The sails of the Moment pulled tight against the wind as the Compass Pirates sailed toward the darkest corner of East Blue: Cocoyashi Village.
Once a peaceful fishing town, it now lay shackled beneath the boot of the fish-man tyrant known as Arlong — and Nami's burden had just become the crew's shared mission.
The sky darkened as they approached, not from weather… but from the weight of fear that clung to the air like mist.
Kairos stood at the bow, Nami beside him.
"You're sure about this?" he asked.
Nami didn't look at him.
"I'm not asking for your help," she said flatly. "I just need you to stay out of my way."
But her clenched fists told a different story.
---
Tales of the Tyrant
As they sailed closer, the sea grew oddly still — no fishing boats, no seagulls. Just silence.
Jinx explained what the crew had gathered from townsfolk whispers:
> Arlong had ruled for eight years.
He'd bought the land from the corrupt Marines.
Demanded tribute from every man, woman, and child.
Those who couldn't pay… disappeared.
His enforcers, the Arlong Pirates, were monsters both in strength and cruelty.
"Even the sea is scared of him," Bonney muttered.
Lokk cracked his knuckles. "Good. I've been itching to punch a shark."
But Kairos could see the tension in Nami's body.
This wasn't just a fight for her.
It was the reckoning of her entire childhood.
---
The Scar Beneath the Map
That night, anchored off the coast, Nami brought Kairos to her personal charting room.
Dozens of maps. Impossibly detailed. Hand-drawn. Meticulously inked.
"My deal with Arlong," she said softly. "I make maps. For him. I become the best cartographer in the world… and in exchange, he lets me buy back my village."
Kairos stared at the rows of coastline, islands, trade routes.
"You've been doing this alone?"
"I saved… every single berry." Her voice cracked. "100 million."
"Then why are we here?"
She reached into her pocket and threw a pouch onto the table. The berries inside glittered faintly.
"I had it. All of it. Yesterday."
Kairos froze.
"Let me guess…?"
She nodded.
"Arlong took it back. Said a thief has no right to freedom."
---
A Shadow in the Rain
The Compass Pirates disembarked under cover of night. Rain began to fall in slow, deliberate sheets — as if the sky mourned what Cocoyashi had become.
The villagers cowered behind shuttered windows. Marine flags flew side by side with the sun-shaped symbol of Arlong's flag.
Children didn't play. Dogs didn't bark.
Just silence.
Then a scream — from the square.
They ran toward it, weapons ready, just in time to see a towering silhouette toss a man to the ground.
He had a long nose, sharp fins, tattoos like barbed wire, and gills that flared when he laughed.
> "This your savior?"
Arlong sneered.
"Humans never learn."
His eyes locked on Nami.
And his grin turned to mockery.
"Back already, little thief? Did you bring me more treasure? Or just more failures?"
---
Kairos Steps Forward
Without hesitation, Kairos stepped between Nami and Arlong.
"Back off, fish-breath."
Arlong's sharklike face twisted into a cruel smile. "And what are you supposed to be? Another straw-hat brat?"
Kairos raised his palm, letting the glow of his Swap-Swap Fruit pulse once.
"I'm the balance."
With a flick, he tagged a nearby crate of iron and pointed to a puddle beneath Arlong.
Swap: Weight.
The puddle hardened into steel, pinning Arlong's leg briefly to the ground.
Zoroko struck first — blade flashing — but Arlong blocked her with a single, devastating elbow.
Lokk charged. Jinx dropped flashbombs. Bonney hit him with a punch fueled by sugar and vengeance.
And Kairos?
He was already swapping.
Strength → Lokk.
Pain → Arlong.
Stamina → Zoroko.
It was the first time they fought like a unit.
But even together, Arlong withstood it.
Laughing, bleeding, unbowed.
---
Nami's Decision
As the fight raged, Nami stood frozen.
Years of fear. Of guilt. Of bargaining with evil.
Then, from her blouse, she pulled a folded scrap of parchment.
A map of the village.
Her first map. Drawn at seven years old. Given to her mother.
She whispered:
"That's enough."
Then she charged forward — her staff glowing with purpose.
"I'm not your tool anymore!"
She struck Arlong's temple with a clean, brutal arc of lightning. Enough to stagger him.
And Kairos followed up with his hand glowing bright.
Swap: Bloodlust → Clarity.
Arlong blinked — confused. Disoriented.
Just long enough for Lokk to send him flying through a wall.
---
A Shattered Mask
The villagers emerged slowly.
Eyes wide.
Some were crying.
Nami dropped to her knees.
Kairos knelt beside her, not speaking.
She didn't need words.
Because for the first time in eight years…
The shadow was broken.
And the village had light again.