Have to say, ever since the Third Generation Ghost was subdued by him, she had been incredibly obedient, and Kairos Flint was quite satisfied with that.
At least she knew her place.
Otherwise, he might have used the Third Generation Ghost as raw material to forge another blade.
"Thank you, sir, for avenging my parents."
At that moment, Keya appeared in the doorway, her figure weak and frail. She looked gratefully at Kairos, her voice soft but filled with emotion.
The death of her parents had filled her with anger. What was even worse was knowing the truth behind it and being powerless to do anything about it. Crowe had lived freely, without consequence. That helpless frustration had eaten away at her.
But Kairos had killed him. And in doing so, he had avenged her parents.
She was truly grateful.
"You're welcome," Kairos replied, glancing at her. "I'm just doing my job as a bounty hunter."
He didn't pay much attention to her gratitude. After all, they were strangers. Why should he care?
"Miss Keya, do you have any wooden coffins in the house?" Nami asked, stepping forward.
"There might be," Keya answered uncertainly. When her parents were alive, she hadn't been involved in household affairs. After they passed, her health had deteriorated, and she'd barely managed to function. She really didn't know much about the estate's inventory.
If you asked her too many questions, she'd likely have no answers.
"There are some coffins, but they're cheap," said Merry, the family servant, stepping in. "If needed, we can arrange for a higher-quality one."
As the house steward, Merry understood what was appropriate in this situation. Still, he didn't presume too much and made sure to include Keya in the offer by using "we"—so as not to overstep his place.
"Merry spoke exactly what I was thinking," Keya said, nodding to Nami.
"No need," Nami waved her hand quickly. "It's just to carry the body. No need to make it fancy."
She was a seasoned bounty hunter. This wasn't her first time dealing with bodies that had bounties on them. A basic wooden coffin with some antiseptic materials would be enough to slow decomposition for a few days—just enough to get them to a Navy outpost.
"I'll get everything ready," Merry said, and left to prepare.
"Have you two introduced yourselves yet?" Keya asked, looking at them.
"Kairos Flint."
"Nami."
They gave their names.
"Mr. Kairos, Miss Nami, would you do me the honor of coming inside and letting me host you properly?"
"Then I'll gladly accept," Kairos replied, stepping forward.
As Merry returned, he was lugging a heavy wooden coffin. Sweat glistened on his brow from the effort. Seeing this, Nami went over to help, assisted with placing Crowe's body inside, performed the necessary embalming preparations, and sealed the coffin.
Inside Keya's home, Kairos had already started eating. Some plain bread. Not exactly a feast, but for someone who hadn't eaten all day, it did the job.
"How many days until the next full moon?" Kairos asked casually between bites.
"Tonight is the full moon," Keya replied, only to realize she wasn't sure. Merry quickly clarified.
"Quite the coincidence," Kairos said with a smirk.
That meant the matter could be dealt with tonight. By tomorrow, he could haul the heads of the Black Cat Pirates to Loguetown and cash in the bounties.
"Mr. Kairos, you've avenged me. If there's anything you need, just ask. I'll do whatever I can to help."
"Appreciated," Kairos nodded.
…
Late at night.
Kairos and Nami crouched silently near the coastline just outside Syrup Village. They were waiting for the Black Cat Pirates to appear.
Originally, Keya and Merry had considered contacting the Navy to deal with the threat. But Kairos had talked them out of it.
The Navy? He'd scoffed. Calling them would only mean splitting the credit—or worse, complications.
He'd confidently stated he could handle the Black Cat Pirates on his own.
Having seen his strength, Keya and Merry believed him. So now, it was just the two of them lying in wait.
"Hey, Kai-Kai," Nami teased, using her nickname for him, "how much bounty do you think the rest of the Black Cat Pirates are worth in total?"
Kairos visibly flinched at the name.
"Call me 'Captain,'" he said dryly, giving her a side glance.
Of course, he meant captain of their bounty hunting group. It wasn't that he wanted to be a pirate.
But—
"'Captain' doesn't sound nearly as sweet," Nami said with a grin.
Kairos ignored her and narrowed his eyes.
"They're coming."
He pointed toward the sea. A ship was silently gliding toward the coastline.
This late at night, and at this exact spot—there was no doubt.
It was the Black Cat Pirates.
They were coming.
And Kairos could feel the killing intent inside him starting to rise.