A Familiar Face

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The thick scent of saltwater lingered in the air as Kai slowly stirred, the faint sound of waves crashing against the shore filtering through the small window of the room. The soft glow of early morning light was just beginning to seep through the curtains when Mikita's voice broke the quiet, sharp and persistent.

"Oi, wake up already!" Mikita's voice cut through the room, and before Kai could even make sense of what was happening, he felt a soft shove to his shoulder.

With a groan, Kai reluctantly opened his eyes, blinking against the sunlight that poked through the cracks of the room. His body felt heavy from the lack of sleep, but there was no way he was going to ignore her, especially not with that tone.

He rubbed his eyes, stretching and knocking the sleep out of his head, his hair messily falling over his face. With a yawn, Kai finally looked up at her, his golden eyes catching the glint of the morning sun.

"Wow, I thought you'd escape by now," Kai said, a teasing smirk pulling at his lips. "Are you enjoying my company or something?" He raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with playful sarcasm.

Mikita stood there, arms crossed over her chest, her expression as stiff as ever. But even as her cheeks flushed with the faintest hint of embarrassment, she quickly snapped back, not willing to let him have the last word.

"I—I didn't come here to enjoy anything!" she shot back, her voice laced with the trademark tsundere sharpness. "I just got interested in this Sky Island, that's all! It's not like I'm sticking around because of you or anything!" She turned her head to the side, clearly flustered, her usual bravado faltering just slightly.

Kai chuckled at her reaction, enjoying the brief moment of vulnerability. But his teasing faltered slightly when she added, almost casually, "Plus, a monkey-looking guy came looking for you."

Kai paused, his hand still resting on his head as he processed the new information. 'A monkey-looking guy?' His mind began to work as he tried to connect the dots. It wasn't hard to guess who she meant, and the thought that cricket sent someone to look for him was… well, more than a little amusing.

"Cricket, huh?" Kai muttered to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Guess he's done with the whole 'fixing things up' Or maybe he's gotten curious about something else."

Mikita raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with his casual response. "Don't act like you're not interested in what he wants."

Kai just shrugged, still not fully awake but not particularly concerned. "I'm afraid he'll have to wait" He stood up, stretching out the kinks in his back before walking over to the small washbasin. "And besides, we have time, let's grab a meal first, the monkey man later."

"But—"

Before she could finish, he dried his hands and crossed the room in a few quick strides, taking her hand firmly in his. "Come on," he said with a grin, "let's go" His voice had that unmistakable, mischievous tone that somehow made it impossible to say no.

Mikita's face flushed as she felt his hand close around hers. She was caught off guard, her usual composed demeanor faltering as he led her toward the door, his grip warm and confident. "W-wait—" she stammered, feeling her cheeks grow even redder as she stumbled to keep up with his pace. "I didn't agree to—!"

Mikita couldn't find the words to protest, too flustered by the unexpected gesture. She tried to compose herself, but her heart raced as they moved through the hallway, his hand still holding hers.

****

Kai tore into his meal with gusto, barely taking a breath between bites. "Damn, it's actually good," he mumbled, eyeing the plate in front of him as if it were some miraculous treasure. "Not bad for a filthy, pirate-infested dive like this," he added, raising his hand and calling over the bar noise. "Oi, bartender—more rum!"

Across the table, Mikita sat silently, her face still faintly red as she absentmindedly picked at her food. Kai, seemingly oblivious to her distraction, kept on talking. "Anyway, since you used to be in some shady organization or other, maybe you could help me out," he said, chewing through another mouthful of meat. "See, there's this crew of clowns on our ship right now. Literally, Buggy's crew." He grimaced as he remembered their antics. "They were helpful enough, so I'd rather not kill 'em, but I'm in a bit of a pickle on how to get rid of them."

He looked up and noticed she hadn't responded, her gaze unfocused and distant, lost in her own thoughts.

"Oi!" Kai leaned over the table and waved a hand in front of her face, still chewing. "I'm talking to you, don't ignore me. Only I ignore people," he added, smirking with a mouth half-full of food, barely swallowing before speaking.

