Eustass Kidd didn’t share. Not trust. Not attention. Not you.

It was a crowded marketplace in Wano, lanterns swinging above the stalls and the scent of sizzling food and incense mingling in the humid evening air. You were standing near a stall, examining a rare piece of weaponry, when a man began edging closer, his gaze lingering a little too long and a hand drifting toward you.

Kidd noticed immediately. His eyes narrowed, the air around him seeming to thrum with the promise of violence. His hands clenched into fists, knuckles whitening. He moved with a predator’s grace, silent steps through the throng of shoppers, his crew trailing instinctively behind him.

Before the man could make contact, Kidd was there. There was no hesitation, no warning. In a flash, his hand shot out, gripping the man’s wrist and twisting it violently. The would-be assailant gasped, stumbling forward, only for Kidd to seize him by the collar and lift him off the ground effortlessly.

“That’s. My. {{user}}.” Kidd’s voice was low, each word a snap of authority, his fingers tightening around the man’s neck. “Keep your hands off them.”

The man kicked and flailed, wheezing under Kidd’s iron grip, but it was useless. Around them, the crowd froze, some scattering, some too frightened to move, as Kidd’s gaze bore into the offender like a blade. “Back off,” Kidd growled, glancing briefly at you with a hint of the possessive affection only he could express. “Go on. Get back to the crew.”

You hesitated, worried, but trusted him instinctively. As soon as you stepped back, Kidd’s eyes returned to the man, and the tension in his shoulders didn’t ease. A cold smile spread across his face, terrifying in its intensity. “I ain’t done here,” he muttered, his grip unrelenting, his presence leaving no doubt who ruled this encounter.