Chapter 86

Chambord Islands.

After the call ended,

Kairos Flint casually ended the lives of Saint Charros's father, Saint Rosward, and his sister, Saint Shalulia. His objective had already been accomplished—there was no need to spare either of them.

Shalulia had followed his orders, yet she couldn't understand why he still chose to kill her.

What she didn't know was that this had never been about obedience.

Kairos's goal was straightforward: kill Celestial Dragons and make a bold statement to the World Government.

Mercy? Letting them go?

That was laughable.

These Celestial Dragons never showed mercy when enslaving or slaughtering innocent people. Their joy in killing was more perverse than his vengeance.

If anyone deserved pity, it was the countless slaves and victims left in the wake of the Celestial Dragons' cruelty.

At that moment, Nami approached him, holding a box in her hands.

Inside were three Devil Fruits—once destined for auction by the Celestial Dragons. Now, they were in Kairos's possession, and he hadn't paid a single Beli.

Zoan-Type: Fox Fruit.

Paramecia-Type: Energy Fruit.

Paramecia-Type: Attribute Fruit.

None of them were particularly rare or special in their current forms.

Kairos, of course, had no interest in them as-is. Unless a Devil Fruit reached Epic grade, it wasn't worth his time or study.

Fortunately, his golden-finger ability allowed him to synthesize Devil Fruits—and the outcomes were wildly unpredictable.

So why waste time mastering these specific abilities when he could just merge them and roll the dice?

"I'll store these for now," Kairos said, placing the fruits into his dimensional storage. "Later, I'll see if I can synthesize something that suits you."

Nami nodded, offering no objections. By now, she, Vivi, and the others were fully aware of his true power—synthesis.

He could combine two items into one of higher quality.

That was a closely guarded secret, and no one in his crew intended to leak it. As for Perona, she didn't even have the standing to object. Her life was already in Kairos's hands.

If she misbehaved?

He could kill Moria without hesitation. That alone kept Perona firmly in check.

Then, Kairos turned toward the auctioneer, who had been thoroughly beaten and now lay motionless on the ground. He hadn't tried to escape—probably because he was too afraid to move.

"Who's the boss behind you?" Kairos asked.

The auctioneer remained silent.

He knew one thing: betraying his boss meant certain death.

"Won't talk? Then I'll kill you right here."

Kairos raised his foot, infusing it with Armament Haki, ready to crush the man's skull like a melon.

Panic instantly overtook the auctioneer.

He'd forgotten just how ruthless this pirate was. Three Celestial Dragons dead at his hands—who could match that level of audacity?

No one else in the world dared challenge the Celestial Dragons like this. Kairos was in a league of his own.

"Wait, wait! I'll talk!" the auctioneer shouted, terrified. "I'll tell you everything!"

"Talk straight. If you lie, your death will be slower. Maybe I'll go with skinning alive."

That threat made the auctioneer tremble even harder.

He'd heard of such torture—death by a thousand cuts. A quick death would've been mercy.

"I swear on my life—I'll tell the truth!" the man cried.

"Then speak," Kairos ordered.

"It's Tenyasha... Donquixote Doflamingo. One of the Seven Warlords."

The name made Kairos's expression darken slightly.

Well, wasn't that something.

Yet another run-in with a Warlord of the Sea. This was the third one.

First, he killed Crocodile.

Then, he beat the hell out of Moria and took Perona.

Now, he had just robbed Doflamingo.

If this kept up, he'd end up offending over half the Shichibukai.

"You want to live?" Kairos asked coldly. "Then call Doflamingo. Tell him I took the Devil Fruits from his human auction, and that I'll be paying a visit to his country soon. Tell him to prepare drinks and food to welcome me."

"If not... I'll be pissed."

The auctioneer looked horrified. Contact Doflamingo? That was practically suicide.

But looking into Kairos's eyes, he knew the alternative was worse. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed a Den Den Mushi and made the call.

The receiver clicked almost instantly.

The Den Den Mushi's face morphed into Doflamingo's.

Following Kairos's exact instructions, the auctioneer delivered every word faithfully, not daring to leave anything out.

