After collecting two unexpectedly good cards, Kairos left Drum Kingdom.
As a country famous for medicine, Drum Kingdom naturally had plenty of reporters. The moment Kairos reappeared after disappearing for a full year, the news exploded.
Once he left, there was nothing suppressing it anymore.
The story spread across the seas at astonishing speed.
Newspapers carrying Kairos' name flew throughout the Grand Line.
—
Near the Red Line, in the middle section of the Grand Line, stood an island formed from enormous mangrove trees.
Their roots intertwined into streets and pathways, while shimmering bubbles drifted endlessly into the sky.
Sabaody Archipelago.
And today, the entire archipelago was restless.
Newspaper boys ran through the streets shouting headlines.
"Kairos has reappeared!"
"The man who fought Admiral Kuzan is back!"
Within an hour, nearly everyone on the island had heard the news.
The pirate who vanished after the Fire Country battle—
had returned.
—
Inside an old bar lit only by dim yellow lamps, the atmosphere was unusually tense.
Normally, this place would have been packed by now.
Today, only a dozen pirates occupied it.
The reason was simple.
The Green Blood Pirates had reserved the entire place.
Bang!
The door burst open.
A pirate rushed in, breathing heavily, a newspaper clutched in his hands.
"Boss! More news about Kairos!"
The fear on his face was obvious.
Too obvious.
At the center table, a large man with a green blood mark painted across his face frowned.
Wist.
Captain of the Green Blood Pirates.
"What happened?"
The subordinate swallowed hard and handed over the paper.
Wist grabbed it and scanned the article quickly.
Then his eyes stopped.
Lower-right corner.
A bold headline.
Kairos Defeats the Arlong Pirates
The bar went quiet.
Wist kept reading.
The article explained everything clearly.
The Arlong Pirates had been nearly wiped out.
Reason?
They were heading to the East Blue.
Only Hatchan survived.
And the source of the report was Hatchan himself.
No mistake.
No exaggeration.
Kairos had slaughtered almost the entire crew… just because they intended to enter the East Blue.
Cold sweat slid down Wist's temple.
Because the Green Blood Pirates' next destination—
was also the East Blue.
No one spoke.
The silence in the bar grew heavier and heavier.
Finally, one pirate forced out a shaky question.
"…Boss, are we still going?"
Wist slowly folded the newspaper.
Then looked at him like he'd lost his mind.
"Go?"
His eyelid twitched.
"Go there and do what?"
"To get beaten to death?"
No one laughed.
—
Meanwhile, somewhere on the Grand Line—
Kairos drifted lazily across the sea in his tiny wooden boat.
His next stop was Alabasta.
Maybe Robin was there.
Thinking about her, Kairos realized half a year had already passed since they separated.
Time moved fast.
He smiled faintly.
Recently, his luck had been surprisingly good.
Maybe they really would run into each other again.
Hours later, the scenery finally began to change.
The air grew hotter.
Dry.
The sea breeze carried sand.
Alabasta had appeared.
Kairos wrapped the boat in invisible Qi and moved quickly toward shore.
Drum Kingdom was endless winter.
Alabasta was the complete opposite.
Blazing sun.
Yellow sand.
Heat rising from the earth itself.
Even near the coast, the air felt scorching.
The boat touched shore with a soft splash.
Nearby fishermen glanced over.
A man in a black trench coat stepped off a tiny boat and calmly tied it down.
"That guy came alone?"
"Doesn't look like a pirate."
No flag.
No crew.
No weapons hanging openly at his side.
They lost interest quickly and returned to work.
Then—
"MOOOH!!"
A loud roar suddenly echoed across the coast.
One.
Then several more.
The fishermen stiffened.
From the shoreline, a group of strange creatures crawled out together.
Round faces.
Cow-like horns.
Shells on their backs.
Kung Fu Dugongs.
And right now—
they had surrounded Kairos' boat.
Each one glared at him fiercely.
Then, in perfect unison—
they raised their fists.
Ready to fight.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios