One Piece: The Deadly

The Thousand Sunny was anchored at a small, lively port town. The crew was enjoying the atmosphere, each busy with their own activities. Kikidori was on deck, practicing with his sword under Zoro's watchful eye. The clinking sound of metal echoed through the air as Kikidori struggled to replicate a new technique Zoro had just demonstrated.

"Again," Zoro ordered, his tone stern but not unkind.

Kikidori groaned but lifted his blade. "I'm trying! This is harder than it looks, you know."

"You want to use that cursed sword properly? Then you'd better figure it out," Zoro said with a smirk.

Suddenly, there was a commotion on the dock. A boy with messy green hair and a long black coat stood defiantly in front of Luffy, who had his signature grin plastered on his face. The boy was the same age as Kikidori, but his presence carried a certain edge.

"I'm Emerald D. Raiko," the boy announced loudly, his voice filled with determination. "And I'm joining your crew!"

The crew turned to look, some more amused than surprised.

"Another one?" Sanji muttered, lighting a cigarette.

"What's with all these kids wanting to join the crew lately?" Usopp added, scratching his head.

Luffy's grin widened. "You wanna join us? Sure, why not!"

Raiko blinked. "Wait… you're not even going to ask why?"

"Nope," Luffy said, laughing. "If you wanna join, you're in!"

"Luffy!" Nami scolded, smacking him on the head. "You can't just let anyone join without asking questions!"

"Hey, I did the same with you guys," Luffy protested, rubbing his head.

Raiko ignored the exchange and glanced around the ship. His gaze landed on Kikidori, who had stopped training and was now staring at him with wide eyes.

"You…" Raiko said, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone.

Kikidori blinked. "Me?"

Raiko's eyes narrowed. "You're the one who killed my father, Emerald D. Lake."

The air on the deck grew thick with tension. The Straw Hats exchanged glances, unsure of how to react. Kikidori's grip on his sword tightened, and his expression turned defensive.

"Your dad was the one who insulted Zoro," Kikidori said, his voice steady but cold. "I wasn't gonna let that slide."

Raiko stepped closer, his fists clenched. "So you think that gives you the right to kill him?"

"I didn't want to," Kikidori shot back. "But he didn't give me a choice."

The two boys stared each other down, the intensity of their gazes enough to make even the crew feel the pressure.

"Woah…" Usopp whispered. "I feel like the ship's gonna explode if they keep this up."

"They're just kids," Robin said with a slight smile. "But they're already carrying so much."

Luffy watched the standoff with an unreadable expression before stepping between them. "Alright, that's enough!"

Both Kikidori and Raiko looked at him, startled.

"You can fight all you want later," Luffy said, grinning. "But if Raiko's joining the crew, then you're gonna have to figure out how to get along."

Raiko scowled. "I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to prove I'm better than him."

Kikidori smirked. "Good luck with that."

Zoro sighed, crossing his arms. "Great. Another pair of idiots who can't stand each other. This is gonna be fun."

Sanji snorted. "Oh, don't act like you're not used to it, moss-head."

"Shut it, dart-brow."

The crew sighed collectively as yet another rivalry was born on their ship.

As the day went on, Kikidori and Raiko continued to shoot glares at each other, their rivalry already apparent to everyone. It was clear that this was only the beginning of a long and intense relationship.

End of Chapter 29