Mikita blinked, snapping out of her daze, and shot him a sharp look as if she'd just returned from another world. "W-what did you say?" she stammered, straightening up in her chair as if caught off guard.

Kai sighed, setting down his mug and leaning forward with a more deliberate tone. "Alright, let me spell it out for you. We've got Buggy's crew of clowns tagging along on our ship. They've been useful, so I'd rather not, y'know, toss them overboard or anything extreme." He shrugged, watching her face for any sign of understanding. "I just need a way to, uh… kindly get them off my ship without too much fuss. You got any ideas?"

Mikita blinked, finally catching on, though her flustered look remained as she shook her head slightly, as if shaking herself awake. "Oh, um…" she began, processing his question, her cheeks still faintly pink. "Right, you want a way to ditch the clowns without, well… ditching the clowns."

Kai nodded, leaning back with a grin. "Now you're with me. So? What've you got?"

"Well you could try and …" As Mikita was about to answer his question, the bar door swung open with a loud crash. A tall figure, flanked by a small group of rough-looking men, strode inside with a swagger that turned every head. Kai continued to eat, glancing over with mild curiosity as he recognized the man.

'Is that Bellamy?' Kai thought, munching on his food with a faint smirk. 'I'd know that smug face anywhere. Didn't Luffy leave him sprawled out in this place once?'

Bellamy, sporting his usual cocky grin, sauntered up to the bar and ordered a drink. As he downed his glass, his gaze flicked over to Kai, who kept eating without a word, ignoring Bellamy as if he were just another nobody. But Bellamy leaned in, clearly relishing the moment.

"Hey, you," Bellamy called, voice loud enough to silence the chatter around them.

Kai didn't bother to look up, picking at his food with an air of indifference. Bellamy's smile widened, pleased to be getting under Kai's skin — or so he thought. "I know who you are," he continued, voice dripping with smug satisfaction. "Kai Silver, the Elden Lord, right? Got yourself a 250-million berry bounty."

The name hit like a thunderclap. Around the bar, heads swiveled to look at Kai, murmurs breaking out from every corner.

"250 million?" one pirate whispered in awe.

"That's him, for real? I heard about him, he was participated in the war of the best!"

"Wasn't he fighting alongside the Whitebeard pirates!?" another murmured, staring at him with newfound respect — and fear.

Kai took his time, finishing his food and licking his fingers with a casual nonchalance before finally looking at Bellamy. "Indeed."

Bellamy smirked, emboldened by Kai's acknowledgment. "You fought my boss there," he continued, with a dangerous glint in his eye.

Kai leaned back, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "I did." He tilted his head mockingly. "It's good to see you've learned to check bounties before picking fights. Guess Straw Hat taught you something, huh?"

The remark hit Bellamy, but instead of anger, he just grinned wider, lifting his glass one more time as if to toast Kai. "That he did," he said, downing his drink in one gulp. Then, without another word or a backward glance, Bellamy and his men turned and walked out of the bar, leaving a trail of curious stares in their wake.

Kai watched him go, a flicker of intrigue in his eyes. He leaned back, scratching his head. "I can't really tell what that guy's thinking," he muttered.

Mikita raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "You know that guy right?" she asked, leaning in a bit. "That's Bellamy the Hyena — pretty notorious around these parts. They say he's got ties to Doflamingo. Dangerous pirate."

Kai looked at her, a slight smirk on his face. "Yeah, that much i know.." He pushed his chair back, stretching a little as he glanced around the bar with clear disinterest. "But we should get going. Monkey Guy's waiting, and honestly, I'm getting sick of this island."

Mikita's eyes lingered on him, sensing his impatience. "And what about the crew of clowns still onboard?"

Kai shrugged as he stood up, picking up his staff. "We'll think of a way to deal with them on the way. Let's go."

As they walked out together, the murmur of the bar resumed behind them, with a few awed glances still trailing after Kai.

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If you wish to read up to 5 Chapters Ahead! or simply support me just because? then check out my patréon at

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Don't forget to change "é" to "e"