"Why, you don't look too happy about it?"
"Otherwise, I might just send you on your way," Kairos Flint said, placing his hand casually on the hilt of his knife.
"No, no, no! I'm thrilled to be working for you for twenty years!" Vivi forced a bright smile onto her sorrowful face, although the last few words were spoken through gritted teeth. This was humiliation of the highest order.
She was being utterly exploited. Twenty years? By that time, she would be old and bitter, robbed of her youth. But what could she do? Her life was in Kairos' hands. Resistance was not an option.
"Keep up," Kairos ordered as he stored the corpses of Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine into his personal storage space and boarded the ship.
Left with no choice, Vivi followed.
"Let's go," Kairos said, taking the helm.
"The Log Pose is already set. Let's head to the next island," Nami chimed in with a cheerful grin. She had profited well from this trip and was in high spirits.
Not long after setting sail...
"Princess! Your Highness, Princess!"
A figure with eccentric, curly hair could be seen frantically running along the shoreline—Igaram, captain of the Alabasta Kingdom's Royal Guard. His panic was evident. His mission was to protect the princess, and now he was watching her sail away on a ship with strangers.
But the ship was already too far from shore. He had no means to catch up.
"Igaram! I'm fine! Don't worry about me!" Vivi shouted from the ship, assuring him she was safe.
Hearing her voice, Igaram visibly relaxed. Although he didn't recognize the man who had taken her away, knowing she was alive and unharmed was enough to calm his nerves for now. Still, he needed to quickly investigate Kairos Flint's identity to determine whether Vivi was in safe hands or dangerous ones.
...
As they sailed further from Whiskey Peak, retreat was no longer an option. Kairos Flint wasn't one to turn back.
"Now, it's time to put you to work," he said, turning to Vivi.
"I... I agreed to work for you for twenty years, just please don't kill me," she stammered, clearly terrified. Kairos had slaughtered numerous Baroque Works agents at Whiskey Peak—including elite operatives. His power was unmatched, and his ruthlessness left no room for negotiation.
"Relax. Don't be so nervous. I'm not a villain," Kairos replied casually.
"Y-Yes, of course. You're absolutely right," Vivi forced another nod, biting back her anger.
Villain? No. He was worse. A tyrant in capitalist's clothing. Free labor for twenty years? That was slavery.
Kairos tilted his head slightly, amused. Was this girl truly so scared she'd lost her wits?
"Princess Vivi, do you want to know who the boss behind Baroque Works is?" he asked with a sly grin.
"You know?! Who is it? Please tell me!" Her eyes lit up instantly. She'd risked everything infiltrating Baroque Works, working undercover just to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy threatening Alabasta.
Kairos had that truth casually at his fingertips.
"I do know. But you're a prisoner now. What price are you willing to pay?"
His gaze swept over her.
Her face paled.
Was he implying something vile?
"Don't worry," he said. "I'm not the type you're imagining. I'm not a pirate. I won't force you. If you want to know, find out yourself. But you'll still owe me twenty years of labor."
Vivi's expression fell.
Twenty years? Her kingdom might not last another year. It could collapse before she ever returned.
She wanted to beg Kairos for help, but what use was pleading? She was a captive. Her words held no power.
"Let's move," Kairos said simply.
The ship sailed on.
As for Vivi, Kairos wasn't worried she might try to escape. This was the Grand Line—there was no place to run. The ship was theirs. And even if he did nothing, Nami and Uta alone were enough to handle her. Both had consumed the ability crystals he'd given them, gaining power far beyond ordinary people.
...
A few days later, they arrived at Little Garden—or rather, what the charts called Ancient Island. The island remained untouched since the age of dinosaurs. Massive beasts roamed the terrain like it was some primeval world.
They weren't here to fight the giants living here. Though Dorry and Brogy were powerful warriors with bounties on their heads, Kairos didn't care about that.
He came here to grow stronger.
His strength had risen rapidly over the past few months. But now, the path forward was harder.
He'd been studying the Haki manuals Smoker gave him—specifically the ones on Armament and Observation Haki. Despite having emperor-level talent, learning Haki in just a few weeks was nearly impossible.
What he lacked, he realized, was pressure.
He needed the pressure of battle.
That's why he chose Little Garden.
While the giants here might not use Haki themselves, they had been fighting each other for a century. Their strength and battle experience were unmatched.
Giants were far stronger than even fishmen. If a fishman's strength was ten times that of a human, a giant's was a hundredfold. Dorry and Brogy would make ideal sparring partners.
Kairos brought Nami, Uta, and Vivi ashore.
As for their ship, he stored it in his portable space—along with enough food and water to last months, all frozen in time and immune to spoilage.
...
"We'll stay here for the next ten days," Kairos explained. "After that, we'll head straight to Alabasta to meet Red-Haired Shanks."
"I'm fine with that," Nami agreed.
"Me too," Uta nodded.
As for the Grand Line's dangers? They'd seen plenty. Without Kairos, they would have perished long ago.
"I also—"
"Your opinion doesn't matter," Kairos cut Vivi off before she could finish.
She was, after all, the ship's maid now. Laundry, cooking, cleaning—it all fell to her. Twenty years of unpaid labor was the cost of trying to trick him through Baroque Works.
It might seem harsh.
But compared to the others in that organization, she got off easy.
Vivi fumed quietly. She was a royal princess! And now she was reduced to domestic chores aboard a pirate's ship. Her pride was in tatters. She was frustrated, but there was no one to complain to.
Worse yet, Kairos Flint was a monster.
Every night, he was full of energy. The thin ship walls offered no soundproofing. Every sound echoed through the vessel.
She heard it all.
It would go on for five hours straight.
Was this man even human?
A beast!
She avoided eye contact with him whenever possible, terrified he might turn his attention toward her. If he ever made a move, she doubted she could survive it.
...
A ghostly blade swept across the jungle.
Kairos Flint decapitated a massive dinosaur in a single strike.
To him, such a creature posed no threat. As a swordsman who had grasped the concept of "Breath of All Things," cutting through steel—and much more—was child's play.
"Perfect. Let's have barbecue later," he said, storing the dinosaur in his portable space.
Sadly, killing ordinary beasts yielded no ability crystals.
Only humans—or animals who had consumed Devil Fruits—dropped them.
Otherwise, Kairos might have slaughtered the entire island by now.
Hours later, after killing dozens of massive dinosaurs, they finally picked up a delicious scent.
Barbecue.
It led them to two colossal figures.
The giants Dorry and Brogy.
"Har har har! Humans? Haven't seen your kind in ages!" Brogy laughed heartily, waving a chunk of roasted dinosaur.
"Mind if we join? I'll trade you some wine," Kairos offered with a grin.
Of course he had brought drinks.
It was the perfect way to break the ice. He needed these two to become his sparring partners.
And he always came prepared.