The next day.
Kairos Flint and his crew were fully prepared to set sail.
After a final farewell from King Riku and his group, they too were ready to depart. Far too much time had already been wasted here. Their next destination: the Navy's G-2 Branch.
Having already sent a threatening letter to the World Government, Kairos knew he had to follow through with decisive action. If he didn't, would they even take his words seriously? Of course not. So now, it was time to stir things up.
Before they left, Morgans appeared.
"Kairos, as a sign of goodwill and friendship, I'll give you some important information," Morgans said. "Your next stop is the Navy's G-2 branch. Because of recent orders, most of the ordinary soldiers have already been evacuated. The ones left behind are all at least major-general level."
He continued with a serious expression, "And that's not all. Because of your letter, the Navy's Three Admirals have been mobilized. Not just them—many vice admirals and rear admirals are also en route. Even the legendary naval hero Garp's warship is heading to G-2."
"That's not the end of it either. After the death of the Warlord 'Sand Crocodile,' the World Government has filled his seat. The new Warlord is Edward Weevil. Meanwhile, Doflamingo, aka Joker, was stripped of his Warlord title due to recent events. Jinbe refused the Government's call—he joined your camp."
Morgans paused, then added, "There are still five active Warlords: Hawkeye, Boa Hancock, Bartholomew Kuma, Gecko Moria, and Edward Weevil."
"So before you make a move, think carefully. You're strong, no doubt. But the strength of Garp the Fist... is likely beyond yours."
Morgans held a camera in his hand as he spoke. After all, Kairos was not just a subject—he was a partner. If Kairos died, it would be a massive blow to him. In Morgans' eyes, despite always calling himself a bounty hunter, Kairos was destined to become the Fifth Emperor of the Sea.
He couldn't let a story that big die.
"Their lineup is pretty stacked," Kairos replied, stroking his chin.
But fear? That didn't even register. In fact, he seemed intrigued.
After all, the ability crystals he had weren't nearly enough to push him into god-tier strength. The more powerful enemies he faced, the more high-level ability crystals he could harvest.
It was just unfortunate that most of the weaker naval forces had already been pulled back. That meant he'd have to rely on the higher-ranked officers to gather legendary-level ability crystals.
"No matter how many they send, I'm not afraid," Kairos said confidently.
Seeing that confidence, Morgans didn't try to convince him further. He had already said what needed to be said.
"Well, good luck. I'll be waiting for the headline," Morgans said. "If you die at the Navy's hands, that would still be big news."
"You'll never see that headline," Kairos replied with a smirk. "Not in this lifetime."
With that kind of enemy lineup, they thought he'd die?
Ridiculous.
He was a system holder—a walking cheat code.
Let's not forget: Nami, Vivi, Uta, and Robin—each was an emperor in their own right. Add him, and they had five emperors on board. That kind of crew? Practically unstoppable.
If that lineup lost to the Navy, he might as well call himself a clown.
"Then I'll be waiting for the news of you crushing the Navy," Morgans said, grinning with excitement.
"Just sit tight and wait."
And with that, the Mythical Sky set sail.
As their ship drifted farther into the open sea, King Riku and the others watched silently, only lowering their gazes once Kairos and his crew disappeared over the horizon.
On the way to the Navy's G-2 branch, Kairos relied on a permanent pointer obtained from Morgans to ensure accurate navigation.
Calling his crew together, he made an announcement.
"Alright. It's time for your power-up."
He began distributing ability crystals to Nami and the others.
First up were Perona and Rebecca. Perona had been part of the crew for a while—close enough to use as a pillow, so trust wasn't an issue. Rebecca, though newer, hadn't shown any signs of betrayal. Kairos figured if she did betray him, he'd just reclaim the crystals and deal with her.
To Perona, he gave:
1 Epic Physique Crystal
1 Epic Soul Crystal
1 Epic Talent Crystal
1 Legendary Armament Haki Crystal
1 Legendary Observation Haki Crystal
That was more than enough, considering her combat style was primarily Devil Fruit-based.
To Rebecca, he gave:
1 Epic Physique Crystal
1 Epic Soul Crystal
1 Epic Talent Crystal
1 Epic Swordsmanship Crystal
1 Legendary Armament Haki Crystal
1 Legendary Observation Haki Crystal
The extra swordsmanship crystal was for good reason—Rebecca had been trained by Cyrus from childhood. Among non-augmented swordsmen, she had the highest natural talent.
Additionally, Kairos distributed:
1 Legendary Six Powers: Shave (Soru) Crystal
1 Legendary Six Powers: Moonwalk (Geppo) Crystal
1 Legendary Six Powers: Tempest Kick (Rankyaku) Crystal
1 Legendary Six Powers: Paper Art (Kami-e) Crystal
He skipped Iron Body and Finger Pistol since they were of limited use.
Baby-5, being a maid and not combat personnel for now, didn't receive any crystals yet.
The girls took the crystals without hesitation. The power boost was immediate and massive. For both Perona and Rebecca, this was an entirely new level of strength—and they could feel it.
"Baby-5," Kairos said as he noticed her diligently cleaning the ship. "Keep this up, and I'll reward you too."
"Yes, Lord Kairos," she replied earnestly, doubling down on her chores.
As for her ties to the Donquixote Family? They didn't matter much anymore. Most of them had been wiped out by Kairos. Revenge was off the table. Being useful—and having a home—was more than enough for her.
As the Mythical Sky continued sailing, Perona and Rebecca began adapting to their new powers.
Rebecca's sword, however, was subpar.
So Kairos took a high-grade blade and used it as material to synthesize a new weapon. The result? A long sword worthy of being called a "sharp blade." For Rebecca, that was more than enough.
Soon, sparring began on deck—to improve their combat experience, of course.
But Kairos quickly realized the ship couldn't withstand their blows.
So he instructed them to take their duels into the sky using Moonwalk.
Uta and Rebecca's duel was intense—both had consumed Kairos's Epic Swordsmanship Crystal. They were on par in terms of technique, but Uta had far more battle experience, which gave her an edge.
Perona sparred with Vivi.
Given Perona's newly enhanced body, her strength had skyrocketed. She needed real combat to unlock the full potential of her Fruit. Vivi, who was experienced and powerful, was the perfect training partner.
In fact, Perona's negative ghosts couldn't even get near Vivi.
Kairos was pleased to watch it all unfold.
As for himself?
He turned his focus to training.
His Armament Haki experience had already hit 1.0. Now it was time to push his Observation Haki. He wanted everything to at least reach a whole number—for his own satisfaction.
He also worked on refining his Six Powers techniques.
Thanks to epic-grade crystals, his Moonwalk, Finger Pistol, Tempest Kick, and Paper Art had all reached the "Imperial" level.
Iron Body? No thanks. Getting hit on purpose was not his style.
As for Shave?
He wasn't sure if taking an Epic Six Powers: Shave crystal would improve his movement skill Hibiki—but he tried it anyway.
To his delight, Hibiki instantly upgraded to Imperial-level.
That proved Shave's crystal and Hibiki shared the same root—allowing shared growth.
He let out a sigh of relief. At least now he didn't have to grind that skill the old-fashioned way.
The third day of sailing.
Kairos and crew were getting close to the Navy's G-2 branch.
But that day, someone appeared to block their path.
A fleet of submarines surfaced—leading the charge was a long-lived Changshou clansman.
"So you're the so-called 'God-Slayer' Kairos Flint?" the man sneered. "You look like a soft pretty boy. But a bounty of 10 billion? Hmph."
"For slaughtering our fellow former Navy soldiers, allow me—Shuzo, Captain of the NEO Navy's Guerrilla Unit—to personally take you down!"
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