Usopp swallowed hard.
"That guy… is really your younger relative?"
The atmosphere turned strange.
Very strange.
Everyone subconsciously looked at Luffy.
Luffy scratched his head.
"…Yeah."
"…I guess so."
Nami's expression twisted.
"You say it so lightly…"
"That's the kid who wiped us all out."
Sanji leaned against the wall, still sore.
"…Honestly."
"…That brat doesn't even feel real."
Zoro snorted.
"…Calling him a 'monster' is already being polite."
Robin spoke calmly.
"…Blood relations aside…"
"…That level of strength is beyond common sense."
Chopper hugged himself tighter.
"…He was scary."
"…Really scary."
"…I thought I was going to die."
Usopp nodded frantically.
"Me too!"
"I even saw my life flash before my eyes!"
Luffy tilted his head.
"…But he didn't kill us."
Zoro glanced at him.
"That's because he didn't feel the need to."
"…Which is worse."
Silence fell.
Nami rubbed her arms.
"…Seriously."
"…Why is your family like this?"
Luffy laughed awkwardly.
"…I don't know."
He counted on his fingers as if it were simple math.
"Grandpa is strong."
"Dad is strong."
"Now Raifeng is strong."
"…So I just have to be strong too."
Sanji clicked his tongue.
"That logic is way too simple."
Robin smiled faintly.
"…But it's not wrong."
Zoro closed his eyes.
"…Still."
"That gap…"
"…isn't something effort closes overnight."
Usopp's face paled.
"…Then what are we supposed to do?"
Nami took a deep breath.
"…Train."
"And avoid people like that whenever possible."
Sanji nodded.
"At least until we can hit back."
Chopper raised a hoof weakly.
"…I'll train too…"
"…So I won't freeze up again."
Robin looked toward the canals, voice quiet.
"Encounters like this…"
"…are rare."
"But once they happen…"
"…they change everything."
Luffy clenched his fists, fire returning to his eyes.
"…Next time…"
"…I won't lose."
Zoro smirked.
"…You better not."
Usopp sighed.
"…I just hope…"
"…there aren't more 'Monkey D' people waiting out there."
Sanji exhaled smoke.
"…Dream on."
"That family attracts trouble."
Nami shook her head.
"…At this point…"
"…I wouldn't even be surprised anymore."
Luffy placed his straw hat firmly on his head.
"…No matter what…"
"…We'll keep moving forward."
"That's what pirates do."
Robin nodded softly.
"…Yes."
"And storms…"
"…are inevitable."
The sea breeze swept past.
The Straw Hat Pirates slowly pushed themselves up.
Wounded.
Exhausted.
But still standing.
And far away—
The shadow of that seven-year-old still loomed over their future.
A terrifying rival.
A blood-linked one.
And an inevitable storm they couldn't avoid forever.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/senpaistudios1