The sea was calm… too calm.
Kaen leaned against the rail of the Tidebreaker, watching the water shimmer under the morning sun. His reflection rippled slightly — then vanished as a faint hum filled the air.
Rye gripped the mast tightly. "Captain… you hear that?"
Kaen nodded slowly. "Yeah. It's not the sea this time."
A streak of golden light flashed across the horizon.
Then another.
And another.
Cira shaded her eyes, squinting. "That's not sunlight… that's—"
Her words were cut short as a beam of light pierced the waves a few hundred meters away, exploding the sea into a geyser.
"—Kizaru," Kaen finished, his voice calm but sharp. "The Marines didn't waste any time."
---
The Tidebreaker shook as another blast hit nearby. Kaen steadied himself, eyes narrowing. The sea responded to his unease — waves swelling protectively around the ship.
Toma shouted from the deck, "What do we do? We can't fight an Admiral!"
Kaen smiled faintly. "You're right."
He placed a hand on the railing. "But the sea can."
---
The water around the ship began to swirl. The Tidebreaker tilted slightly as a massive whirlpool formed beneath them — not to pull them down, but to propel them forward. The ship accelerated, slicing through the ocean like an arrow.
Rye held the wheel steady, shouting, "He's following us!"
Above them, light bent and shimmered, forming into a tall figure with lazy eyes and a mocking grin.
Admiral Kizaru.
He stood mid-air, glowing faintly golden, looking down as if Kaen were an insect on the water.
"My, my… what a bright morning to meet the sea's little rebel," Kizaru said in that slow, taunting drawl.
Kaen looked up, unshaken. "Admiral Kizaru. Guess I made the papers faster than expected."
Kizaru chuckled. "Oh, quite. The higher-ups are calling you dangerous. Too dangerous to let swim free."
He raised a hand, light condensing into his fingertips. "Let's see how you handle the speed of light, hmm?"
A beam shot forward — Kaen reacted instantly, thrusting both palms toward the ocean.
The sea rose.
A towering wall of water blocked the blast, the sunlight scattering through it like broken glass. Steam hissed as the attack met the tide.
When it cleared, Kaen stood firm, coat whipping in the wind.
Kizaru tilted his head, genuinely intrigued. "Ohhh? Blocking light with water? How peculiar."
Kaen smirked. "The sea bends light, doesn't it? You should know that better than anyone."
The Admiral grinned. "So you've done your homework. Let's see if your little rebellion can swim."
---
He vanished.
In a blink, Kizaru appeared right beside Kaen, his leg glowing bright as he kicked downward.
Kaen barely crossed his arms in time — the force sent him crashing into the deck, splintering wood beneath him.
Cira gasped. "Kaen!"
But before she could move, Kaen's voice echoed through the ship.
"Don't blink."
The sea around them exploded. A wave burst upward, slamming into Kizaru mid-air, sending him flying back.
Kaen rose from the broken deck, his eyes glowing ocean-blue, his veins faintly luminescent. The sea itself was flowing through him.
"You fight with light," he said, voice low and steady. "But light dies when it drowns."
He thrust his hand forward. The ocean roared in answer.
A colossal arm of water surged upward like a serpent, wrapping around Kizaru and dragging him downward. For a moment, the Admiral's golden glow vanished beneath the waves.
Rye and Toma stared in disbelief. "He actually caught him!"
But Kaen's breath came heavy. His knees trembled. The Umi Umi no Mi's power was incredible — but it was draining. He could feel his body rejecting the strain.
Cira shouted, "Captain! You can't hold that!"
Kaen clenched his jaw. "Just… a bit… longer!"
The sea twisted violently, glowing brighter — then suddenly, light burst through it.
Kizaru emerged, completely unscathed, hovering above the waves. His expression, for the first time, wasn't mocking.
"Well now," he said quietly, "you really are something."
Kaen grinned, chest heaving. "You too. But next time, I'll pull you under for good."
Kizaru chuckled. "Oh, I believe you." His body shimmered into pure light again. "But for now, the Government wants you alive."
A beam shot downward — but this time, Kaen didn't block.
He called the sea.
The Tidebreaker sank — not capsizing, but diving, pulled safely into the depths by the currents themselves.
Kizaru's blast scorched the surface, missing them completely. When the light faded, the Admiral hovered above a now-empty stretch of ocean.
He exhaled through his teeth. "Tch. Slippery fish."
Then, with a flash, he was gone.
---
Beneath the waves, the Tidebreaker glided silently through glowing blue waters. The crew gasped in awe — breathing normally despite being underwater. The sea itself was protecting them.
Kaen sat on the deck, pale and shaking. Cira knelt beside him. "You almost died, idiot."
He gave a weak grin. "Almost… doesn't count."
Rye laughed softly, disbelief in his eyes. "You fought an Admiral and lived."
Kaen leaned back, staring up through the shimmering water toward the sunlight far above. "We didn't win," he said quietly. "We just made the world notice."
Toma nodded. "Then what now, Captain?"
Kaen closed his eyes. The sea murmured softly around them, carrying whispers from distant shores.
He smiled faintly. "Now we gather strength. Crews, allies, islands. The tide has only just begun to rise."
---
Elsewhere — Marineford Headquarters
CONFIDENTIAL MARINE REPORT
Subject: Kaen Ohara
Status: Alive.
Casualties: None. Admiral Kizaru disengaged after severe oceanic anomaly.
Classification: "Sea-Type Devil Fruit" user confirmed. Power potentially world-threatening. Command recommends Buster Call authorization if sighted again.
Sengoku slammed the paper shut. "If he masters that fruit… he'll drown the world."
Garp only laughed, biting into a rice cracker. "Heh. Maybe it's about time the world got wet."
---
As the Tidebreaker resurfaced under a moonlit sky, Kaen opened his eyes. The stars reflected on the calm sea like countless tiny suns.
He raised a hand toward them and whispered, "The sea remembers everything… even fear."
The crew fell silent, watching as the waves carried them deeper into the Grand Line.
And somewhere in the world's heart, the ocean whispered once more:
"The Tide Rebellion has begun."
---
To be continue...