"Fufufufufu…"

Doflamingo's signature laugh echoed from the other side.

"Killed a Celestial Dragon, huh? You must be Kairos Flint."

"I know you're listening."

"You're quite entertaining. The World Government won't take this lightly. If you can survive what's coming—the Admirals, the Navy's full pursuit—I'll be waiting for you in Dressrosa. We'll throw a feast."

Though Doflamingo still hoped to reclaim his lost Celestial Dragon status, he secretly loathed the current ones. Hearing about their deaths brought him more joy than anger.

"A feast's too modest," Kairos replied, taking the Den Den Mushi from the auctioneer. "I like Devil Fruits. Have a few ready when I arrive."

"If you're still alive," Doflamingo laughed. "I'll be ready to welcome you."

But in his heart, Doflamingo was convinced Kairos was doomed. The World Government would never forgive the murder of Celestial Dragons. They'd dispatch Admirals, CP0, maybe even the Holy Knights.

He was already a dead man walking.

Still, Doflamingo was happy to play along with the conversation.

"Then just wait for me," Kairos said, hanging up the phone.

The auctioneer, trembling, looked like he might collapse on the spot.

"Go," Kairos said calmly. "I keep my word."

Without hesitation, the auctioneer bolted, disappearing into the streets.

"Kairos, I got all the photos," Uta said, holding a disposable camera. She had several developed pictures in hand.

The Celestial Dragons, lifeless and bloodied.

Perfect.

Since he'd already killed them, why not go all out?

Kairos planned to send the photos to Morgans of the World Economic News. That news-loving bird would definitely publish them, even if it meant risking the World Government's wrath.

It was a juicy story—exactly the kind Morgans lived for.

Of course, he wouldn't give them away for free. Morgans was wealthy from his newspaper empire. Kairos intended to blackmail him for a handsome reward.

But that would come later.

For now…

"Is the Navy here yet?"

Using Observation Haki, Kairos could already sense them surrounding the area.

"Robin, this is for you," he said, pulling out three items from his storage space—an Epic Body Crystal, Epic Soul Crystal, and Epic Talent Crystal.

Since Robin primarily fought using her Devil Fruit powers, there was no need to waste combat-related crystals on her.

"Consider it a reward," he said.

Robin leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"That's it?" Kairos teased. "Three Epic Crystals, and all I get is a kiss? You're stingy."

Robin only chuckled, saying nothing more. She consumed the crystals, and within moments, her body, soul, and talent surged with power.

One more Emperor-level combatant added to the crew.

This brought their elite lineup to five.

A nearby crew member—single for 20 years—watched the scene and nearly choked on his envy.

He just ate a full serving of emotional "dog food."

Robin, now at peak condition, felt a drastic improvement.

She could crush her old self without breaking a sweat.

"Let's go. The Navy's waiting outside," Kairos said.

Nami, Vivi, Robin, and the others followed him without hesitation.

Fear? Not here.

Only the weak fear power.

And they were anything but weak.

Only Perona lagged behind, overwhelmed by complicated emotions.

Abducted, forced to work as a maid, and now tied to a crew that just killed Celestial Dragons…

She could hardly process it.

To her, walking outside now was like walking straight to the execution platform.

Outside the Human Auctioning House.

The Navy had the place surrounded.

They knew someone had murdered Celestial Dragons inside—but none of them dared storm the building without backup. They were stalling, waiting for an Admiral.

Then—

"They're coming out!"

"It's Kairos Flint—the pirate who killed the Celestial Dragons!"

Tension surged.

The name alone struck fear in every sailor's heart. This was the first time any of them had seen someone capable of such madness.

Kairos carried the aura of a man who had slaughtered gods.

To the Marines, that kind of pressure was suffocating.

He scanned the group, unimpressed.

"No Admiral yet, huh?" he muttered.

"Then we'll wait."

Kairos pulled out a few chairs, poured some juice, and sat down with his crew—completely ignoring the Navy's presence.

Perona stood stiffly while the others relaxed, sipping drinks.

None of them saw the Navy as a threat.

They had power.

The Navy? Just a bunch of ants in their path.