"That knife of yours is..."
Suddenly, Tashigi's eyes locked onto the weapon at Kairos Flint's waist. Adjusting her glasses with one hand, she swiftly pulled out the Famous Blades Catalog from her pocket with the other. Her fingers flipped through the pages at lightning speed until she found what she was looking for.
Then she double-checked.
And triple-checked.
After making sure she had read it correctly, she spoke, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"The Third Generation Kitetsu... I didn't expect it to fall into the hands of a bounty hunter."
There was an uncomfortable twist in Tashigi's chest as she said it.
She stared at Kairos with a mixture of awe and dismay. As someone obsessed with swords, especially the legendary ones, it hurt her heart to see such a famed blade—one of the cursed swords—end up with someone she assumed might not appreciate its value. To her, when such treasures landed in the hands of bounty hunters or pirates, it was like watching gems gather dust.
Fortunately, Kairos wasn't a pirate.
Had he been, Tashigi might have seriously considered drawing her sword and attempting to take the Kitetsu from him by force.
"I was just thinking about your sword... and now you're thinking about mine... poetic," Kairos mused silently to himself, slightly amused.
Just moments ago, he'd been eyeing her weapon. Now the tables had turned.
"Alright, Nami, let's get going," Kairos said casually.
Running into Tashigi had been a random encounter, nothing more. He wasn't the type to stick around just because a pretty woman showed interest. That wasn't his style.
"Got it," Nami replied, falling into step beside him.
"That guy..." Tashigi murmured to herself, watching them walk away with a faint frown.
She felt oddly dissatisfied, like a rare and powerful sword had been misplaced. And then, when he casually answered her question and turned away without so much as a second glance, it stung a little. The nerve...
...
Outside, the sunlight gleamed off the cobbled streets.
"I saw the way your eyes lit up when you looked at that Navy officer," Nami said from the side, her tone playful but edged with something more. "She seemed into you too. Why didn't you go ask for her name?"
Kairos sniffed the air theatrically, narrowing his eyes.
"Nami, do you smell that?"
"Smell what?" she asked, confused, sniffing as well. "I don't smell anything."
"It's the scent of vinegar. It's so strong I can barely breathe," he teased, flashing her a cheeky grin.
Nami's face flushed as she realized he was calling her jealous.
"Ah!!! Who do you think is jealous?!"
She exploded, swinging her black suitcase at him.
But Kairos had already turned on his heel and darted away, laughing as he ran.
"Stop right there, Kairos Flint! I'm going to murder you for that!"
Nami roared as she gave chase, her suitcase whirring through the air with each furious swing.
After a few minutes of playful banter and chaotic running, the two finally found a place to stay. The last leg of their journey had drained a lot of their supplies, and restocking was a priority.
...
A few days passed.
After resting in Loguetown, Kairos and Nami hit the road again. Balance was important, after all.
Kairos wasn't the type to live like a constantly-tensed spring, perpetually hunting pirates to the point of burnout. Strength mattered, yes, but so did recovery. After intense action, it was important to unwind.
Besides, what was the point of earning all that money if not to enjoy it?
He loved money, sure. But he wasn't stingy.
So during his rare downtime in Loguetown, he indulged: good food, fine drinks, a little mischief, and a lot of laughter. It was a happy few days.
But eventually, duty called.
Time to clock in.
Bounty hunter mode: activated.
Pirates—brace yourselves.
...
Time passed quickly.
During this stretch, Kairos devoted himself entirely to his craft: hunting pirates.
One full month.
In that time, he and Nami took down seven separate pirate crews.
The most dangerous among them? A captain with a bounty of 8 million Berries.
Anything beyond that? Not yet.
Kairos wasn't afraid, but he was smart. He knew better than to rush headfirst into fights with pirates who had bounties in the tens of millions—at least not until his strength rose to the level of a proper captain.
Their earnings were significant.
Kairos made over 20 million Berries.
And Nami? She split it 50/50 with him. Naturally.
With that kind of income, Nami nearly broke down in happy tears.
(Of course, the part about her hugging his legs in joy was just a joke... probably.)
Still, it was no exaggeration to say that the money was life-changing.
If not for her burden back in Cocoyashi Village, Nami might have seriously considered following in Kairos's footsteps long-term.
And that wasn't the only gain.
They had seized seven pirate ships—large and decently crafted vessels.
Kairos broke them down and combined their parts into his own ship, reinforcing and upgrading it. While the improvements weren't enough to bump it up a full tier, the enhancements were noticeable.
Based on the synthesis mechanics he understood, he estimated he was three levels short of converting his ship from "Refined" grade to "Rare."
But ships weren't the only thing he gained.
Weapons—lots of them.
Every pirate from those seven crews had been killed. Total annihilation.
With over 1,300 pirates in total, Kairos had amassed 1,438 weapons. Most were standard quality, but the sheer quantity made up for it. Among them were also a fair number of superior-grade weapons.
This massive haul brought him closer to another goal: upgrading the Third Generation Kitetsu to the status of a true "Good Sword."
One step closer to making a legendary blade even more legendary.