The wind was off.
That's the first thing Kairos noticed as the Moment drifted into the calm inlet of Syrup Village — a quaint, sleepy town known for its slow-paced lifestyle and unusually sweet fruit wines. The docks were quiet. Too quiet. Not a soul in sight.
No kids playing, no fishermen hauling nets, no chatter from the cafes near the pier.
Just… stillness.
And a heaviness in the air.
Like a storm was coming.
Or maybe, it had already arrived.
---
A Familiar Shore
Toma frowned as they moored. "This village was fine last time I passed through. Warm people. Kind kids. What happened here?"
Zoroko adjusted the strap of her swords. "Empty towns mean one of two things. Plague... or pirates."
Jinx dropped a hand to her pistol. "Guess which one's more likely in East Blue?"
Kairos stepped onto the dock and looked toward the village center.
"I'll go ahead. Alone."
Zoroko raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Kairos smiled faintly. "Because I want to try something. Not every fight needs fists. And besides…"
He tapped his palm, the glow of the Kōtai Kōtai no Mi faintly flickering.
"…maybe there's a better trade to be made here."
---
The Girl Under the Tree
In the heart of Syrup Village, under the old banyan tree by the clock tower, Kairos finally found signs of life — a girl sitting cross-legged in the dirt, her back to the world, her straw hat tipped low.
She was young. Maybe thirteen. Her hands were bruised, her arms scraped.
She was clutching something.
Kairos approached slowly. "Hey."
She didn't look up. "Are you here to rob what's left?"
"…No."
He sat beside her without asking.
After a minute, she finally spoke again. "They took Kaya. They took everyone who could fight. Even the kids who thought they could."
Kairos's voice was quiet. "Who?"
She finally looked at him — dark, fierce eyes, holding back tears.
"Kraven. The Fang of the East. A bounty hunter turned pirate. He says he's 'cleansing the village of cowardice.' Took my sister for ransom. Said he'd execute someone every day till we start fighting back."
Kairos looked to the hills beyond the village. Smoke curled above the rooftops. A war camp.
She gritted her teeth. "Everyone here's too scared to do anything. But I'm not."
Kairos studied her — small, scraped, stubborn.
"What's your name?"
She stood up, fists clenched.
"Usagi."
---
Compass Pirates Enter the Storm
Kairos returned with news.
Lokk slammed his fist into his palm. "That bastard's using civilians as bait?"
Zoroko's voice was icy. "He wants resistance. A staged war. It's a purge."
Jinx pulled her goggles down over her eyes. "Then let's crash his theater."
Kairos nodded. "But we're not just going to fight him. We're going to outsmart him."
He held up a small metal tag — the kind Kraven's soldiers wore. A swap had already been made.
"Let's trade fear… for chaos."
---
The Battle of the Bay
That night, Kraven's camp erupted in confusion.
Weapons turned into wood. Armored men felt their strength drained. Boiling soup became ice. Traps backfired. Explosives wouldn't ignite.
And through the madness, Kairos moved like a shadow, tagging enemies and swapping attributes mid-strike.
Zoroko cut through the frontline with the precision of a surgeon, slicing weapon handles and breaking chains.
Jinx used mirrors and flashbangs to disorient soldiers — then swapped speed with Kairos, turning him into a blur of strikes.
And Lokk?
He punched a tree into the air and threw it through a guard tower.
Kraven finally emerged from the tent, snarling. A broad man with jagged teeth and a spiked halberd. Scars lined his chest. His voice was gravel.
"You the rats causing all this noise?"
Kairos stepped forward, eyes glowing.
"More like… a compass, pointing you straight to hell."
---
Kairos vs. Kraven
Kraven fought like a beast — unrefined, brutal, fueled by raw killing instinct.
But Kairos didn't meet him with brute strength.
He used intention.
He swapped Kraven's grip with that of a guard nearby, making him fumble his weapon.
He swapped his own weight with a pebble, launching himself into the air.
He swapped the sharpness of a blade with Kraven's armor — causing the pirate's defenses to go dull just as Zoroko's slash connected.
And finally, when Kraven lunged at Usagi — who had snuck into camp with a stolen blade — Kairos stepped between them and placed a single hand on the brute's chest.
Swap: Courage.
Kraven froze.
For the first time in his life… he felt true fear.
He collapsed to his knees, shaking, as Usagi held her blade high — not to kill, but to free her sister from the chains behind him.
---
A Village Rekindled
When dawn came, Syrup Village sang again.
Families returned to the streets. Children laughed. The clock tower rang not with fear, but with joy.
Kairos and the crew sat at a long table, surrounded by locals.
Usagi sat beside him, beaming, her sister safe.
"You're really weird pirates," she said with admiration. "You saved us."
Kairos winked. "We're the Compass Pirates. We get lost a lot. But somehow… we always find the right place."