The seas around Loguetown buzzed with tension.
The island, famous as the birthplace and death place of Pirate King Gol D. Roger, was more than just a monument now—it was a brewing cauldron of ambition, revolution, and silent war. Everyone had eyes on Loguetown, especially now that whispers of a new pirate crew, the Compass Pirates, had reached its shores.
And with those whispers came danger.
Because some enemies don't wait.
They hunt.
---
A Predator's Arrival
The Compass Pirates docked just after sunrise. The harbor was foggy, the stone docks worn and weather-beaten. Bonney yawned and stretched. Nami had already disappeared into the local cartographer's guild. Zoroko sharpened her swords in quiet rhythm.
Kairos stood still at the edge of the pier, something gnawing at his gut.
"I feel it too," Roroko said beside him. Her hand was already near her blade.
Something… watched them.
Then the dock exploded.
Water surged up in a tidal column, sending villagers and crates flying. From the spray leapt a hulking silhouette—taller than Arlong, leaner than Hody, with jagged gill-slits and serrated shark teeth that gleamed like knives.
His dorsal fin was tattooed with an old pirate sigil: a black fang curling around a harpoon.
"Fishman Fang." Zoroko spat the name like poison. "One of Arlong's lieutenants."
"No," Roroko corrected. "The one Arlong feared. He was exiled for being too violent—even for them."
The creature's eyes locked onto Kairos.
"So. You're the swap brat," he growled, voice like grinding coral. "You stole my revenge."
---
Strength in Question
Fishman Fang moved like a torpedo. One instant he was thirty feet away, the next, his webbed claw was tearing through Kairos's shirt.
Kairos flipped back, coughing blood.
"He's fast—faster than Arlong," he thought, wiping his mouth.
But speed wasn't the problem.
Power was.
Fang's fishman karate cracked the stone beneath their feet. One punch shattered a cannon. The sheer water pressure around his limbs was enough to split wood.
Zoroko lunged, swords slashing.
Blocked.
Roroko followed, blades twirling.
Deflected.
Fang laughed. "You're just little humans. I'll crush you like driftwood."
Kairos grabbed his arm in a flash.
"Swap: Speed → Me!"
Suddenly Fang stumbled, and Kairos blitzed behind him, faster than the eye could follow. He slammed his elbow into Fang's neck.
The impact staggered the fishman—but just barely.
"Swap: Strength → Me!"
Fang grunted. His bulging muscles shrank for just a second—long enough for Kairos to land a thunderous uppercut that cracked several of the monster's jagged teeth.
Fang spat blood—and smiled.
"Good. You'll die with purpose."
---
The Fight Gets Dirty
Fang clapped his hands together, summoning a wall of water that surged across the docks. Bonney grabbed Toma and pulled him to safety as crates and barrels shattered under the force.
Kairos raised a hand—too slow.
The wave crashed into him and hurled him through a stone column.
Roroko tried to reach him, but Fang blocked her path.
"I'm not done with him," the Fishman growled.
From the rubble, Kairos stood up. Bleeding. Gasping.
Then—he smiled.
He held a glowing coin between two fingers.
The tag.
"Swap: Water → Air!"
The wave surrounding Fang evaporated in an instant, leaving him exposed.
Then Kairos charged.
---
Strategy Over Power
With his Swap-Swap Fruit, Kairos didn't need to be stronger—just smarter.
He used three quick swaps:
1. Stamina → Fang.
Fang's breath grew ragged.
2. Momentum → Himself.
His punches became like cannonballs.
3. Balance → Roroko.
She spun, flipping through the air, kicking off Fang's chest with impossible precision.
They attacked in sync.
Strike.
Swap.
Evade.
Swap again.
Each blow confused Fang's senses, turned his strengths against him.
Until finally, Kairos reached for the broken tooth he'd knocked out earlier—still glowing with residual energy.
"Delayed Swap: Body Mass → Tooth Shard!"
He slammed it into Fang's chest—and in that instant, the fishman's weight surged into the tiny object, dragging him downward.
Straight through the dock.
Into the sea below.
---
The Echo of Power
Bubbles rose.
Then silence.
Then… nothing.
No surface break. No final scream. Just cold water and drifting silence.
Kairos dropped to his knees.
Zoroko steadied him. Roroko offered water.
"You beat him," Bonney said.
Kairos didn't answer.
Because he hadn't won with strength.
He'd traded everything in that fight. His stamina. His balance. His internal calm. He was a flicker away from collapse.
But he had made his point:
> Power isn't what you take.
Power is what you give away—and survive.