I'm Not Interested in Devil Fruits

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Eustace Kid, seven years old, has never seen his parents and has been living a wandering life on his own, accustomed to the gray corners of the world.

Because of his knack for tinkering with machinery, Kid has spent his time scavenging at the scrap metal dumps on Magnifique Island in the South Blue, getting into fewer troubles as he goes.

Those bombs used for "Iron Executions"? He could whip them up from random scraps he found, and their power far exceeded the originals.

With his fierce and strong-willed personality, even the vagrants, mountain bandits, and thieves who had issues with him thought twice about crossing this red-haired kid.

Earlier, Kid had followed a group of women from a distance, intrigued by their skills. But now it seemed his presence had been noticed.

Especially by the only man among them, whose sharp perception unnerved Kid. When had he started noticing me?

What Kid didn't expect was that his usual sarcastic remark would lead to a brutal lesson from one of the women in the group…

The skinny old man, Old Neil, and his companions slinked away, and Liam had no interest in the old man's Boar Devil Fruit— this time, for real!

Only Kid, now with a head full of bumps, glared resentfully at the Kuja warrior who had "cared" for him.

The warrior, thinking the boy admired her, proudly boasted to her companions, which only fueled Kid's anger. He wanted to jump up and bite the woman, but he couldn't.

"So, that Old Neil, was he once a pirate?" Liam asked casually, hands in his pockets. "About half a year ago, he suddenly appeared near a scrap metal dump on the island, looking extremely thin and haggard…"

Kid shot an annoyed glare at the man. 'Damn it, he's so tall! My neck hurts from looking up…'

Wanting to extract some local information about the island from Kid, Liam and the others brought him along as they entered the royal city.

Just beyond the city walls, the atmosphere inside the royal city was completely different.

The streets were clean and orderly, filled with well-dressed people, each face glowing with vitality, likely due to the grand event on the island—the "Grand Tournament," hinted at in the newspapers as a marriage contest for the princess.

Many passersby were discussing the event… The bustling scene made it easy to forget the slums they had seen earlier as if they were just an illusion.

Kid was clearly uncomfortable with the city's atmosphere. After entering, he felt like a provoked kitten, constantly on edge.

The Kuja women and Robin, especially Hancock, quickly attracted countless gazes, with men and women on the streets staring at them as if entranced.

Feeling those stares, Kid recalled memories from when he was even younger, just starting to remember things. A vein on his forehead began to twitch. He really wanted to make a massive bomb and blow all those stares to pieces… Let them be ground into pulp amidst the rust they looked down on…

As Kid was lost in thought, a large hand suddenly pressed down on his head, forcing him to look up at the man's face.

'What's the meaning of this?' The red-haired boy was confused.

Then he heard Liam ask thoughtfully, "I'm curious… little Kid, if you grow up and become a pirate, what kind of nickname would people give you?"

"How should I know? And my name is Kid, not Little Kid!" The seven-year-old red-haired boy flashed a cruel smile that didn't match his age. "Something like 'South Blue Maniac' sounds pretty good…"

Boa Sandersonia looked at Kid with interest and joked, "His hair is quite striking. Maybe they'll just call him 'Red-Haired Kid'!"

"Right? That's what I was thinking too!" Liam snapped his fingers and repeated, "'Red-Haired'!" He then glanced at Robin.

Robin was puzzled at first, then suddenly realized: That Shanks guy is also called "Red-Haired"…

"Who cares about that kind of thing!" Kid scoffed.

Liam laughed, "But what if one day you find out that when people say 'Red-Haired,' they're referring to someone else? How would you feel?"

A fierce expression crossed Kid's young face as he snorted, "Naturally, I'd go and kill that guy who stole my name! I'm one of a kind, and no one is allowed to look down on me…"

He seemed to be grinding his teeth as he spoke.

It seemed like he had some heavy childhood trauma. Liam noticed his reaction and patted the boy's fragile shoulder, speaking earnestly, "If you value your arms, it's best not to be so reckless… A nickname is just a nickname, not even a real name. It's no big deal to change it."

Kid looked at the man with a face full of question marks. Why is he talking so mysteriously?

"What about you, Giorno?" Robin, who was multitasking, rarely spoke up, asking with a smile, "What if someone gives you a nickname you don't like?"

"What's the big deal!" Liam laughed. "I'd just punch them to pieces, and no one would dare call me that again."

Hancock rolled her eyes in front, Kid scoffed, and Robin and the Kuja women chuckled lightly.

As the group walked, they came across a bustling roadside restaurant and decided to go in for a meal.

As soon as Liam and the others entered the restaurant, the lively noise inside came to a halt.

"So beautiful…" A chubby, lecherous man with heart-shaped eyes left his seat and approached.

Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to get close to Hancock, who was ignoring him, as a Kuja warrior grabbed him by the ear and casually tossed him out the door.

The warrior clapped her hands as if warming up and provocatively scanned the people in the restaurant.

It was as if she was saying, "What's wrong? Come on, fight me!"

The atmosphere in the restaurant became lively again, though many still sneaked glances at Hancock and the others.

Hancock remained calm. As she sat down, a burst of Haoshoku Haki swept through the entire restaurant, followed by the sounds of people foaming at the mouth and collapsing…

"Was that necessary?" Liam said insincerely, then snapped his fingers at the pale, trembling waiter. "Let's order first."

Hancock didn't care; Liam was engrossed in the menu, ordering dishes with the barely-standing waiter. Sandersonia, Marigold, Robin, and the other Kuja warriors glanced around the restaurant—most of the patrons were already unconscious, either slumped on the tables or the floor, but a small number continued eating.

"There are quite a few strong ones here!" Sandersonia said with a light laugh, propping her chin on her hand.

"Are they pirates or bounty hunters?" Marigold was even more curious about the so-called Grand Tournament, wondering if women could participate.

Robin, however, noticed that those who remained conscious under Hancock's Haoshoku were all seemingly calm but deeply tense, their chopsticks trembling as they picked up food. What had just happened seemed beyond their understanding…

Even though he had seen something similar outside the city earlier, Kid was still stunned by the shocking scene of such a close-range Haoshoku clearing. His mouth hung open in shock…

When he snapped out of it, he realized the man was asking him a question. Kid thought for a moment and slowly said, "Back then, Old Neil kept frantically repeating someone's name… That guy, who has a big reputation on this island but whose true identity is unknown, the one they call the 'Iron Devil,' the wicked demon of metal… Everyone says Old Neil was drained of his flesh and blood by the 'Iron Devil,' and that's why he ended up like that!"

"Drained of flesh and blood? How terrifying!" Liam said. "So unsanitary."

(End of the Chapter)