The rain passed as quickly as it had come.
By noon, the sky had cleared. Sunlight spilled across the sea in long golden streaks, gentle and warm.
Kairos sat cross-legged on his small wooden boat, idly going through the spoils from the Arlong Pirates.
Arlong had dropped a Yu Kanda card.
Not bad.
As for the three officers, they had given him three Himura Kenshin cards. The rest of the crew hadn't dropped anything worth mentioning.
That brought his Kenshin total to four.
Six more and it would become permanent.
Kairos clicked his tongue lightly, then leaned back a little, letting the sunlight hit his face.
Not bad.
A small gain—but steady progress.
A sharp cry broke his thoughts.
He opened his eyes.
Seagulls.
A flock of them glided low over the surface of the sea, wings cutting clean arcs through the air.
Kairos straightened slightly.
Seagulls didn't wander far from land.
Which meant—
he was close.
He stood and looked ahead.
At the edge of his vision, an island slowly took shape.
Drum Kingdom.
The Grand Line was strange like that. Every island lived in its own season. Some burned under endless summer, others froze in permanent winter.
Drum Kingdom belonged to the latter.
Snow covered everything.
White, endless, silent.
—
By the time Kairos stepped into town, the cold had settled into the air like something alive.
The streets were quiet. Too quiet.
A few figures moved here and there, wrapped tightly in thick coats, heads down against the wind.
Kairos rubbed his hands once.
The cold didn't really bother him.
Still…
it had been a while since he'd seen snow.
He bought a piece of bread from a small shop and stepped aside to eat.
Then—
Clatter.
A trash can toppled somewhere ahead.
A small shadow burst out from an alley, clutching something tightly in its arms.
"Hey! Stop!"
A ragged man rushed after it, shouting.
But the shadow was fast.
It cut through the streets, turning sharply twice, then vanished into the white.
The man stopped, bent over, breathing hard.
"…Damn it."
He cursed once, then turned back, giving up.
Kairos lowered the bread slightly.
His eyes shifted.
Observation Haki had already told him what that "shadow" was.
The next moment—
he disappeared.
—
When he reappeared, it was in a quieter corner of town.
Snow piled high along the walls.
And there—
half-hidden behind a drift—
was a small figure.
Kairos paused.
It looked… strange.
Small.
Standing upright like a human.
But covered in soft, yellow-brown fur.
At a glance, it looked like a reindeer trying very hard to pretend it was a person.
Tony Tony Chopper.
Young.
Very young.
Three, maybe four years old.
Chopper was crouched low, holding a piece of ham with both hands, eating quickly.
Too quickly.
Like someone who didn't know when the next meal would come.
The ham was dirty, clearly taken from the trash.
He didn't care.
Kairos didn't move.
He just watched.
For a moment, the scene felt… oddly quiet.
Chopper really was small at this age.
Less like a person.
More like some kind of fluffy toy.
Kairos tilted his head slightly.
A thought crossed his mind.
Should he keep him?
…As a pet?
His eyebrow twitched.
That familiar, slightly questionable sense of humor surfaced again.
This "pet" wasn't ordinary.
Give it a few years—
it could cook, clean, and treat injuries.
Efficient.
Very efficient.
Kairos almost nodded to himself.
Then paused.
…Wait.
At this point, Chopper probably hadn't even met Hiriluk yet.
Before he could think further—
Chopper froze.
Slowly, stiffly—
he turned around.
And saw him.
"AHHHHH—!!"
The scream was immediate.
Pure instinct.
Chopper's face went pale—
somehow still obvious even through the fur.
He tried to run.
His legs tangled.
He slipped.
Rolled once in the snow—
and ended up flat on his back.
Kairos let out a short laugh.
"…Clumsy."
He stepped forward, reached down, and lifted Chopper up by the back of his coat.
Then, with his other hand, he tore off a piece of bread and held it out.
"Here."
Chopper froze again.
Completely still.
He had expected pain.
Or shouting.
Or worse.
Not this.
Food.
His stomach growled.
Loud.
Chopper looked at the bread.
Then at Kairos.
Then back at the bread.
Very slowly, he reached out—
snatched it—
and jumped back.
Kairos didn't move.
Chopper hesitated for a moment, then started eating.
Small bites at first.
Quick.
Careful.
Like he might have to run at any second.
Kairos watched quietly.
No pressure.
No movement.
Eventually, Chopper slowed down.
"…Thank you."
The voice was soft.
Almost lost in the wind.
Kairos didn't respond.
He was thinking about something else entirely.
How exactly was he supposed to make a child admit defeat?
Did a kid this age even understand what "surrender" meant?
That was a problem.
A real one.
And just as that thought settled—
the system chimed.
"Ding: Host has obtained Chopper's gratitude. Reward obtained: Pleasant Goat Card — Sword-Wielding Version (1/1)."
…
Kairos went completely still.
For a full second, his brain stopped.
Then—
What?
Pleasant Goat?
Sword-wielding version?
He stared ahead.
Expression blank.
What kind of reward was that supposed to be?
Since when did Pleasant Goat use a sword?
He ran through it again.
Still made no sense.
At all.
After a long moment, he exhaled slowly.
…Fine.
Whatever.
At least one thing was clear now.
Gratitude worked.
Not just admiration or defeat.
Even something like this—
counted.
That widened things.
A lot.
Kairos lowered his gaze.
Chopper was still eating, more relaxed now, though he kept glancing up nervously.
Those big, cautious eyes.
For some reason—
Kairos felt a bit… complicated.
Chopper looked up again.
Their eyes met.
Kairos looked away first.
"…Forget it."
Some rewards were better left unexplained.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios