"You want to spar with me?"
Crocus' expression instantly turned strange when he heard Kairos' request.
A man who had defeated Garp had come all the way here to find him—and the reason was a spar?
Was this guy serious?
Crocus couldn't help staring at Kairos a little longer.
"Yes."
Kairos answered calmly, his face completely straight.
Feeling Crocus' strange gaze and hearing the pirates' stunned whispers nearby, Kairos felt a bit awkward himself.
He didn't really want to do this either.
But Crocus had appeared in the original story, and he had once been the doctor of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Sparring with him would definitely grant a system card.
Kairos never let opportunities to grow stronger slip away.
Of course, he had already decided one thing.
He wouldn't actually harm the old man.
At most, he'd knock him out with a light tap. He was confident he could control his strength well enough not to injure Crocus.
"Ahem…"
Crocus coughed awkwardly and lifted his newspaper again, pretending not to hear Kairos' request.
Silence fell.
The air filled with pure, suffocating awkwardness.
Kairos said nothing.
He simply stood there calmly, looking at Crocus.
So calmly that it made Crocus uncomfortable.
After a moment, Crocus finally spoke.
"I won't fight you. I can't win."
He had held the words in for a long time before finally saying what was essentially a surrender.
On the surface he looked calm.
Inside, however, he felt slightly guilty.
Crocus truly hadn't expected Kairos to be so determined to spar.
Even Garp had lost to him.
How could Crocus possibly win?
Better to surrender early.
At his age, getting beaten black and blue wouldn't be very dignified.
"Ding. Host has defeated Crocus, former doctor of the Roger Pirates. Reward obtained: Himura Kenshin Card (Rurouni Kenshin Version — 1 Use)."
"Well then… sorry for disturbing you."
Kairos heard the system notification and immediately turned to leave.
As he turned, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
The same thing that had happened with Inazuma had happened again.
Surrendering really counted as defeating the opponent.
Still…
this reward card didn't seem particularly powerful.
Himura Kenshin wasn't exactly top-tier in the One Piece world.
Was this the system's punishment for challenging an old man?
Kairos didn't think too much about it.
He returned to his little boat.
Now it was time to enter the Grand Line and search for stronger opponents.
"Holy hell… that guy is insane…"
A skinny pirate whispered, his legs shaking uncontrollably.
"Maybe… maybe we shouldn't go to the Grand Line after all?"
Kuro stared at Kairos' departing back and shuddered violently.
Kairos was terrifying.
The Grand Line was terrifying.
…
Time passed.
Several days went by.
The Grand Line had remained strangely calm.
Ironically, despite being famous for powerful fighters, Kairos still hadn't encountered a single strong opponent.
He stopped his boat in the middle of the sea and sat casually on the wooden deck.
"Ding. Host has successfully used Himura Kenshin Card (Rurouni Kenshin Version). Reward obtained: Kenshin Skill — Battōjutsu."
The cold mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
Kairos paused slightly.
Himura Kenshin wasn't particularly powerful in this world, so Kairos had used the card immediately.
He was simply gambling for a useful skill.
And it seemed his luck was good.
His eyes sharpened.
Kairos flicked his finger.
Sandai Kitetsu shot into the sky like lightning and plunged straight into the sea.
"Shhh—"
Moments later, the blade returned.
A fat fish was skewered on it.
"Now I just need fire."
Kairos narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance.
Far on the horizon—
an island appeared.
The entire island seemed tinted in blue. From afar, it looked like a blue flame burning on the sea, shining like luxurious glass.
It was enormous.
Much larger than a village or small town.
Kairos pulled out his sea chart and began searching carefully.
Soon, he found the island marked on the map.
Below it were three words:
Kingdom of Blue.
…
Blue Kingdom — Coastline
A small transport ship was anchored offshore.
This wasn't an official harbor.
Jagged reefs stuck out of the water everywhere, preventing ships from approaching the coast.
Suddenly—
The ship trembled lightly.
Several figures leapt out.
Their bodies were small but incredibly agile, darting across the exposed reefs like swift swallows.
In a few graceful jumps, they crossed hundreds of meters and landed firmly on shore.
Eight figures in total.
Seven men.
One woman.
They were all young.
Some still carried traces of childish youth.
The youngest was only eleven years old.
Yet their eyes were ice-cold.
Cold enough to make even grown adults shudder.
It was the gaze of people who had completely disregarded life itself.
It was impossible to imagine how much bloodshed was required to cultivate such eyes.
They were—
members of CP9.
Rob Lucci and the others.
"Lucci… are you sure we won't be discovered if we approach like this?"
Bruno asked in his slow, steady voice.
"Impossible."
Lucci shook his head slightly.
He gave only two words.
Nothing more.
Cold.
Efficient.
"Enough talking. Let's begin."
Jabra glanced at Bruno with a hint of annoyance.
Although the words were directed at Bruno, the corner of his eye flicked toward Lucci.
The dissatisfaction seemed aimed more at him.
None of the CP9 members responded.
But cold killing intent flickered in their eyes.
An operation targeting the Blue Kingdom was about to begin.
And right at that moment—
BOOM!!
A violent storm suddenly erupted across the sea.
A silver wave cut across the ocean like a speeding arrow, slicing through the calm waters as it rushed toward Lucci and the others.
Within the silver surge—
a lone figure stood calmly.
Kairos D. Vale.
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