"You… you… you—!"
Crocas was at a loss for words. He had never imagined Kairos would actually call Shanks—let alone threaten and blackmail him.
Shameless.
Absolutely shameless.
And yet…
From Shanks' furious tone over the transponder snail, it was now obvious: Uta really was his daughter.
But now what?
Should Crocas step in and help Shanks, defeat Kairos Flint, and rescue Uta?
Or… should he pretend he hadn't seen anything, stay out of it, and let the man walk away?
Before he could decide—
"Kairos! Why didn't you say something to calm Shanks down first? Why did you just start throwing around demands like that?!"
Uta was visibly exasperated with Kairos' behavior.
When she first heard Kairos could contact Shanks, she had agreed to it. After all, her memories of her father were a mixed bag—confusion, longing, anger.
She wanted him to be frantic. To feel what she had felt all those years abandoned in the dark.
But she hadn't expected Kairos to push this hard.
Still… when she heard Shanks' voice on the snail, barking and threatening Kairos in fury over her—
There was a flicker of happiness in her chest.
He still cared.
At least that much was true.
"Uta, don't you think Shanks is anxious enough now?"
Kairos asked calmly.
"If this isn't anxiety, I don't know what is!"
Uta replied without hesitation.
"Exactly," Kairos said. "I promised you he'd be anxious. Promise kept. So why stress over the details now? And that condition I added—it's just a small price for abandoning you for more than ten years."
"Besides, I'm not asking for money. I told him to bring ten high-bounty pirates. He's a Yonko—how hard can it be for him to round up ten pirates worth over 500 million each?"
He looked serious.
"Once we get the bounties, I swear it'll all go toward rebuilding the Kingdom of Elegia."
Was money his goal? Not even close.
Kairos only cared about one thing: power.
When he first discovered Crocas wasn't just a lighthouse keeper, but someone who might have Shanks' contact info, a plan had formed.
If Shanks brought him those ten pirates, and he could defeat them, their power would transfer to him: body, soul, skills. With luck, even rare ability crystals would drop. Ten pirates could mean up to fifteen or sixteen crystals—if the gods were kind.
Ten legendary crystals would let him craft one epic ability crystal.
Why spend a year grinding for power when he could fast-track it with one decisive act of leverage?
If the blackmail worked, then one month later—on the sands of Alabasta—he'd ascend: body, soul, and fighting prowess at emperor-level.
As for talent and swordsmanship? That depended on the pirates Shanks chose and the crystals they left behind.
"Not even a single beli…?"
Nami felt her breath catch.
When Kairos first threatened Shanks, she was thrilled—he was her friend and Uta's protector. And when he demanded ten pirates with bounties over 500 million? Genius.
That was at least 5 billion beli worth of bounty.
She had stars in her eyes.
So much treasure, within reach.
Until Kairos said all of it would go to Uta.
Her face went pale.
Five billion beli.
Gone.
Just like that.
The heartbreak was indescribable.
"What if… when we get the bounty… we use 4 billion to rebuild Elegia, and split the last billion among us?"
Uta offered gently.
She had been living off their generosity. Nami even took her shopping for clothes and paid for everything. If she truly came into that much money, she wanted to give back.
"No need," Nami muttered reluctantly. "Elegia is more important."
She loved money. Everyone knew that. But how could she accept this?
This was about rebuilding a kingdom, about Uta's future.
Nami could kill for her village. She'd already split the loot from Arlong Park evenly among the oppressed.
She couldn't just take Uta's.
"Mr. Crocas, when we trade with Shanks, I'll need your help again. Would you sell me this transponder snail?"
Kairos asked.
"I'll pay five million beli."
Without a way to contact Shanks, how would he arrange the handoff? The deal? The location?
"Deal."
Crocas didn't even hesitate.
Until now, he had been torn about whether to intervene. But after hearing the full exchange, he realized—
This wasn't kidnapping.
This was a daughter angry with her father, weaponizing her captor to get back at him.
Family drama, really. Not his business.
And five million for a snail? That was a profit.
Worst case, Shanks could just give him another one later.
He was a doctor, after all. A broke one. Even whales needed medicine.
Kairos handed over the money and took the snail that could reach the red-haired Yonko.
"Let's head back into the Grand Line. New goal: earn ten billion beli."
Kairos said to Nami and Uta.
With Crocas watching from the shore, their ship set sail once more.
Somewhere out there, Shanks was probably fuming.
New World — Unknown Island
A thunderous aura surged around Shanks, shaking the clouds themselves.
The transponder snail in his hand finally short-circuited under the pressure of his Haki and passed out cold.
"Shanks!"
Vice-Captain Beckman called out sharply.
Snapped from his rage, Shanks exhaled deeply and reined in his Conqueror's Haki. If he let it rage any longer, his crew might collapse from the pressure.
As the atmosphere settled, the red-haired pirates relaxed, physically and mentally.
"Sorry, everyone," Shanks said. "The banquet's off. For now."
"Let's go, Captain," one crew member said. "We all helped raise Uta. We can't just stand by."
"A bounty hunter dared to mess with her? Time to teach him a lesson."
"Let's move out—Uta's waiting."
They all spoke up.
Uta wasn't just Shanks' daughter. She was their little sister, too.
And so, the red-haired pirates set sail.
Over the coming days, numerous high-profile pirates were ambushed.
The red-haired crew moved like a storm.
When the other Yonko, the World Government, and the Navy got wind of it, they were left speechless.
What was Shanks doing?
Three Days Later – Whiskey Peak
The crew arrived to find the town lined with smiling locals welcoming them warmly.
Kairos stepped forward with a grin.
"Uta, eat these."
He handed her four ability crystals: body, soul, martial arts, and swordsmanship—each radiating power.
"You want me to eat these?"
Uta blinked, repulsed.
Crystals? Food?
"I refuse."
"These aren't what you think," Kairos said. "They're condensed from my power. You'll gain instant strength—body, mind, and skill. I'll be busy fighting soon. I won't always be able to protect you."
"They're incredibly rare. You think I want to share them?"
He rolled his eyes.
"He's telling the truth. I've taken them too," Nami chimed in.
"Sorry, I thought—"
"Enough stalling. Eat them. I have killing to do."
Kairos cut her off.
This time, Uta nodded and swallowed them. They melted in her mouth—and power flooded her body. Strength, clarity, reflex—it was intoxicating.
"Kairos, these people don't look like pirates,"
Nami said, frowning as she studied the cheerful crowd.
She had access to 99% of the bounty database. None of these faces matched known pirates.
"They're not. They're bounty hunters," Kairos explained.
"Specifically, members of the Baroque Works—an organization run by Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords. They pretend to be locals, lure in pirates, and kill them for profit."
"We're not pirates. But for money, they'll kill anyone. They're enemies."
"So we don't have to hold back."
"They're stealing money?"
Nami's face twisted with fury.
"That's too far. Kairos, kill them all."
You don't mess with Nami's wallet.
Colleagues or not—if they wanted her gold, they had to go.
"Gladly," Kairos replied.
As their ship docked, the welcoming party approached, still smiling.
Clang!
Kairos drew the cursed sword Shodai Kitetsu. The fake smiles began to falter.
"Your enthusiasm is appreciated," Kairos said.
"But since you've marked us as prey—get ready to become prey yourselves."
He struck.
Ghost Blade Style — Phantom Slash!
A demonic, beautiful energy wave erupted from his blade. Slicing through the air like a rain of blades, it dropped dozens in an instant. Some injured, some crippled, a few—dead.
"Are you ready to die?"
Kairos asked coldly.
He had made his intentions very clear.