Chapter 78

At that moment, Enel's aura finally dissipated.

He was dead.

Just as his life ended...

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion roared from a distance.

Kairos Flint turned his head and saw a massive mushroom cloud rising into the sky.

"Vivi?" he muttered. "I told her not to go too hard… she might end up killing someone outright."

He was the only one who truly understood the raw force behind Vivi's Gaia-based powers. Even though she usually restrained her strength, Kairos couldn't help but worry. If that priest she was fighting wasn't tough enough—if his health bar was too low—he might have been obliterated in a single blow.

That would be a shame.

Then, a second violent slash erupted from the forest, tearing open the earth in a blazing line.

No need to guess—that had to be Uta's attack.

Kairos could only hope she was more measured than usual. If not, their reward—the ability crystals—might vanish with the corpses.

Just then, a familiar prompt appeared before his eyes:

[Pickable items detected. Would you like to pick them up?]

"Pick up."

[Ding! Successfully picked up: Perfect Physique Crystal ×4, Perfect Soul Crystal ×3, Epic Talent Crystal ×2, Perfect Physical Technique Crystal ×4, Legendary Knowledge and Domination Crystal ×4, Legendary Natural Thunder Fruit Crystal ×1. Items have been stored in Pocket Space.]

There weren't many crystals—but their quality was exceptional.

Especially the two epic-grade talent crystals that dropped from Enel.

That surprised him. Hard.

"Well damn... I guess Enel really did have the potential to be a Yonko."

Too bad for him—he was now just another corpse.

"A god, slain in one strike."

That final blow was a devastating fusion of Ghost Energy, Armament Haki, and Conqueror's Haki, combined into one lethal technique.

And with Kairos operating at emperor-tier power, it was only natural that Enel couldn't withstand it.

Enel had zero defensive measures—his whole kit relied on the raw special attack of the Thunder Fruit.

Elemental form? Please.

Against Kairos' Armament Haki, Conqueror's Entanglement, and infused Ghost Power, Enel's elemental dodge was worthless. Kairos sliced right through it—straight to the core.

And so...

Enel was dead.

But still—

"Only Legendary level?" Kairos frowned at the Thunder Fruit crystal in his inventory.

He had expected a minimum of Epic class for something this powerful.

"Does Goldfinger just assign ranks randomly?" he wondered aloud.

But no—that didn't seem right. He remembered clearly: from his very first Devil Fruit analysis, all had been graded Legendary.

"Could it be… Goldfinger just caps all Devil Fruits at Legendary by default?"

"But that doesn't make sense," he muttered.

"Plenty of powerhouse characters rose to emperor tier through their Devil Fruits alone."

Still…

Kairos thought deeper.

"Maybe most of those legends—Big Mom with her steel balloon body, Kaido who was already a monster even before his fruit, and Whitebeard who had Haki oozing from his youth—weren't defined by their fruits. Their Devil Fruits just took them to the next level."

"So perhaps the fruit isn't what makes you strong. It's you that makes the fruit terrifying."

His thoughts settled on a conclusion:

Devil Fruits are amplifiers.

They boost those who are already strong. A weak person, even if handed the Magma Fruit or the Light Fruit, wouldn't become invincible overnight. They'd just be a slightly stronger weakling.

Some lieutenants or even captains could still take them down.

Which meant…

It was reasonable for Goldfinger to grade all Devil Fruits at Legendary, even if their users became monsters with the right synergy.

"And Vivi's fruit... well, that's another matter entirely."

That one had been synthesized artificially. Its grade wasn't exactly something Goldfinger could categorize cleanly.

"I'll have to look into this more later," he thought, putting the question aside for now.

Right now, he was thrilled—he finally had the Thunder Fruit crystal.

All he needed now was to synthesize a Mythical-grade Devil Fruit worthy of a time traveler like him.

"Alright, Pierre—err, little bird—get up there and scream a few times. Let them know where we are."

Kairos gently patted Pierre's head.

Pierre, a strange creature—part bird, part horse—had eaten the Horse-Horse Fruit and was a native to Skypiea. Despite the avian wings, he didn't look much like a bird at all.

Pierre let out a few cries and, still trembling from the earlier battle, flapped his wings and soared into the sky.

He had every reason to obey.

The clash just now nearly scared the feathers off him. He hadn't fainted from fear—barely. If Kairos could take down the so-called "God" Enel, disobeying him would be suicide.

From above, Pierre's presence became a signal—like a lighthouse on the ocean—guiding the others toward Kairos.

It wasn't long before Vivi arrived.

Thanks to her flight ability, she was the quickest to reach him.

When she saw Pierre hovering above, she immediately understood: Kairos had won. The sound of battle had ended—meaning Enel had fallen.

She wasn't alone. She also brought the defeated priest with her—still alive.

One by one, the others arrived.

Nami, Uta, and Robin brought their own "gifts"—captured priests, bruised but breathing.

Finally, Gan Fall showed up, looking thoroughly dazed.

The old man clearly felt the passage of time.

There was no place in this new era for relics like him.

The younger generation? Absolutely terrifying.

But Kairos cared more about what the girls brought: four priests.

Thankfully, Nami, Vivi, and Uta remembered his instruction: do not kill.

And since they followed his request…

He rewarded the priests with a swift, painless end. One slash each.

Then—

[Pickable items detected. Would you like to pick them up?]

"Pick up."

[Ding! Successfully picked up: Perfect Physique Crystal ×13, Perfect Soul Crystal ×11, Perfect Talent Crystal ×10, Perfect Physical Technique Crystal ×14, Perfect Kendo Crystal ×6, Perfect Observation & Conqueror's Haki Crystal ×17. Stored in Pocket Space.]

Even though these priests were nothing special to him now, their ability crystal yield was phenomenal.

Many hit double-digit quantities, which meant… with synthesis, he could turn them into Legendary-grade crystals.

"Old man, Enel's body is over there," Kairos said casually, nodding toward it.

Gan Fall followed his gaze.

"I didn't think you'd actually defeat Enel," he muttered.

Shock wasn't the right word. It was more like... conflicted peace. A storm of complex emotions.

"Thank you," he said at last.

"No problem," Kairos grinned. "Just be sure to cover all our vacation expenses on Skypiea."

"..." Gan Fall had nothing to say.

This kid was impossible to talk to. But whatever. Covering a vacation was the least he could do. After all, Kairos had just freed Skypiea from a tyrant.

If Enel's self-proclaimed godhood had continued, life would've become unbearable.

Suddenly—

"Where's the gold, Kairos?! You said there'd be gold!" Nami barked, eyes darting between buildings in frustration.

"All in good time. Some of it was eaten by that giant python, and the rest… Enel melted it down to build the Ark Maxim."

Kairos shrugged.

"I'll take you to it. There's also the Golden Bell Tower—bring that too, it's worth a fortune."

Gan Fall twitched hearing that. He wanted to argue—That belongs to Skypiea!—but looking at Kairos, he gave up.

If this guy wanted it, there was nothing he could do.

Besides, the bell had technically washed up from the Blue Sea four hundred years ago, according to the island's records. So… it wasn't Skypiea's to begin with.

Forget it. Let him take it.

At least Kairos wasn't trying to conquer Skypiea or set himself up as king.

Had he chosen to, no one could've stopped him.

For now, Kairos and his crew had a clear plan:

Find the gold.

Help Robin locate the Poneglyph.

Take a proper vacation.

Alabasta had drained them—Kairos hadn't relaxed once since arriving in this world. Skypiea was as good a place as any to unwind.

And Gan Fall was footing the bill.

Over the next two weeks, the crew scoured Skypiea. They took the Golden Bell, stored it safely in Kairos' Pocket Space, and explored the ruins with Robin.

He knew how much the ancient history meant to her.

Then, they truly relaxed.

The people of Skypiea, grateful for Enel's defeat, welcomed them with open arms. Word spread fast—their saviors were vacationing here.

Everything? Free. Lodging, food, celebrations. All of it.

Kairos enjoyed every minute of it.

During the day, he feasted his eyes on breathtaking scenery and beautiful company.

At night, he played cards, laughed, and soaked in the island life.

Pure bliss.