"Don't tell me you're too scared to accept my challenge~?"
The cute girl transformed by Mr. 2 blinked at Kairos with watery eyes, her voice soft and sweet like a lover acting spoiled.
Kairos went silent.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three.
For the first time in a long while, he genuinely wanted to punch someone into the ground.
"No matter whether you accept or not, I'm coming~"
Mr. 2 blew him a kiss and charged forward with a delicate little fist raised high.
Every step made the girl's chest bounce dramatically.
Kairos' expression darkened.
If he didn't know who this person really was, maybe this scene would've looked pleasant.
Unfortunately—
he did know.
And because he knew, every cute expression automatically turned back into Mr. 2's real face inside his head.
The result was horrifying.
Honestly speaking, Mr. 2 was impressive.
He was probably the first man in the world capable of making Kairos feel physical discomfort through sheer existence alone.
"Hehehe…"
Mr. 2 secretly sneered inside.
Perfect.
This was exactly why he transformed into a cute girl.
No matter how ruthless Kairos was, he should hesitate against a delicate-looking woman.
And the moment Kairos hesitated—
Mr. 2 would win.
A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
Now!
Whoosh!
His speed suddenly exploded.
His figure blurred as he lunged straight for Kairos' flank, fist driving toward his ribs.
Then—
Bang!
A black blur flashed.
A terrifying impact slammed into Mr. 2's stomach.
"Blargh—!"
His eyes bulged instantly.
Sour fluid sprayed from his mouth as his stomach twisted violently.
He stared downward in disbelief.
Kairos' knee was buried deep in his abdomen.
No hesitation.
Not even a little.
Mr. 2's brain nearly shut down on the spot.
This man…
actually hit women?!
No—
worse.
He hit "women" harder than most people hit pirates.
Before Mr. 2 could recover, Kairos' leg exploded with force.
Boom!
The "cute girl" flew backward across the sand, rolling several dozen meters before finally crashing to a stop in a cloud of dust.
The nearby crowd went completely silent.
Then—
"Oh my god… he actually hit her?!"
A man holding vegetables pointed at Kairos in shock.
"That poor girl's so pretty too…"
"What kind of monster punches a woman like that?!"
The surrounding passersby immediately started whispering.
Several women looked at Mr. 2 with visible sympathy.
If Kairos didn't look terrifying enough to scare everyone into place, somebody probably would've rushed over already.
Meanwhile, Mr. 2 sat up shakily, clutching his stomach.
His eyes watered.
Half from pain.
Half from disbelief.
This wasn't right.
Kairos wasn't supposed to attack so cleanly!
At the very least, shouldn't there have been hesitation?!
But Kairos' face only grew darker as he walked closer.
The crowd not knowing the truth was one thing.
Kairos knew exactly what kind of person was rolling around in the sand right now.
That made this entire scene ten times worse.
"Wait… he's still attacking?!"
"She's already coughing blood!"
"He's shameless!"
"What a beast!"
The crowd became even louder.
Hearing all those voices defending him, Mr. 2 secretly relaxed a little.
Good.
With public pressure like this, Kairos should back off now.
Right?
Then Kairos shattered that hope immediately.
Boom!
His foot exploded against the sand.
Like a tiger pouncing downhill, Kairos shot forward. His fist turned pitch-black beneath the sunlight as Armament Haki wrapped around it.
Mr. 2's eyes widened.
Too fast.
There was no time to dodge.
Bang!
Kairos' fist slammed directly into his chest.
A heavy impact exploded through the street.
Mr. 2 flew backward in a miserable arc, blood spraying from his mouth before he crashed headfirst into the sand.
Then—
nothing.
He fainted on the spot.
The system's voice rang out inside Kairos' mind.
"Ding: Host has defeated Mr. 2 Bon Clay. Reward obtained: Miyamoto Musashi Card — Fate/stay night Version, 1 Use."
Kairos let out a slow breath.
In a certain sense…
this really might have been the hardest fight he had faced so far.
Still, he deliberately held back.
Mr. 2 was ridiculous, but among pirates, he was one of the few people Kairos actually didn't dislike.
Loyal.
Emotional.
The type who would risk his life for friends without hesitation.
That was exactly why he came here today.
Even knowing Kairos had fought Kuzan and Shiki—
Mr. 2 still challenged him anyway.
For Ivankov.
For pride.
"How cruel…"
The man holding vegetables swallowed hard and quietly backed away several steps.
Then suddenly—
someone in the crowd screamed.
"W-Wait… that's Kairos!"
A man with glasses pointed at him with trembling fingers.
"The Kairos from the newspapers! The one who became king for a day before giving up the throne!"
The crowd exploded instantly.
"Hiss—!"
"It's really him!"
"No wonder he's so terrifying!"
"So the rumors were true…"
"He really is a battle maniac!"
One frightened voice whispered:
"He even beat up such a cute girl without blinking…"
Another added quietly,
"She was already pretty stacked too… now look at her…"
Kairos closed his eyes briefly.
Then he came to a conclusion.
This place was no longer safe to stay in.
Without another word, he adjusted the collar of his black trench coat, turned around, and disappeared into the endless yellow sands of Alabasta.
◇ 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