Kaya stood amidst the battlefield, heart pounding as she gripped the peculiar weapon Usopp had crafted for her—a flintlock far more advanced than any she'd seen in her papa's collection. Sleek and polished, made from lightweight metal, it held multiple slots for Usopp's carefully engineered trick bullets: smoke rounds, pepper shots, and bullets that exploded on impact. It was a true masterpiece of invention, yet a heavy weight settled in Kaya's chest at the thought of using it.
Kaya had never been a fighter. Her hands were meant for healing, not harm. Yet she was standing amid the burning forest, surrounded by panicked fishmen. She glanced across the battlefield, spotting Sham locked in fierce combat with the six-armed fishwoman swordsman, while to the far left, Carmen held her ground against Kuroobi, brilliant flames spiraling around her like beautiful, dangerous fireworks. But Kaya? She was out of her element.
The fishmen were more robust, faster, and far more experienced than any opponent she could have imagined. Her limited medical knowledge might help her heal the wounded, but could it protect her against a group of ruthless, human-hating fishmen?
"Kaya, stay close!" Usopp's voice rang out across the battlefield, his figure partially hidden in the swirling smoke. Somewhere nearby, he fought under the guise of the Faceless One, sniping with his sharp aim and characteristic bravado. "I'll keep you safe!"
Kaya swallowed her fear and tightened her grip on the two flintlocks. "I can do this," she whispered to herself. "I have to. I'm not a burden."
Out of her eye, she spotted one of Arlong's fishmen—a brutish figure with pink, salmon-like skin—charging toward her. He was massive, his powerful jaw snapping as he closed in, and his long, muscular arms raised to strike.
Kaya's heart raced, her mind flashing through her medical knowledge, searching for some way to handle a creature like this. 'He's fast,' she thought. 'But he's heavy. Maybe… maybe I can slow him down.'
With trembling hands, she aimed the flintlock at the ground in front of him, releasing one of Usopp's smoke bullets. It exploded in a cloud of thick, gray smoke, obscuring the fishman's vision.
"Where are you, little, weak human!?" the fishman snarled, stumbling forward in confusion.
Kaya took a step back, trying to calm her breath. Her hands were shaking, but she forced herself to focus. She wasn't strong, but she was clever. She could do this.
Just as the fishman burst through the smoke, Kaya fired a second shot, this time a pepper bullet. It struck him directly in the face, exploding in a puff of powder that made the fishman howl in agony, clutching his eyes as they burned from the irritant.
"Got you!" Kaya whispered, darting away before the fishman could recover.
Kaya knew she couldn't fight head-on like Sham or Carmen; she lacked devil fruit and real combat experience. But she had her wits—and Usopp's inventions. That would have to be enough.
From the shadows, she watched the fishmen, analyzing their movements. They were brutal and overpowering, but they were also arrogant. They didn't expect much from a human girl, which was her advantage. She could outthink them.
Another fishman, this one with a pink fin along the back of his head, spotted her and charged. Kaya fired her flintlock again, this time using one of Usopp's explosive bullets. It struck the ground near the fishman's feet, erupting in a blast that sent shards of stone and debris flying into the air.
The light blue-skinned fishman stumbled but quickly regained his footing, lunging at her with razor-sharp claws extended.
Kaya's heart leaped into her throat as she turned to run, but before the fishman could reach her, a shot rang out.
"Bang!"
The fishman's body shook as a bullet struck his head, right between his eyes. Usopp's sniper shot had hit its mark. Kaya glanced back to see the fishman collapse to the ground, lifeless. Usopp had landed a lethal shot from kilometers away.
"I've got your back, Kaya!" Usopp's voice echoed from somewhere far away.
Kaya allowed herself a brief smile, her nerves easing slightly. Usopp's support gave her the confidence she needed to keep going. She darted from cover to cover, using hit-and-run tactics, attacking when the fishmen least expected it, then retreating before they could strike back.
Kaya's hit-and-run tactics worked well on the smaller, less agile fishmen, but one looming figure had been watching her with cold, calculating eyes—a massive, Orca-like fishman with broad shoulders and a grim expression. He was unlike the others. Where they were brutish and impulsive, he seemed calm and deliberate.
"You," he rumbled, his deep voice sending shivers down Kaya's spine. "You've been causing trouble."
Kaya froze. This fishman was different. Smarter. Stronger. She could see it in the way he moved, the way he watched her with calculating eyes.
'I have to be faster,' Kaya thought. 'I can't let him get close.'
The Orca fishman charged, and Kaya quickly fired one of Usopp's smoke bullets, but the fishman swatted it aside with ease, his massive hand crushing the projectile before it could even detonate.
Panic surged in Kaya's chest, and she turned to run, but the fishman was too fast. His hand closed around her arm, his grip like a vice.
"You're not going anywhere," he growled, lifting her off the ground effortlessly. "Humans are weak. Pathetic."
Kaya's heart raced. She struggled, but his grip was too firm. She couldn't break free.
"Let me go!" she shouted, her voice trembling with fear.
The fishman sneered, tightening his grip, and Kaya gasped in pain.
But before he could do any more damage, another shot rang out.
"Bang!"
This time, the bullet struck the fishman's arm, forcing him to drop Kaya. She hit the ground, gasping for air as she scrambled.
A woman's voice echoed from afar. "Get away from her, you overgrown guppy!"
The fishman roared in frustration, whipping around toward the source of the voice. But Kaya didn't waste a second; she raised her flintlock and fired an explosive bullet at his feet.
It detonated with a loud crack, sending the fishman sprawling backward, stunned by the blast.
Kaya didn't stop. She fired again and again, each shot hitting its body as she slowly wore him down. The fishman was tough, but Kaya was relentless, refusing to give him a moment to recover.
Finally, with one last explosive shot, the fishman fell, his body crashing to the ground with a thud. Kaya stood over him, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
"I… I did it," she whispered, her hands trembling. She had never thought she could fight like this, but she had held her own with Usopp's inventions and quick thinking.
Kaya looked around the battlefield, her heart still racing. The burning forest was littered with fallen fishmen, some unconscious, others retreating. Carmen and Sham were still fighting valiantly, but the tide of battle was turning in their favor.
Kaya wiped the sweat from her brow, her entire body aching from the exertion. She wasn't a fighter, but she fought for her friends and the villagers today, protecting the weak.