The laughter faded with the wind.
Kairo stood outside the bar now, alone under the half-light of late afternoon. The breeze played with his hair, and he watched the sails of the Red-Hair Pirates disappear over the horizon, the ocean swallowing them like a slow exhale.
Gone.
He'd known they wouldn't stay. He'd seen the episode a dozen times. But it still left him hollow in a way he hadn't expected.
Shanks was more than a character to him now. He was a man who had looked him in the eye. Who had offered him sake.
Kairo's fingers still smelled faintly of it.
He dragged his feet down the slope back toward the shore. No direction, no goal—just walking.
He passed the same weathered crates, the same leaning fence posts, the same palm tree with a jagged trunk scar. Everything in Foosha Village looked like it had been painted thirty years ago and left to fade under salt and sun.
But it was peaceful.
And that was a problem.
His mind buzzed as he walked. Every step like pressing a thumb to a trigger. He didn't know when or where the first real change would come—but he was the change now. Just by existing. Just by speaking to Shanks. Just by sipping that damn cup of sake.
How much had already shifted?
Would Luffy still eat the Gum-Gum Fruit?
Would the bandit scene still unfold?
Would Shanks still lose his arm?
He stopped walking. A cluster of gulls wheeled overhead.
Could I stop it?
The idea sent chills down his back. It wasn't just tempting—it was possible. He could follow the bandits. Warn Luffy. Intervene.
But every choice he made was a ripple.
Save Shanks's arm, and maybe Luffy never grows strong enough. Warn Ace about Blackbeard, and maybe Sabo dies instead. Whisper to Robin about Ohara, and maybe the whole timeline collapses before Raftel is ever reached.
He sat on a large sun-warmed rock and dropped his face into his hands.
"I don't know what I'm doing," he muttered.
"KAIROOOO!"
The shout startled birds into the air. He looked up just in time to see a blur barreling toward him.
Luffy.
The eight-year-old shot down the hill like a cannonball, arms flailing, sandals slapping the dirt. Kairo barely had time to brace before Luffy launched himself straight onto him.
"Oof—!"
They tumbled off the rock and landed in a heap. Kairo groaned, blinking up at the blue sky.
"Luffy," he wheezed, "you're going to kill me."
The boy grinned down at him, eyes lit up like he'd just won the lottery. "You were there! You talked to Shanks! He likes you!"
Kairo pushed him off and sat up, brushing dust from his shirt. "He likes anyone who isn't trying to stab him."
"But he talked to you! You must be cool!"
Kairo laughed despite himself. "Don't get your standards from pirates, kid."
Luffy plopped down beside him in the grass. "You're gonna be a pirate someday, right?"
"No."
"But you will," Luffy insisted, nodding sagely like he was sharing a prophecy. "You got the look."
"That's what Shanks said."
"See? I'm smart too!"
Kairo smiled and leaned back, hands behind his head.
The two of them sat in silence for a bit. Just the breeze. Just the sea. Just the soft creaking of the dock and the distant clang of someone fixing a net.
"Why do you wanna be Pirate King?" Kairo asked quietly.
Luffy didn't even hesitate.
"To be free."
The answer hit like a punch to the chest.
Simple. Pure. Untouched by trauma or revenge or world-shaking ideology.
Kairo swallowed. "That's it?"
"That's it!" Luffy laughed, stretching his arms behind his head until his fists nearly touched the ground. "I wanna go everywhere. Eat everything. Meet cool people. Do what I want!"
Kairo nodded. "Sounds nice."
"You don't want that?"
Kairo hesitated.
In his old world, freedom had meant bills, jobs, debt, noise. In this world, it meant the ocean. It meant dreams the size of islands. It meant possibility.
"I want to keep people like you alive," he said.
Luffy blinked. "That's a weird goal."
"Yeah."
They sat again in silence.
Finally, Luffy said, "I'm gonna eat a Devil Fruit someday."
Kairo looked at him. "Yeah?"
"I don't care which one. I just think it'd be awesome to be stretchy. Or fast. Or fire!"
Kairo narrowed his eyes. "Maybe don't eat one just because it looks cool."
Luffy huffed. "Why not?"
"Because it could ruin your swimming."
"I don't care about swimming!"
"You will if you fall off a boat."
Luffy stuck out his tongue. "You sound like Makino."
Kairo grinned. "That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me."
They both laughed, and the moment softened.
And then Kairo saw them.
Three men, unfamiliar, walking into the village from the forest edge. Ragged cloaks, dirty boots, blades visible at their hips. Kairo tensed immediately.
The bandits.
His blood turned cold.
One of them wore a boar-tooth necklace. Another carried a thick club slung over one shoulder. And the one in front—a tall man with narrow eyes—stopped, looked around, then spat on the ground.
It was them. Higuma and his gang.
And with that, the clock started ticking.
They were unmistakable.
Even without the memory of that episode burned into the back of his skull, Kairo would've known them for trouble. Higuma's men didn't walk — they prowled. Sharp eyes, cheap grins, half-drawn blades in ragged sheaths. They moved like dogs that had bitten before and liked the taste.
And at the center of them, Higuma himself.
Tall, lean, a little hunched at the shoulders. His jaw was stubbled and sun-worn, his cloak mottled with dust and pine needles. One hand gripped the neck of a jug as he walked, the other hanging lazily near his katana.
Kairo's throat tightened.
He remembered what happened next. Not just the broad strokes. The details. Higuma came to the bar. Shanks offered him a drink. Higuma smashed the bottle, insulted him. Luffy blew up. Shanks laughed. And when it all came to a head days later — the sea king, the rescue, the arm.
The arm.
Kairo's fists clenched in the grass.
He could stop it.
Luffy was right beside him, lying on his back, staring at the sky, utterly unaware of the ticking time bomb swaggering into town.
Kairo stood.
"Where you going?" Luffy asked without looking.
Kairo stared at the bar. "I have to do something."
Luffy sat up. "Huh? What's wrong?"
Kairo didn't answer. He was already walking.
The bandits were halfway to the tavern. A few villagers spotted them and crossed the street without a word. Everyone knew what they were. But no one would say it. That was how bullies worked. They relied on silence, on polite fear.
Not today.
Kairo's boots crunched against the path. His heart was slamming against his ribs. The world narrowed. His mouth was dry, but his brain burned hot with memory.
Don't change anything. Don't interfere.
But if you don't...
He reached them just as Higuma reached the steps of the bar.
"Hey," Kairo said, loud enough to carry.
The three men paused.
Higuma turned, one brow cocked.
Kairo stood at the bottom of the steps. The wind played with his hair. He looked up and met Higuma's eyes.
"You're new here," he said, voice steady.
Higuma stared. "And?"
Kairo didn't blink. "You planning on making trouble?"
The silence was immediate and sharp. Even the seagulls paused.
Higuma grinned slowly. "Depends. You planning on stopping me?"
His men chuckled. One cracked his knuckles. The other fingered his club.
Kairo's legs wanted to run. His instincts screamed. But he held the gaze.
"The lady who runs this bar doesn't take crap," Kairo said calmly. "You might want to show a little respect when you walk through her door."
Higuma took a slow swig from his jug, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "That so?"
"Yeah."
For a long moment, they just stared at each other.
Then Higuma chuckled. "You've got brass ones, I'll give you that."
He turned and walked into the bar, his cloak brushing Kairo's shoulder as he passed.
"Don't worry, hero," one of the goons muttered as he followed, "we'll leave you the scraps."
The last one smirked wide. "Maybe."
Then they were inside.
Kairo stood still, fists trembling.
He didn't stop them. He didn't change anything. Not yet. But he'd sent a message.
I see you.
And that alone might shift the script.
"Kairo!"
Luffy jogged up to him, breathless. "What was that?!"
Kairo turned, forcing his expression calm. "Nothing. Just a misunderstanding."
Luffy frowned. "You were real serious."
Kairo placed a hand on his head. "That's 'cause they're real dangerous."
"Like pirates?"
"Worse," Kairo said. "Pirates at least live by rules. These guys think they own the world just 'cause they've got swords."
Luffy grinned. "You should be a pirate."
Kairo laughed. "You say that every time I breathe."
They sat on a crate outside the bar, pretending not to listen. Inside, voices rose. Chairs scraped. Then silence.
Then laughter.
Shanks's laugh. Loud and careless.
Kairo exhaled.
It was still happening. The story was still on track. No bottle smashing. Not yet. But tension brewed like thunderclouds.
He'd bought time. Maybe.
"Hey, Kairo," Luffy said after a while.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think I'm strong?"
Kairo looked at him. Really looked.
Skinny arms, scraped knees, big voice. No Devil Fruit yet. No crew. No name worth writing down outside this village.
But eyes full of fire. Heart like a drum that wouldn't stop.
"Yeah," Kairo said. "You're strong."
Luffy lit up.
"You're just not ready yet."
The boy pouted. "That's not what Shanks said."
Kairo ruffled his hair. "Shanks also said you could beat a sea king with a spoon."
Luffy's grin returned. "I could!"
