Time passed in the blink of an eye.
Before he knew it, half a month had passed since Kairos began learning Haki.
During those fifteen days, a deserted island near Loguetown had repeatedly echoed with earth-shaking booms. Along with them came the shrill cries of beasts pushed to the brink of death, enough to make anyone who heard them shudder.
And today—
Clang!
A streak of black light flashed through the forest.
A razor-sharp aura erupted skyward, so fierce it seemed to dim the very world around it.
Boom!!
The explosion rang through heaven and earth, shaking the mountain ridges.
A terrifying force surged out like a raging river crashing through a canyon, the pressure wave cutting in every direction like invisible blades.
Rumble…
The shockwave rolled outward, hurling up enough dust to blot out the sky.
Beneath that cloud of dirt, one could vaguely make out the aftermath—
more than a hundred towering ancient trees had been severed in a single sweep, splinters and shredded bark raining through the forest.
One slash.
A hundred trees cut down.
Kairos let out a slow breath and sheathed Sandai Kitetsu, its blade still coated in black Armament Haki.
Then, from directly ahead of him, a series of thunderous impacts sounded.
The broken trunks were crashing toward him through the air.
Kairos' eyes flashed red.
Observation Haki activated.
In the next moment, he moved.
His steps were light as dragonflies skimming water, his body ghostlike, almost white in the gloom, as he met the incoming storm of trunks head-on.
Boom!
One massive log missed him by a hair and slammed into the ground, blasting open a huge crater and making the entire earth tremble.
Those trunks had been thrown by Garp.
The speed and force behind them surpassed the full-power attacks of pirates with bounties over fifty million.
Any ordinary beast of the forest would have been pulverized on impact, bursting into blood mist with nothing left behind.
And in that brief instant—
Kairos was facing more than a hundred of them.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Air currents twisted around him as he flickered in and out of sight, leaving only fleeting afterimages behind.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The forest sounded like it was being shelled by artillery. Deep pits exploded open everywhere.
Yet within that relentless barrage, Kairos remained calm.
Observation Haki let him foresee every angle of attack.
All he had to do was shift his body slightly—
and each strike missed.
Three seconds later, the last trunk hit the ground.
Kairos stood untouched.
"Congratulations," Garp said as he stepped out from the forest, wood chips still drifting around him. Admiration and surprise were clear in his eyes. "You've mastered Observation Haki too."
That pace was simply ridiculous.
Half a month to learn both Armament and Observation Haki—
and not just learn them, but use them smoothly in real combat.
"Feels like it took a little too long," Kairos muttered as he exhaled.
He had meant to continue searching for famous swords after coming to Loguetown, but learning both forms of Haki had taken a full fifteen days. That was already disrupting the plan he had made for himself.
"Too long? Is your sense of time broken or something?"
Garp had barely stepped out when he almost stumbled hearing that.
Half a month to learn Armament and Observation Haki was the sort of thing that would shock the entire Marine Headquarters.
Every serious Marine powerhouse trained Haki over years.
Sometimes decades.
For Kairos to grasp both in just fifteen days already made him a once-in-a-generation genius.
And yet he still looked dissatisfied.
If others heard that, they might climb out of their coffins on the spot.
No.
This kid had to be recruited into the Marines.
Garp made up his mind.
"Kairos, why not just join the Marines? With your strength, you'd absolutely make a name for yourself. More importantly, I can tell you like training. If you join, I can teach you the Six Powers. And you've seen Onigumo's Life Return, right? I can have him teach you that too."
This time, Garp truly meant it.
And apparently feeling that still wasn't enough, he added another condition.
"And I know you like freedom. I can talk to Sengoku and get you as much freedom as possible."
He was completely serious.
He genuinely wanted Kairos in the Marines.
Kairos' talent was one thing, but over these last fifteen days, Garp had also come to understand the kind of person he was.
Kairos followed his own heart, trained with absolute discipline, and had clear limits he refused to cross.
A person like that joining the Marines would only help them, never harm them.
"Garp, I'm sorry. I still don't want to join the Marines."
Kairos saw the sincerity in him.
But he still shook his head.
Garp paused.
He thought carefully about Kairos' wording, then frowned.
"Why not?"
Kairos was silent for a moment before finally answering.
"Because the Marines stand behind the Celestial Dragons."
Garp's brows twitched slightly.
He opened his mouth—
and then said nothing.
Celestial Dragons.
A trace of discomfort flashed through his eyes.
After a pause, he patted Kairos on the shoulder and spoke again.
"If you don't want to join, I won't force you. But if you ever change your mind, tell me. As long as you don't do anything that goes against justice, the doors of the Marines will always be open to you."
"Alright," Kairos said.
"My leave's almost over too. Want to grab a drink?"
Garp stretched his shoulders and looked at him.
Kairos smiled.
"Before drinking, shouldn't we warm up first, Garp?"
His grin widened.
"Let's spar."
The moment the words fell, an immense aura burst from Kairos' body.
It was savage, violent, and vast enough to seem as though it would punch a hole straight through the sky.
Kairos had activated the card he had kept in reserve all this time—
Kenpachi Zaraki Card, Sealed Version.
"A spar, huh?"
A gleam lit up in Garp's eyes.
Then he laughed.
"My fists…"
He flexed one hand slowly.
"…have been itching too."
His low voice rolled through the forest as a mighty aura, heavy as a mountain range, burst from his body.
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