— — — — — — —
"Come drink with me, little brother" Hashirama said after sitting down.
"Uh, shouldn't I be much older than you?"
Rayleigh asked, sipping his drink and glancing at Hashirama with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief.
Hashirama looked far younger than him, which was hard to wrap his head around. But Rayleigh was also pretty sure this Senju Hashirama wasn't entirely alive.
He seemed to exist somewhere between life and death.
"Eh, age doesn't matter at all!" Hashirama waved his hand dismissively and raised his glass. "Come on, let's have a toast! This is some of Kaito's treasured liquor—it's from our homeland, a specialty. You probably haven't had it before, but I'm sure you'll love it!"
To Hashirama, age was the last thing on his mind. If he factored in all the years since his death, he was probably older than Rayleigh. But if he only counted his age at the time of death, he was likely younger. Not that it mattered to him.
When you meet a kindred spirit, nothing else matters.
In Hashirama's eyes, Rayleigh was like a little brother. And in this world, might made right. Since he was stronger than Rayleigh, why not call him "little bro"?
"Alright, fine," Rayleigh sighed, clearly exasperated. Hashirama's carefree, devil-may-care attitude reminded him way too much of Roger—the same chaotic energy that had roped him onto the Pirate King's crew for years. These kinds of people were his kryptonite.
The two clinked their glasses and downed their drinks. Rayleigh's eyes lit up. "Good stuff!"
"Ha! Told you it was good! Madara and I both swear by the same kind. Here, let's keep drinking!" Hashirama laughed heartily and refilled both their glasses, urging Rayleigh on for a drinking contest.
Meanwhile, Uzumaki Mito and the others watched the scene with amused smiles, eating leisurely while chatting.
"Kaito, you haven't kept in touch with Hancock much these past few years, have you?" Shakky teased with a sly smile, casually bringing up the topic. "A few months ago, when her crew stopped by the Sabaody Archipelago, she mentioned you—and even complained about you!"
"Letting down a beauty's feelings isn't a good look, you know!"
Both Uchiha Naori and Uzumaki Mito turned to Kaito with knowing smirks, their eyes practically screaming, This is going to be fun.
Kaito sighed helplessly. "I've just been busy, alright? And besides, Amazon Lily is in the Calm Belt, and they don't exactly welcome men on their island. I didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble."
Those were, of course, just excuses. He'd already unlocked Amazon Lily's location on the map. The truth was, he'd genuinely forgotten about it.
"That only applies to ordinary men," Shakky said, her grin widening. "You're Hancock's savior. She adores you. Trust me, you'd be more than welcome there."
"And just so you know," she added, her teasing tone returning, "I used to be the Empress of Amazon Lily several generations ago. I know their rules better than anyone!"
"You really should find some time to visit her. Otherwise, don't be surprised if she storms over here to see you herself!"
Shakky wasn't joking. Over the years, Hancock's gratitude and admiration for Kaito had gradually evolved into a one-sided crush. Both Shakky and Elder Gloriosa could only watch helplessly as Hancock became consumed by her feelings.
It was a common problem for the women of Amazon Lily—they were prone to developing one-sided obsessions. If left unresolved, it could even lead to lovesickness and, in extreme cases, death.
The previous Empress was a prime example of this tragic fate.
That was why Shakky took it upon herself to nudge Kaito in Hancock's direction. Not only did she want to help Hancock, but she also saw the immense potential in Kaito.
From what she could tell, his current strength was already at the level of a Marine Headquarters vice admiral—and he was barely in his teens. His future potential was limitless.
On top of that, he was surrounded by at least three, maybe even four, emperor-level powerhouses. For someone like Hancock, he was practically perfect.
"Huh? She likes me? No way," Kaito said, stunned.
Sure, he'd spent some time with Hancock back then, but they hadn't seen each other since. The idea seemed far-fetched—but then again, considering Hancock's famously obsessive personality in the original timeline, it wasn't entirely impossible.
Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Naori exchanged even more mischievous looks. Even Hashirama and Rayleigh, still in the middle of their drinking contest, pricked up their ears to listen.
"Why not?!" Shakky said, her playful tone giving way to a more serious one. "She's turned her gratitude into genuine feelings for you. It's no joke—she's been training hard these past few years, all for the chance to see you again."
"Gloriosa and I told her that if she reached a certain level of strength, we'd let her go find you. That became her motivation to grow stronger."
"Amazon Lily girls are just like that—once they're smitten, they're all in. So, you better not let her down, or else…" Shakky's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Kaito couldn't help but roll his eyes. "And whose fault is that? You're the ones who made her strength a condition. Isn't that why this has become such an obsession for her?"
That said, deep down, he was secretly thrilled.
Hancock was destined to be the most beautiful woman in the One Piece world. To have someone like her fall for him—even develop a one-sided crush—was a massive ego boost.
A quick check confirmed it: Hancock's affection level for him was already at 99—just shy of the maximum.
Self-guided passion was truly a force to be reckoned with.
"Oh? You've got some insight for your age," Shakky said, raising an eyebrow. She hadn't expected someone as young as Kaito to be so perceptive.
"Don't act so smug," she added with a smirk. "I bet you're secretly loving this. Who wouldn't like a beautiful and adorable girl like Hancock?"
