"Can you see this?"
Kairos Flint suddenly turned his head to look at Nami. He held up the newly synthesized fine-grade body crystal in his hand, showing it to her.
"Kairos, don't treat me like I'm stupid. And I'm not blind either, okay?"
Nami rolled her eyes at him, clearly feeling like her intelligence had just been insulted.
Kairos fell silent for a moment. His brain kicked into overdrive.
Then suddenly—
"Nami."
"What?"
Hearing him call her like that, she turned around instinctively.
Flick!
With a swift motion, Kairos flicked his finger, and the crystal in his hand flew straight into Nami's mouth. It melted instantly the moment it touched her tongue.
"Blegh! What did you just feed me?!"
She gagged and tried to spit it out, but the fine body crystal had already liquefied and slid down her throat before she had the chance. All she managed to spit out was a bit of saliva.
"Relax," Kairos said, calm and composed. "What I gave you is good for you. Now... pay attention to how your body feels."
While observing the crystal earlier, a thought had struck him—his Golden Finger's synthesized crystals might not be limited to his own use. That idea had been burning in his mind. So he decided to test it immediately—by having Nami ingest the fine-grade body crystal.
Nami, up until now, had the physique of a normal person. If this worked, the difference would be obvious. He had to know.
"Weird… what was that?" Nami muttered, frowning. "Something's happening in my body. This feeling... ohhh~!"
Her expression shifted dramatically. The effect of the crystal had kicked in.
Warmth began to spread through her limbs and bones, like a gentle fire had ignited within her muscles. It tingled—itchy at times, with a mild stinging sensation—but it wasn't painful.
Kairos groaned. "Please... I'm a young guy, okay? When you make sounds like that, it just makes things worse."
He really couldn't help it. If she kept moaning like that, he'd start imagining things. Honestly, if this were part of a story on one of those online novel platforms, this scene would get the entire chapter banned.
Fortunately, the transformation finally began to subside.
"Kairos… what exactly did you make me swallow?" Nami asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"C'mon, who do you think I am? I might be a lot of things, but I'm not shameless." Kairos raised both hands defensively. "I swear on my honor—I'd never do something perverted like that."
He could already guess what she was thinking just by the look in her eyes.
"That thing was a physical enhancement crystal. What you just experienced was your body leveling up—literally. Strength, stamina, speed—it all got a serious boost. If you don't believe me, test it out yourself."
Of course, he explained it to her simply, though in truth, he was also curious about something. Would the crystal raise Nami's basic, civilian-level physique up to the level of a trained soldier?
"Are you for real?" she asked, still eyeing him suspiciously.
A magical item that boosts your body just by swallowing it? Sounded like something out of a con artist's playbook.
Then again… she was a con artist herself. So maybe that's why it sounded so familiar.
Still, despite her doubts, she decided to try.
She picked up a discarded knife from the deck, walked over to the ship's wooden railing, and took a swing.
Normally, cutting through the thick wood would take her three to five heavy slashes.
But now?
With a single clean stroke, the railing was cleaved right in two.
Nami froze, staring at what she'd just done.
"Whoa… did I really just do that?"
"So you finally believe me?" Kairos said with a casual shrug.
Nami glanced at him, replaying the moment in her mind. What he'd said—what she'd just seen—it all lined up.
"Huh. Guess you weren't lying after all."
"Told you. I'm an honest man," Kairos replied with a grin.
And now the results were crystal clear—literally.
So this was how the Golden Finger was meant to be used. Not just for his own growth, but for building a team. A strong one.
It was becoming obvious now—his cheat ability wasn't just about power. It was about leadership. Build a crew of powerful allies... maybe even conquer the world?
Though to be fair, Kairos had zero interest in world domination. That sounded exhausting. Conquering was one thing—managing everything afterwards? No thanks. Too much work. He'd much rather enjoy the freedom of being a bounty hunter.
Still, the fact that his Golden Finger allowed him to share his strength was huge.
He wouldn't have to carry the whole burden alone. If his companions were weak, he'd have to protect them constantly.
But now?
Now they could protect themselves.
With this ability, Kairos Flint could grant Nami—and anyone he trusted—the power to become truly formidable.
And this was just the beginning.