When Kairos Flint made his promise, King Neptune finally relaxed.
Though Kairos didn't agree to marry Neptune's daughter, the king and his court accepted his word as truth—after all, when a man of such strength speaks, even a mere promise carries immense weight.
Neptune and his retainers thanked Kairos repeatedly. He was a recent arrival to their world, yet they had already staked their hopes on him. It was a gamble, and whether it would pay off remained to be seen. But the decision had been made—they chose to believe in Kairos Flint.
The evening passed in high spirits. Kairos, in a rare moment of ease, allowed himself to drink more freely. Yet compared to his immense strength, his tolerance for alcohol was woefully lacking. He and Jinbei drank heartily, but before long, Kairos found himself overwhelmed and drifting into a haze.
The next morning, Kairos awoke in bed.
His vision blurry, mind still fogged with lingering dizziness, he shifted slightly—and realized he was holding someone. They were clinging to each other like body pillows.
But something felt... off.
The scent, the texture—this wasn't Nami. Nor was it Weiwei, Uta, or even Robin.
Kairos's heart skipped a beat.
He quickly released the embrace and sat up. That's when he saw who it was.
Perona.
What the hell happened last night?
All he could recall was drinking himself into oblivion. Everything else was a blur.
He checked his clothes—aside from some rumples, he was fully dressed.
So nothing serious must've happened. At most, they'd cuddled by accident.
Perona stirred. His sudden movement must have woken her.
Her eyes fluttered open, and as she took in their shared surroundings, she looked like she was about to scream.
"Wait!" Kairos clamped a hand over her mouth just in time.
If she screamed, they'd be in serious trouble.
"Nothing happened," he said hurriedly. "Look at your clothes. They're intact. Mine too. We just... used each other as pillows. That's it. Besides, you're my little maid, right? Even if you shout, what's the worst that can happen?"
Kairos realized a moment too late that the last part wasn't helping.
But it was true—he hadn't done anything wrong. And frankly, if they had slept in the same bed, it was hard to say who would've benefited more. With his looks, if he had chosen a less honorable profession, he could be raking in millions of Beli in one night.
Eventually, he removed his hand.
"Pervert!" Perona snapped, floating out of the room in a fluster. But she didn't retaliate. In fact, her cheeks were flushed red.
Kairos sighed in relief.
She ran, but didn't retaliate.
So maybe he had taken the loss after all.
"Damn, I really did drink too much. How many barrels did Jinbei go through?" he muttered.
Still, he had allowed himself that indulgence because he knew he was surrounded by strong allies—Nami, Uta, Robin, and even the Yonko-level fighters around. Even if he passed out, just one of them could reduce Fishman Island to rubble if needed. He had no reason to fear for his safety.
The awkward moment faded from his mind as he left the room and went to find the others.
Sure enough, Nami and the rest of the women were gathered in a common hall. Perona was among them, though now wearing a carefully blank expression. Next to her was Shirahoshi—Princess Bai Xing—chatting excitedly with Nami.
Since the arrest of Vander Decken IX, Bai Xing no longer needed to hide in the tower. She now mingled freely with her guests.
"Lord Kairos!" she greeted, bowing respectfully.
She had already learned of his role in capturing not only her mother's killer but also her former stalker. The news had softened her view of him, adding a kind of quiet admiration.
"Mm," Kairos nodded casually.
"Hey, Kairos," Nami chimed in teasingly. "Is Perona soft?"
Kairos choked. "Quite—wait, what?! Nami! I drank too much, okay? I don't remember anything!"
His reflexive response made it worse. The word "quite" had already escaped his lips.
Perona's face turned crimson again. But she didn't look angry—more like embarrassed. Her heart was pounding. All those shojo romance novels she'd read were flashing through her mind. This was exactly how they described love.
Nami wasn't done. She turned to Uta and Robin with a smirk. "Looks like someone beat you to the first move. Wonder how far they went."
"I've got something urgent to do! Bye!" Kairos fled the room in a hurry.
He knew Nami too well. If he stuck around, she'd start "driving" again—and Nami wasn't just a novice anymore. Ever since she'd opened up to him, her teasing had become more advanced. She could now switch from flirt to full-on seduction in a heartbeat.
And Kairos... well, he couldn't say he disliked it.
Later, Kairos met with Jinbei and the others for a brief conversation. Then they packed up and left Dragon Palace City, returning to their villa on Yufuli Island.
There was only one reason: the phone snails.
Despite the high-tech portable space he carried, living beings couldn't be stored inside. That included all his Den Den Mushi—his snail-phones.
He had dozens of them: private lines to Smoker, King Cobra, Red-Haired Shanks (his father-in-law), and even one customized for training by Madame Shakky. Recently, he'd added several more from Morgans, the news tycoon.
Plus, Uta's image-snails for her live broadcasts. Right now, they only streamed from Alabasta, but she was determined to spread her music across the world.
Because these phone snails needed care and feeding, they couldn't be neglected or stuffed into storage.
Kairos picked one up and dialed Morgans.
"Yo, Morgans. Want a wife—er, I mean, want a scoop? I've got huge news."
On the other end, Morgans practically burst with excitement.
The last scoop from Kairos had pushed his paper's sales past 100 million copies. And at the current pace, he could break 200 million in under a month.
"Want? Hell yes, I want it!" Morgans shouted.
Kairos chuckled. He nearly dropped the snail from laughing.
"I'm on Fishman Island. I'll be here three more days. After that, I'm selling this news to someone else."
"Name your price," Morgans said without hesitation.
"1 billion Beli."
The figure made Morgans swallow hard.
But this was Kairos Flint—his last tip was pure gold.
"You know that not everything's worth the price of a Celestial Dragon's death photo," Morgans tried to reason.
"Then forget it. Maybe next time," Kairos replied coolly, ready to hang up.
"Whoa, hold on! Let's negotiate! Didn't we work well last time?"
"No negotiations. 1 billion flat. It's not quite as explosive as the Celestial Dragon death story, but trust me—it's worth every Beli."
"Fine. 1 billion. I'll be there. Don't leave Fishman Island without me."
"Pleasure doing business, Morgans. Bring the cash."
For Kairos, this proved it again—bounty hunting was profitable, but selling world-shaking news? That was the true jackpot.
Three days later, Kairos and his crew set sail for the New World.
Trailing behind them was Morgans' ship. He had arrived two days earlier and handed over the billion Beli. In exchange, he received an image of King Neptune, Jinbei, and Kairos shaking hands—a powerful symbol.
"Worth every Beli," Morgans whispered.
Yet as the deal closed, Kairos casually hinted there was another big story worth the same amount.
Was Morgans being led like a pig to slaughter? Maybe.
But if the payoff was anything like last time, he'd happily take the risk again.