The wind blew softly across Cocoyasi Village harbor.
Kairos moved.
When he moved, it was like thunder striking.
Boom!!
His figure vanished and reappeared in midair directly above Don Krieg.
His right foot came down violently onto Krieg's back.
In an instant, Krieg's golden armor shattered into powder as the crushing force drove his body straight into the ground.
Bang!
The earth trembled.
A crater nearly three meters wide cracked open beneath him.
"Ugh—!"
Krieg coughed up blood as he slammed face-first into the ground. Several of his teeth broke loose and rolled away.
The veins across his body bulged as his muscles strained desperately.
He tried to push himself up.
But the foot pressing down on his back was like a mountain.
He couldn't even lift his upper body.
Just ten minutes earlier, Krieg had stood exactly like this—
with a gunner pinned beneath his own boot.
Now the man beneath someone else's foot…
was him.
"Spare me!! I'll give you all my treasure!"
Krieg sobbed hysterically.
Blood, tears, and snot mixed together as they ran into his mouth, making his words slur.
"You seem to enjoy killing people."
Kairos kept one foot pressed on Krieg's back as he leaned down slightly and spoke in a quiet voice.
Krieg froze.
He didn't answer.
Suddenly—
The demonic blade glowing with cold blue light stabbed into the soil directly in front of Krieg's face.
The blade trembled slightly with a metallic hum.
A strand of pale purple hair drifted down.
A thin line of blood opened across Krieg's cheek.
His eyes shot wide open.
Cold terror flooded his body.
The blade was covered in countless cracks.
It looked fragile.
Like it could shatter at any moment.
Yet this same sword—
had slaughtered more than three hundred pirates from the Krieg fleet.
The blade was right in front of him.
The memories Krieg had desperately tried to suppress surged back.
The pirates who had died under that blade seemed to crawl back from hell, screaming and twisting in agony.
He swallowed hard.
His voice trembled.
"My treasure… I'll give you all my treasure… just don't kill me…"
Krieg still hadn't answered Kairos' question.
He didn't dare.
He had no idea what this madman—who had hunted him for nearly a full day—was thinking.
At that moment—
a low chuckle came from above his head.
It sent chills crawling down his spine.
"What a pity…"
Kairos' lips curved into a smile.
"I thought I'd found a kindred spirit."
His voice remained calm.
"I actually enjoy killing people."
The demonic blade rose.
Then fell.
Shhk—
Blood sprayed into the air.
A head filled with terror and hatred rolled across the ground, leaving a crimson trail behind it.
Don Krieg was dead.
Killed cleanly and decisively.
Along with him, more than three hundred members of the Krieg Pirates had also perished.
Blood pooled across the harbor floor, flowing in crooked streams toward the sea.
Out on the water, twelve pirate ships still drifted quietly.
Nearly thirty pirates remained aboard them.
They had not managed to land before the battle ended.
They had watched Krieg die with their own eyes.
Yet not a single one dared move.
They collapsed onto the deck, trembling in silence, too terrified even to speak.
Kairos glanced briefly at Krieg's severed head.
The smile on his face faded.
He straightened up.
The Magic Blade Thousand Blades vibrated softly.
Not a drop of blood clung to its cracked surface.
Instead, it floated calmly beside him.
The villagers stood frozen in place.
They stared at Kairos as though their minds had stopped working.
"Run!!"
Someone finally shouted.
The villagers gathered at the harbor exploded into panic.
Within seconds, most of them scattered and fled.
When the chaos settled, only two people remained.
Genzo.
And Bell-mère.
Kairos scratched his cheek, looking slightly puzzled.
Was he really that frightening?
Then he realized why.
It was probably because of what he had said earlier about liking to kill.
The thought made him laugh inwardly.
He had only said it to make Krieg die in fear.
Kairos didn't actually enjoy killing.
He only killed those who deserved it.
Even as someone transported into another world, he still had his own principles.
"Sir…"
A voice suddenly broke his thoughts.
Kairos turned his head.
It was Genzo.
Unlike the others, Genzo had not run away.
Instead, he bowed deeply toward Kairos.
"Thank you very much for saving us!"
Genzo bent forward in a full ninety-degree bow, shouting his gratitude loudly.
It was obvious he was afraid.
His body trembled slightly.
After all, he was standing before a man who had wiped out the entire Krieg Pirates crew in seconds.
How could he not be afraid?
But he had still stayed behind.
Just to say thank you in person.
"You don't have to thank me," Kairos replied calmly. "I had a personal grudge with him."
Still, he couldn't help feeling a little impressed.
Genzo was an interesting man.
"Thank you for saving Cocoyasi Village."
Bell-mère bowed slightly as well.
She wasn't as formal as Genzo—probably because of her personality—but her gratitude was just as sincere.
"Bell-mère!!"
Suddenly two childish voices rang out from the bushes in the distance.
Nami and Nojiko came running out.
They hadn't been close enough to hear Kairos' earlier words.
Without the slightest fear, they rushed forward.
The two girls threw themselves into Bell-mère's arms like baby birds returning to their nest.
"I thought I'd never see you again!"
Tears filled Nami's eyes as she buried her face against Bell-mère's chest.
"Don't ever do something this dangerous again…"
Nojiko cried loudly, her words breaking apart between sobs.
Bell-mère froze for a moment.
Then her expression softened with warmth.
"It's alright now. Everything's alright."
She gently patted their backs, soothing them with quiet words.
Kairos looked away and rubbed the back of his nose.
Moments like this…
were better left undisturbed.
Just then, he felt someone tug at the corner of his clothes.
Kairos turned around.
And froze.
"Big brother… thank you."
Little Nami was still crying, her face wet with tears.
But she forced out a bright, innocent smile.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios