Chapter 81

A few days later—

Kairos Flint and his crew were already en route to the Sabaody Archipelago.

The journey had been uneventful, as sea voyages often are. That is, until Nami picked up the latest issue of the Newsbird.

She unfolded the paper and skimmed a few pages before freezing in place.

"Kairos... you've just been put on the World Government's most-wanted list."

She held up the page for everyone to see, her eyes darting between the bounty poster and Kairos's face.

"What!?"

"…"

Everyone on the ship was visibly shaken by the announcement.

Uta, Vivi, and Robin quickly crowded around to get a better look. The face printed on the wanted poster was unmistakably Kairos Flint—handsome, confident, impossible to mistake.

"Let me see that," Kairos said calmly, walking over and taking the bounty notice from Nami's hand.

Of everyone on board, he was the least surprised. After all, he had taken down CP9 and killed one of its agents. That kind of action was basically an open challenge to the World Government.

Especially with that clown Spandam in charge.

The guy probably exaggerated everything and ran straight to the Five Elders with it.

And on top of that, Kairos had protected Nico Robin—a woman the World Government considered a walking threat. Given everything, it was no surprise that they slapped a bounty on him.

Frankly, he expected it.

"The infamous pirate, Kairos Flint, with a bounty of 180 million Berries—dead or alive," he read aloud, chuckling. "Huh, tempting. I might just turn myself in for that much."

He laughed.

Just like that, the World Government had branded him a pirate. From bounty hunter to wanted criminal, all because he dared to push back.

Classic World Government tyranny.

"Captain… I'm so sorry. This is all because of me," Robin said quietly, her voice tinged with guilt.

"Cut it out," Kairos said with a shrug. "It's the World Government. If I leave them alone, great. But if they mess with me, I'll bury them. I don't care what they think."

To him, the bounty was meaningless. He didn't choose to become a pirate—they forced the label on him.

So if they wanted to play games, he'd make them regret it.

As for protecting Robin?

He had zero regrets. He didn't do it for lust or out of obligation. He did it because it was right.

Robin's bounty was never fair. She was just a child when she was declared a criminal. The real threat was O'Hara's scholars—who provoked the government and paid the price. Robin? She could only read the Poneglyphs. That alone made her a target.

It was insane.

Most pirates in the world were guilty of something. But not all of them.

Some, like Robin, were forced into the role. Labeled by the government, hunted by the Navy, and left with no other option. In her case, it was especially tragic.

Robin was innocent.

And Kairos didn't think for a second that he was wrong to protect her.

Now, speaking of pirates…

Kairos suddenly remembered the pile of corpses he had stored in his personal space—pirates worth billions in bounty.

"Oh, crap. I haven't cashed those in yet! And now that I've got a bounty on my head, they probably won't even pay me anymore."

He sighed in frustration.

If he had known this would happen, he would've forced the Marines to take the bodies and pay up—regardless of whether Tina had the money at the time.

Too late now.

Eighty percent chance those bounties were lost for good.

"WHAT?!"

Nami's voice cracked as she heard him. Her face went pale. Losing billions of Berries was like being stabbed repeatedly in the heart.

She looked like her world had ended.

"Nami, don't do this," Uta said, trying to comfort her.

A large part of that money was meant to help rebuild Iregia. Now it was gone, and even Uta felt the sting.

Robin, meanwhile, looked even more guilt-ridden.

The only one who didn't seem shaken was Vivi. Being a princess, she'd always had a comfortable life—even if Alabasta wasn't the richest kingdom.

She didn't rely on bounty money to live well.

"Nami, don't worry. I'll make them cancel my bounty," Kairos said confidently. "I never wanted to be a pirate. If they won't withdraw it willingly… I'll make them."

To him, this was a temporary inconvenience.

Bounties could be revoked. It had happened before—just look at the Roger Pirates.

Silvers Rayleigh, Crocus at Twin Capes… these guys were living peaceful lives because the World Government had stopped caring about them. If they wanted to, they could reopen old cases, but they hadn't.

So Kairos knew it was possible.

He just needed to be strong enough to make the government think twice. A strength that terrified them.

At the very least, someone at the level of the Yonko.

And lucky for him, he was already well on his way there.

After reassuring Nami (who finally seemed to calm down), the ship continued its voyage.

Until they spotted a floating barrel in the sea—one marked with a flag.

Kairos immediately steered the ship toward it and hauled the barrel aboard.

"Uta, the weapon I promised you is almost here," he said, tapping the barrel.

"This is full of booze," Nami said flatly. She had seen barrels like this before. "That symbol means it's a tribute to Poseidon. Probably wine."

"Nope," Kairos replied. "This is bait. Moonlight Moria—one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—uses these to lure ships. The barrel contains a signal flare. Once it's opened, the flare launches, and his ship homes in on it."

"If we're captured, we get trapped."

"Ugh, a Warlord? No thanks," Nami groaned. "They don't even have bounties. What's the point?"

Given Kairos was already a wanted man, she wasn't eager to start fights with Warlords.

"That's where you're wrong," he said. "Moonlight Moria stole the body of Ryuma from Wano, along with his black blade, Shusui. That blade is a national treasure—and it would suit Uta perfectly."

Shusui was one of the 21 Great Grade swords. Far more powerful than the decent blade Uta currently had.

He'd had his eyes on it for a while.

"No way I'm letting him keep that sword," he said firmly.

Nami reconsidered.

"Alright, let's go then. If he's got treasure on his ship, I'm in."

"Hey, out of the way! Don't waste time!" Nami snapped, suddenly full of energy.

"If Moria escapes, who's responsible?!"

Without hesitation, she popped the barrel open.

The signal flare shot into the sky and exploded in a burst of red light.

Uta: "…"

Vivi: "…"

Robin: "…"

Kairos: "…"

They all stared at Nami in stunned silence.

But this was just who she was—ruthless when it came to money. That wasn't a flaw, though.

Kairos actually liked that about her.

"So… should we just wait here now?" Nami asked.

"Moria's ship will definitely come once he sees the signal. We might as well sit tight."

Kairos nodded and gently cautioned her not to do anything reckless. Then, everyone returned to their routines.

Robin went back to reading. Vivi relaxed. Uta hummed to herself.

Kairos? He went back to synthesizing weapons.

His energy crystal work had been finished days ago without much effort. After a night spent with Nami and several rounds of poker with the others, he was feeling great.

Now, it was time to upgrade his sword.

Thanks to their recent haul in Water 7, he had acquired four high-quality blades.

He placed them all on the deck.

Buzz. Buzz…

The Third Generation Kitetsu on his waist began to vibrate slightly.

"Easy, easy. You've been waiting for this. Let's upgrade you properly," he murmured.

His plan was to use the other swords to enhance the cursed blade.

Once complete, the upgraded sword emitted a new aura.

[Enhanced Sword: Third Generation Kitetsu (5/10)]

Upgraded beyond its original class, now classified as an Elite Blade. A cursed demon sword with unknown powers. If not properly mastered, the user may die under its curse. Currently fully submitted to its master: Kairos Flint.