The East Blue shimmered under a sharp midday sun, its waves rippling like polished glass. The Moment cut through it with calm precision, its crew unusually silent.
Not from fear.
Not even from anticipation.
But from exhaustion.
The fight with Arlong had taken its toll. Every bone ached, every muscle burned, and even Kairos could feel the pull of fatigue deep in his Devil Fruit-marked core.
And yet, it wasn't just physical. It was something heavier.
They had won.
But at what cost?
---
A Silent Morning
Bonney leaned over the railing, trying not to vomit from overexertion. Toma dozed off mid-sentence while trying to explain chart patterns to Nami. Zoroko—stoic as ever—hadn't sheathed her sword since they left Cocoyashi, as if waiting for the next shadow to strike.
Kairos sat cross-legged on the deck, hands glowing softly.
"Swap: Fatigue → Strength."
He pulled the weariness from Bonney and passed it into a wooden barrel nearby, which immediately cracked under the force of the transferred exhaustion and split down the middle.
Bonney groaned in relief and blinked up at him.
"You ever get tired of playing magic healer?"
Kairos chuckled, but his eyes were distant.
"Every time I use this power, it teaches me something."
"Yeah? What did it teach you today?"
"That strength without rest is just a fancy way of dying."
---
A Taste of Limits
Kairos had discovered early that the Kōtai Kōtai no Mi came with an invisible toll.
Every swap—every gift of strength, transfer of pain, or reversal of stamina—left fragments behind. Echoes. Residue.
He could carry others' burdens… but only for so long.
After Cocoyashi, those fragments had begun to whisper.
Headaches that didn't belong to him. Bruises that shouldn't have lingered.
But he pushed through. Because that was what a captain did.
Especially one with power like his.
Still, he needed time.
They all did.
And fate, as always, had different plans.
---
A Stranger on the Current
Jinx was the first to notice the drifting ship.
A small, single-masted vessel — torn sails, blood-streaked deck, dragging in the water like it had been through a war.
No one responded to hails.
Until they boarded it.
And found her.
A lone swordswoman, slumped against the mast, eyes closed but fingers gripping a three-sword style sheath like a lifeline.
Her body was covered in bruises. Bandaged ribs. Scars. But what caught their attention was the symbol carved into her shoulder:
> "Justice. Paid in Blood."
Zoroko's eyes narrowed.
"She's a bounty hunter."
---
Duel of the Drained
She awoke as Zoroko reached for her blade.
Instantly, the stranger was on her feet — barely — one sword drawn, stance imperfect but lethal.
"Who do you fight for?" she rasped, voice cracking with dehydration.
Kairos raised his hands.
"No one. We're pirates. But not like—"
"Then you're enemies," she said.
She launched herself at Zoroko.
The clash was fast and brutal. Sparks flew as sword met sword — but Zoroko wasn't trying to win. She was trying to measure the girl.
Zoroko's blade curved down.
"Stop. You're half-dead. You'll lose more than a duel at this rate."
But the girl kept swinging, eyes burning with resolve.
Kairos stepped in.
"Swap: Fatigue → Myself."
He collapsed instantly — knees hitting the deck, gasping for air as her drained strength poured into him like fire.
The stranger blinked, her body relaxing against the mast. She stared at him in awe.
"You… took it from me."
"I borrow what's heavy," he wheezed, grinning through the pain. "That's kind of my thing."
---
Name of the Hunter
She finally spoke, voice steadier now.
"My name is Roroko. Once of the Marine Hunters."
Jinx's brow lifted. "Marine Hunters? That's a myth."
"No. It was a group. A failed one. We hunted down Marines who broke their oaths. Crooks in uniform. The Government branded us traitors."
"What happened?" Nami asked gently.
Roroko's face hardened.
"Wiped out. I'm the last."
She looked around the deck at this strange, exhausted crew.
"You're the Compass Pirates," she said.
"Word spreads fast," Kairos muttered.
Roroko's hand touched the mark on her shoulder.
"I came to find strength. Not stolen strength. Not inherited strength. But the kind you choose."
She met Kairos's gaze.
"Let me join you."
---
The Weight of a New Blade
Zoroko stepped forward, meeting her evenly.
"Three swords. That's rare."
"I trained myself. No family. No bloodline name. Just justice and revenge."
Zoroko considered this — then held out a hand.
"I'll spar with you again when you're whole."
"And I'll win," Roroko said softly.
Kairos, still half-dragged to the deck from the fatigue swap, managed a smile.
"Then welcome aboard."
And as the Moment turned to a new horizon, with its sails once again full and its family now larger…
Kairos whispered:
> "Another compass needle finds its point."