The blue sky was cloudless and pure, like a flawless sapphire. Its beauty felt like a spring breeze, blowing straight into my heart and filling me with happiness. Only the hot sun, shining tirelessly over the island, seemed determined to bake everything beneath it. The heat shimmered in the air, making the world look a little blurry.
At Shibi's House
At this time, Reo and Shibi were staring at the fruit on the table in a daze, the empty hall echoing with the occasional cooing sound from their hungry stomachs.
Reo sighed helplessly, his eyes fixed on the fruit. "Shibi, are we really eating fruit again for lunch?"
"Eh, I guess so. But it looks like there's nothing else to eat except fruit." Shibi, too hungry to care, rested his head on the table, eyes glued to the fruit.
Reo, feeling the pangs of hunger, rubbed his stomach and sighed again. "Ah, I'm starving. Can we eat now?"
At the mention of food, Shibi perked up a little, straightening in his seat. "Yeah, I'm really hungry."
Suddenly, there was a loud *boom*.
The two little hands reaching for the fruit froze in midair. Their eyes darted toward the source of the noise, and they saw that the door to Shibi's house had crashed to the floor.
"Haha, what a coincidence that you're home, Shibi! But your door doesn't seem very sturdy," came a booming laugh. A sturdy foot stepped onto the fallen door, and the owner of the voice was Kunkei.
Several veins popped on Shibi's forehead as he heard Kunkei's words. He roared, despite his lack of energy, "Uncle Kunkei! No matter how strong the door is, if you keep tossing it like that, of course it'll break! You have to pay for my door!"
"Aah, your door must've been in disrepair for a long time. That's why it broke so easily. Never mind, I'll fix it for you." Kunkei clapped his hands, picked up the door panel, and slammed it back into place. "There! Looks like my skills are as good as ever, haha." He nodded, satisfied.
Kunkei's antics left Reo and Shibi speechless, staring at him in disbelief.
"What, are you two amazed by my skills?" Kunkei sighed, glancing at the wide-eyed children. Suddenly, he noticed the fruit on the table and strode over. "Wow, this fruit looks delicious. Don't mind if I do!"
In less than five seconds, all three fruits had disappeared into Kunkei's mouth.
The sound of chewing snapped Reo and Shibi out of their daze. Looking at the now-empty table, they both screamed in misery, "My lunch!!"
Kunkei swallowed the last bite and, as if nothing had happened, cleaned his ear with his pinky. "That fruit was delicious."
"Why don't you just die!" Shibi shouted, his hunger now even worse.
"Aah, where did you get such tasty fruit?"
"Oh, that's from the back moun-woo." Shibi, about to reveal the source, was quickly silenced as Reo clamped a hand over his mouth.
Kunkei seemed not to notice. Instead, he pulled out a few buns from nowhere, set them on the table, lit a cigarette, and smoked with a satisfied look.
"Those are Aunt Riko's buns, wow!"
Seeing the buns, Shibi pried Reo's hand from his mouth, grabbed the buns, and handed one to Reo. In a hurry, they both started eating, afraid Kunkei might snatch the buns back.
After a while, Kunkei felt the heat from his cigarette and realized only the holder was left. He was startled by Shibi's shout.
"Uncle Kunkei, you're actually smoking!!" Shibi exclaimed, looking as if he'd seen a ghost. Reo looked confused.
"Ah, yes, I haven't smoked in a long time. Actually, I started smoking when I was five…" Kunkei said with a far-off look. Suddenly, he noticed the odd atmosphere and paused, seeing Shibi and Reo's disbelief. "Don't look at me like that, I'm telling the truth!"
"Is that so…" Shibi replied, still skeptical.
Kunkei sighed, turning his head away. "At first, I'd smoke or let Shibi's father spoil me."
"Nonsense! I've never seen Dad smoke!" Shibi shot back.
"You're right." Kunkei glanced around the hall. "Since you were born, your father quit smoking and after I met Riko, I quit too."
"I think Kunkei was just afraid of Aunt Riko," Shibi whispered to Reo.
"Brat, let me finish!" Kunkei groaned, turning to Reo. "What I'm about to say is just for Shibi, so could you give us some space?"
Reo nodded and started to get up, but Shibi held him back. "Why can't Reo listen too? Hmph, if he can't, then I don't want to hear it either."
"Really? Don't you want to hear about your dad?" Kunkei put his arm around Shibi, glancing at him. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Forget it. You both went to the back mountain, and Reo, you moved the boulder outside the cave, right?"
Reo nodded. "Yeah, that was me."
"If I'm right, Reo, you've eaten a Devil Fruit."
Kunkei looked directly at Reo, who seemed puzzled.
"Devil Fruit? I don't know what that is. Even my strength is a mystery to me." Reo shook his head.
"I see." Kunkei nodded, remembering Shibi once said Reo had lost his memory. He asked, "Do you remember eating anything with a weird shape and a really bad taste?"
Reo lowered his head, thinking hard. Suddenly, he looked up. "Yes, I remember eating a fruit like that, just as you described, but…" He trailed off, confused.
Seeing Reo's confusion, Kunkei explained, "Devil Fruit is a magical fruit that gives strange powers to those who eat it. But once you eat one, you become helpless in seawater. You'll be weak all over. Reo, think carefully: besides your strength, is there anything special about your body?"
"Special?" Reo thought for a moment. He remembered how quickly his injuries healed, and how, when he first arrived in this world, he'd been badly hurt but woke up with no wounds at all. He also recalled how, when he started eating, he couldn't stop himself from overeating.
"Well, my injuries heal really fast, and I have a lot of stamina. When I first ate at your house, Uncle Kunkei, I couldn't control my appetite at all. All I could think about was eating."
"I see." Kunkei pondered. "If I'm right, the Devil Fruit you ate is a superhuman-type Recovery Fruit. If you can't master its power, it won't help you much. But if you do, it could be a great gift. Just remember: you've already eaten one. Never eat a second."
Hearing this, Reo's eyes lit up. "Uncle Kunkei, please teach me how to use this fruit's power! I want to get stronger!"
Kunkei saw the determination in Reo's eyes and shook his head. "I can only give you advice. To truly master the Devil Fruit's power, you must explore it yourself. And remember, Devil Fruit powers aren't everything. If you rely too much on them, you'll suffer in the end."
Reo took Kunkei's words to heart and began to ponder deeply.
------------------------------------------------
A/N: If you like the fanfic please show your support. Throw some stones ;)