A warm light suddenly flashed beside Kronos.
Countless particles of light slowly gathered around him.
It didn't take long before a gray-white kitten took form from the converging lights!
"Yahoo!"
"Yo, nice to meet you, Captain Kronos!"
Unlike previous summons who appeared from distant or unseen locations, this time the new member materialized right next to Kronos.
"Yo, nice to meet you too, Parker," Kronos replied with a smile.
However, seeing this small, floating Parker, Kronos couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.
Because—if memory served correctly—Parker's true body should be huge.
But the current Parker was... much smaller than expected.
Sensing what Kronos was thinking, Parker crossed his tiny paws over his chest and grinned mischievously.
"Hey, Captain Kronos, don't worry! I can return to my original form anytime. But while I'm staying on the ship, it's better to appear like this!
"If I were to show up in my full size, I might scare everyone..."
"And besides, you wouldn't want me to accidentally sink the ship with my giant body, right?"
Kronos chuckled, his doubts resolved. Parker's playful explanation had put him at ease.
As he looked at Parker, an inexplicable urge rose in his heart.
Tentatively, Kronos reached out and gently touched Parker's head. Parker didn't dodge—he allowed the gesture with a content purr.
Retracting his hand, Kronos gave a slight cough.
"Ahem. Alright then, let me take you to meet the rest of the crew."
After all, who could resist petting a magical cat?
Under Kronos' lead, Parker was introduced to the crew.
Except for Uchiha Madara, Albedo, Tornado, and the Six Paths of Pain, who showed little reaction, everyone else was immediately charmed by Parker's adorable appearance.
Even the usually reserved Yoriichi Tsugikuni couldn't resist stepping forward to gently stroke Parker's head!
Just like that, Parker quickly became the beloved mascot of the ship.
Of course, aside from Kronos, no one knew that this cute and cuddly elf-cat harbored terrifying power beneath his soft fur!
A few days passed after Parker's arrival.
At that time, the Angel of Redemption had stopped at a deserted island for rest and resupply.
While everyone was busy with their own tasks, several newspaper delivery gulls suddenly flew overhead.
Bundles of newspapers dropped from the sky and landed on the deck, right in front of Asaq, who was doing maintenance work.
Startled, Asaq picked one up from the ground.
But the moment he read the headline, his expression changed dramatically.
He immediately tossed aside his tools, ignoring the maintenance altogether, and rushed straight to the captain's room.
He knocked frantically and shouted:
"Captain Kronos! You need to see this newspaper!"
Hearing Asaq's urgent voice, Kronos opened the door at once.
Asaq handed him the paper, eyes wide.
"Captain! Look! It says that members of the Whitebeard Pirates pulled down the flag of one of our territories! And they've completely taken it over!"
"A blatant provocation! Shouldn't we retaliate, Captain?!"
Kronos read the report, his brow furrowing.
Something about it felt off—but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Still, one thing was certain: he couldn't allow the Whitebeard Pirates to trample on his declared territory.
After the Summit War, the Whitebeard Pirates had remained quiet.
And now—out of nowhere—they had launched an attack on territory under his name?
He might not personally care much about the people living in that territory, but regardless—
It was still his land.
How could he tolerate such arrogance?
"Prepare to set sail! We're going after the Whitebeard Pirates!"
He tossed the newspaper aside and gave the order without hesitation.
As it happened, Kronos had been meaning to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates ever since the end of the Summit War—but had been delayed by other events.
But now?
Now they had made the first move.
Naturally, Kronos wasn't going to let it slide.
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