"Moo! Moo!"
The turtle-shelled, sea-cow-like creatures tightened their circle around the little boat. Their tiny green eyes burned with fighting spirit as they crept closer, step by step.
They looked cute.
But anyone from Alabasta knew better.
Kung-Fu Dugongs were born fighters. They were not harmless pets.
"Damn it… those are Kung-Fu Dugongs!"
A nearby fisherman recognized them immediately, and fear flashed across his face.
At a glance, there were nearly fifty gathered on the shore.
And the young man surrounded by them remained standing on his boat, expression calm, as if he hadn't noticed the danger at all.
"He's finished," another fisherman muttered, unable to keep watching. "He's scared stiff."
But Kairos was not scared.
If anything, he was curious.
"Hm. They're even cuter up close."
Apart from the faint red glow in their eyes, they really were adorable.
For some reason, Kairos thought of Chopper.
A little pet…
Then his thoughts drifted again.
Actually, these Kung-Fu Dugongs were a little like him.
They liked challenging people to fights.
For one strange moment, Kairos felt as though he had been surrounded by fifty tiny versions of himself.
While he was thinking—
"Moo!"
The Dugongs attacked.
Their tails slapped the sand, kicking up clouds of dust as their small bodies shot forward like arrows.
Kairos' expression did not change.
Clang.
Sandai Kitetsu left its sheath on its own and hovered above him.
The cursed blade spun once in midair.
Then an invisible ripple spread outward.
Like a drop of water falling into a still pond.
Only this ripple covered the space around Kairos.
The charging Kung-Fu Dugongs froze.
All of them.
Suspended in midair.
Their short limbs flailed wildly as panic spread across their faces.
"Moo?!"
They struggled with all their might, but it was useless. They were trapped inside the invisible ripple, unable to move even an inch.
"What's going on?"
"They're floating…"
The fishermen stared in disbelief.
They had expected Kairos to be beaten half to death.
Instead, the entire herd had been stopped in an instant.
Only then did they realize something obvious.
Anyone who dared cross the sea alone was either a fool—
or truly strong.
Kairos was clearly the latter.
Above him, Sandai Kitetsu hummed softly.
Kairos murmured,
"Creation Star: Mirror Sword."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dozens of muffled impacts sounded at once.
Every suspended Dugong jerked in the air.
A fist-shaped dent appeared on each of their bodies.
Strangely, the marks were exactly the size of their own fists.
It looked as if Kairos had not struck them at all.
They had struck themselves.
The invisible ripples vanished.
One after another, the Kung-Fu Dugongs dropped from the air and crashed into the sand.
This was one of the sword techniques Kairos had created during his year of training.
Creation Star: Mirror Sword.
It reflected an opponent's attack back at them with equal force.
The technique was not yet complete.
But against Kung-Fu Dugongs, it was more than enough.
Sand scattered everywhere.
Kairos stepped calmly through the fallen herd, his black coat untouched.
Then the system's voice rang in his mind.
"Ding: Host has defeated a group of Kung-Fu Dugongs. Reward obtained: Sasaki Kojiro Card — Fate/stay night Version, 1 Use."
Kairos paused.
This worked too?
Kung-Fu Dugongs counted?
After a moment, he understood.
They were memorable creatures from the original story. They had appeared more than once.
Not bad.
Sasaki Kojiro plus one.
That made five in total.
Five more, and the card would become permanent.
While Kairos was thinking, something tugged at his trouser leg.
He looked down.
One Kung-Fu Dugong had crawled over and grabbed his pants with its short, chubby arm.
It looked up at him and cried softly.
"Moo…"
The others slowly climbed out of the sand as well.
This time, there was no hostility in their eyes.
Only respect.
Kairos stared at them for a moment.
Then he understood.
"You want to become my disciples?"
"Moo! Moo!"
The Dugongs nodded frantically.
Then, one after another, they stood upright and bowed to him in a strangely formal manner.
It really did look like a disciple ceremony.
Kairos' eyes flickered.
His bad sense of humor surfaced again.
What would happen if he taught Kung-Fu Dugongs Iaijutsu?
A whole herd of Dugongs drawing swords at once.
The image formed in his mind.
For some reason, he thought of the Blue Clan from K.
A group drawing their blades in perfect formation.
Kairos fell silent.
Then he smiled.
"Fine."
He looked down at the eager Kung-Fu Dugongs.
"I'll teach you."
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