Welcome aboard
Kai stood on the deck of the Crimson Venus as she galloped through the waves straight toward the ongoing fight. He couldn't help but feel excited; after all, this was where Luffy's legend began, and Kai wanted his journey to start here too. He chose this time and place not just because of that but also because he genuinely wanted to be friends with Luffy. Who wouldn't want a friend like him?
As they approached the ship, Kai's heart raced with excitement. When they were close enough, he saw Luffy send Alvida flying with his iconic 'Gomu Gomu no Pistol.' He didn't feel bad for her at all since that punch changed her life after all. With that punch, she would probably land somewhere from where she would get the Smooth-Smooth Fruit.
"Venus, could you bring us to a halt when we're alongside that ship? And prepare for boarding," Kai said as they got close. As if responding to his orders, the sails started furling themselves, and the Crimson Venus slowly slowed down and came to a halt alongside Alvida's ship.
Kai moved towards the starboard side to board the other ship. After reaching the side, he simply stood over the railing and looked down to see both Luffy and Coby staring at him with their jaws open. While he stood there with a smile on his lips, on the inside, he was so excited that he could hear his heart beating.
While Kai was calming down his excitement, Luffy and Coby couldn't help but feel a bit of awe when looking at him and his ship. The ship made them unable to look away, while Kai himself seemed to emit an aura similar to Luffy's—filled with an adventurous spirit and an unwavering resolve. But unlike Luffy, with his black and blue hair, blue eyes reminiscent of the seas themselves, and chiseled and tattooed torso barely covered by a long black coat, his aura gave them the feeling of a caged beast yearning for freedom.
Kai was the first to snap out of the thoughts. He flashed a smile and jumped down from his ship, landing in front of Luffy and Coby. Looking at them, Kai couldn't help but flash another smile.
"Hey there, I saw that there was a fight happening here and thought I might jump in, but it seems the situation had been taken care of," said Kai as he glanced around the ship.
"Oh yeah! I took care of them and the fat lady. They seemed to be bad guys," replied Luffy with his signature smile.
"Hi, I am Coby, and this is Luffy. And thank you for coming to help us," said Coby, looking at Kai.
"Right, introductions. The name's Phoenix D Kai. But you guys can call me Kai," said Kai with a gentlemanly posture.
"Wow, Luffy also has a D in the middle of his name. It's Monkey D Luffy," Coby said with a bit of astonishment on his face as he looked between Kai and Luffy. Kai simply showed him a smile while looking at Luffy, who was still looking at the Crimson Venus.
"You know, since this ship isn't in any condition to get you anywhere, how about you guys come with me to a nearby island?" suggested Kai.
Without even waiting for Coby to say anything, Luffy said, "Really? We can go on this ship?"
Knowing Luffy would agree, Kai couldn't help but smile and say, "If you want to." They both agreed, and Kai decided to use his devil fruit for the first time. He willed the fire to envelop his legs, empowering them so that he could leap into the air and land on the deck of the Crimson Venus.
Seeing what Kai just did, Coby was shocked yet again for who knows how many times in a single day. Luffy stretched one hand to hold the railing of the Crimson Venus and jumped onto the deck while pulling Coby with his other hand. Luffy landed safely on the deck, while Coby crashed nose-first into the deck.
"Welcome aboard The Crimson Venus, guys," said Kai, spreading his hands wide.