Rogue Town
Naval Base
Kairos Flint and Nami exchanged Krieg's corpse for the bounty.
As they exited the naval base, they ran into Tashigi by coincidence.
"What a surprise," Kairos remarked casually. "Seems like every time I stop by the naval base, I bump into you. Seven out of ten times, to be exact. Must be fate—or something like it."
But Tashigi, as usual, looked just as stubborn as ever. She held a firm belief that famed swords like the Third Generation Kitetsu should never fall into the hands of bounty hunters or pirates. To her, such weapons were stained when used by those she saw as unworthy. That belief made her consistently hostile toward Kairos.
To Kairos, it was childish. The way she glared at him every time felt like a kid throwing a tantrum.
He didn't take her too seriously. But today, her demeanor seemed slightly different.
"Shells Town..." Tashigi muttered softly.
"What?" Kairos raised an eyebrow, unable to catch her words. "Speak up. You whisper like a mosquito. Just because I've trained my body to a school-level physique doesn't mean I've got superhuman hearing."
Tashigi finally raised her voice enough for him to hear. "Colonel Smoker and I went to Shells Town. The situation was worse than expected. The rot started from within—the Navy Colonel was the root of it all. Colonel Smoker asked me to personally thank you for the information you provided."
Kairos shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't mention it."
He hadn't expected gratitude. But since she offered it, he wasn't going to reject it either.
His indifferent attitude, however, only irritated Tashigi further.
She scowled. "While we appreciate your help... it's still a tragedy that the Third Generation Kitetsu is in the hands of someone like you."
"Tragedy?" Kairos laughed. "Little miss, I think there's something wrong with your head."
He folded his arms, voice laced with sarcasm. "A sword is a weapon. If you're not using it to cut, then hiding its edge is the real tragedy. What good is a sword that never sees battle?"
"The rankings of famous swords—Supreme Grade, Great Grade, Good Grade, and so on—exist because their wielders took them into combat and proved their worth. That's how a sword earns its name."
"If we all treated them like collectible antiques the way you suggest, there wouldn't be any famous swords in the first place."
Tashigi faltered. She was stunned into silence.
Because the more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Famous swords earned their status through the hands of warriors, not collectors.
If everyone simply hoarded blades in museums, how would anyone know which sword was a Supreme Grade or even a Good Grade? The legacy of a weapon was forged in battle.
Kairos smirked and turned away.
Trying to reason with someone so stubborn was a waste of energy. Now that she was finally silent, there was no point in continuing the conversation.
He vanished from her sight with a step.
Once outside the Rogue Town Naval Base, Kairos and Nami stocked up on supplies.
Last time, they had run into the Krieg Pirates by sheer coincidence. That unexpected encounter had delayed their original plans to head to Cocoyashi Village.
But now, with that matter settled, they were finally free to head to their intended destination.
It was time to deal with the Arlong Pirates—and more importantly, to bring Nami fully to his side.
After wrapping up things in Cocoyashi Village, Kairos planned to set sail for the Grand Line. He had spent enough time lingering in the East Blue, which was essentially the beginner's area for pirates.
If his only targets were weak pirate crews, it wouldn't do much to help his strength evolve.
Even this last leap in power after fighting the Krieg Pirates wasn't because they were particularly powerful—it was purely due to the sheer number of them. Over five thousand pirates. That many enemies provided the ability crystals and resources he needed to push some of his stats to the next level.
Some of his attributes had risen to the school tier thanks to that mass. And even with a few perfect-grade crystals left, they hadn't been enough to upgrade anything from school level to general level.
He needed more formidable enemies—real monsters. That's what the Grand Line promised.
Compared to East Blue, the Grand Line and the New World beyond it were home to the strongest people in the world. Powerful pirates, elite bounty hunters, and deadly marines. Fighting and defeating them would reward him with higher-grade crystals—exactly what he needed.
The sea was calm during their voyage toward Cocoyashi Village.
Nami was unusually quiet throughout most of the trip. But even silence has a limit.
By the third day—
They arrived.
Cocoyashi Village.
Nami's hometown.
And the Arlong Pirates' domain.
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