Luffy ate like a motherfucker.
"Jeez!" Usopp's eyes would have popped out of his sockets if he didn't hold them back.
The lingering effects of the toon force were still there.
"How do you feel?" Kairo asked Luffy.
Luffy, who had just finished devouring a huge piece of meat and somehow instantly turning the food into energy, slapped his belly.
"I feel—"
Kairo leaned in to hear how Luffy felt.
"Hm..."
Now even Nami and Usopp leaned in. Luffy had just gone reality-god mode a few minutes ago.
Luffy opened his mouth only to—
BURP.
Nami, Usopp, and Kairo all fell onto the floor dramatically from leaning in too close.
"You idiot! Couldn't you just say it instead of burping?!"
Nami's eyes looked demonic, her teeth sharp.
"Where are your damn manners?!"
Kairo, meanwhile, was a bit confused.
'The toon force is affecting me.'
His ass should have never gotten caught up in a gag. Except that one time with the dinosaur—but now he got caught lacking again.
"Why are you so mad for? I'm just full."
Luffy genuinely didn't understand why Nami was tweaking. He did nothing wrong and therefore did not deserve the hate.
"Luffy."
Luffy's brown eyes turned toward Kairo.
"Yuh."
He was all smiles.
"How do you feel? Does your body feel different?"
Luffy paused for a second.
For once, he seemed genuinely thoughtful.
His body felt like his—
Until—
"HEY, when did I get a scar?!"
Luffy only now noticed the X-shaped mark on his chest.
Originally, this scar would've been given to him by Akainu during Marineford, but a certain Lunarian had unleashed a very potent attack directly onto his chest.
Thankfully, the attack only targeted the soul—or more precisely, the link between the Devil Fruit and its user—breaking it just enough so Nika lost control.
Luffy still had the Gum-Gum Fruit's powers and abilities.
It was just that now, Luffy was the one in control.
"I apologize for that, I had to—"
Kairo didn't even get to finish before—
"SO COOL! A battle scar!"
Luffy's eyes were stars at this point.
He finally got a scar.
Ignore the one below his eye.
"Seriously? You're happy about a scar?" Usopp could not believe this bullshit.
"Don't you already have a scar?" Nami questioned. Like damn, captain, you already have one. Relax.
"Yeah, I did, but I made that one myself. This is my first battle scar."
His eyes shone with stars.
And Kairo was genuinely baffled.
What the hell was this kid on?
"Wait... what do you mean you made it yourself?" Chopper, the cute reindeer, could not fathom someone doing that to themselves.
Luffy smiled, his usual goofy grin.
"Heheheh, I wanted to prove to Shanks that I had the desire to be a great pirate."
Everyone's eyes widened.
The fuck?
He did what?
"YOU KNOW SHANKS?!" Usopp's eyes nearly fell out of his head.
While yes, in the original story, Garp revealed some things about him back in Water 7 after the whole fiasco, and Nami knew Shanks gave Luffy the straw hat, with Zoro knowing minor details—
Luffy's actual relationship with Shanks wasn't something they knew in depth.
"Yup! And he gave me this straw hat."
He was all smiles.
While the others were gawking at that revelation—
Franky was really thinking.
'Stabbing your own eye... that's hardcore, man.'
We shall ignore how Luffy was probably one of the most wanted men alive right now. That detail didn't matter much.
But now it was time for slightly serious talk.
"I would advise against using Gear 5 again unless you want your body to get taken over again."
"Ah... you mean that thing can take control of Luffy's body again?" Nami was genuinely scared for her captain. That monster was fucking terrifying.
"Yes."
Luffy's face turned serious.
Gone was the joy.
His freedom had been stripped away from him.
His autonomy had been taken from him.
For someone who wanted freedom above all else, this was a cardinal sin.
He refused to go back to that monstrosity.
He held no actual animosity toward Kairo. He did what had to be done, even if that meant beating the brakes off him.
"He will never take control again."
His eyes burned with determination.
Kairo simply smiled at that.
"That's the spirit. Until I get you the Mother Flame, refrain from using it."
Kairo spoke calmly, though he had a very diabolical plan.
Of course, the actual Mother Flame would be too much, but his clan should have a diluted version. They were friends with the last Nika after all.
And during his fight with Nika, the guy recognized him by his clan, which meant they had been here for a while.
Which also meant they probably had something that could help Luffy.
Something that would be very well hidden...
Though he would need bodies.
"The hell is a Mother Flame?" Sanji finally asked.
Kairo looked at his biggest hater.
Yes, even more than the World Government.
"The natural energy of the planet," Kairo said calmly.
"And where the hell are we supposed to find that?"
Hating 101.
"I think it's about time we visit... the Red Line."
A/N....got some rough motivation.
Hope it was nice.