"Intrigued?"
Of course, it wasn't impossible.
He wasn't that good yet—but when it came to inviting a few beauties onto his crew? Well, that was more than acceptable. At the very least, having some attractive women on the ship made the atmosphere more pleasant. And besides, it certainly made them more eye-catching wherever they went.
Still, when he made the offer—
"Rebecca won't agree," said Cyrus flatly.
As a father, there was no way he could allow his daughter to join such a dangerous crew—especially now, when Kairos Flint had been officially branded as a major pirate, with a staggering bounty of 10 billion Berries.
The astronomical figure was allegedly due to Kairos killing a Celestial Dragon—an act that utterly infuriated the elite in the Holy Land of Mariejois. In response, they personally raised the bounty on his head.
Otherwise, the highest known bounty in the world barely exceeded 5 billion.
This jump to 10 billion? It wasn't normal.
"I agree," came a calm voice from behind Cyrus.
Rebecca stepped forward.
"What?!" Cyrus spun, stunned by her words.
"Rebecca, it's far too dangerous to join his crew. You need to think this through," Cyrus pleaded, trying to dissuade his daughter from making what he saw as a reckless decision.
He had his own grievances, of course. But that didn't mean Rebecca didn't have hers.
Though she had forgotten her father after he was transformed into a toy, she still remembered her identity—and the tragic death of her mother, Scarlett, in her youth. That pain hadn't faded.
She wanted revenge too.
And after overhearing the conversation between "Mr. Soldier" and Kairos Flint—the man who had cared for her all these years—she felt compelled to act.
"Cyrus, she's made her choice. Why stop her?" Kairos interjected coolly.
Then he turned his gaze on Rebecca and spoke gently.
"Mr. Soldier, I'm sorry if I'm being selfish, but I want to help you... and I want justice for my mother's death," Rebecca said, her voice clear and firm.
Cyrus was speechless.
He wanted to object—but the words caught in his throat. How could he stop her?
He too wanted to avenge Scarlett. But after being transformed into a toy, he had become powerless. All he had hoped for was for his daughter to grow up safely, away from war and bloodshed.
"Can you protect her?" Cyrus finally asked, eyes fixed on Kairos.
"Absolutely," Kairos answered seriously. "If I can't even guarantee the safety of my crewmates, I'd be nothing but a joke."
Cyrus took a deep breath.
"Then I respect her decision," he said quietly.
Kairos extended a hand. "Welcome to my bounty hunter crew. You can call me Kairos, or Captain."
"Brother Kairos," Rebecca replied, a touch of shyness in her tone as she took his hand and glanced at his striking features.
Standing nearby, Cyrus watched the exchange and felt a pang in his heart.
My sweet little girl... my precious daughter... she's already giving her heart away…
Damn it.
It felt like his daughter—his warm little "cotton-padded jacket"—had been draped directly over another man.
He grit his teeth.
"When do you plan to take on Doflamingo? And what of King Riku's whereabouts?" Cyrus asked.
He had accepted his daughter's decision, but his mission hadn't changed: rescue King Riku and reclaim their country from Doflamingo's grasp.
"There's no better time than now," said Kairos. "Let's move today."
They had spent all of yesterday exploring Dressrosa—Nami and the others had seen enough of the kingdom. There was no point delaying.
Kairos had come here with two purposes: one had been accomplished. Now it was time to fulfill the other—destroy Doflamingo.
"Brother Kairos, did you really kill a Celestial Dragon?"
"Do you really think you can handle the World Government and the Navy?"
"Brother Kairos…"
Rebecca chattered excitedly beside him, peppering him with questions.
Kairos answered each one patiently as they made their way toward Dressrosa's royal palace.
Along the way, some of Doflamingo's lackeys—having identified Cyrus as a wanted man—tried to intercept them.
BOOM!!
Before they could get close, Kairos released his Conqueror's Haki.
The clouds above roared.
The sheer pressure of his will sent waves of force radiating outward. Like dominoes, the approaching attackers fell, unconscious, without even touching him.
Only Cyrus and Rebecca—protected deliberately by Kairos—were unaffected, though they could still feel the residual pressure in the air.
Cyrus stood there, stunned.
So this... this is the strength of a top-tier warrior in the world.
If he had possessed such power, would Doflamingo ever have succeeded in taking over their kingdom?
"So strong!" Rebecca gasped, her eyes wide and shining.
Cyrus glanced at his daughter and noticed the change in her gaze.
He frowned.
This isn't good... she's clearly falling for him.
And she would be boarding his ship, joining his crew. Spending all that time together... there was no way she wouldn't eventually give in completely to the charm of this handsome and powerful man.
But it was far too late to regret now.
Even if he wanted to take her back, would Kairos let her go? Of course not.
That would be breaking their deal—an insult that could easily provoke Kairos, especially since he was stronger than Doflamingo. That would only invite disaster.
No—this was a deal with no turning back.
Still, there was a silver lining. Kairos could help them avenge their pain and free their homeland.
As they drew closer to the palace, members of the Donquixote Family appeared to stop them.
Monet, with her Snow-Snow Fruit powers, stood alongside Gladius, who wielded the powers of the Explode-Explode Fruit, and others.
It seemed nearly all of Doflamingo's top enforcers had gathered.
"Well, this saves me the trouble of hunting you all down one by one," Kairos said, unsheathing the Third Generation Oni Blade.
"Godkiller Kairos Flint," Monet addressed him, "we don't want a confrontation. Our young master has no intention of involving himself with the World Government's pursuit of you. He refused their call to arms. We don't have to be enemies."
This version of Monet still had all her limbs—Luo hadn't yet modified her into a harpy.
Still, she knew exactly who stood before her: the man who killed a Celestial Dragon. The pressure was immense.
"Some things," Kairos replied coldly, "are no longer in Doflamingo's control."
"Look behind me—this is King Riku's granddaughter. And that man? King Riku's son-in-law. I've made a deal with them. So unless Doflamingo shows up and hands back this country himself, I'll go to him, kill him, and take Dressrosa back by force."
"Impossible! Dressrosa is our young master's territory!" Monet snapped.
"Then we've got nothing more to discuss," Kairos said with finality.
"WAIT!!"
A voice shouted.
"Torebol, hand him the Transponder Snail—I want to speak with him directly."
It was Doflamingo.
Torebol stepped forward, his gooey body glistening with the Stick-Stick Fruit's effects, and offered Kairos the receiver.
Kairos resisted the urge to cut him down.
"Doflamingo," Kairos said into the snail, "are you ready to surrender?"
"There's no need for us to fight," Doflamingo's voice replied smoothly. "Let's each take a step back. I'll pay you a generous amount. Just don't interfere. I, Doflamingo, would be honored to be your friend."
Kairos laughed coldly.
"You think I'm short on cash?"
"Clown. What makes you think someone like you could ever be my friend?"
This man treats his so-called 'family' like pawns. What kind of friend would he be?
"You've already made enough enemies, Kairos. If you keep going, you'll drown in them. Don't think your ship is unsinkable," Doflamingo warned.
"Worried about my ship?" Kairos sneered. "Let me make it simple. You've got two options:"
"Hand over Dressrosa—and surrender a few of your executives to me. I'll let you walk away alive."
"If not?"
"Then fight me… if you think you're strong enough."