Story Quote: "The sea doesn't forgive weakness. It doesn't care for excuses. But for those who refuse to sink — it rewards them with the right to keep sailing."
The Return to Loguetown
Mist rolled across Loguetown's harbor as the Fumigator slipped into port under the guise of a merchant ship. For most pirates, returning here was suicide.But for Kairo D. Veil, it was destiny.
He'd been born in this town.He'd eaten his Devil Fruit here.And now, the Marines whispered his name like a curse.
On the roof of a nearby Marine tower, Captain Smoker stood with a cigar clenched between his teeth, arms folded, twin jitte weapons crossed at his back.
"Gas Chamber Pirates…" he muttered. "So the rumors were true. The mist demon comes home."
With the fog rolling in, word began to spread around town, putting the civilians on edge.
The crew split up to gather supplies.Aria and Kino took the upper streets to scout for Marine patrols, while Jett and Rumi stayed by the ship to refit their gas tanks and weapons.
Kairo walked through the town square, his eyes tracing the very spot where Gol D. Roger had died. A chill ran through him — part nostalgia, part foreboding.
He didn't sense Smoker at first, but the smell of burning cigars gave it away.
"You're bolder than I expected," Smoker said, stepping through a curl of smoke."Most pirates avoid the place they were born. Especially the ones with bounties on their heads."
Kairo smirked.
"I came to pay my respects. Seems fitting, doesn't it? A pirate born where the last king died."
Smoker exhaled, the smoke around him darkening.
"Save the poetry. I've been wanting to test something."
"And that is?"
"Which suffocates faster — smoke or gas?"
The street exploded in vapor.
When Smoke Meets Gas
Smoker's Moku Moku no Mi powers turned the air thick and gray, while Kairo's Gasu Gasu no Mi swirled pale and sharp through it, the two elements clashing and distorting light.
Visibility vanished. Civilians fled screaming as the air warped and shimmered.
Kairo's voice echoed faintly through the haze:
"You can't trap gas, Captain."
Smoker's laugh rumbled back.
"And you can't fight what you can't see."
A blur — the sound of steel scraping against sea stone. Smoker's jitte swung through the fog, its sea stone tip humming.
Kairo barely dodged, his form scattering into vapor before reforming behind Smoker.He slashed with Kusanagi, lightning flickering along the blade. Smoker blocked with his jitte, sparks flying.
Gas ignited. Smoke recoiled.For a moment, the street was nothing but flame and shadow.
Meanwhile, Marines poured toward the harbor, surrounding the Fumigator.
Jett roared, grabbing a steel pipe from the deck and swinging it like a club, scattering Marines like bowling pins.
"You want the captain? You'll have to swim for him!"
Rumi flung vials from the railings, releasing chemical mists that disoriented the attackers without killing them.
"Non-lethal mix!" she shouted. "We're pirates, not murderers — remember that!"
Kino spun the wheel, maneuvering the ship just far enough from the dock to give them an escape route if needed.Aria, perched high on a mast, picked off rifles aimed at Jett, each bullet whistling with gas-charged precision.
She whispered into her Den Den Mushi:
"Captain, we can hold them for now — but don't you dare die on me."
Back in the square, Kairo and Smoker faced each other through waves of gas and smoke.
Smoker charged, the sea stone tip of his weapon slicing through the vapor like a knife through silk.Kairo countered, exhaling a burst of ionized plasma gas, his sword glowing white-hot.
They collided.For a moment, smoke and gas burned together, creating a flash so bright it lit the whole town.
"You're strong," Smoker growled. "But strength means nothing if it chokes the innocent."
"And justice means nothing if it suffocates freedom," Kairo replied.
Smoker swung again — this time catching Kairo's arm. The seastone burned against his skin, forcing his body back into solid form.
Kairo grimaced but smiled through the pain.
"Didn't expect you to catch me that easily…"
He let go of his sword. The blade dissolved into vapor — reappearing behind Smoker, fully solidified again.
A gas projection technique.
Kairo reached forward, gripping the hilt remotely and twisting. The sword slashed a shallow cut along Smoker's shoulder before dispersing once more.
The Marine captain staggered, glaring.
"Tricky bastard…"
"You'll have to get used to it," Kairo said, voice calm despite his bleeding arm.
The two men stood in the mist, panting, evenly matched — one representing the suffocating order of justice, the other the unpredictable chaos of freedom.
Smoke cannons fired from the harbor, signaling reinforcements. Kairo stepped back, exhaling heavily.
He could have continued — maybe even won — but his crew was his priority.
He let his body dissolve into mist, the wind carrying him back toward the docks.
Aria spotted him first, relief flashing in her eyes.
"You look awful."
"You should see the other guy."
The Fumigator pulled away from Loguetown under a curtain of fog, leaving chaos and coughing Marines behind.
Later that night, the crew gathered in the galley — exhausted but alive.
Kairo sat at the head of the table, bandaged and quiet.The silence stretched until Jett spoke up:
"Captain… we're strong, but not strong enough."
"Aye," Aria agreed. "If that Marine had been just a bit faster, we'd be short one captain."
Rumi nodded, pushing up her goggles.
"We rely on your strength too much, Kairo. That's not what a crew should be."
Kairo looked at each of them — his eyes proud, not disappointed.
"Then fix it," he said softly. "Train. Grow. Be the kind of pirates who protect each other, not the kind who hide behind their captain."
He stood, placing his hand over the Gas Chamber flag carved into the wood above their table.
"This flag isn't mine alone. Every one of you carries it. The next time we fight, I want the world to choke on our strength, not just mine."
Aria smiled faintly, resting her hand over his.
"Then let's make the world hold its breath."