One Piece: The Deadly

The morning sun cast a golden glow over the Thousand Sunny as the crew settled into their daily routines. Kikidori, still adjusting to life aboard the legendary pirate ship, explored every nook and cranny with wide-eyed wonder.

As he wandered near the main mast, he heard Luffy's unmistakable laughter from above. "What's he up to now?" Kikidori muttered, craning his neck.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled from the deck below. "Get down from there before you break something!"

Ignoring her completely, Luffy stood on the edge of the crow's nest, arms spread wide. With a mischievous grin, he yelled, "Watch this!"

Before Kikidori could process what was happening, Luffy stretched his arm back, far beyond what any normal arm should be capable of, and slung it forward. The elasticity launched him through the air like a slingshot.

"Gomu Gomu no Rocket!"

Luffy soared across the ship, landing gracefully on the Sunny's lion figurehead. He sat there, laughing and waving at the crew.

Kikidori froze, his jaw dropping as his brain struggled to comprehend what he'd just witnessed. "W-What the hell was that?!"

Luffy tilted his head, confused by the question. "What was what?"

"That!" Kikidori shouted, pointing at Luffy. "You just… flew! And your arm… it stretched! What kind of crazy magic was that?!"

"Oh, that," Luffy said, grinning. "It's my rubber ability."

Kikidori blinked, his face blank with confusion. "Rubber… ability?"

"Yeah! I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi, a Devil Fruit. Now my body's made of rubber!" Luffy said casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Kikidori's mind raced as he tried to wrap his head around it. "Then… I… What… Huh…?"

Robin, sitting nearby with her book, chuckled softly. "Devil Fruits are mystical fruits that grant the eater extraordinary powers. But they come at a cost—you lose the ability to swim."

Kikidori stared at Luffy, his head tilting in disbelief. "So… you're telling me you're made of rubber, and that's why you can stretch and… do all that?"

Luffy nodded enthusiastically. "Yup!"

"That's… insane," Kikidori said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You're insane."

Luffy just laughed. "It's pretty cool, right?"

Kikidori couldn't argue with that. "Yeah… cool. But also totally insane."

Chopper, who had been watching from the sidelines, patted Kikidori on the back. "You'll get used to it. With this crew, nothing's really 'normal.'"

Kikidori sighed, his mind still reeling. "I don't think I'll *ever* get used to this."

The crew burst into laughter, and Kikidori couldn't help but chuckle along. Life aboard the Thousand Sunny was going to be full of surprises—he could already tell.

End of Chapter 5