The Rust Fangs sailed into the dusky horizon, a crimson sunset burning across the East Blue. Below deck, Kairos sat alone on the empty barrel that served as his "seat" in the corner of the cargo hold, his cutlass resting across his knees.
The wooden floor creaked with every wave.
He was sweating. His hands were shaking.
"Thirty seconds of power. One minute of helplessness."
He whispered it like a curse.
He stared at his hand as if willing it to become something monstrous. But there were no claws. No flames. No smoke. No stretching limbs or animal transformation.
"Swap strength. Swap pain. Swap… what? Is that all?"
He clenched his fist and punched the crate beside him. Nothing happened. He'd already used his ability twice today—he could feel the fatigue, like static buzzing under his skin.
Was this really the ability of a future Pirate King?
---
Earlier that day, they'd docked at a small island village. Quiet, poor, peaceful.
And in the path of pirates.
Briggs had stopped to resupply, but a different crew was already there—rougher, meaner. The Togari Twins, local terror pirates with a bounty of 2 million each. They had no flag, no pride. Just destruction.
And they were shaking down the villagers when Kairos saw them.
An old woman was being dragged by the arm. A little girl cried for her mother.
Kairos's blood boiled.
"I have power," he thought, walking toward them.
The two pirates laughed as he approached. One had jagged teeth and a giant club. The other wore goggles and threw knives faster than most blinked.
Kairos reached out, grabbed the club-wielder's wrist.
Swap.
The pirate blinked, confused. "Why do I feel so weak—"
Kairos moved in. The cutlass slashed once, hitting his shoulder. A shallow cut.
Then, the timer ran out.
The pirate grinned and slammed his club into Kairos's ribs.
Crack.
He flew back, coughing blood. The pain returned like a tidal wave.
The crowd gasped.
The little girl screamed.
Kairos curled on the ground, vision blurry. The knife-throwing twin kicked him in the stomach.
"Your Devil Fruit sucks, brat," he hissed. "One trick and it's over?"
The other laughed. "You should've eaten something useful."
---
Back on the ship now, Kairos pulled off his shirt. His side was black and purple.
He'd swapped strength. He'd failed.
The old woman had been saved—Briggs and the others intervened—but Kairos had been carried back unconscious.
He stared at the cutlass again.
He hated it.
He hated the silence.
He hated how weak he felt.
The door creaked open behind him. Breezer leaned in, holding a bottle.
"Captain said to give you this." He tossed it over. "For the pain."
Kairos caught it, grimacing. "Thanks."
Breezer didn't leave. He leaned against the doorframe.
"That was stupid, you know. Charging in alone."
Kairos looked down.
"I thought I could beat them."
"You couldn't." Breezer sipped from his own flask. "But you still tried. That matters."
Kairos looked up. "I'm just a burden right now."
"Welcome to pirate life." Breezer grinned. "You know how many of us were burdens when we started? Everyone wants to be Luffy by day two. Doesn't work like that."
Kairos said nothing.
Breezer continued, quieter now. "You've got a weird fruit. Not flashy. Not instant. But I've been on this sea long enough to know—every Devil Fruit starts useless if the brain behind it isn't sharp."
He walked forward and patted Kairos's shoulder.
"Figure out what makes yours yours, Kairos. Or it'll never be more than a curse."
Then he left, boots thudding up the wooden stairs.
---
Later that night, Kairos sat alone on the upper deck.
He watched the stars reflected in the ocean. They shimmered like distant, unreachable islands.
Swap… strength. Pain. Speed.
He began listing everything he could think of.
Size. Temperature. Reflexes. Maybe even... perspective?
He stood, moving to a barrel. He placed his hand on it, focusing.
Nothing.
He sighed. "Can't swap with objects."
He began pacing. What if I tagged someone and delayed the swap? What if I swapped an enemy's power with mine in mid-fight? Could I do two swaps at once?
His mind spun, faster than ever before. Ideas. Tests. Hypotheses. It was like solving a puzzle—his favorite kind.
Suddenly, he felt it.
Not strength.
Not speed.
Purpose.
---
Below deck, Briggs watched from his quarterdeck window, arms crossed.
"That boy's power isn't useless," he muttered. "It's terrifying. Just not yet."
---
Somewhere far away…
A Den Den Mushi crackled in a darkened room.
A man in a crisp Marine uniform set down a bounty poster.
WANTED
Kairos "Power Devil" – 2,000,000 Berries
For aiding pirate assault and consuming unknown Paramecia-type fruit.
The man frowned.
"Keep an eye on this one," he said. "He's not flashy… but he won't stay weak for long."
---
In a world where power often meant chaos and destruction, Kairos had just begun to discover the truth:
His Devil Fruit didn't make him powerful.
He had to become the power himself.
And so, the "useless" boy began crafting the future he'd swap the world for