Luffy gave no response—he didn't even seem to register Shanks' words. The light in his dark eyes sank beneath a heavy gloom as he stepped down from his seat with a calmness that made everyone wary.
"Where are you going, Anchor?" Shanks seemed to read his mind and grabbed Luffy's wrist, trying to stop him.
"Let go."
Shanks frowned, shaking his head. "No. You're not strong enough right now. You'll only put yourself in danger," he warned, unwilling to let the boy he already saw as his own child act recklessly and risk his life.
"Shanks!"
"Let me go! Let me go beat them up! Those damn bandits hurt Lucas!" Luffy struggled and shot forward, slipping past Shanks.
Shanks tightened his grip to hold him back, but failed—his eyes widened in shock when he saw the boy's arm stretch like rubber.
"Eh—EHHHHHH!?" The shout burst from his mouth uncontrollably, loud enough to make Luffy stop in confusion, joined by the stunned reactions of everyone in the room.
"What's wrong with you guys—?" Though his anger hadn't completely faded after learning his younger brother was hurt, he tried to calm down and turned back to see the cause of the commotion.
And who would have thought—he'd be faced with his own limb stretched to an absurd length. The distance between where he stood and where Shanks held his wrist was far.
"W–WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY ARM?!?!?" he cried out in horror, fear overtaking his expression as the situation sank in, his anger forgotten in an instant.
"L–Luffy! Did you eat the fruit in that box earlier!?" Shanks coated his hand with Haki to neutralize the Devil Fruit ability Luffy had just gained and pulled his arm back.
"The fruit you ate was the Gomu Gomu no Mi! It's a Devil Fruit that gives you rubber-like abilities—but in exchange, you'll never be able to swim again for the rest of your life!" Shanks grabbed both of Luffy's shoulders, explaining in a panicked tone.
"EH?! You've got to be kidding me!?"
"You idiot!" Shanks shouted before letting out a helpless sigh. What was done was done—there was no turning back time.
Influenced by the shock of his newfound ability, Luffy seemed to forget the anger that had been boiling inside him or is he? No, Luffy shoved them inside and made a mental note to take revenge if he saw them again. While Shanks and Luffy continued arguing about it, Benn was on the other side, holding Lucas as Hongo treated him.
"Does it still hurt?" Hongo asked as he closed his medical kit, having finished treating and ensuring there was no infection in the boy's wounds.
Lucas felt a faint sting on his cheek and nodded. From afar, he could hear Shanks, Luffy, and the Red-Haired Pirates making a commotion over something he couldn't understand.
But judging from Benn's reaction that he managed to catch glimpse in the corner of his eye, it seemed serious—though not dangerous—but still enough to stir an irritation on the usual calm face of the vice-captain.
Oh, right.
Lucas suddenly remembered the butterfly that had helped him drive away the mountain bandits. The connection between him and the insect had been severed the moment it died. He's already know that there are two reason the connection could break first it's because the Insect is dead, second is his control range had reached its limit.
It's a shame that the garden has lose one of it occupant, and though Lucas won't admitted it but he is really fond of them ever since he realized that he could connect with them to the point the had counted and memorized every creature living there.
It was one of the secrets he had never told anyone—not Luffy, not Makino, not even Garp. Though he had a feeling Luffy might already suspect something, or at least had a hunch, and was simply waiting for Lucas to tell him himself instead of forcing him.
Lucas didn't know exactly how he could do it. One thing was certain—he had once used this strange ability unconsciously, and ever since then, he had been secretly training it.
An ability that allowed him to form connections with animals and living creatures through thought alone. Lucas wasn't sure if he would one day be able to go further—like controlling humans. But for now, it only worked on insects and small animals, and even then, they couldn't stray too far away from him.
Actually… where did this ability come from? Can I still be considered human?
Lucas stared at his small hands and fingers, his thoughts interrupted by a gentle pat on his head. He looked up to meet the man holding him, confusion flickering in his ruby-colored eyes.
"Our crew will set sail in a day. The next time we return might be the last. When that time comes, take good care of yourself and Luffy," Benn said softly, like a father. The first-mate won't said it, but it clear as day that the man held a certain affection more for the younger of the two brothers.
Lucas nodded obediently, unsure of how to respond—he had never been treated like this by an adult. Even his grandfather often expressed affection through his "Fists of Love." If he and Luffy hadn't learned by watching others, they might have believed that being hit was how everyone showed care and love for their offspring.
Benn smiled gently, a trace of reluctance surfacing in his heart at the thought of leaving Lucas. But he steeled himself—every meeting must come to an end, there would a day they needed to part ways and a chance to meet again if their paths crossed.
◑ ━━━━━ ▣ ━━━━━ ◐
"AAaaahhhh!"
"It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! That insect gouged my eye out—AAAHHH!!! Blood—help! Boss, help!!!" A scream of agony echoed throughout the forest as a bandit writhed on the ground, clutching the left side of his face, blood pouring endlessly from his eye.
"Tch! Where did that damned butterfly come from?! Pathetic!" Higuma stabbed his long dagger into the insect's lifeless body, now lying on the forest floor after getting thrown by his subordinates hand.
"Shut up! Treat your wound immediately. After that, we'll go back and take revenge! I'm sure someone interfered behind the scenes and disrupted our plan!" he barked orders at his men, his face turning red with anger and embarrassment at remembering the earlier incident.
Higuma glared at the dead insect. Its tiny form made it look harmless—but the damage it had caused proved otherwise.
"What kind of monster could control an insect that should be harmless and turn it into something so deadly? If we could recruit them—or capture and sell them…"
Higuma could already imagine wealth coming his way.