Story Quote: "For those who live by the sea, peace is never a gift. It's something you steal between storms."
-Abord The Fumigator-
The sun crept through the portholes of the captain's quarters, casting long ribbons of light across tangled sheets.Kairo stirred first, feeling the soft rhythm of Aria's breathing beside him. Her head rested against his chest, her arm draped over his side.
The gentle rocking of the ship, the faint cry of gulls, and the warmth of her skin reminded him—for once—of peace.
Aria's eyes fluttered open, hazy and soft.
"You're staring again," she murmured sleepily."You make it hard not to," Kairo replied with a faint smile.
She smirked, brushing his hair from his eyes.
"You say that like you're not the one who looks like he crawled out of a legend.""Legends get old," he said. "You don't."
They lay there for a moment longer, the silence between them tender and familiar. The sheets were tangled, the air faintly scented with salt and something sweeter—the afterglow of the night's passion.
Outside, the ship creaked and voices carried across the deck. Duty called.
"Time to be a captain again," Aria sighed, sitting up and pulling the sheet around her shoulders."And time for you to make sure I don't ruin anything," Kairo teased, reaching for his coat.
She chuckled.
"I'll try, but no promises."
The Fumigator had returned to its lively rhythm. Jett was hammering planks into the port side railing, singing loudly and off-key.Mira and Rumi argued playfully over breakfast ingredients, while Kino adjusted the helm and checked the compass.
It had been five days since they'd escaped the Graveyard of Giants. The fog was long gone, the sun warm, the sky endless.
Kairo and Aria stepped onto the deck to a chorus of greetings.
"Morning, Captain," Rumi called, not looking up from her tools. "You look… well-rested.""You could say that," Aria said quickly, earning a few sly grins.
Mira grinned the widest.
"So that's why the ship was rocking harder than usual last night.""Careful, Mira," Kairo said, hiding a smile. "Chefs who tease their captain might find themselves swabbing decks.""Aye aye, Captain," she said, laughing.
The crew spent the late morning honing their skills.Jett practiced swings with his hammer, focusing on precision instead of raw power.Rumi tested chemical vials with new mixtures—less corrosive, more controlled.Kino practiced Observation Haki, blindfolded, balancing across a narrow plank while Mira threw fruit at him from different angles.
"You're supposed to dodge them, not catch them," she called."And waste good fruit?" he shot back, biting into an apple midair.
Aria cleaned her rifle while Kairo practiced sword drills on the upper deck. His movements were smooth, deliberate—every swing of Kusanagi left faint ripples of mist.
When he finished, he sheathed the blade and exhaled slowly, focusing on his Haki flow. It was stronger now, more stable. The battle with the ghost ship had refined his control, even if it had nearly killed him.
"Trying to cut the wind now, Captain?" Kino asked from the helm."Just making sure it still listens," Kairo replied.
A flutter of wings broke the calm.From the horizon came a News Coo, the familiar black-and-white messenger bird of the seas, swooping toward the ship. It dropped a rolled-up newspaper and a small pouch into Mira's hands before veering off again.
"Breakfast and gossip!" Mira said cheerfully, tossing the pouch of coffee beans to Rumi."Let's see what the world's talking about."
She unrolled the paper, and her eyes widened.
"Oh, you've got to see this!"
She spread it across the deck table. In bold print was a headline that caught everyone's attention:
"The Straw Hat Rookie Shocks the East Blue — Monkey D. Luffy: 30 Million Berries!"
A sketch of a grinning young man with a straw hat and scarred cheek grinned up from the front page.
"Thirty million?" Jett whistled. "That's his first bounty?""Not bad for a rookie," Rumi said. "He must've caused some real chaos."
Mira smirked, looking at Kairo.
"What was your first bounty again, Captain?""Two million," Kairo said dryly."Two million?!" Jett burst out laughing. "I've stolen boats worth more than that!""And how'd that work out for you?" Kairo asked, raising an eyebrow."Touché," Jett muttered.
Aria chuckled, leaning against the railing.
"He's not laughing when you tell him how hard it was to get to eighty-three.""Eighty-three?" Mira repeated. "Still less than Straw Hat's total."
Kairo sighed theatrically.
"So this is mutiny, then.""Only if he gets another raise before you do," Rumi teased.
The deck filled with laughter, the tension of past battles washed away by good humor and sunlight.
Later that evening, after the laughter had faded, Kairo stood alone at the stern, watching the sun melt into the horizon.Aria joined him, wrapping an arm around his waist.
"You don't like being compared, do you?" she asked softly."It's not that," he said. "It's just strange. Every pirate chasing a dream is like a spark in a storm. Most go out before they're seen.""And you?""I'll burn as long as I have something to protect."
Aria smiled, resting her head against him.
"Then keep burning, Captain."
He looked out at the setting sun, the sails catching fire in its glow. The Grand Line stretched ahead, unpredictable and endless.And for the first time since setting sail, Kairo felt not like a shadow of the past—but like a man writing his own legend.