The Path of the True God
In the talent section of the interface, the text had clearly changed:
True God (0/10).
From the previous Imperial level, it had now upgraded directly to True God.
"Wait, that's strange…" Kairos Flint frowned.
"Wasn't the next step supposed to be God-level? Why is it showing True God instead?"
He recalled that when he first understood the level system, the rank had indeed displayed as God-level. But now, his golden finger system labeled it as True God. Something had clearly shifted.
As if responding to his doubts, the golden finger offered an immediate explanation:
[God-level is a general term that encompasses most tiers beyond the Queen level. The precise name of the ninth level is: True God.]
Kairos gave a quick glance.
"Got it. So that means there's a level even above True God. Makes sense—there's still an experience bar beneath the label. No way that's the final stop."
Curiosity sparked in his mind again.
"So… what comes after True God?"
He waited for the golden finger to explain further.
[Host must explore on his own.]
That was the only response he got. No more clues. No more hints.
Kairos gave a wry smile. "Typical."
It was clear—if he wanted to know what lay ahead, he'd have to earn that knowledge himself. He needed to fill up the True God experience bar first. Only then would the next level reveal itself.
But even without that, the difference he felt from this promotion was already massive.
"My talent at the Emperor level was barely helpful," Kairos muttered. "Even with months of training, my mastery of General-level Armament Haki and Observation Haki barely progressed. But now... Will this new talent bring a real breakthrough?"
With that hope in mind, he stood and dove straight into training.
At present, his progress in General-level Armament Haki was at 0.65/10. That was after significant time and effort.
And honestly? Even with Emperor-level talent, the gains were underwhelming. Just fractions of progress.
Compared to the three-strike "teaching style" of Teacher Kaido, it was weak.
Kaido's first blow taught Luffy how to use advanced Armament Haki.
The second awakened his control over Conqueror's Haki.
The third even triggered his Devil Fruit's awakening.
By contrast, Kairos' "Emperor-level" talent looked like child's play.
But now, his potential had undergone a complete evolution—transcending the limits of Emperor-level.
His ceiling in physical strength, martial skills, swordsmanship, and Haki had all been raised. Everything had advanced to the domain of a True God.
This was talent strong enough to break the shackles of the Emperor level.
He recalled Zefa's training manual and the Observation and Armament Haki training notes he had memorized from Smoker.
So, he sat cross-legged and began his Armament Haki training once more.
And in an instant…
Boom.
A wave of insight struck him like lightning. It was as if a door that had blocked him all this time finally swung open.
He entered a state of epiphany.
His Armament Haki soared.
Time slipped by unnoticed.
When he finally emerged from the trance an hour later, Kairos immediately pulled up his system data.
General-level Armament Haki: 0.66/10
An increase of 0.01 in just one hour. Previously, that would've taken weeks.
"Unreal…" he whispered.
If he trained ten hours a day, he'd gain 0.1 daily. In ten days, a full level. In 100 days, his Haki would break through to Emperor-level.
Sure, it wasn't quite Luffy-tier progress—he had that main character plot armor and Teacher Kaido's three-punch lectures—but this speed? This was still terrifying.
"Who else can push General-level Haki to Emperor in just 100 days?"
The realization made Kairos marvel again at how insane True God talent really was.
Then, he turned his attention to his other ability crystals.
Right now, he had:
Epic Physique Crystals ×5
Epic Soul Crystals ×5
Epic Talent Crystals ×3
Epic Martial Arts Crystals ×7
Epic Swordsmanship Crystals ×7
That wasn't all. In the Haki category:
Epic Armament Haki Crystal ×1
Epic Observation Haki Crystal ×2
And for the Rokushiki (Six Styles):
Shave ×1
Iron Body ×1
Tempest Kick ×1
Finger Pistol ×1
Moon Step ×1
Paper Art ×2
He even had an Epic Life Return Crystal ×1.
A treasure trove.
Still, Kairos paid little attention to anything below Epic-grade. With power like his, what use did he have for Rare or Uncommon items?
Originally, he had planned to consume a few crystals to power up before the New World.
That would've let him be more aggressive… well, safer, in his words.
But now?
After becoming a True God, he hesitated.
"With my current strength, I don't need these yet. If I'm ever backed into a corner, I can just pop one and get a temporary boost. Why waste them now?"
For now, he could rely on self-cultivation. And when he hit a bottleneck again? Then he'd use them.
He nodded to himself.
"Let's keep them for later."
With that decision, he left his quarters.
Rayleigh had just finished applying the special coating to Kairos' ship.
Of course, Kairos was thoroughly impressed.
Rayleigh truly was a master of the craft.
He'd completed the job in three days—an incredible feat. Most master coaters took a week. Ordinary ones? They'd need a month.
Rayleigh had pushed himself to finish it early.
"Thanks, Uncle Rayleigh," Kairos said with a sincere smile. "Your work is amazing."
Rayleigh chuckled. "This old man can't keep up with you youngsters. It's better if you get outta here fast."
His rush wasn't for Kairos' sake, though—it was to protect Sabaody Archipelago.
After all, Kairos had just slaughtered three Celestial Dragons.
If the World Government decided to retaliate and came looking for him here… it wouldn't be Kairos who suffered. It'd be the islands.
The battle between Vivi and Kizaru had already damaged tons of mangroves.
Those tree roots took years to grow back and support buildings.
Rayleigh had retired here. He didn't want to see the place destroyed.
So yes, he wanted Kairos gone—quickly.
"Thanks again, Uncle Rayleigh. We're off."
Kairos waved, then boarded the ship with Nami and the others.
The ship, now coated in thick resin bubbles, slowly submerged beneath the sea—heading toward Fish-Man Island.
Rayleigh and Shakky watched them disappear.
"…The New World's about to get a monster," Rayleigh murmured.
He didn't know much about most rookies.
But about Kairos Flint?
He could only say this: The New World is not ready for him.
During their time together, Kairos had revealed he wasn't even aiming to be a pirate. He wanted to be a bounty hunter—a Golden Hunter.
He was branded a pirate by the World Government.
Rayleigh had simply shrugged and said, "Then just accept your fate."
Kairos had only smiled.
"The World Government will retract my bounty. They'll apologize to me. Publicly."
That confidence… even after killing three Celestial Dragons?
Rayleigh didn't know how Kairos planned to pull that off.
But with that fire in his eyes, and the storm hiding just beneath… Rayleigh believed one thing:
If anyone could force the World Government to apologize—it was him.
"Let the next generation handle it," Rayleigh muttered.
Shakky lit a cigarette beside him. "Exactly. Our time's over."
They were relics of an era no ship could carry anymore.
It was time for the new blood to shape the seas.
Aboard the coated ship, headed for the deep-sea haven of Fish-Man Island…
"Hey, Kai—" Nami suddenly said. "We still haven't named the ship."
He blinked. "Oh yeah. Guess we forgot."
"Wanna name it now?"
"Sure. Let's call it... Mythical Sky."
He didn't even hesitate.
It sounded cool. Noble. Bold.
Sure, it was a bit self-indulgent—but men were allowed that now and then.
Plus, "sky" fit his vibe.
With "cloud" in his name… it felt right.
"Alright then. Mythical Sky it is." Nami sighed slightly.
She had actually hoped to combine part of her name with his. But oh well—he clearly hadn't thought of that.
Uta, Vivi, Robin, and the others had no objections.
And Perona?
She was just a maid. No one asked for her opinion.