Chapter 30
The Bat in the Dark and the Promise of Giants
The next morning arrived wrapped in sea mist and quiet farewells. The Kuja ship had docked at Sabaody's edge, its serpent-shaped prow cutting through the water like a silent guardian returning for its daughters. The Boa sisters stood at the shore, cloaks fluttering in the breeze as Shakky spoke calmly with Gloriosa a short distance away.
Hancock's eyes searched for only one person as she boarded the ship. When she finally found Kai standing with arms crossed and that lazy half-smile on his face, her expression softened.
"I will find you when I'm stronger," Hancock declared, her voice steady despite the faint tremor beneath it.
Kai raised his hand casually and waved back. "I will be waiting."
The ship pulled away slowly, sails catching the wind as the Kuja warriors guided it toward Amazon Lily. Rayleigh stood silently beside Shakky, both watching until the vessel became a fading silhouette on the horizon.
Kai slipped the Eternal Log Pose onto his wrist and adjusted the Oni mask over his face. Without another word, he stepped forward and leapt into the sky, wind spiraling around him as he flew toward the New World.
---
The journey was anything but smooth, and the New World welcomed him with violent storms and unpredictable seas. Kai borrowed ships when he needed to, sometimes through persuasion and sometimes through intimidation, abandoning them once they were no longer usable. The weather was ruthless, waves rising like mountains and lightning striking the ocean in blinding flashes.
"Damn sea," Kai muttered mid-air as a storm cloud split open above him. "You trying to test me?"
The wind howled in response, but he cut through it like a blade. Weeks later, after relentless travel, he finally arrived at a quiet island swallowed in perpetual dusk—Sleepy Hollow Town.
The town felt eerie and abandoned despite signs of life. Shadows lingered too long in the corners of buildings, and the wind carried whispers that didn't belong to any living soul. Kai walked through the streets calmly, Oni mask hiding his expression.
"A Mythical Zoan, huh?" he murmured. "Let's see if the rumors are true."
It took him a month of searching, questioning underground brokers, and breaking into hidden vaults. The final clue led him to a decaying church on a hill where the air felt thick with ancient presence.
Inside, beneath the altar, he found it.
A dark purple fruit shaped like a twisted bat, its surface etched with swirling patterns like flowing blood. The air around it felt cold.
"Mythical Zoan… Bat-Bat Model: Vampire," Kai whispered.
He picked it up without hesitation. "You're coming with me."
As soon as his fingers wrapped around it, a faint pulse resonated, as if the fruit acknowledged its new fate.
---
The journey back was no easier, and the New World refused to calm its temper. Kai borrowed more ships along the way, sometimes leaving behind stunned pirate crews staring at the sky where a masked man had just vanished.
"Storm King!" someone shouted from below once.
Kai simply smirked behind his mask and kept flying.
When he finally reached Wano's waters, the island stood tall and isolated, its cliffs like blades cutting into the sky. He waited until nightfall before entering, keeping his presence hidden.
He collected the treasures he had stored earlier and flew undetected across the moonlit rooftops. The wind carried him silently toward his hidden safe house deep within the forest.
As he stepped inside, he paused.
Toki was awake.
She sat across from Hiyori, their conversation light and warm. Hiyori looked up first, her face lighting up instantly.
"Brother Kai!" she exclaimed.
Toki turned her gaze toward him, calm yet observant. Her eyes were sharp, far sharper than before.
Kai tilted his head. "Yoo, seems like Sleeping Princess is up?"
Hiyori giggled and pointed. "Aunty, he is the one who saved you!"
Toki stood gracefully and bowed slightly. "Thank you."
Kai placed the treasure chests down casually. "I'll leave these to Kawamatsu. He can do whatever he wants with them."
Hiyori yawned soon after and excused herself to sleep, leaving Kai and Toki alone in the quiet house. Kai turned to head toward his room when Toki's voice stopped him.
"So, my little savior," she began calmly, her tone deceptively gentle. "Hiyori said you found her when I was already recovered. So who changed my clothes?"
Kai froze mid-step.
He turned slowly, sweat forming at his temple. "Of course I did. Who else would?"
Her mouth twitched faintly.
"Hey, don't give me that look," Kai said quickly. "I used Observation Haki while changing you. I didn't see anything."
Toki stared at him flatly. "And while doing so, you didn't touch anywhere?"
Kai's face turned red. "That's— as I was using Observation Haki, I might have accidentally—"
Toki stepped closer, her gaze unyielding.
Kai coughed. "It was purely medical!"
Toki suddenly bowed deeply. "Thank you for saving me. As for all that… just forget it. You did save my life, and in the process, made me younger."
Kai exhaled in relief. "As long as I'm alive, you will stay like that. If I die, you will start aging again."
Toki tilted her head slightly. "So no following your orders and offering my body?"
Kai deadpanned instantly. "If I wanted you, you and I were here alone for a few months. You were asleep. Zero resistance."
Toki nodded thoughtfully. "Point."
Kai looked at her more closely now that she was fully awake. The air around her felt different, heavier.
"How strong are you?" he asked.
She considered it briefly. "Hmm. Well, I'm just a great swordmaster. I can use Ryo-level Armament, intent-sensing Observation, and intimidation-level Conqueror's."
Kai blinked rapidly. "Wait. You have Conqueror's?!"
"Of course I had it," she replied calmly.
Kai stared at her for several seconds before abruptly turning and walking into his room. He returned moments later holding the Bat-Bat Model: Vampire.
He tossed it toward her. "Mythical Zoan – Vampire."
Toki caught it smoothly, examining it with raised brows. "You are just giving me a Mythical?"
"You are coming with me to Elbaf," Kai said. "For training."
Toki's expression shifted slightly. "Don't want it?"
"Nope. Just surprised."
"Well," Kai smirked faintly, "you can still offer your body."
Toki looked him up and down slowly. "Nine years physically impossible. And small."
Kai's mouth twitched. "Who are you calling small? You haven't even seen it."
"Well true," she replied thoughtfully. "Gotta wait till you are older."
Kai nodded automatically before freezing. "Wait. You just said 'gotta wait'?"
She stepped closer, her tone teasing but firm. "What? You were expecting to touch me and just leave? Not going to happen. Take responsibility."
Kai stared at her in disbelief. "Damn… this woman is something else."
He shrugged and gestured at the fruit. "Eat it already. Or do you want another?"
"You have other?" she asked sharply.
"Hm. There is a Mythical Fish-Fish Model: Dragon fruit. But you gotta wait a few years."
Toki thought for a moment before taking a bite of the Vampire fruit. The taste made her flinch, but she swallowed it without complaint.
"Disgusting," she muttered.
"Welcome to the club," Kai replied dryly.
That night, under the moonlight outside the safe house, Toki tested her new powers. Her body dissolved into a swarm of bats before reforming gracefully mid-air.
She frowned slightly. "Interesting…"
Kai leaned against a tree watching. "Try the hybrid form."
Toki transformed again, wings emerging from her back as her eyes glowed faintly red. She dashed forward at incredible speed, blade in hand.
"Attack me," Kai instructed calmly.
She lunged, sword coated in Ryo-level Armament.
Kai blocked with two fingers coated in Haki. "Your control is decent."
Toki vanished in a blur, reappearing behind him.
"Too slow," she said, slashing downward.
Kai twisted mid-air and countered with a palm strike, sending her sliding back across the grass.
"Don't underestimate me," she warned.
"Good," Kai replied with a grin. "Show me that Conqueror's."
Her will flared outward, Kai responded with his own, the air splitting between them.
"Again," he said.
They clashed under the moonlight, sword against sword, Haki colliding in sharp bursts. Toki adapted quickly, blending her swordsmanship with her newfound speed and regeneration.
After several exchanges, she stopped and exhaled slowly. "This fruit… it enhances everything."
Kai nodded. "And Elbaf will push you further."
Toki looked toward the distant sea. "Giants, huh?"
Kai adjusted his Oni mask and smiled faintly. "Yeah. Time to hunt bigger prey."
They returned inside quietly, the night calm but heavy with future storms waiting beyond the horizon.