They both laughed, and for a second the fear ebbed.
Then the bar doors burst open.
Kairo's head snapped up.
The bandits stormed out. Higuma's jug was smashed, his hand bleeding. One of his men had a black eye. The other limped.
Makino stood in the doorway, arms crossed, not even blinking.
Shanks leaned in the frame, grinning. "Come back if you want more storytelling tips!"
The bandits snarled and trudged off, cursing under their breath.
Higuma paused as he passed Kairo.
He didn't speak. Didn't blink.
But his eyes said everything.
You.
Then he was gone.
The threat wasn't over. The canon incident was still coming.
But something had changed.
And Kairo knew it.
The sky was still blue. Still calm. But Kairo could feel the pressure in the air change — like everything was tilting just a little bit off balance.
Makino returned inside, letting the saloon doors swing shut behind her. The Red-Hair Pirates' laughter resumed after a few beats, a rumble of joy like nothing had happened. But outside, the village was still as glass.
Kairo didn't move.
Not until the last heel of Higuma's boot vanished over the hill.
Even then, he didn't relax.
Luffy beside him seemed less concerned. "Did you see that guy's face? He looked like he ate a bug!"
Kairo stayed silent.
"Think he'll come back?"
"Oh, he will," Kairo said, voice lower now. "But next time, he won't be looking for a drink."
Luffy tilted his head, curious. "You're weird."
"I get that a lot."
They sat for a few minutes longer until the sun slipped a little lower in the sky. A gull screeched overhead, and someone down by the docks called out about fresh nets.
Life resumed.
But something had shifted beneath it all.
Kairo rose slowly and dusted himself off. "C'mon," he said. "Let's go see Makino."
Luffy popped up like a spring. "Do I get juice?"
"We'll see."
Inside the Partys Bar, the air was thick with the scent of spilled sake and roasted meat. Shanks was laughing again, this time arm-wrestling Lucky Roux while Yasopp offered commentary and Beckman rolled his eyes.
Makino was wiping down the counter, eyes flicking toward the door just as Kairo and Luffy entered.
"You two okay?" she asked, voice even but edged with concern.
"We're fine," Kairo said. "They didn't try anything."
Makino gave him a look — part doubt, part thanks — then nodded toward the back. "You hungry?"
Luffy ran past her before she finished speaking.
Kairo hesitated. "Makino… about earlier—"
"I know," she said quietly, not looking at him.
"You saw the way he looked at me."
"I did."
"He's going to come back."
She placed the cloth down slowly, her hand resting over it. "Then we'll be ready."
Kairo frowned. "No, we won't."
She finally met his gaze. "What do you mean?"
He leaned in, voice dropping. "He won't fight fair. He's going to wait until there's no one here to stop him."
Makino's eyes narrowed slightly. "You know a lot for a boy who's never left the village."
Kairo blinked.
She wasn't angry. She wasn't suspicious. But she wasn't oblivious either.
"I just—watch people," he said. "Higuma's type is easy to read."
Makino didn't press. Just nodded once. "Then we'll keep Luffy close. For a few days."
Kairo exhaled. Relief, but only partial.
Because this wasn't a few-days problem. It was a countdown.
He turned toward the pirates. Shanks had just won the arm-wrestle, and Lucky Roux was shouting for a rematch.
They don't know yet, Kairo thought. They think this is just another stop. A few laughs, a few drinks. They don't know how close death is creeping.
His hand twitched at his side. The weight of decision pulling at his limbs.
He could stop it. Today. Right now. He could tell Shanks what was coming. That the sea king would rise. That Higuma would kidnap Luffy. That the hero would lose an arm to save the boy who would change the world.
But if he did… who would Luffy become?
Would he still grow strong enough?
Would he still set sail?
Or would he live safe, coddled, incomplete?
Kairo sat beside Luffy, who was now drowning in juice and meat skewers. The kid looked up, face smeared, smile pure.
"Wanna try the pork?" he asked.
Kairo shook his head. "I'm not that brave."
Luffy cackled and kept eating.
And Kairo stared at him.
The hero.
The idiot.
The future King of the Pirates.
Small. Loud. Alive.
I won't let you die, Kairo thought. But I won't break you either.
So he sat. And waited.
And when the pirates began to gather their gear and talk of leaving, Kairo slipped out the door quietly and climbed the hill behind the bar.
There, beneath the same palm tree, he waited until the shadows stretched long.
And then he saw them.
Higuma and his men. In the woods. Watching the bar from afar. Planning. Waiting.
The final act was approaching.
And Kairo, the ghost from another world, would be ready.