"Shoot, everyone, shoot! Kill him!!!"
Colonel Mouse's eyes burned with desperation as he barked the order. There was no going back now.
He knew too much—too many secrets, too many shameful deals. If the Navy dug into his activities, he'd be lucky to avoid execution. His only shot was to escape and vanish. With the money he'd embezzled, he could live comfortably in seclusion for the rest of his life.
"Like a cornered dog," Kairos Flint muttered.
In an instant, he sprang into action.
Like a predator diving into a herd, Kairos crashed into the crowd of Marines. They barely had time to react. His blade never took a life—instead, he used the hilt to strike. One after another, they collapsed to the ground, groaning, dazed, and twitching.
He hadn't killed a single one.
They were simply too weak.
"It would've been easier if they just gave up," Kairos said with a disappointed sigh. "Now I have to clean up."
He picked up the transponder snail.
"Smoker, the situation's handled. None of them are dead. Just unconscious. You'd better get here quickly."
"Understood," Smoker replied tersely, cutting the line.
"He's still so curt. You'd think he'd throw in a thank-you. Must be fuming right now."
Kairos chuckled and turned to Nami.
"Nami, tie them up. When the Navy shows up tomorrow, they're all yours to hand over."
"Got it," Nami said, catching the rope Kairos tossed her from his dimensional pouch.
As she secured the groaning soldiers, Kairos let out a breath. "That should do it."
This time, he had deliberately taken a conservative approach.
It wasn't fear of the Navy.
He just wasn't the type to act recklessly. Killing a Navy colonel would bring unnecessary heat. The fallout could create problems that even he might struggle to shake.
So instead, he used Smoker's position—and his justice—to bring down Colonel Mouse.
A Navy HQ colonel. A former student of Admiral Zefa.
Smoker might be a troublemaker, but with his background, he was more than capable of dealing with a corrupt branch captain like Mouse. It wasn't even close.
Tina, another officer from the same generation, was off in the Grand Line dealing with sea turtle smugglers. She played the game better. Smoker, on the other hand, disobeyed orders openly and scoffed at protocol. Still, when push came to shove, Smoker's network meant something.
As long as the Navy had evidence, they might scold him for his methods—but then they'd pat him on the back with a medal.
Letting the Navy handle its own was the smartest path.
Kairos had no interest in becoming a pirate. He wasn't a man forced into rebellion—he was a bounty hunter by choice. And for now, he was satisfied with that role.
No need to switch careers.
With the situation handled, he turned his attention inward.
The biggest gain from this mission? The ability crystals.
He now had enough to start synthesizing. He fused them, one after another, watching the numbers drop—but the quality rise. Soon, he had fewer crystals, but several had upgraded in grade.
He smiled as he gazed at a set of flawless, perfect-grade crystals.
"With a few more of these, I'll hit the School-level mark," he thought. These were the ones he needed—powerful, game-changing. Lesser crystals still helped, but the boosts were minimal.
But the real prize?
An epic-grade talent crystal.
He had been collecting legendary-grade crystals for some time. After wiping out the Dragon Pirates, he'd gained even more. The synthesis had yielded this: an epic-grade crystal.
An emperor-tier talent.
He stared at the golden crystal, his heart pounding.
One swallow. That's all it would take. And then, his mastery over body, Haki, martial arts, swordplay—it would all rise to the emperor level.
Without hesitation, he opened his mouth.
He swallowed the golden crystal.
And began his ascent to the throne of power.