For many people, drifting across the sea was a dull and hopeless life.
But Kairos D. Vale felt differently.
He enjoyed wandering.
Because it allowed him to witness the beauty of this world with his own eyes.
His little boat moved slowly, which meant he never missed the scenery along the way.
Of course, no journey of Kairos' would be complete without a bit of combat.
Unfortunately—
in the past three months, none of his battles had truly satisfied him.
The pirates of East Blue… were simply too weak.
Not a single one of them had been strong enough to earn him a system card.
Still, the countless duels and clashes over the past months had spread Kairos' name throughout the entire East Blue.
He had become a legend whispered everywhere.
The strongest bounty hunter in East Blue.
The swordsman—
Kairos.
Today, Kairos crossed Reverse Mountain, passing over the Red Line as he entered the Grand Line for the first time.
Boom!
His small boat splashed down onto the ocean, sending waves several meters high crashing outward.
Behind him, water continued pouring down from Reverse Mountain with a deep roaring sound.
Standing on the wooden boat, Kairos narrowed his eyes and looked toward the distance.
Two towering white structures rose into the sky there, their tops reaching into the clouds.
It was the gateway to the Grand Line.
The unavoidable passage for anyone entering from the four seas.
Twin Cape.
At that exact moment—
BOOM!
A pirate ship the size of a small building shot out from Reverse Mountain and slammed heavily into the ocean, raising waves nearly ten meters tall.
Kairos' small boat happened to be nearby.
The massive wave collapsed toward him instantly.
Kairos sighed softly.
He tapped the air lightly with a finger.
Invisible force surged outward.
The ten-meter wave stopped abruptly as if it had struck an invisible wall.
Then it shattered apart, scattering harmlessly.
Not a single drop of water touched Kairos.
"Hahahaha! We finally crossed Reverse Mountain!"
"So this is the Grand Line?!"
"From now on, the Grand Line belongs to the Kuro Pirates!"
Loud cheers erupted from the massive pirate ship.
Their leader stood at the front—a short, stocky pirate with a thick beard and a black eyepatch over his right eye.
He laughed wildly, overflowing with arrogance.
Kairos glanced up.
Although the pirate ship was huge, its hull was covered with fresh dents and scrape marks.
Damage from crossing Reverse Mountain.
Which meant—
these pirates were weak.
Kairos immediately lost interest and looked away.
Why waste time on fodder like this?
They were barely worth the effort.
He'd rather challenge the lighthouse keeper of Twin Cape instead.
With a thought, Kairos guided his boat forward toward the lighthouse.
That movement, however, caught Kuro's attention.
"…Hm?"
Kuro squinted toward the small boat.
Then suddenly—
his pupils shrank violently.
His face froze.
One man.
One boat.
A wooden sword.
A cursed blade.
That man…
wasn't that the swordsman whose name had shaken all of East Blue?
Kairos?!
"Boss Kuro, there's someone ahead!"
"Should we kill him? He doesn't look that strong."
Two pirates leaned closer and whispered excitedly, greed shining in their eyes.
"Shut up, you idiots! Are you trying to get us killed?!"
Kuro instantly clamped a hand over each of their mouths, cold sweat pouring down his back.
"Mmph?!"
The two pirates blinked in confusion.
"That's Kairos!" Kuro whispered, his voice trembling.
Kairos.
The rumored battle-crazed monster.
Any pirate who crossed his path would be slaughtered mercilessly.
Their heads taken for bounty money.
It was said that over a thousand pirates had already died by his blade.
For a moment, the only sound on the pirate deck was the quiet gulping of swallowed saliva.
Both pirates' legs began trembling uncontrollably.
One of them nearly wet himself.
…
Kairos had, of course, heard everything behind him.
His Observation Haki was already refined enough to pick up every word spoken aboard the Kuro Pirates' ship.
But he simply didn't care.
This wasn't generosity.
To Kairos, the Kuro Pirates were too low-level.
They were like slimes spawning outside a beginner village.
Not even worth fighting.
His boat sped forward as the scenery shifted rapidly.
Twin Cape.
He had arrived.
The sky was clear, the sunlight warm and gentle.
Perfect weather for sunbathing.
A white-bearded old man lay comfortably in a lounge chair outside the lighthouse, casually reading a newspaper.
Feathers arranged in an Indian-style pattern stuck out from both sides of his head.
He was—
the former doctor of the Roger Pirates.
And now the lighthouse keeper of Twin Cape.
Crocus.
"Hello, sir."
Kairos docked his boat and stepped ashore in a single smooth leap, stopping about ten meters away.
His voice was calm.
After all, Crocus was an old man. Kairos had no intention of disturbing his peace too much.
"You should introduce yourself before speaking."
Crocus suddenly lowered his newspaper and glared fiercely at Kairos.
"…My name is Kairos."
Kairos paused briefly.
He had forgotten about Crocus' strange habit.
"Crocus."
At the exact same moment Kairos introduced himself, Crocus did the same.
"You're Kairos?"
Crocus finally lowered the newspaper completely.
His expression changed slightly.
He enjoyed reading newspapers in his spare time.
And he had seen the article about Kairos defeating Garp on that deserted island.
The young swordsman had left a deep impression on him.
But he hadn't expected Kairos to reach the Grand Line so soon.
"Yes. I came here today to spar with you, Mr. Crocus."
Kairos looked directly at him.
Right at that moment—
the Kuro Pirates' ship arrived at Twin Cape as well.
They had no choice.
Twin Cape was the only route into the Grand Line.
Even if they wanted to avoid Kairos, they couldn't.
When Kuro heard Kairos' words, he inhaled sharply.
His expression looked like he had just seen a ghost.
"My god…"
The pirates overheard the conversation as their ship passed Twin Cape.
Their scalps tingled instantly.
Did he just say—
spar?
With that old man?!
"That lunatic…"
One of the pirates whispered in horror.
"He even wants to fight an old man?!"
"That's insane!"
"So the rumors were true…"
"Kairos loves fighting… but he won't even spare the elderly?!"
"Is he a demon?!"
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