The sun drifted higher over the horizon, staining the sea gold.
Kaen stood motionless on the sand, still feeling the echo of that impossible voice inside his mind.
"Welcome back, child of the sea…"
He pressed his palm against his chest. His heartbeat felt… different.
It pulsed not in rhythm with his body, but with the rhythm of the waves.
The tide rose — his heart thumped.
The tide fell — his breath followed.
It was as if the ocean itself breathed through him.
---
He looked around the coast. It was barren — no sign of life except scattered wreckage.
Broken planks, torn sails, and half-buried barrels were all that remained of some forgotten ship.
Kaen stumbled toward the nearest crate, prying it open with a splintered piece of wood. Inside were fragments of soaked pages, faded with time.
He picked one up. The ink had almost washed away, but a few words still remained.
"...Buster Call... Ohara… destruction… Scholars of Truth—"
His hand trembled.
He didn't understand how, but somehow he knew this name.
Ohara. The island that the World Government had erased from maps.
He remembered the vision from before — books burning, people screaming, the sound of cannons.
It wasn't just a memory. It was his.
"I'm… from Ohara?" he whispered.
The sea answered with a low hum — a sound no human could hear. But Kaen could.
He turned to the water, walking until it lapped at his ankles. The moment the waves touched his skin, warmth spread through him.
The surface shimmered faintly — and beneath it, he saw something that should have been impossible.
Images.
Faint silhouettes of scholars surrounded by books. A tall man shouting at soldiers. A little girl clutching a tome, crying as the sky burned.
And then, a single word echoed through the tide—
"Survive."
Kaen stumbled back, gasping. The vision vanished.
He stared at his reflection, his glowing eyes staring back.
The fruit he had eaten… it wasn't ordinary. It had tied him to the ocean's memories.
"So you're showing me the past, huh?" Kaen muttered. "Then maybe you can show me what the world's been hiding too."
The sea rippled in response.
---
He spent the day searching the wreckage for anything useful.
He found a torn coat, a compass that refused to point north, and a half-rusted cutlass.
Not much — but enough to begin with.
When night came, the stars lit up the world like scattered lanterns. Kaen sat by a small fire, the coat wrapped around his shoulders.
His stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since morning — and the fruit's taste still lingered in his mouth like poison.
"Guess even Sea Gods get hungry," he said, forcing a laugh.
He looked toward the tide. Small fish darted near the shore, glimmering silver under the moonlight.
As he reached out, something strange happened — the water moved toward him, wrapping around his arm like a living thread.
"What the—"
The wave rose, shaped itself into a liquid spear, then collapsed back into the sea.
Kaen blinked. His heart was racing.
He didn't even think — it had just happened.
"Control over water…" he murmured. "No… not control. It's responding to me."
The realization sent a thrill down his spine. He clenched his fist, water dripping from it.
"So that's your gift, huh? The power of the sea itself."
He smiled faintly. But that smile faded when the sound of rustling came from behind him.
Kaen turned sharply — someone was approaching.
From the shadows emerged a group of men, rough-looking, armed with cutlasses and rifles. Their leader wore a bandana marked with a skull and anchor.
"Well, well," the man sneered. "Didn't expect to find anyone alive out here. You lost, kid?"
Kaen stayed silent. His hand drifted toward his sword.
"Heh, doesn't matter. That coat's worth something. Hand it over and maybe we won't gut you."
Kaen's eyes glowed faintly — that same ripple-like shimmer.
"You should leave," he said quietly.
The bandits laughed.
"Oh, tough guy, huh? Fine. We'll take it by force—"
He didn't finish.
The moment they stepped forward, the tide surged. A massive wave exploded from behind Kaen, crashing into the men and tossing them aside like leaves.
Kaen didn't move. The water had acted on its own — or perhaps, on his will.
When the foam cleared, the men lay scattered, unconscious. Kaen stared at his hands, trembling.
"So this is… my power," he whispered. "The sea listens to me."
The fire flickered behind him, casting long shadows. Kaen looked toward the endless ocean, feeling both awe and fear.
He didn't know what this power truly was — or what it would cost.
But one thing was certain.
He had been brought here for a reason.
The world had destroyed Ohara once.
Now, a child of Ohara had returned — reborn, guided by the sea itself.
Kaen tightened his coat, gazing at the horizon as the first light of dawn began to rise.
"If the sea gave me this second life," he said softly, "then I'll use it to find the truth it's been hiding."
The waves answered again, whispering in the ancient tongue of the deep.
And somewhere far away, a massive bird soared into the sky, clutching a newspaper in its talons — the front page screaming:
"A Mysterious Storm Destroys Pirate Fleet Near Water 7 – Locals Speak of a 'Man Who Commands the Sea.'"
Kaen didn't see it yet. But the world had already begun to whisper his name.
---
To be continue...