The Slate of Life!
What once appeared as faint green fireflies now blazed with an overwhelming emerald brilliance.
The energy released by the legendary animal-type Falcon Fruit surged dramatically, amplifying the Life Slate's aura dozens of times over.
What had been a gentle glow transformed into a radiant, living storm. The intense vitality that erupted from the slab enveloped everything around it.
The Slate of Life had advanced—no longer just legendary, it had now reached the epic level.
Its abilities soared to new heights.
Kairos Flint, standing at the center of this storm, felt a surge of power feed back into him. Bathed in shimmering emerald light, his entire body glowed with a soft green hue.
A wave of unimaginable comfort washed over him, as if his entire existence was undergoing a sublime transformation.
He felt reborn.
It wasn't just strength—it was life itself awakening inside him. Every cell in his body seemed to rejoice, drinking in the endless vitality coursing through him.
Minutes passed. Then an hour.
Only then did Kairos slowly open his eyes, emerging from the euphoric haze. He took a deep breath, now fully aware of the incredible transformation he'd undergone.
In terms of raw power, there wasn't a dramatic leap.
But his lifespan—that had changed entirely.
He could now sense the passage of time in his body, but it moved at a crawl. He would live for at least 100,000 years—far beyond any normal human.
It was nothing short of immortality.
A hundred millennia might feel endless to someone who once expected only a hundred years. But Kairos understood the true value of time now.
And that wasn't all.
The Slate didn't just give life—it could grant it.
Just as it had accelerated the growth of flowers and trees, Kairos realized it could do the same for others. With this power, those he cared for wouldn't need to age or fade.
Even at its current epic level, the Slate could already manipulate life to an astonishing degree. If it ever evolved into a true god-tier artifact, Kairos was confident—he could live as long as the heavens themselves.
And more importantly, he could let the women he loved share in that eternity.
Forever youthful. Forever by his side.
Having secured the Slate once more, Kairos left the lake and returned to the coast.
There, the women aboard the Mythical Sky stood in awe, staring up at the sky-piercing tree that now rose from the island. It was thousands of meters tall, its crown hidden in the clouds.
The sight was breathtaking.
"Kairos, what did you do?" Nami ran to meet him, her voice full of shock and excitement. "How did a tree that huge even grow?"
Kairos smiled but said nothing.
Nami, sharp as ever, understood the silent message. She didn't press him further—and the other women followed her lead.
"Congratulations, Captain, on your new power," Robin said, walking over with a wine glass raised in celebration.
Kairos took the drink, then pulled Robin close and kissed her deeply.
"I'm about to bless you," he whispered afterward. "Want it?"
Robin blushed, but her eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Of course I do."
"I want it too!" Uta exclaimed as she skipped forward like an excited child.
The others—Vivi, Perona, and more—gathered around, each of them eager and curious. Was it a strength-enhancing crystal? A new weapon? Their eyes glimmered with hope.
Smirking, Kairos summoned the Life Slate once again.
Under his control, beams of green vitality burst forth, piercing the foreheads of every woman present like warm rays of sunlight.
They gasped as the energy sank in.
"What is this? My whole body feels incredible…"
"It's like soaking in a warm milk bath!"
"Captain… is this… the light of life?"
Each of them stood in stunned amazement, surrounded by the glowing, life-giving aura. Their bodies tingled, their skin radiating health and youth.
Nami blinked at her reflection in a polished steel dish. "My skin's… glowing!"
Uta ran her hands over her arms. "It's so soft…!"
Even Robin, whose complexion had always been pale, now looked like she'd been carved from creamy marble. She looked years younger—and even more beautiful.
"I've given each of you 500 years of life," Kairos said, pulling Robin and Uta into his arms. "From now on, stay by my side—forever."
"F-Five hundred years?" Nami's jaw dropped in shock.
Perona had to cover her mouth to stop herself from shrieking. Five hundred years… just from standing in a beam of green light?
If someone else had said it, they'd have thought it ridiculous.
But this was Kairos Flint. The man who constantly shattered their expectations. Of course it was real.
"A Slate of Life… Captain, you're unbelievable," Robin murmured, clinging to him with a soft smile.
Kairos returned the smile. Unlike his own life, which came directly from the Slate—an extension of himself—the women's lifespans could only be injected into them.
Currently, the maximum was 500 years per gift.
But once the Slate reached the true god level, he'd be able to gift thousands, maybe even millions of years—at will.
Meanwhile… somewhere else in the world…
In a dark, sterile room, Kaido lay unconscious.
He had been asleep for three days and nights, his body still recovering from the crushing defeat he had suffered. The stump where his arm had once been ached with phantom pain.
Then—his eyes snapped open.
"Ugh… Where am I?" he muttered groggily, his eyelids heavy. The familiar scent of antiseptics, bandages, and something sweet in the air stirred his senses.
It wasn't until he recognized the walls and remembered how Kairos Flint had sliced off his arm that the haze cleared from his mind.
He was wide awake now.
He sat up slowly, glancing down at the IV tubes in his arms and bandages wrapped tightly around his torso.
Then the door creaked open.
Several doctors in white coats stepped inside, their eyes widening in surprise.
"He's awake!"
"Quick! Notify Lady Charlotte Linlin that Lord Kaido has woken up!"
One doctor rushed to check his wounds while another sprinted out of the room.
"Please, Lord Kaido, don't move too much. Your injuries are still healing," said one nervously. "You could reopen them."
Kaido ignored them, still seething at the memory of his defeat.
Charlotte Linlin…?
His eyes darkened. There would be a reckoning.