The year 1511 had arrived.
Early in the morning, at the Marine base in North Blue, Sakazuki was walking toward the medical ward, his steps calm and steady.
When he entered the room, he saw Kai sitting on the bed.
— How are you feeling? — Sakazuki asked.
Kai, who had been resting, had already sensed his approach — the mist had warned him. Hearing Sakazuki's voice, he straightened slightly.
— I feel fine… Thank you for saving me.
Sakazuki nodded briefly and extended his hand. A white bandage lay in his palm.
— Take this. It's for your eyes.
Kai carefully took the bandage and put it on, hiding the injuries.
— Thank you very much… — he said sincerely. — What happens next? When will my training begin?
Sakazuki did not answer immediately.
— It's still too early for training, — he said at last. — And you should not use your Devil Fruit powers. Your body is very weak right now. Two years of slavery have taken their toll.
He paused.
— Your first lesson will be different. A lesson about this world. Tell me — can you walk?
Kai nodded.
— Good, — Sakazuki continued. — Then come with me. I'll show you the main Marine base in North Blue.
As they walked through the corridors, Kai suddenly asked:
— What do you mean by "main base"? Aren't there other Marine bases in North Blue?
Sakazuki glanced at him.
If it were anyone else, that look alone would have been enough to make them regret speaking. But he answered calmly:
— You're right. There are five other bases in North Blue. But they're smaller. This one is central. The others surround it.
When they stepped outside, a cool sea breeze brushed against Kai's face.
At that moment, the mist around him subtly expanded.
Sakazuki noticed immediately.
— You need to learn to control your mist, — he said. — You're too weak right now. If you keep doing this, you'll never recover your strength.
Kai was surprised.
— But… Sakazuki-san, — he said, — the mist helps me sense my surroundings.
Sakazuki frowned at the way he was addressed, then shook his head.
— You're right. But tell me — did you command the mist to do that? Or did it act on its own?
Kai hesitated.
— No… I didn't command it. It happened automatically.
Sakazuki nodded.
— That is your problem. If you don't learn to control it, you'll waste your strength. In battle, such a mistake can cost you your life.
Kai understood. He focused.
After a few seconds, the mist that had begun spreading around him stopped and slowly returned to his body.
Sakazuki sensed it.
— Not bad. You're starting to gain control. Right now, I can feel a thin, almost invisible layer of mist around you. That's what helps you "see," isn't it?
Kai nodded.
Sakazuki stepped back a few steps.
— Now?
Kai nodded again.
Sakazuki stepped farther away.
— And now?
Kai shook his head.
— Then your perception radius is about two meters, — Sakazuki said. — That's not bad.
Kai remembered the mafia mansion.
The moment the bullet entered his space…
And how the mist warned him.
As he was thinking, Sakazuki spoke again:
— When you ate the Devil Fruit, did information about it come to you as well?
Kai nodded.
— Yes. Kira Kira no Mi. A Logia-type Devil Fruit — mist.
Sakazuki gave a faint smirk.
— According to the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, mist is one of the weakest Logias. Even weaker than smoke.
Mist sits at the very bottom — along with steam and ash.
Kai said nothing.
He already knew that.
But deep inside, he had a plan…
A plan to turn this so-called "weak" fruit into something truly terrifying.