Chapter 29: Sleepy Fruit

The day before Kaito Sakamoto and Luffy set sail, the quiet village of Windmill was visited by an unfamiliar pirate crew. It was unclear whether they were friends or foes, but one thing was certain: pirates were generally enemies.

As the pirates approached, the old village chief took the lead, with Kaito and Luffy following closely behind. Thanks to his training in marksmanship, Kaito's eyesight had improved significantly, allowing him to spot the pirate ship at the dock from a distance. Just as the villagers had said, the ship looked like it had been through a fierce battle. It seemed on the verge of collapsing, with most of its sails burned away. The pirate flag displayed a skull, with three slanted "Z"s arranged above it, making it look as if the skull were sleeping.

The old chief and his group reached the dock, where a scrawny man with a scarred face pushed a wheelchair down from the tattered pirate ship. Sitting in the wheelchair was a pale girl in a flowing white dress, her abdomen wounded and stained with blood.

One by one, the other pirates followed them off the ship, each bearing injuries—some minor, others severe, like broken arms.

"Doctor! Quickly, call your doctor!" the scrawny man shouted upon spotting the village chief.

The chief looked around, concerned. "You're too badly hurt; our village doctor can't help you. If you head to the right for a bit, you'll reach the kingdom's port. The doctors there are far more capable than ours."

He wasn't lying; the better doctors worked in the nearby town for the money. In their village, the old doctor could handle common ailments, but severe injuries were beyond his expertise. However, there was one person who could help: Kaito. During his time with the Red-Haired Pirates, he had learned a great deal about medicine alongside his marksmanship. With his ability to replicate powers, he had treated Luffy and Ace's wounds over the years.

"Uh…" The girl in the wheelchair let out a soft sound, and the scrawny man's expression turned fierce. With a swift motion, he drew a long knife from his waist.

"Bastard! You think you can't be cured just because you don't know?" he yelled. "Get the doctor now, or I swear I'll kill you!"

As he brandished the knife, the old chief and the villagers broke into a cold sweat. Seeing this, Luffy quickly extended his hands, grabbed a rock from the ground, and hurled it forward.

"Looks like it's about to turn into a fight!"

The girl, watching Luffy stand in front of the group, recalled his earlier display of strength and realized he must be a powerful user as well. Just as the scrawny man was about to strike, she raised her hand with effort.

"Forget it, let's go."

The scrawny man hesitated, glaring at Luffy as he sheathed his knife and moved behind the girl to push her wheelchair.

Kaito, not wanting to rush in like Luffy, took a moment to assess the situation. He knew Luffy was strong enough not to be easily defeated. Instead, he activated his fruit ability, scanning the pirate crew.

Under his fruit's power, Kaito noticed vertical borders appearing around the crew members. Those represented their abilities, and he could replicate one. However, the abilities he saw were mostly unimpressive, except for the scrawny man, who was a decent swordsman. The girl in the wheelchair, however, stood out.

"Paramecia: Sleep-Sleep Fruit user."

Kaito noted that this was the only ability surrounding the girl.

"Sleep-Sleep Fruit... This is bad!" he muttered, suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation. As he feared, the scrawny man had just moved behind her when the girl's eyes glazed over, and she chanted, "Sleep!"

Instantly, her power radiated outwards, and everyone, including Luffy and the village chief, felt drowsy, their eyelids heavy.

"Why am I suddenly so sleepy…" Luffy murmured, his eyes on the verge of closing, only to be jolted awake by a loud gong ringing out.

"BANG!!!"

The loud noise snapped everyone back to alertness. Kaito had struck a gong at the last moment, using the change in his bracelet.

The girl wasn't ready to give up; she tried using her ability again, but Kaito struck the gong once more!

While Kaito merely needed to tap the gong, the girl was expending her mental and physical energy to maintain her power. Realizing her ability was being countered, her expression twisted with rage.

"Kill them!!!"

With that command, the scrawny man and the remaining pirates lunged at them. Luffy took the lead, ready to charge.

"Gum-Gum! Whip!!"

Luffy gathered energy in his right leg and kicked out forcefully, his leg extending like a whip to strike at the approaching pirates. Aside from the scrawny man and the girl in the wheelchair, the others were knocked aside by the force of Luffy's kick.

The scrawny man got up, his face mirroring the girl's, mouth agape in shock. He gritted his teeth and charged again, "I'll fight you!"

In an instant, Kaito stepped in front, thrusting his staff into the man's gut and knocking him back. The scrawny man crumpled to the ground, clutching his belly in pain, now out of the fight.

Kaito transformed the staff back into his bracelet and instructed Luffy and the villagers to tie up the pirates. He then turned his attention to the girl, who still seemed ready to use her powers. Without hesitation, he punched her lightly on the chin to calm her down.

"Stop messing around."

Then, he took out bandages and medicine to tend to her wounds. Misunderstood, Kaito wasn't the type to get flustered just because there was a girl around. Given how she had just given the order, she seemed more like the captain of the crew.

Killing her? That was unnecessary when they could take her to the town for a bounty. Besides, he and Luffy needed the money.