"And let me tell you, she's only gotten more stunning these past few years," Shakky continued, her tone turning a bit envious. "She even found a Devil Fruit—the Love-Love Fruit (Mero Mero no Mi). After eating it, her charm is off the charts. It's incredible."
"What?!" Kaito's eyes widened in shock. "Hancock got the Love-Love Fruit?"
What kind of twist of fate was this? Destiny?
Even Uzumaki Mito and the others, who knew about the original timeline, looked a bit surprised.
Shakky noticed their odd expressions and asked, puzzled, "What? Is that strange or something?"
"Not exactly," Kaito quickly shook his head. "It's just… surprising how lucky Hancock is."
"After all, from what we know, the Paramecia-type abilities of her fruit are supposed to be really strong," he explained. "And apparently, there are some hidden secrets about it, too."
In his previous life, some online theorists speculated that Hancock's Mero Mero no Mi might be like Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Mi—far from what it seems on the surface.
Many believed it could actually be a Mythical Zoan-type fruit, specifically the Medusa Fruit.
The analysis had some solid points, and plenty of people bought into the idea.
After all, the fruit's abilities—enhancing charm and beauty, along with the power of petrification—fit perfectly with Medusa's legend.
Combine that with Hancock's role and her future relationship with Luffy, and it wouldn't be far-fetched for Oda to someday reveal an "upgrade" to her fruit.
After all, didn't Oda already pull something similar with Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Mi?
"Oh?"
Shakky froze for a moment upon hearing this. Her curiosity piqued, she pressed further, "What do you mean by 'hidden secrets'? Care to explain?"
This was about the future empress of Amazon Lily, so how could she not take it seriously?
Kaito immediately replied, "I've seen records about the Mero Mero no Mi in the ancient texts of my clan."
"They mentioned that the Mero Mero no Mi isn't truly a Paramecia-type fruit. Its essence hides a greater power."
"In truth, it's a Zoan-type… specifically, a Mythical Zoan—Medusa Fruit."
At this point, Kaito glanced over at Rayleigh and added, "It's similar to how the so-called Paramecia-type Gomu Gomu no Mi is actually a Zoan-type Mythical Fruit: the Nika Fruit."
"You both should know about the Gomu Gomu no Mi and the Nika Fruit, right?"
"After all, you've been to Laugh Tale and learned some truths about the world."
Otherwise, why would Shanks get his hands on the Gomu Gomu no Mi, then purposely go to Foosha Village, where Luffy just so happened to eat it?
And why would Shanks, a Yonko-level powerhouse, lose an arm to a mere Sea King in the East Blue while trying to save Luffy?
Doesn't that all seem way too dramatic and bizarre?
It's like a lizard defeating a dragon—utterly ridiculous.
As soon as Kaito said this, both Shakky and Rayleigh froze, their expressions turning serious.
Rayleigh even put down his drink, staring at Kaito intently. "How do you know the Gomu Gomu no Mi is actually the Nika Fruit?"
"And how much do you know about the Nika Fruit?"
Rayleigh looked tense.
He was starting to suspect that Kaito's clan's knowledge went far deeper than he and Shakky had initially thought.
This wasn't just some random information—this was a deeply guarded secret.
"Let's just say I read it in the ancient records of my clan," Kaito said casually, shrugging. "As for how much I know? Not much, just that Nika represents the Sun God, a warrior of liberation, and a symbol of free will."
"It's connected to the Fish-Man Island prophecy about a warrior or deity who will bring freedom in the future."
"And… it's the sworn enemy of the one hiding behind Pangaea Castle—the one in the Room of Flowers."
"That's pretty much it. I don't know anything beyond that."
Rayleigh and Shakky were left speechless.
They felt Kaito was seriously downplaying things.
This was just "a little"?
He even knew about Imu, the one behind the Celestial Dragons, and the Room of Flowers!
What didn't this guy know?
At this moment, they finally realized that when Kaito had claimed his information network was "decent," he had been ridiculously humble.
This wasn't "decent."
It was downright terrifying.
"Did someone from your clan visit Laugh Tale in the past?"
"Or… was there some kind of insanely talented prophet in your family?"
Rayleigh swallowed nervously and asked, his voice tinged with doubt.
"Who knows?"
Kaito shrugged, deliberately avoiding the truth. There was no way he'd tell them the real story.
Unless, of course, he managed to contract both Rayleigh and Shakky someday.
Even then, he wouldn't tell them outright but would just show them glimpses of the past and future from his memories of the One Piece world.
And those memories would only be partial, because when Kaito had crossed over, the series hadn't finished yet!
Unlike the Ninja world, which had long since concluded.
As Kaito checked their current favorability toward him, he noted that Rayleigh's was at 56 and Shakky's at 61.
Still far from ideal.
He figured he'd need to spend more time interacting with them, gradually increasing their favorability.
Eventually, he'd aim to contract both of them and bring them under his command.
After all, Shakky's intelligence network and Rayleigh's strength were both invaluable assets.
As for their age?
That wasn't a problem for Kaito. With his Life Force techniques, restoring their youth—or even boosting their potential—wasn't difficult at all.
It'd be a piece of cake.
.
.
.