A/N: Try to guess the new crew member from the Canon Red-Haired Pirates. Only one guess per person.
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The gentle creaking of wood and the steady rhythm of waves filled the cabin of the Red Dawn. A lantern hung from a beam above, its warm light swaying softly, casting long shadows across the walls.
Giovanni lay back against the bed, teeth clenched as Benn Beckman tightened the final bandage around his torso. The faint smell of antiseptic mixed with salt air lingered in the room.
Benn pulled his hands away and straightened. "That should hold for now," he said calmly. "How are you feeling?"
Giovanni let out a slow breath. "Damn it… it's going to take a while to fully heal." He flexed his fingers, then gave a crooked smile. "But I'll manage."
His expression darkened a moment later, eyes drifting toward the ceiling.
"But Beckman," he said, voice lower, edged with frustration, "what the hell was that guy? I couldn't touch him at all."
Benn leaned back on his chair, arms folding loosely. "Don't take that loss to heart," he said. "What you ran into wasn't a gap in effort. It was a gap in advantage."
Giovanni turned his head toward him. "Advantage?"
"He's a Logia Devil Fruit user," Benn replied. "Which means unless you have Armament Haki, you simply can't damage him."
Giovanni's brows furrowed. "Devil Fruit?"
Benn nodded. "Fruits that grant people unnatural abilities when eaten. There are three main types."
He raised one finger. "Paramecia. They grant a wide range of abilities, anything from manipulating substances to altering your body."
A second finger followed. "Zoan. Those let the user transform into animals, or hybrid forms."
Then the third. "And Logia. The rarest of them all. They turn the user into a natural element."
Giovanni's eyes narrowed as the pieces clicked into place.
"So that's why…" he muttered.
"Exactly," Benn continued. "Logia users gain intangibility. Physical attacks pass right through them unless coated in Armament Haki or unless you exploit a very specific weakness."
Giovanni let out a sharp breath and turned his head to the side. "That's completely broken."
Then, without hesitation, he added, "I want a Devil Fruit."
Benn raised an eyebrow. "Of course you do."
Giovanni shot him a look. "How could I not? Being literally untouchable sounds unbeatable."
Benn shook his head slightly. "There are drawbacks."
Giovanni frowned. "What kind of disadvantage could possibly outweigh that?"
"For starters," Benn said evenly, "unless you've memorized the entire Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, you never know what kind of ability you're going to get."
Giovanni blinked. "So… it's random?"
"Exactly," Benn replied. "It's a gamble. And trust me, there are some terrible Devil Fruits out there."
Giovanni stared at him, unconvinced. "Terrible how? It's still a superpower, right?"
Benn exhaled through his nose, thinking for a moment. "I've read quite a few entries."
He glanced aside, then continued, "There's the Jacket-Jacket Fruit. It lets you turn into a jacket."
Giovanni paused. "…A jacket."
"Yes," Benn said flatly. "You can be worn by someone else. That's it."
Giovanni's mouth twitched. "That's… awful."
"There's also one that turns you into a snail," Benn went on. "You gain a slimy body and move at an incredibly slow pace."
Giovanni grimaced. "Okay, yeah. I see your point."
Benn gave a small nod. "That's why Devil Fruits aren't an automatic blessing. In the wrong hands or with the wrong fruit they can be a curse."
Giovanni leaned back against the pillow, staring up again. "Yeah… I'd rather not take my chances."
After a brief pause, he added quietly, "Still… I bet there are people who take those so-called terrible fruits and make them terrifying."
Benn's eyes sharpened slightly. "There are."
One name came to him immediately.
"Charlotte Katakuri," he said.
Giovanni turned his head again. "Big Mom's crew?"
Benn nodded. "Her son. Vice-Captain of the Big Mom Pirates."
Giovanni's expression grew serious. "The Emperor of the Sea."
"Yes," Benn Beckman said. "Katakuri has a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the Mochi Mochi Fruit. It turns him into a Mochi man."
Giovanni blinked. "Mochi?"
"At first glance, it sounds ridiculous," Benn continued. "And honestly, it is. On paper."
He folded his arms. "But Katakuri turned that fruit into something monstrous."
Giovanni listened intently.
"When I was still a bounty hunter," Benn said, voice steady, "I tried hunting him down."
Giovanni's eyes widened. "You fought him?"
Benn nodded once. "We ended in a draw."
For a moment, the cabin was silent.
Giovanni stared at him, stunned. "He… fought you to a draw?"
"Incredible," Giovanni breathed.
Slowly, he clenched his hand into a fist, knuckles whitening. The frustration from earlier burned again, hot, focused, and sharp.
"Then I have to get stronger," he said quietly. "Much stronger."
He lifted his gaze to Benn, determination blazing in his eyes. "I need to reach your level."
Benn looked at him for a long moment, then spoke without hesitation.
"I have no doubt you will," he said. "And I wouldn't be surprised if you surpass me."
Giovanni let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "That's impossible."
He glanced away, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "You think too highly of me."
Benn Beckman shook his head slowly, his expression calm but certain.
"No," he said, voice steady, "I think you undervalue yourself too much."
Giovanni looked at him, surprised.
"I've been on these seas for a long time," Benn continued. "Long enough to roughly judge someone's talent with a single glance. And I'd put you on the same wavelength as Shanks."
Giovanni blinked. "Shanks…?"
Benn gave a faint smile. "Both of you boys will surpass this old guy someday. I can't wait for that day to come."
Giovanni stared at the floor for a moment, then back up at Benn. "Shanks, huh… Can I really do that?"
Benn's eyes narrowed slightly in sharp focus. "Back in the village, you never showed this kind of doubt. What changed?"
Giovanni didn't answer immediately.
Benn continued, his tone calm but cutting straight to the point. "Is it because of losing to Mihawk? And then that Marine Captain? Back in your village, you were invincible. The moment you stepped outside it, you started seeing yourself as weak."
Giovanni froze.
His eyes widened just a fraction.
Benn smiled knowingly. "So I hit the mark."
Giovanni exhaled slowly, his fingers curling against the bedsheet.
"Listen, Gio," Benn said, crouching slightly so they were eye level. "Since leaving your village, you've faced one of the most talented swordsmen on these seas. And right after that on the same day, with fresh wounds you fought a Marine Captain you physically couldn't even touch."
He straightened slightly.
"I've seen your Observation Haki and your speed firsthand. There's no way you couldn't react to that Marine Captain's attacks. They were slow. What held you back wasn't lack of skill, it was your injuries."
Giovanni's jaw tightened.
"You're not weak," Benn said firmly. "Not even close. You just need to bring back the confidence that made you a Conqueror in the first place."
He paused, then added evenly, "That is, if you want to reach your full potential."
Giovanni looked up, a smile slowly forming despite the pain in his body. "Of course I do."
Benn nodded once. "That's the spirit."
There was a brief silence before Giovanni tilted his head. "Oh. So… what's the other weaknesses of Devil Fruits?"
Benn opened his mouth to answer but—
"BECKMAN! GIO! WHERE ARE YOU TWO?!"
The shout echoed down the corridor outside the room.
Benn glanced toward the door. "That must be Shanks," he said flatly. "He sounds drunk."
Giovanni grit his teeth. "That lucky bastard. I should be drunk by now too."
Benn gave him a sideways look. "And why would you want that?"
Before Giovanni could answer, the door burst open.
Shanks stumbled in, cheeks flushed red, a wide grin plastered across his face. The scent of alcohol followed him like a wave.
His eyes immediately locked onto Giovanni and then dropped to the freshly repatched bandages.
"…Gio," Shanks said slowly, grin fading just a little. "Are you injured again?"
Giovanni sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."
Shanks' expression sharpened. "Was it Mihawk again?"
"No," Giovanni replied. "It wasn't him."
Shanks' hand flexed. "Then who was it? Do we need to run it back with him?"
Giovanni waved a hand dismissively. "No, don't worry about it. Beckman already took care of it."
Shanks turned his head toward Benn and nodded in approval. "Good."
Benn straightened. "Well then, Shanks. You looked in a good mood when you walked in. What happened?"
Shanks' serious expression vanished instantly, replaced by his usual grin. "Oh, right. About that."
He spread his arms slightly, clearly pleased with himself.
"I recruited a new teammate."
Giovanni and Benn froze.
"…Huh?!?" they said in unison.