The days at the lighthouse settled into an unusual rhythm.
Crocus tolerated him.
Kai tolerated Crocus.
Laboon drifted endlessly near the Red Line, occasionally slamming his massive head against the towering wall in stubborn frustration.
Kai sat lazily near the lighthouse entrance one afternoon, fishing rod resting across his knees. The sea breeze brushed his hair aside as waves rolled gently beneath the cliff.
Then he felt it.
A presence.
Massive.
Ancient.
Lonely.
Kai's eyes shifted toward the sea.
Laboon was staring directly at him.
Not vaguely.
Not aimlessly.
Directly.
Kai narrowed his eyes slightly.
Then—
A voice.
Not sound.
Not vibration.
But meaning.
Clear.
Resonating inside him.
"…Hello?"
Kai froze for half a heartbeat.
Then his lips curved upward.
"Oh," he muttered softly. "So it's active."
He straightened in his chair and lifted a hand casually toward the whale.
"Yooo," he greeted lazily.
Laboon's massive eye widened.
Shock radiated through the invisible connection.
"…You can hear me?"
Kai leaned back.
"Yah, I can hear you, man."
The emotion that flooded from Laboon was almost overwhelming.
Surprise.
Excitement.
Disbelief.
Kai swore he could see something like stars sparkling in the whale's enormous eyes.
"Damn," Kai chuckled. "You're like Chopper."
Laboon blinked slowly.
"…Chopper?"
"Never mind," Kai waved it off. "Future reference."
Laboon drifted slightly closer to the lighthouse, careful not to damage it.
"…Human," the whale's voice echoed gently in Kai's mind. "Do you know about the Rumbar Pirates?"
Kai's expression softened.
So that was it.
He exhaled quietly.
"Well…" he thought carefully, knowing Laboon could feel the intent behind his words. "Most of them are dead."
The sea seemed to grow heavier.
Laboon's massive body stilled.
The grief that poured through the connection was crushing.
Kai continued.
"But there is still one alive."
Hope.
Instant.
Blinding.
Laboon surged forward slightly, water splashing violently against stone.
"Where is he?!" the whale's voice trembled with longing. "Where is he?!"
Kai's gaze remained steady.
"You won't be able to find him," he said flatly. "He's trapped somewhere in the sea."
Confusion.
Fear.
Despair.
Kai sighed.
"But don't worry," he added calmly. "He hasn't forgotten his promise."
Laboon stilled again.
"He will come back," Kai said firmly. "You just have to stay alive."
Silence lingered between them.
Then Kai frowned slightly.
"So stop ramming your head against the Red Line," he added bluntly. "If the Red Line were weak enough to be destroyed by a little whale like you—"
Laboon radiated mild offense.
"—then plenty of pirates would've broken it already," Kai finished.
Laboon went quiet.
The connection dimmed slightly as the whale processed his words.
Kai leaned back again.
"Stay alive," he repeated softly. "That's all you have to do."
After a while, Laboon slowly drifted away from the Red Line.
Not charging.
Not striking.
Just floating.
Kai closed his eyes briefly.
Even if he wanted to save Brook now, he couldn't.
The Florian Triangle was massive.
Brook could be anywhere.
"I don't even know where to start," he muttered under his breath.
The sea rumbled gently in agreement.
---
Hours later, Crocus stepped outside and noticed something unusual.
Laboon wasn't ramming the Red Line.
He was simply floating.
Peacefully.
Crocus narrowed his eyes and glanced at Kai.
"…What did you do?"
Kai didn't look at him.
"Talked."
Crocus blinked.
"Talked?"
Kai shrugged.
"He listens."
Crocus stared at Laboon, then back at the boy.
"…You're stranger than I thought."
Kai smirked faintly.
"Get used to it."
---
The moment didn't last long.
As evening settled in, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon.
Kai's Observation Haki sensed them before his eyes confirmed it.
He stood up slowly.
"Well," he murmured, stretching slightly. "Duty calls."
Crocus crossed his arms.
"You're not planning to cause trouble, are you?"
Kai gave him a sideways glance.
"Depends on your definition."
Crocus sighed.
"You're a menace."
"Efficient," Kai corrected.
He stepped toward the edge of the lighthouse platform and glanced at Laboon one last time.
"I'll be back," he said mentally.
Laboon rumbled softly in acknowledgment.
Golden flames burst from Kai's back as wings unfolded.
Crocus flinched slightly.
"Still hate that," the old doctor muttered.
Kai smirked.
"Goodbye, old man."
Before Crocus could respond, Kai launched into the sky.
---
The pirate ship below sailed lazily, unaware of what approached.
Kai descended from above and landed lightly on the mast.
A pirate spotted him first.
"Hey! There's a kid up there!"
The crew laughed.
Then lightning crackled faintly around Kai's fingers.
"Good evening," he called down calmly. "I'll be borrowing this ship."
The captain sneered.
"Another brat looking to die?"
Kai sighed.
"Why does no one ever cooperate?"
Moments later, thunder roared.
The deck exploded in flashes of blinding light as compressed lightning struck with precise accuracy. Pirates flew overboard one after another, screaming in panic.
Kai didn't kill them.
He simply made the ocean more… interactive.
When the last of them splashed into the sea, Kai stood at the railing and waved lightly.
"You get to enjoy swimming," he called down.
A thunderbolt struck nearby water for emphasis.
Screams of gratitude echoed upward.
Kai winced slightly.
"I really don't want your thanks," he muttered.
He adjusted the sails and turned the ship away from Reverse Mountain.
Before leaving, he had made a brief stop inside the lighthouse earlier that day.
Crocus had shelves of supplies.
Including Log Poses.
Kai had taken one.
Without asking.
"It's not stealing," he had muttered at the time. "It's long-term borrowing."
Now, standing at the helm, he strapped the Log Pose to his wrist and watched as its needle slowly adjusted.
"So this is it," he murmured.
The Grand Line stretched before him like an endless battlefield.
Unpredictable weather churned in the distance.
Cloud formations twisted unnaturally.
The air itself felt heavier.
Kai exhaled slowly.
"My journey begins again."
Wind filled the sails as he guided the ship forward.
Behind him, Laboon floated silently near the Red Line.
Ahead of him, chaos awaited.
Tempest D. Kai smiled faintly.
"Let's see how long this era lasts," he whispered to the sea.
And the Grand Line answered with thunder.