One Piece: The Deadly

The Straw Hats were gathered at a cozy restaurant on a lively port island. Plates of food were piled high, and laughter filled the air as Luffy devoured everything in sight. Kikidori sat next to Zoro, casually munching on a piece of bread, while Ere'ana sat across from him, smiling softly.

At the table next to theirs, another pirate crew was seated—the Rase Pirates. They weren't particularly loud, but their tense demeanor didn't go unnoticed by the Straw Hats. The Rase crew whispered among themselves while reading a fresh copy of the news.

"Captain Rase, you've got to see this!" Vanki, the crew's scaredy cat, whispered, shoving the newspaper in Rase's direction.

Rase, a tall man with slicked-back silver hair and a green coat draped over his shoulders, took the paper and read aloud, "Kikidori of the Straw Hat Pirates: The first child in history to surpass 100 million berries, now labeled *The Serpent King.*"

The Rase crew exchanged uneasy glances.

"Who cares?" Rase scoffed, tossing the paper onto the table. "It's just some kid. 150 million? That's nothing."

"But, Captain…" Vanki stammered, pointing at a specific line in the article. "It says here that the Five Elders, Shanks, Buggy, and even Blackbeard believe he could become the strongest pirate in existence someday."

"Yeah," added Fanchii, their doctor, nervously adjusting his glasses. "I mean, if those names are taking him seriously, shouldn't we?"

"Pfft," Rase scoffed again, leaning back in his chair. "Let me tell you something. Strongest or not, he's still just a brat. And brats don't belong in the New World."

The Rase Pirates chuckled in agreement, except for Vanki, who nervously glanced over his shoulder.

Unfortunately for them, Luffy had overheard everything. He paused mid-bite and tilted his straw hat back. "Hey…"

The Rase Pirates froze as Luffy turned toward them, his wide grin flashing. "I agree with what they said about Kikidori," he said casually.

The entire Rase crew stiffened, their eyes wide with terror.

"Wait…" Chanko, the first mate, whispered urgently. "Did he just say… he agrees?"

"That means…" Tauro, one of the swordsmen, began, but he couldn't even finish his sentence.

Meanwhile, Kikidori blinked in surprise. "Wait, what are we talking about?"

"They're talking about you, Kiki," Zoro said with a smirk, leaning back in his chair.

"Me?!" Kikidori said, startled.

The Rase Pirates' faces turned pale as they realized the entire Straw Hat crew was now looking at them.

"Hey, I think I recognize them," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette. "That's the Rase Pirates, right? They're not exactly nobodies."

Robin leaned in, resting her chin on her hand. "No, but they don't seem very confident, do they?"

"That's because they're *scared* of us," Usopp said proudly, puffing out his chest.

The Rase Pirates couldn't take the pressure anymore.

"Captain, what do we do?!" Vanki whispered frantically.

"Let's get out of here!" Rase hissed, standing up so quickly that his chair toppled over. "We don't want trouble with the Straw Hats!"

"But we haven't even finished eating—" Chamaro began, but Rase cut him off.

"NOW!"

The entire Rase crew scrambled to their feet, hastily throwing down some berries to cover their meal before bolting out of the restaurant.

The Straw Hats watched them go, amused.

"Man, they were scared," Luffy said, laughing.

"Guess your reputation is spreading faster than you thought, Kikidori," Nami said, giving him a teasing smile.

"Yeah…" Kikidori said, scratching the back of his head. "But why would people think I'm gonna be the strongest pirate? I mean, I still have so much to learn."

"Because potential is a dangerous thing," Zoro said, crossing his arms. "People see your fruit, your sword, and your bounty, and they start to imagine what you *could* be, not what you are now."

"And with the company you keep," Robin added, gesturing toward the crew, "it's no wonder they're starting to believe the hype."

Kikidori looked down at his plate, feeling a mix of pride and nervousness. He had never thought of himself as someone who could become the strongest. But if people believed in him… maybe it wasn't impossible.

"Don't let it go to your head, kid," Sanji said, ruffling Kikidori's hair as he walked past.

"I won't," Kikidori said with a grin. "But it's still kinda cool, right?"

The crew laughed, and the meal continued as if nothing had happened.

But deep down, Kikidori couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning. And somewhere out there, the Rase Pirates were running, knowing they had just encountered a crew destined to change the world.

End of Chapter 28