strong. He couldn't hold it back at all!
"Ahaha… well, that was purely an accident…" Roger mumbled, awkwardly scratching his head as he tried to explain himself.
"Accident my foot!" Kyle shrieked, nearly in tears as he turned back to Roger. "Who told you to use our own ship for a demonstration?!"
Seeing the water level inside rising rapidly, he had a sudden flash of inspiration. He slammed both of his hands onto the planks surrounding the hole. The Wave-Wave Fruit's ability activated instantly.
"Get… back!"
He channeled a high-frequency vibration into the ship's hull. The planks around the hole began to vibrate violently, and the surging seawater was forcibly pushed outwards by this power, forming a temporary "wave barrier." Immediately after, Kyle cupped his hands and controlled the seawater that had already entered the cabin, forming it into a stream that he shot back out through the very hole it had come from.
By the time he was done, he was panting and drenched in sweat. But the crisis wasn't over; the hole was still there.
"Hey! Rayleigh! Stop watching the show and find something to patch the ship!" Kyle turned and yelled at Rayleigh, who had retreated all the way to the mast.
Rayleigh sighed again. He put down his wine glass with an expression that said, "I knew this would happen," and resignedly began to search the ship for spare planks and tools.
And the culprit, Roger, after his initial surprise, looked at Kyle's panicked expression and finally couldn't hold it in any longer. He burst into earth-shattering laughter.
"Kuhahahahaha! Little Kyle! You… your face was priceless just now! Kuhahaha!"
"Laugh all you want, you damn idiot! Are you going to help or not?!"
Finally, with the three of them fumbling around, they managed to barely patch the broken hole with a few spare planks. Kyle lay sprawled out on the wet deck like a dead fish, staring lifelessly at the stars in the sky. He could only see one thing in his future: a whole lot of misery.
Is it too late to get off this ship now…?