After being a good distance away, he would turn back into himself. He had to admit, his acting skills were quite nice, but his lie wouldn't last that much longer.
Making his way back toward where the Straw Hats were, he was greeted by the sight of Luffy patting his belly. That shit was twice his size and like four times his width.
He could not believe someone could eat so much.
"I am stuffed." The boy patted his belly. Shit felt good. Eating some of that good food had him acting like this—shit truly was heavenly.
"No manners at all," Nami seemed a bit annoyed. Luffy ate everything without a care for anyone else.
"This guy eats for like five people," Paulie was simply amazed at what he was seeing. Luffy ate a shit ton of food.
Zoro was napping. He had drunk so much booze it was crazy.
The fact that his liver still stood spoke volumes about this man's tolerance to alcohol.
"Oh, Kairo, you're back." Usopp was the first person to sense him. While Kairo was hiding his presence, Usopp could still feel him. Kairo was standing near the door, which was near a window that was semi-open. His Observation Haki picked up on the fact that less wind was coming through, enough to know that someone or something was in that spot.
"Kairo!" Somehow, Luffy lost all the weight, looking like a happy child who was about to get a gift.
Zoro, who was asleep, would open one eye. So he was back.
"So you finished what you were doing?" Robin was feeding Chopper some sweets, and Chopper was looking adorable in the process.
Meanwhile, Kairo's brow would furrow. The kid was 15—that would've been Kairo's age when he washed up on Little Garden. Even back then, as a 15-year-old, either on Earth or in Little Garden, he was not acting like a child like this.
Though he assumed maybe Chopper's mental age was lower, like eight or something. Maybe ten.
"I did... the Navy has circled the whole island. There is practically no way to pass through the open sea without being captured... especially since Kuzan and the Hero of the Navy are there."
Usopp would look scared.
"Oh no, we are so dead. I didn't want to die so young." Usopp looked scared as hell.
Luffy would grin.
"You didn't say it was impossible!" Kairo would turn his head to Luffy.
"It's not. It is possible." Usopp's eyes would open wide. Wait, for real? There was hope?
"But how? You said it yourself, it's practically impossible to pass through the open sea!" Nami added, to which Kairo replied,
"Who said I was planning on using the open sea?"
That got some shocked reactions from everyone in the room, except Robin.
"You're planning on using the deep currents, aren't you?"
"Deep currents... what's that?" Chopper was confused. This was the first time he had heard of it.
Robin would begin to explain what she knew.
"Most of the ocean's movement happens far below the surface. These deep currents are massive flows of water that run under everything you see."
"They don't follow the wind. They don't care about the weather. And they don't stay in one place."
Nami frowned. "So they can't be mapped?"
"They can be observed," Robin corrected. "But not permanently recorded."
"Most deep currents are unstable. They twist, sink, rise, split apart. If a ship falls into one, it's usually dragged off course... or torn apart."
"That sounds bad." Usopp was beginning to guess Kairo's plan, and he didn't like it.
"It is," Robin agreed.
She lifted one finger.
"But," she added, "a few are different."
"There are rare deep currents that are unusually stable. They run in one direction for long distances and move... very fast."
"How fast?" Sanji asked.
"Fast enough that a ship using one could cross regions of the Grand Line in hours instead of days."
Luffy's eyes lit up. "That's awesome!"
Usopp swallowed before looking up at Kairo.
"Um... you wouldn't happen to want to use one now, would you?"
"I am. While they can't be memorized, they can be detected beforehand, like the Knock Up Streams from Jaya." Usopp did not like where this was going.
"I took a dip in the ocean, and there was one forming in the middle. It'll finish forming by the end of the week, and it connects to the Florian Triangle."
Usopp began shaking.
Not that place.
"The Florian Triangle... what's that?" Chopper asked.
"It is said that hundreds of ships are destroyed there, that the spirits of the defeated are trapped inside," Robin said. Both Chopper and Usopp looked scared.
"Huh... really?"
"Even the bravest of pirates are never found. Some say their ghosts are trapped there, forever stuck until the end of time," Sanji added, and Usopp was scared shitless.
"What if we don't go? I have this disease where seeing a ghost could kill me."
No one brought that shit.
"Well, it's either that or risking a two-versus-one against Garp and Kuzan. I may be strong, but I'm not that strong. I can't fight them while protecting you at the same time."
Usopp was terrified. His options were not good.
Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji, meanwhile, heard something different. While everyone else just heard that their options were ass, what they heard was:
"Y'all are too weak and more of a liability than anything."
"Which reminds me, Nami."
"Yeah!" Nami turned to look at him.
"I've got to teach you how to navigate in the deep sea. Since you'll be navigating the boat, I'll have to teach you."
"Okay," Nami said near immediately.
"Hey, why do you get to spend time with Nami-swan? You know about the currents!" Sanji, of course, was not finna let Kairo get too close to Nami. For fuck's sake, he was the equivalent of a nonchalant six-foot-tall dreadhead.
Technically, they were braids, but oh well.
"While I know about them, I have zero skill when it comes to navigating. I have the knowledge, not the ability. That's why I want to pass it on to the person who can make the most use of it."
A/N chapter 26 of werewolf story out.
Would you rather fight Freddy Kuggar
Or
Chucky.