章 46: Kikidoris New Crew
The Polar Tang began to drift away from the dock, the Heart Pirates preparing to submerge. Inside, Law leaned against a table, rubbing his temples.
"Finally, some peace," he muttered.
That peace, however, lasted for exactly thirty seconds.
A loud splash followed by frantic shouting caught the attention of the Heart Pirates on deck. They rushed to the side of the ship, only to see Kikidori flailing in the water, gasping for air.
"HEEEELP!" Kikidori yelled, his devil fruit powers rendering him unable to swim.
Law groaned audibly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why me?" he muttered.
"Captain," Bepo said, looking concerned. "We can't just leave him."
"I know," Law replied, waving a hand. "Bring him aboard."
The crew lowered a rope, pulling the drenched and sputtering Kikidori onto the Polar Tang. He lay on the deck, coughing up water, his hair plastered to his face.
"Thanks," Kikidori wheezed, giving the crew a thumbs-up.
Law crouched beside him, glaring. "What are you doing in the water? And why do you keep ending up near me?"
Kikidori grinned sheepishly. "I tripped and fell. Again."
"Of course you did," Law muttered, standing up and gesturing for his crew to deal with the mess.
The submarine turned back toward the Sunny. As soon as they got close enough, Law called the Straw Hats on the Den Den Mushi.
On the Sunny, Nami picked up. "What do you want, Trafalgar?"
"Do you want your crewmate back or not?" Law asked, his voice laced with exasperation.
"Wait, Kikidori's with you?" Nami asked, surprised.
"Yes, and he's soaking wet. Again," Law replied dryly.
The Straw Hats gathered around the Den Den Mushi, debating loudly.
"Just let him stay with Law for a while!" Sanji said, clearly annoyed.
"He's a menace. Let Torao deal with him," Zoro added, arms crossed.
"But Kikidori is part of the crew!" Luffy protested. "We can't just leave him!"
Robin smiled softly. "It could be a good learning experience for him."
"I think it's funny," Brook chimed in. "Yohoho!"
"Let him stay," Ere'ana said firmly.
"I think he should come back," Chopper said, concerned. "He might get hurt."
The debate grew louder and louder, with the crew splitting into two factions: the "Keep Kikidori" side (Nami, Zoro, Raiko, and Sanji) and the "Bring Kikidori Back" side (Luffy, Robin, Chopper, Jinbei, Brook, Franky, and Ere'ana).
Usopp, ever the diplomat, threw up his hands. "I'm neutral! Don't drag me into this!"
After a heated few minutes, Nami finally said, "Fine. He can stay with you for a bit. Think of it as a… temporary trade."
Kikidori, overhearing this, gasped dramatically. "WHAT?! You're just leaving me?!"
"It's only for a little while," Luffy reassured him, grinning. "Have fun, Kikidori!"
"Fun? With *him*?" Kikidori pointed at Law, who was now glaring daggers at him.
Law ended the call abruptly, shaking his head. "Great. I'm stuck babysitting."
As the Polar Tang submerged and began its journey, Kikidori looked around the submarine in awe. "This place is amazing! Can I touch stuff?"
"No," Law said immediately.
Kikidori ignored him, running off to explore. He poked at dials, examined tools, and even attempted to climb into the captain's chair before being yanked down by Penguin.
"Kid, you're going to get us all killed," Penguin muttered.
Kikidori grinned. "Relax! I'm just looking!"
Law, watching from the side, sighed deeply. "This is going to be a long trip."
For the next few days, Kikidori's antics drove the Heart Pirates to their limits. He kept asking Bepo if he could ride on his back, challenged Shachi to arm-wrestling matches he always lost, and begged Law to teach him sword techniques.
"Can I see your sword?" Kikidori asked for the tenth time that day.
"No," Law said without looking up from his book.
"Can I touch your hat?"
"No."
"Can you adopt me?"
"No."
Kikidori pouted. "You're no fun."
Despite the chaos, the crew slowly began to tolerate him. Bepo, ever the kind one, even started to indulge Kikidori's curiosity.
"Do you like fish?" Kikidori asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor beside Bepo.
"Yes," Bepo replied simply.
"Cool," Kikidori said, nodding sagely.
Law, meanwhile, was counting down the days until he could return Kikidori to the Sunny.
"I swear, if he asks me one more question…" Law muttered to himself.
Though annoying, Kikidori's time with the Heart Pirates brought moments of levity to their otherwise serious lives. Even Law, though he'd never admit it, found the boy's antics mildly amusing.
As the Polar Tang neared its next destination, Law sighed, looking at the overly enthusiastic Kikidori. "I'll survive this," he muttered. "Probably."
End of Chapter 47
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