Story Quote: "The Grand Line doesn't kill the unworthy—it simply forgets them."
-The Grand Line-
For days after leaving the Echo Island, the Fumigator sailed under a calm sky. The water was glass-smooth, the air still.
Then, without warning, the world changed.
The clouds above twisted into spirals of black and gold, lightning flickering silently inside them. The sea, moments ago tranquil, began to boil with unseen current.
"What the hell?!" Jett shouted, gripping the railing as the ship lurched."Currents are reversing—again!" Kino yelled from the helm. "Wind's coming from three directions!"
Rain began to fall—then hail—then snow. Within minutes, sunlight burst through the storm, scorching the deck.
Rumi stared wide-eyed at the shifting weather.
"It's… impossible! These changes defy atmospheric law!""Welcome to the Grand Line," Kairo said grimly. "Where even the weather has a death wish."
He didn't add what he remembered from the stories of this sea—that every island, every patch of ocean, had its own climate.
For his crew, this was their first lesson: survival meant adaptability.
Kairo shouted over the roaring wind, his voice steady and commanding.
"Kino—watch the current! Don't fight the flow; use it!""Aye, Captain!"
"Rumi, Mira—seal the vents! Keep the gas lines stable!""On it!" Mira shouted, securing a valve with a rag as steam hissed through the deck.
"Jett, Aria—drop the storm anchors!""Already on it!" Jett bellowed, muscles straining as he released the reinforced chains.
Bolts of lightning tore across the sky, striking dangerously close. The air smelled of ozone and salt.
Kairo could feel the energy crackling under his skin—his Logia instincts whispering of plasma and gas, of the raw breath of the storm itself.
Not yet, he thought. I'll face the sea on its own terms first.
The sea calmed without warning. The clouds thinned. For a moment, it seemed the chaos had passed.
Then the water below began to churn again—deeper, slower. Something vast was moving beneath them.
Kino's eyes widened.
"Depth's changing… fast. Something's rising!"
A shadow broke the surface—a massive shape crowned with scales the size of shields. A low roar echoed through the sea, shaking the Fumigator from bow to stern.
The creature rose, its golden mane dripping seawater: a lion-headed Sea King, its serpentine body coiling hundreds of meters long.
"Sea King!" Aria shouted, loading her rifle."A lion with a fish tail—seriously?!" Jett yelled, gripping a harpoon.
Kairo's gaze hardened.
"Everyone, battle stations."
The Sea King roared again, and the waves answered. The ship tilted as the creature slammed a clawed fin into the water, sending up a wall of foam.
Aria fired a burst of rounds toward its eyes—most deflected harmlessly by thick scales. Mira hurled gas-coated daggers that sizzled on contact but did little damage.
"Too dense!" Rumi shouted. "We can't pierce it!""Then we'll make it vulnerable," Kairo said, unsheathing Kusanagi.
He stepped forward, Haki flowing down his arm. His blade darkened, glowing faintly with the shimmer of blackened steel.His crew stared—this was the first time they'd seen Kairo's Armament Haki fully manifest.
"I'll draw its attention! Stay alive!"
He leapt from the deck—his form bursting into vapor midair—and reappeared on the Sea King's snout. The beast blinked in confusion before roaring again, shaking salt spray and lightning from its mane.
Kairo moved like a shadow—slashing, vanishing, reappearing, every strike carving shallow cuts that hissed with burning plasma.
On the ship, Kino fought the waves to keep the vessel steady.
"If we capsize, he's done for!"
"Then we don't capsize!" Jett yelled, throwing his weight against the wheel. "Rumi—ballast gas vents!""Releasing compression now!"
Mira grabbed Aria's spare rifle, firing explosive rounds into the Sea King's open wounds.
"That should get its attention off him!"
"He's using it as training," Aria realized, watching the captain move like a phantom across the creature's body. "He's testing his blade against something that can't be outsmarted."
Kairo steadied himself atop the creature's skull, rain pouring down. He took a slow breath.His Haki pulsed—not from anger, but from focus. Every cut, every step, every swing was calculated.
"Let's see if I can scar a god," he whispered.
The Sea King lunged upward, jaws snapping. Kairo dove straight into its mouth, disappearing in a burst of mist.
A second later—A blinding flash of light erupted from within the beast. The sound came a heartbeat later—an explosion like thunder.
The Sea King screamed, thrashing violently. Then its massive body went still, slumping against the waves.
A moment later, Kairo emerged from the steam, hovering just above the water in gaseous form before reforming on deck. His coat was torn, his blade glowing faintly red.
"Captain!" Mira cried."I'm fine," he said, exhaling slowly. "Just a little overcooked."
The crew erupted into cheers. Even Kino allowed a rare smile.
As they caught their breath, Kairo gazed at the horizon, the remains of the Sea King drifting away behind them.
"That's one storm and one monster down," Jett said proudly."And a thousand more waiting," Kairo replied.
He sheathed Kusanagi, his arm still humming faintly with residual Haki.
"Remember what you saw today," he said. "The Grand Line isn't something you fight—it's something you endure. Learn from it. Adapt. Or it'll feed on your bones."
The wind blew soft and warm, carrying the scent of victory and salt.
"Where to next, Captain?" Aria asked.
Kairo smiled faintly, eyes fixed on the endless horizon.
"Wherever the sea decides to try killing us again."
The crew laughed, the sound rolling across the calm water as the Fumigator sailed onward—stronger, wiser, and a little more ready for the chaos ahead.