"Kairos Flint, stop joking around! There are more than five thousand of them! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Nami's voice was filled with anxiety and panic. More than five thousand pirates. If even a fraction of them landed on their ship, they'd be reduced to minced meat. What was he even thinking?
They had to escape. Now.
"Nami," Kairos said calmly, looking her dead in the eyes. "Trust me."
Five thousand enemies.
Even if each one of them only dropped a single ability crystal, that would be five thousand potential enhancements—for his body, soul, and physical skills.
How could he possibly pass that up?
No, he couldn't. And he wouldn't.
Letting this opportunity go would haunt him forever.
Yes, five thousand sounded like a lot. But wasn't Rob Lucci, at just thirteen years old, able to slaughter five hundred people with his bare hands? He might have been injured in the process, but he'd done it.
And Lucci had only been at major-rank strength then.
Kairos Flint was also at that level now—if not beyond it. Why couldn't he aim higher? Why couldn't he take on the infamous Creek Pirates?
Besides, he had a golden advantage that Lucci didn't: his ability to absorb strength from the dead.
He could recover injuries by consuming body crystals. He grew stronger with every battle.
The more he fought, the better he became.
So why not go all in?
"Kairos… you…"
Nami stared at him, confused by his conviction. Weren't they staring death in the face? Five thousand pirates?
Still, when she looked into his eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say no.
"I must have done something terrible in a past life to end up with you," she muttered, half-laughing and half-crying. "Fine. Just this once—I'll believe in you. But don't let me regret it."
Teeth clenched, Nami gripped the ship's wheel and turned it. The boat cut through the waves, speeding directly toward the Creek Pirates.
"Don't worry," Kairos said with a grin. "I promised to help you deal with the Dragon Pirates. Do you really think I'd back down now?"
This was the East Blue.
It wasn't the end of his journey—far from it.
The Creek Pirates had numbers, yes. But true strength wasn't just in numbers.
They looked dangerous because of how many they were, but in truth, none of them came close to threatening someone with real power.
If someone like Smoker was here, he'd wipe the floor with the entire fleet on his own. With a Logia-type Devil Fruit, unless you had Haki, you couldn't even hit him—let alone stop him.
In this world, a sea of enemies meant little against real power.
With Haki, one glare could flatten thousands.
So Kairos didn't hesitate.
Their ship charged straight toward the enemy fleet.
He stared at the approaching pirate ships, not with fear—but with pure, unfiltered greed. Each one was a walking, breathing ability crystal just waiting to be harvested.
This was the biggest group of pirates he'd ever faced. If he could wipe them out, his strength would skyrocket once again.
It was the perfect preparation before heading to the Grand Line.
Meanwhile, on the flagship of the Creek Pirates—the Dreadnought Saber—
"Admiral, there's a ship heading our way."
The look-out shouted from the crow's nest. In the vast openness of the sea, it was impossible to sneak up on anyone. Kairos and Nami's ship had been spotted instantly.
"Those fools don't even know they're charging to their deaths," Don Krieg sneered as he looked through his telescope.
He saw only two people aboard.
"Hold your fire!" he ordered. "Let them come. Once they're close, we'll raid their ship, steal whatever treasure they've got—and have some fun with the woman before killing them both."
To him, this wasn't even a fight. It was a joke.
Five thousand pirates.
Just two enemies.
Even if someone else was hiding below deck, how many could there be? Ten? Twenty?
A single swing of a blade would be enough to split their little boat in half.
The surrounding pirates burst into cheers.
"OHHHH!" they roared. Their laughter echoed across the waves. Just another easy score. Nothing more than stepping on ants.
Back on Kairos's ship:
"Why aren't they firing?"
Kairos frowned as he gripped the hilt of the Third Generation Kitetsu.
He had been prepared for a bombardment, ready to dodge and counterattack—but as they drew closer, not a single cannon had fired.
It was strange.
But that also gave him more confidence. Not that he would let his guard down.
Pirates were treacherous by nature. You could never be too careful.
He turned to Nami.
"Here. Eat this."
He handed her a set of crystals: an Excellent Body Crystal, an Excellent Soul Crystal, a Rare Physical Crystal, and even a Rare Swordsmanship Crystal—plus a high-quality sword, just shy of being legendary.
"These will boost your strength. I'm giving you this weapon too. Use it to protect yourself. The rest… I'll handle."
In a real bloodbath, he might not have time to shield her.
So instead, he was giving her the tools to stand her ground. She wouldn't be at his level, but she'd be far from helpless.
At the very least, she'd survive.
And survival was all she needed—for now.