Genzo was surprised.
He had originally thought Kairos was some brutal, bloodthirsty madman.
But now…
that didn't seem to be the case at all.
Kairos was getting along surprisingly well with the two little girls.
He was even laughing and chatting with them.
At one point, Nami had personally woven a flower crown from vines and placed it on his head.
It wasn't that Kairos had some special charm that naturally attracted children.
It was because—
deep down, both Nami and Nojiko carried an intense hatred for pirates.
Just like Bell-mère.
Their hometown had once been destroyed by pirates.
And just moments ago, the Krieg Pirates had stormed the harbor. There had been no way Cocoyasi Village could have resisted them.
The villagers would have been slaughtered one by one.
And the first to die—
would have been Bell-mère.
The nightmare of the past had almost returned.
Then Kairos appeared.
With methods no one could understand, he defeated every pirate and killed Krieg himself.
And children, more than anyone, were quick to turn fear into admiration.
After everything that had just happened, the awe Nami and Nojiko felt toward Kairos had reached an unshakable peak.
If the two little girls, still young and short on words, were asked to describe him—
then Kairos was a very, very mysterious and powerful big brother.
Most importantly…
he was easygoing.
Unlike Uncle Genzo, he didn't scold them over every tiny little thing.
"Alright, I need to make a call."
Kairos smiled and gently sent little Nami off to the side after she kept pestering him to tell more stories about the sea.
Nami obediently stepped back and waited for him to finish.
Purururu… Purururu…
After a brief ring, the Den Den Mushi connected.
"Vice Admiral Onigumo? I defeated the Krieg Pirates. Are you free to come collect the prisoners?"
As he spoke, Kairos' gaze drifted toward the twelve pirate ships still floating offshore.
"Where are you?"
"Cocoyasi Village."
"I'll be there immediately."
Onigumo truly was a soldier through and through.
His response was as crisp as ever, without the slightest hesitation.
Kairos hung up and closed his eyes for a moment, quietly recalling the system notification that had sounded in his mind the instant Krieg died.
"Ding. Host has killed Don Krieg."
"Reward obtained: Sasaki Kojiro Card (Fate/stay night Version — 1 Use)."
That was all.
Again, there was no additional skill from the Assassin Wu Liuqi Card.
Could it be that even if a card had multiple uses, it could still only grant one skill in total?
Kairos frowned slightly, puzzled.
Then he shook his head.
No point overthinking it now.
A few more tests in the future would tell him whether he was simply unlucky—or whether that was just how the system worked.
His brow relaxed.
Soon enough, Nami and Nojiko ran back over and resumed pestering him for stories from the sea.
Thankfully, Kairos was a transmigrator. He had plenty of stories tucked away in his head.
Otherwise, handling the two little girls might actually have been difficult.
Bell-mère sat atop a reef with a cigarette in her mouth, looking perfectly content to enjoy the rare peace and quiet.
Genzo, on the other hand, kept glancing nervously at Kairos and the girls, as though worried something might go wrong.
After all—
that demonic blade glowing with eerie blue light
was still floating quietly at Kairos' side.
…
The sun dipped westward, scattering golden light across the sea and mountains like a shimmering veil.
Marine Branch 16 was as leisurely as ever.
"Hm-hm… hm-hm…"
A man whose face resembled a rat almost uncannily had dragged a recliner into the middle of the training grounds. He lounged there beneath the evening sunlight, humming a cheerful little tune.
Whether it was because of his appearance or simply his nature—
even while doing something as comfortable as sunbathing, he somehow gave off the unmistakable aura of a slimy, cowardly villain.
The kind who looked destined to die before episode three.
His name suited him perfectly.
Captain Nezumi.
"Captain! Are we really not going to do anything?!"
A young Marine came running in from the rear of the training grounds, panting hard as he stopped beside Nezumi. His face was full of urgency.
Nezumi ignored him, continuing to lounge in the chair.
"Captain, it's been three full hours since Cocoyasi Village sent their distress call! If we don't go now, it'll be too late!"
The young Marine pressed again, more desperate than before.
Nezumi still didn't move.
"Captain, that's the Krieg Pirates! The Krieg Pirates! They kill without blinking!"
The young Marine shouted "Captain" again, his voice shaking badly.
Only then did Nezumi finally stir.
He rose slowly from his chair.
His gaze was cold and ugly as it locked onto the younger Marine.
"How long," he asked, enunciating every word, "have you been in the Marines?"
"Th-three months."
The young Marine shrank back instinctively.
"Then…"
Nezumi dragged out the word, his voice turning low and dangerous.
The young Marine shivered.
In Nezumi's eyes, he saw a cruel gleam.
"Today is your last day as a Marine."
Nezumi's fist slammed into the young man and knocked him flat to the ground.
"Damn bastard. So you do know it's the Krieg Pirates."
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Fists and boots rained down on the fallen Marine.
"You know it's the Krieg Pirates, and you still came bothering me over and over."
"The Krieg Pirates show up, and you want me to send troops?"
"Are you trying to get me killed, you idiot?!"
Nezumi kept cursing as he beat him.
It hurt.
It really hurt.
But what hurt most—
wasn't his body.
It was his heart.
A heart that had joined the Marines carrying a belief in justice.
And in this moment—
that justice shattered.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.