As the aftereffects of his attack faded, Koa stood at the edge of the newly formed ravine, surveying the destruction below. The land was torn apart, split open by the sheer force of his strike. At the bottom of the deep crevice lay Kuzan, unconscious, his body encased in a layer of ice that was slowly trying to regenerate his injuries. The process, however, was sluggish—his body struggling to recover from the overwhelming damage.
Koa, without hesitation, uses the power of the Dog Talisman to heal Kuzan. A faint glow surrounded Kuzan's battered frame as his wounds began to mend rapidly, and his frozen body began to thaw. Moments later, his eyes snapped open in shock, gasping for breath.
His gaze darted around, registering the devastation. The massive crater. The cracked, scorched earth. The mangled trees. Then he looked up at Koa, who was standing calmly at the edge, arms crossed.
Kuzan's eyes widened with realization—not just at the strength of Koa's final blow, but at the fact that Koa had healed him afterward.
"Who… the hell are you?" Kuzan muttered, still reeling from both the fight and the fact that he was still alive.
"I'm Maui D. Koa, and I'm your captain now, HAHAHAHAHAH," Koa said, while laughing so loudly, which made Kuzan remember the bet.
Kuzan slowly sat up, still coughing lightly as the last traces of blood faded from his lips. His body ached—no, screamed—from the beating he had just taken. He had fought powerful people before… but nothing like this. This wasn't just strength. This was something deeper. Something monstrous.
He looked up at Koa again, this time with narrowed eyes and a strange mix of awe, confusion, and… respect.
"You held back that much... just to test me?" Kuzan asked, his voice raspy.
Koa simply nodded. "I needed to know what kind of man you were. Now I do."
Kuzan glanced down at his hands, still trembling, still coated in ice residue. He hated losing. Hated being outmatched. But more than that, he hated being underestimated. Yet, Koa hadn't just crushed him to prove a point—he had shown him mercy, healed him, and acknowledged his strength.
"You could've killed me," Kuzan muttered.
"But I didn't," Koa replied. "Because I still want you to join me. Not as a servant. As a crewmate. As a man, I can trust when things get serious."
There was a long silence between them. The breeze passed over the shattered battlefield, and for a moment, all Kuzan could hear was the quiet cracking of thawing ice.
Finally, he spoke.
"…You're insane."
Koa grinned. "Probably."
Kuzan let out a low chuckle, almost in disbelief. He stood, still wobbling slightly, and looked Koa in the eye.
"I'll join you," he said at last. "But don't think for a second that I'll follow you blindly. I want answers. I want freedom. And I want strength. You give me those, I'll fight alongside you."
Koa smiled, not with smugness, but with satisfaction. "Then welcome to the crew… Kuzan."
-----------------
Greenbull, who was inside the shop being fitted for a suit, suddenly felt the ground shake beneath him.
"What the...? What's happening, old man?" Greenbull asked the elderly manager, who looked just as confused. It was the first time they'd ever experienced an earthquake in this peaceful kingdom.
After about a minute, the tremors stopped. The shop and its occupants were unharmed, so the fitting resumed without further interruption.
Over an hour later, Koa and Kuzan walked into the store, finding Greenbull waiting eagerly for the suit he had picked.
"Didn't I tell you to enjoy your money a little, not blow it all at once? What's this?" Koa asked, raising an eyebrow at Greenbull, who avoided meeting Koa's eyes, clearly feeling a bit guilty.
"Don't worry, Boss, I'll enjoy these clothes a lot," Greenbull replied sheepishly. Then his eyes shifted to Kuzan, the tall figure beside Koa—noticeably bruised, dirty, and slightly bloodied.
"Who's he, Boss?" Greenbull asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked Kuzan up and down, evaluating him.
"This is our new crew member, Kuzan," Koa said, introducing him. Kuzan simply raised a hand in casual greeting.
Greenbull stepped closer, circling Kuzan like a wary predator. "He looks too weak to be joining us," he said bluntly, confident in his own strength.
"What did you just say, runt?" Kuzan snapped back, clearly offended. His pride was still sore after losing to Koa.
"I'm not a runt—you're just a lanky, weirdly tall stick. And call me Greenbull, that's the name Boss gave me," Greenbull retorted, correcting him and adding a jab.
Kuzan scoffed. "Well, Greenbull, aren't you a little too young to be tagging along with Koa? Don't you think you'll just get in the way when the real fights break out?"
That hit a nerve. Greenbull's eyes lit with anger as he prepared to summon his Devil Fruit powers—until a his fist landed on both their heads, cutting the tension instantly.
WHAM!
"That's enough, both of you," Koa said firmly, glaring at the two. "You're part of the same crew now. Show some respect. I recruited you both because I know what you're capable of."
Greenbull winced and bowed slightly. "No, Boss... I'm not questioning your judgment."
"Good," Koa said. "Because if you were, I'd be reconsidering whether I should've brought you along at all."
He crossed his arms and continued, "Besides, neither of you are in any position to trash-talk. You're both weak right now. The Grand Line and especially the New World are full of monsters. You don't even know how to use Haki yet."
Both Greenbull and Kuzan fell silent, the weight of Koa's words sinking in. In that moment, they realized they weren't just on an adventure—they were being prepared for war.