Half a month passed.
On a small island along the Grand Line, flowers covered everything.
Blossoms bloomed across the streets and forests. Whenever the wind blew, petals drifted through the air like a colorful rain.
Hidden within that sea of flowers was a city.
Kairos D. Vale stepped over the fallen petals and glanced down at the plastic bag in his hand.
A faint golden ripple opened beneath it.
The bag slowly sank into the Gate of Babylon.
He looked around at the flowers and drifting leaves.
Almost every building in the city was painted white, standing in sharp contrast to the vibrant blossoms and making the scenery look even more vivid.
There were so many varieties of flowers here that it felt more like the Flower Kingdom than the actual Flower Kingdom.
Kairos looked farther ahead.
At the center of the city stood several ancient castle-like buildings. Around them grew two enormous cherry blossom trees. Pink petals drifted endlessly around the castles, making the scene look almost dreamlike.
That was where the nobles lived.
Kairos shook his head and looked away.
Just as he wondered what he should buy next—
a pink blur suddenly flashed past his eyes.
"Little Bear… where are you…"
A soft, tearful voice reached his ears.
Kairos turned his head.
A little girl with pink twin-tails and gothic-style clothing was anxiously searching around. Tears covered her small face, making her look pitiful and adorable.
Perona.
Kairos raised a brow.
At this point in time, Perona should only be around twelve years old.
A loli Perona?
Thinking back to the anime, her dream really did match Thriller Bark's gloomy aesthetic perfectly. But judging from her personality, that dream probably came more from loneliness than preference.
This child, who looked like a little noble lady, carried sorrow too.
She was lonely.
And she desperately needed companionship.
Kairos glanced toward the castle district.
Perona had probably once lived there.
But now, her family had fallen.
"Hahaha! Perona's crying again!"
"Your family's already ruined! You're not qualified to stay here anymore!"
"Get out! Nobody in this city wants you here!"
A string of childish insults interrupted Kairos' thoughts.
He looked over.
Sure enough, a group of spoiled noble children had surrounded Perona. Their expensive clothes clearly revealed their backgrounds.
One of them had even picked up a stone and was about to throw it at her.
Kairos sighed.
He lightly raised a finger.
Invisible qi spread outward.
The stone froze in midair.
The children bullying Perona froze as well.
"What's going on?! I can't move!"
"M-Me neither!"
"Ghost! There's a ghost!"
The noble brats instantly burst into tears. They no longer cared about bullying Perona. All they wanted now was to escape.
Kairos flicked his finger again.
The qi disappeared.
The children screamed about ghosts as they fled in panic.
"Uu…"
Perona curled up in the corner, hugging her knees while crying softly. Every now and then, she timidly peeked up at Kairos.
Although she did not understand what had happened, her instincts told her this older brother had helped her.
Children really were troublesome.
He could not exactly hit her.
Kairos scratched his head and sighed helplessly.
If he could not win through force, then he could only win through the heart.
He walked toward Perona and cleared his throat lightly.
"You're looking for Little Bear?"
Perona's face was still wet with tears.
"Here. I'll give you a big dinosaur."
Kairos smiled faintly.
Golden light appeared at his fingertips as a green dinosaur plush toy emerged from the Gate of Babylon.
Looking at the plushie in his hand, Kairos' mouth twitched slightly.
If not for the overly enthusiastic saleswoman he met after entering the city, he would never have bought something like this.
Fortunately, he had money.
"Eh…?"
Perona tilted her head.
Her crying suddenly stopped.
This older brother could actually make dolls appear out of thin air.
"Big Brother, do you know magic?"
Her eyes sparkled brightly.
"Guess."
Kairos chuckled, then pulled out the plastic bag he had stored earlier.
"Eat something first."
He crouched down and handed it to her. Inside were fruits and snacks.
He could tell from Perona's pale, exhausted appearance that she probably had not eaten properly for several days.
Perona carefully reached out with her small, slightly chubby hand and took a mango from the bag.
She peeled it open and ate it in tiny bites.
Kairos watched the adorable little Perona and suddenly felt this scene was strangely familiar.
Had he done something similar before?
He wondered whether Chopper had already met that quack doctor yet.
Kairos laughed helplessly and brushed away those thoughts. Then, almost instinctively, he reached out and patted Perona's head.
Perona flinched slightly at first.
But in the end, she allowed his hand to rest gently on her head.
"All right. Eat first. I'll help you find Little Bear."
Kairos stood up with a faint smile.
He remembered that when he gave Chopper food, he had successfully won him over.
Now Perona had accepted the food, yet the system still had not reacted.
The key was probably her Little Bear.
With Observation Haki and Mind's Eye, finding a stuffed bear would not be difficult.
"Really?"
Perona raised her little face, no longer caring about the mango juice smeared around her lips.
Her eyes were filled with surprise.
"Mm. I'll be back soon. Don't run around."
Kairos reminded her seriously.
"Mm!"
Before long, Kairos found Perona's bear after turning a few corners.
He used qi to brush the dust off the stuffed toy before heading back to where Perona was waiting.
However—
the moment he saw her again, Kairos froze.
The fruit in Perona's hand had somehow changed.
It was now a Devil Fruit covered in strange swirling patterns.
Perona had already taken a bite out of it with her tiny mouth.
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