One Piece: The Deadly

The sun was shining brightly over the valley as the crew busied themselves preparing for the next leg of their journey. Luffy, as usual, had wandered off in search of food and was found happily munching on a giant piece of meat he'd "borrowed" from a village stall. The rest of the crew sat in the grassy clearing, taking a break from their chores.

Kikidori leaned lazily against a tree, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. His sharp eyes darted toward Usopp, who was fixing one of his gadgets nearby. Without warning, Kikidori snickered and said loudly, "Oi, Pinocchio!"

Usopp froze mid-screw, his head snapping toward Kikidori. "Who are you calling Pinocchio, huh?" he shot back, standing to his full height, his long nose now slightly twitching in annoyance.

Kikidori smirked, leaning forward just enough to tease. "I mean, look at that thing," he said, pointing dramatically at Usopp's nose. "It's like a weapon. You could probably sword fight with it!"

The rest of the crew chuckled lightly, except for Usopp, who marched over to Kikidori. Standing nose-to-face, he pressed the tip of his nose against Kikidori's cheek, his voice low and stern. "My nose is not that long."

Kikidori burst out laughing. "Oh yeah? Let's test that theory." He pulled a ruler from his pocket—why he had one, no one knew—and measured the length of Usopp's nose. Squinting at the markings, he announced with exaggerated seriousness, "Hmm... 4.5 inches. Impressive."

Ere'ana, leaning against the side of the Sunny, raised a brow and smirked. She casually muttered, "Still bigger than your—"

Before she could finish, Kikidori spun around, his face flushing slightly. "Shut up!" he snapped, a mix of embarrassment and annoyance in his tone.

Robin, who had been calmly sipping tea on the deck, chuckled softly, her usual amused expression gracing her face. Her laughter only made Kikidori more flustered, especially since she knew exactly what Ere'ana had been hinting at.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew looked confused, their heads swiveling between Ere'ana and Kikidori. "Bigger than his what?" Luffy asked, tilting his head innocently.

"Yeah, what's bigger?" Chopper chimed in, blinking in confusion.

Sanji lit a cigarette and crossed his arms, frowning. "Oi, what are you two hiding?"

Ere'ana smirked mischievously but didn't say another word. Kikidori looked away, trying to focus on anything but the prying stares of his crewmates. "It's nothing! She's just talking nonsense!" he stammered, waving his hands defensively.

Franky adjusted his sunglasses, leaning forward. "You sure about that, bro?"

"I said it's NOTHING!" Kikidori shouted, his face turning redder by the second.

The crew continued their teasing for a while, but Robin's knowing smile lingered the longest. She returned to her book, silently amused by the chaos. As for Kikidori, he made a mental note to never measure Usopp's nose again... and to have a serious talk with Ere'ana about keeping certain "moments" private.

End of Chapter 65