For a moment, the entire ship was silent.
Every member of the Arlong Pirates stood frozen in place, staring at Kairos as if they had just seen something they could not understand.
No one knew why he had attacked the moment he appeared.
From the lookout, Kuroobi shook his head hard.
Not an illusion.
That really was Kairos.
"…Is he trying to spar with us?" he muttered, forcing his mind to find a reason.
It had to be that.
Right?
Then movement came from the wreckage.
Arlong stepped out.
He spat a bloodied tooth onto the deck.
A fist imprint had sunk deep into his face, blood still seeping from the edges. It looked brutal.
Yet he wasn't angry.
Instead, there was a strange helplessness in his expression.
"No need to fight. I surrender."
Arlong raised both hands without hesitation.
Clean.
Direct.
He knew exactly what kind of monster he was facing.
A man who had defeated Admiral Kuzan.
A man who had beaten Golden Lion Shiki.
Compared to that, what was pride worth?
He had heard the rumors.
Kairos liked to spar.
And once an opponent surrendered, he usually stopped.
So Arlong made the quickest, smartest choice.
Give up.
End it.
Live.
Around him, the other fish-men quickly caught on.
Some even started explaining to the newer crew members.
"Don't panic. He just likes fighting."
"Yeah. Once someone admits defeat, it's over."
"Oh… so that's it."
Relief began to spread across the ship.
Just a spar.
Nothing serious.
As long as Arlong surrendered, this would end.
Right?
BOOM!!
Arlong flew again.
His body tore across the deck, carving two deep trenches before slamming to a stop after several violent rolls.
Kairos stood where he was, casually shaking out his arm.
A torn piece of Arlong's shirt still hung from his fist.
Silence.
Then the ship erupted.
"What?!"
"What just happened?!"
"Didn't he surrender?!"
The fish-men stared in disbelief.
The ones who had just reassured everyone immediately felt dozens of furious gazes stab into them.
They lowered their heads, trembling.
They didn't know either.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
A single thought spread through every mind on the ship.
This wasn't a spar.
He had come to kill them.
And then they remembered.
Hannabal.
The massacre.
Kairos cutting down pirates without warning.
A chill ran through every spine.
Arlong staggered to his feet again.
His face was twisted, blood pouring from his mouth, but his eyes were clear.
Cold.
He forced himself to calm down.
Rage boiled inside him, but he crushed it down.
Rage would not save him.
His gaze locked onto Kairos.
Then he spoke.
"…Is it because I'm going to the East Blue?"
Kairos didn't hesitate.
"Yeah."
Just one word.
Simple.
Direct.
And it froze the entire ship.
Everyone went blank.
Out of all the pirates on the seas, why them?
Why specifically them?
Arlong's eyes flickered.
In that instant, he understood.
Kairos was from the East Blue.
That sea was his home.
And at the same time, Arlong felt it.
Killing intent.
Cold.
Absolute.
Kairos wasn't playing.
He meant to kill him.
That realization hit like a hammer.
A man who had defeated an Admiral, who had crushed Golden Lion Shiki, was aiming that killing intent at him.
There was no escape.
No survival.
No future.
Thud.
Arlong dropped to his knees.
No hesitation.
No dignity.
Only survival.
"Don't kill me!!"
His voice cracked into a roar.
"I swear I'll never set foot in the East Blue again! Not for the rest of my life!!"
It wasn't a lie.
From that moment on, the words East Blue had become an absolute taboo burned into his soul.
Anywhere else.
Anywhere.
Just not there.
But then his voice stopped.
Because he felt it.
The killing intent had not faded.
Not even slightly.
It grew stronger.
"…Sorry."
A quiet voice sounded beside his ear.
Then—
BOOM!!
Kairos stepped forward.
The air exploded beneath his foot.
His body shot forward like a blade, tearing through the rain.
His fist, coated in black Armament Haki, came down.
There was no time to react.
CRACK.
The punch sank deep into Arlong's face.
Skin split.
Muscle tore.
Bone shattered.
His nose collapsed completely.
Pain exploded through him.
It felt like a red-hot iron rod had been driven into his skull and twisted.
Everything went white.
Then black.
Just before his consciousness disappeared, he heard Kairos' voice.
Calm.
Unshaken.
"I don't believe you."
Snap.
Something broke.
Whether it was bone or life itself, no one could tell.
Arlong's body went limp.
His head tilted at an unnatural angle, his neck completely shattered.
Blood spilled from his mouth in thick streams.
The captain of the Arlong Pirates was dead.
Killed in a single punch.
Rain poured.
The storm raged.
And on that ship, not a single fish-man dared to move.
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