Shortly after…
Kairos Flint and Nami walked out of the naval base. Compared to the exhausting trek earlier, where they had to drag a cart full of pirate corpses, things were much easier now. The cart was gone, and in Nami's hand was a sleek black suitcase—the bounty reward.
Six million Berries.
The radiant smile on Nami's face hadn't faded for a second.
"So… where to now?" she asked suddenly.
"We need to find a weapons shop," Kairos replied with a glance. "I need a new blade."
The oversized greatsword he'd taken from Belluc looked intimidating, sure—but in practice, it was clunky and poorly balanced. Its craftsmanship wasn't much better than that of a standard-issue weapon. That's why, when they disembarked from the passenger ship, Kairos hadn't even bothered bringing it.
After all, here in Loguetown, he had his eye on a far more promising blade.
"You're right. With a good sword, it'll be much easier to deal with pirates," Nami agreed, nodding. The more pirates he defeated, the more bounty rewards she could count on.
They wandered through the town, visiting several weapon shops, but each one proved underwhelming. Kairos barely glanced around before leaving.
"Kairos, seriously? You're not even checking anything. What exactly are you looking for?" Nami asked, trailing behind him, confusion written all over her face.
"A shop with good swords," Kairos said calmly.
More specifically—the Sandai Kitetsu.
Over the past few days, Kairos had figured out where in the One Piece timeline he had landed. This was the very year that Luffy would begin his journey. So, when he heard their passenger ship was heading to Loguetown, he immediately set his sights on the legendary cursed sword still sitting unsold in a local weapons shop.
If he got to it before Zoro did, it would be his.
This was his chance to claim the Sandai Kitetsu before it became anyone else's.
There was no way he was going to gamble his arm like Zoro did just to impress the shop owner into giving him another high-grade sword. He wasn't that reckless. He didn't have plot armor. If that blade really was cursed, he wasn't going to lose a limb over it.
And as for leaving the sword for Zoro?
No chance.
Every man for himself. And right now, he desperately needed a worthy weapon.
He could be a fan of the anime later.
Before long, Kairos found the shop he'd been looking for.
"I'm here to buy two weapons," he said as he stepped inside.
"Welcome!" the shopkeeper, Ipponmatsu, greeted with a wide grin. Business had been slow lately. Ever since Smoker had been stationed in Loguetown, public safety had improved dramatically—which, unfortunately, meant fewer people needed to buy weapons. Sales had taken a serious hit. Seeing a new customer gave him a rare moment of hope.
"Where are the swords for 50,000 Berries?" Kairos asked bluntly.
Ipponmatsu's smile froze. Disappointment flooded his face. He had hoped for a big spender. But this guy? He was just here for the cheap stuff. How much profit could a 50,000-Berry blade even bring in?
Still, business was business.
"Over there," he said, pointing to a few wooden barrels crammed into the corner. "All the cheap ones are in that section. Pick whatever you want."
The barrels were filled with weapons of average or subpar quality. No serious warrior would even give them a second look.
But that's exactly where Kairos headed.
"No way… Kairos, what are you doing? A 50,000-Berry sword? You'd be better off using that oversized blade from Belluc's ship," Nami complained, utterly baffled.
"I gave you one and a half million Berries! There's saving money, and then there's this! Come on, don't be cheap."
In her mind, a good sword was a necessary investment—especially if Kairos was the one doing all the fighting. Skimping on something so essential felt like madness.
But Kairos didn't flinch.
"I've got my reasons. Don't worry," he said, gently placing a finger on her lips to silence her.
With that, he walked toward the bargain section and began searching intently.
His target: the Sandai Kitetsu, the Third Generation Demon-Slayer Sword.
Even though he wasn't entirely sure what it looked like in real life—since reality might differ slightly from the anime—he had a secret weapon: his Golden Finger.
It was a power he'd discovered shortly after arriving in this world. When activated, his Golden Finger displayed information above every weapon he saw—each tagged with a color-coded rarity level:
White – Crude
Green – Ordinary
Blue – Fine
Purple – Excellent
Orange – Fast Sword
Red – Great Fast Sword
Black – Supreme Fast Sword
Gold – Supreme Blade
Rainbow – Divine Artifact
Nine tiers in total.
As he scanned the weapons, green and blue texts floated above most of them—basic and fine quality.
But then, he saw it.
[Fast Sword · Sandai Kitetsu] — glowing in orange.
Bingo.
He reached into the barrel and pulled it out.
Without a moment's hesitation, he strode to the counter, slapped down 50,000 Berries, and declared, "Here's the money. I'll be taking this sword."
Before Ipponmatsu could even respond, Kairos turned on his heel and exited the shop with Nami right behind him.
He didn't give the man a single chance to change his mind.
"…What just happened?"
The shopkeeper stood in stunned silence. The two were already out the door and gone.
Only after a long pause did he look down at the Berries on the counter and sigh.
If he wasn't mistaken… that sword the boy had taken was that sword. The cursed one.
The Sandai Kitetsu.
Everyone who had ever wielded that blade had met some sort of tragic fate. That's why Ipponmatsu had buried it in the bargain bin. No one in their right mind would dare use it.
Now that it was gone… he felt a pang of guilt. He should've warned them.
But it was too late now.
All he could do was hope—hope that this young man would be the one to break the curse.
Hope that he wouldn't end up like all the others who had dared wield the Third Generation Demon Sword.