"Robin, did you see something interesting?" Nami asked curiously, already having finished applying her sunscreen.
Robin covered her mouth and looked toward Kairos Flint.
"Captain, this newspaper recorded some of your... good deeds."
"Hmm? What good deeds are they talking about?" Kairos asked, lifting his head from what he was doing, looking slightly confused.
At that moment, Robin used her Devil Fruit powers to levitate the newspaper over to Kairos.
He took it, opened it up, and upon reading the headline, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
"That damn Morgans sure knows how to blow things out of proportion," Kairos muttered with a chuckle. "As expected, there's no such thing as an honest journalist anymore."
He tossed the newspaper aside, his cheeks tinged faintly with color as he tried not to laugh.
"Kaido must be mortified. The whole world knows about his... current condition."
"Wait, what is it? What's so funny?" Nami asked, her curiosity now fully piqued. She grabbed the newspaper and, upon reading it, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Morgans is unbelievable! He's just making up stories at this point."
Once the rest of the women saw the article and pieced together the context, they also broke into fits of laughter.
The Yonko Kaido had apparently become Morgans' latest victim. One single piece of fake news had spread like wildfire:
[Kaido clashed with Charlotte Linlin, was gravely injured, nearly died, and was captured by her—she now plans to marry him.]
"So now Kaido, the so-called King of Beasts, is being forced into marriage? Who knows what kind of terrifying child that'll produce?"
"I've got to hand it to Charlotte Linlin," Uta said with a grin, clearly enjoying the chaos. "Still getting involved at her age? But with that body of hers, I guess only someone like Kaido could manage that."
She shuddered slightly, imagining the horrifying visual of Kaido and Big Mom together.
The image was too powerful. Even Uta found it disturbing.
Three days later, in the early morning…
Kairos had just risen from bed, the warmth of his previous night's rest still lingering. Outside, Robin was already waiting.
"Captain, King Neptune and Jinbe are here," she announced calmly.
"Ah, they finally made it."
Kairos got dressed and made his way toward the beach. He could see Perona already playing host to Neptune and Jinbe. Along with them were Neptune's royal guards, standing at attention.
When they saw Kairos approach, they immediately stood up and bowed in unison.
"Greetings, Lord Kairos Flint."
"Welcome aboard. Come on up."
Kairos gestured for them to board the Mythic Sky.
Neptune and Jinbe walked up. Jinbe held a heavily reinforced box in one hand—beautifully encrusted with diamonds, featuring an intricate locking mechanism designed for strength and waterproofing.
Kairos' eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"What Devil Fruit is in that box?"
Neptune stepped forward, his large frame shifting as he carefully took the box from Jinbe.
"This is a Zoan-type Devil Fruit. According to the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, it's a rare species: the Turtle-Turtle Fruit."
"A rare species?" Kairos' interest immediately spiked.
After all, Zoan fruits—especially rare ones—typically offered unique and powerful abilities. Even Devil Fruits were not created equal. Take Logia fruits for instance—Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit was formidable, but Sakazuki's Magma-Magma Fruit clearly held an upper hand.
And this… a turtle fruit? That suggested a fruit with exceptional defensive power.
With a wave of his hand, Kairos summoned the box toward him telekinetically. It floated through the air, landing gently in his palm.
"Incredible," Neptune muttered under his breath, astonished at Kairos' ability to move things without touching them.
But deep down, he felt validated.
He had chosen wisely. Ever since pledging allegiance to Kairos Flint, Neptune's people had seen peace unlike anything before.
With Kairos' protection, no human dared set foot on Fish-Man Island to cause trouble. During their fruit-hunting expedition, any abducted fish-men they encountered were rescued effortlessly. No one challenged them.
All thanks to Kairos' fearsome reputation.
Kairos opened the box.
Inside lay a red, round fruit shaped like a turtle shell—glossy and strange, like it had been carved from coral.
He sighed.
"Looks delicious. Shame it probably tastes like garbage, like every other Devil Fruit."
Still, he was clearly satisfied.
"This is excellent work."
While he wasn't sure exactly what powers the Turtle-Turtle Fruit would grant, he could make a pretty solid guess.
Extreme durability. Enhanced defense. Maybe even an impenetrable shell or absolute endurance.
Sadly, it wasn't something he personally needed.
At this point in time, there were maybe a handful of people on Earth who could even scratch him—and they were probably hiding behind the World Government.
Maybe only that one mysterious figure above the Five Elders...
The one rumored to have lived for 800 years.
No one even knew what fruit he had eaten to stay alive so long—or what powers he possessed. But anyone who had ruled the World Government for that long, and commanded the Five Elders like subordinates, had to be terrifyingly strong.
"You did well. Here's your reward."
From thin air, Kairos conjured two legendary-grade physical enhancement crystals—sparkling with ethereal energy.
"The Fish-Man race already excels in physical combat," he said. "These crystals will enhance your strength even further."
He handed one to Neptune and one to Jinbe.
Both of them were stunned.
"My lord, this… this is far too generous," Neptune said, staring in disbelief at the glowing crystal in his hands.
"Save the speeches. Keep finding Devil Fruits for me, and I'll keep rewarding you. Take these, improve your strength, and return when you have more."
Kairos placed the Turtle-Turtle Fruit into his spatial inventory. Once Neptune and Jinbe left, he planned to fuse it with a slate—a mysterious stone that could amplify the fruit's powers even further.
Neptune and Jinbe exchanged a look, then nodded. They accepted the crystals without hesitation and activated them.
In the next moment, a dazzling light burst around them.
The legendary crystals were working.
And the Mythic Sky gleamed brightly under the morning sun.
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