The wind was calm the next morning, a rare stillness after nights of storms.
Kaen stood on the deck of the Tidebreaker, scanning the horizon through a cracked spyglass. All he saw was open water — but deep down, he could feel it. The ocean was breathing.
Every current around him hummed faintly, almost like a song. Ever since awakening the Umi Umi no Mi, Kaen could sense changes in the tides — not just movement, but emotion. The sea wasn't just alive; it was talking.
He grinned faintly. "You're restless too, huh?"
The ship creaked softly, as if answering.
---
By midday, he reached a small island — one not marked on any map. Its rocky shore was littered with broken ships and scattered treasure. A pirate graveyard.
As the Tidebreaker approached the beach, Kaen noticed figures moving among the wreckage. Survivors.
He dropped anchor and leapt down onto the sand, water splashing around his boots.
Three ragged men turned toward him — dirty, armed, and clearly desperate.
"Oi, who the hell are you?" one snarled, brandishing a cutlass.
Kaen raised his hands casually. "Relax. Just a traveler looking for a quiet dock."
"Then you picked the wrong graveyard!" another snapped.
The first man lunged. Kaen sidestepped easily, grabbed the man's wrist, and flicked it — the sea's current rippled through the motion. The attacker flew backward, landing in the shallow surf with a splash.
The others froze.
Kaen sighed. "I'm not your enemy… unless you make me one."
The sea shimmered faintly behind him, glowing that same soft blue. For a moment, the men hesitated.
Then one dropped to a knee. "You… you're the one they're talking about in the papers, aren't you? The man from Ohara."
Kaen tilted his head. "Already spreading, huh?"
"Rumor says you control the sea itself."
He smirked. "I don't control it. I listen to it."
They exchanged uneasy glances. One of them — a tall man with bandaged arms — finally spoke. "Then maybe we can listen too."
---
By nightfall, they sat around a campfire on the beach. The flames danced against the dark water as Kaen studied his new companions.
The tall man introduced himself as Rye, once a Marine deserter. The second, Toma, was a shipwright whose crew had been destroyed by a warlord. The third, Cira, was a thief who claimed she could hear "the voices of the wind."
Kaen watched them quietly, then said, "You all lost something to the sea… yet here you are."
Rye nodded. "The sea took everything. I thought if I could find the man who commands it, maybe I could take something back."
Kaen chuckled. "Command it? I barely keep it from drowning me."
Cira smirked. "Then maybe that's why it listens to you."
A long silence followed. The waves rolled gently against the shore.
Finally, Kaen stood, his shadow stretching across the sand. "The world government burned Ohara to erase history. The pirates chase treasure, the Marines chase control… but neither understand what's beneath it all."
He looked at the sea. "The sea remembers everything. And it's angry."
He turned back to them, eyes glowing faintly blue. "If you follow me, you follow the tide. No flag of skulls. No promise of glory. Just rebellion."
Rye rose first, fists clenched. "Then I'm in."
Toma followed, smiling. "I'll make sure the Tidebreaker doesn't sink before the world notices us."
Cira grinned and tapped her dagger on the sand. "Rebellion, huh? Has a nice ring."
Kaen smirked. "Then it's decided."
He drew a line in the sand, swirling it into a spiral — the same whirlpool mark as his flag. "From this day, we're the Tide Rebellion Crew. Our goal isn't riches or fame… it's truth."
The flames flickered. The sea rose slightly, sending a single wave that washed over the mark — sealing it.
---
Meanwhile, Across the World — A New Bounty is Announced
WORLD ECONOMIC TIMES
"Kaen Ohara – The Survivor of the Sea – 210,000,000 Berries!"
"Wanted for the destruction of Marine ships and suspected possession of ancient Ohara knowledge. Now confirmed to have formed a pirate crew known as the Tide Rebellion. Bounty expected to rise rapidly."
"Admiral Kizaru has departed for the New World to locate the target."
Sengoku read the paper grimly. "It's spreading faster than I expected."
Garp leaned back, laughing. "Heh. Another rookie with fire in his gut. Reminds me of a rubber kid I know."
---
Back on the island, Kaen looked over the paper bird that had just dropped the news. His face stared back from the page — his first bounty poster.
He smiled faintly. "Two hundred million already, huh? Guess they're scared."
Cira laughed. "You should've smiled more for the picture."
Rye frowned. "This isn't just about bounty posters, Kaen. The world's going to hunt us now."
Kaen folded the paper and tucked it into his coat. "Let them."
He stepped to the edge of the shore, looking out at the glowing horizon. The stars reflected on the waves like a thousand eyes watching him.
"The sea doesn't fear hunters," he said softly. "It swallows them."
The tide surged, lifting the Tidebreaker slightly off the sand as if urging them forward.
Kaen turned to his new crew, the first smile of true purpose lighting his face.
"Raise the sails. We've got history to uncover."
As the ship pulled away from the island, the ocean beneath shimmered faintly — the mark of the Umi Umi no Mi spreading through the waves.
Far beneath the surface, an ancient current stirred awake for the first time in centuries, whispering his name.
Kaen Ohara… the tide has chosen you.
---
To be continue...