Newbie's Skill

Sixty-Three

Luffy and I were taking a much needed break. Luffy won first place in the first round of the tounament. Not to mention, he made friends with an actual bull and dominated before getting pissed off when someone took the bull out. He even laid the bull outside the ring. I got second, and me and Luffy made a dramtic one on one, before I blocked him, sliding out of bounds. We had fist bumped afterwards and laughed it off. This was his time of glory. I'll settle for second.

We had met a guy named Bartolomeo, and he was now obsessed with Luffy. We saw a few members of Blackbeard's crew who were competing to get Ace's devil fruit for him, and Luffy even talked to the man himself on a com snail. Not only that, but Luffy also helped out a former acquaintance named Bellamy while I was walking about trying to learn about our opponents.

"So what's the plan, Mr. Luffy?" Bartolomeo asked. He decided to just follow Luffy around like a loyal butler, so I just shrugged it off. Bellamy was still sitting on the floor, injured.

"I'm getting the Flame Flame Fruit," Luffy answered in determination. I smiled softly at him before I stiffened at the sound of approaching footsteps. I glared down the hallway as a young man with blond hair, blue suit, black coat, brown gloves, and a top hat stepped closer and closer. Luffy noticed my tense body and looked behind him.

"If you think you're getting the Flame Flame Fruit, you're wrong. That prize is going to me. I've got a right to it as well. Sorry, Straw Hat Luffy. It's mine."

"Who the hell are you, punk? You want a fight? Listen up! I don't know who the hell you think you are, but that's Mr. Luffy to you, damn punk. You don't even have the right to look Mr. Luffy in the face. If you had half a brain under hat stupid hat of yours, you'd know the Flame Flame Fruit belonged to Luffy's brother - Firefist Ace, so nobody deserves to have it more than him. More than that, you should know he's gonna be the King of the Pirates one day, you jackass."

"I've known he'd be a king ever since I was a kid." The blond merely touched Bartolomeo's chest, knocking him off balance, and Bartolomeo fell into some crates, making him groan in pain.

"And what's that supposed to mean? You show up out of nowhere and tell me I can't have the fruit? Do I know you?" Luffy interrogated.

Bartolomeo sat up and growled, "This moron's pissing me off. He got a grudge against Mr. Luffy or what?"

"You don't recognize me," the blond observed.

"You want the fruit so bad? Let's go! I'll fight you for it right now!" Luffy challenged.

"You remember what I said? I have a right to it."

"That devil fruit is all that's left of Ace. As his brother, it belongs to me!"

"Is that so?" That blond was way too calm with Luffy as riled up as he was. Was he not afraid of Luffy attacking? Or could it be that he was sure that Luffy wouldn't hurt him? "But you have another brother, don't you?"