Although the two of them had finally acknowledged their feelings for each other, they still hadn't crossed that final line.
Why?
Well, it was broad daylight, after all. How could they possibly do something so bold right now?
Even if Kairos Flint was more than willing, Nami had clearly declined.
So, he had no choice but to endure.
In the following days, Kairos found himself without a single opportunity to make a move. Why? Because Nami and Nojiko were practically glued to each other. Wherever one went, the other followed, leaving Kairos completely blocked out.
Meanwhile, Smoker moved surprisingly fast.
In just two and a half days, he had uncovered the full extent of Colonel Mouse's corruption over the years.
And the result?
A pile of absolute filth.
Let's put it this way—after reading the report, Smoker probably needed blood pressure medication just to avoid a stroke.
Once things were nearly settled, Smoker had someone deliver the stolen money back to the village.
It wasn't as much as they had hoped, of course. After eight years of waste and embezzlement, what remained was only a little more than half of the original sum.
Still, something was better than nothing.
The money was distributed evenly among the households in the village.
It wasn't a perfectly fair division, but it was as close as they could get, and the villagers accepted it without much complaint.
Along with the money, Smoker also sent over a notebook.
Kairos immediately had Nami copy it for him.
As for copying it himself? Impossible.
Thanks to his golden finger, he could understand and speak the language of this world, even read it. But writing? That still required practice, and his penmanship was... well, let's just say it left a lot to be desired.
He had written just a few lines—and they looked like chicken scratch.
So naturally, he handed the task to Nami. Her handwriting was neat and beautiful, a perfect match for something this important.
And Nami didn't refuse. Not after everything they'd been through together.
She knew just how valuable that notebook was—Smoker had handed it over purely because of Kairos's influence and negotiation skills.
So, she copied down all the Haki (Domineering Force) training methods in the notebook with great care.
Once that was done, the notebook itself was useless to Kairos.
So, when the navy arrived to deliver the funds, he handed the original back to them with instructions to return it to Smoker—thus officially clearing the slate between them.
A few more days passed.
"Even with training methods laid out step-by-step, mastering Haki still takes an incredible amount of time and dedication," Kairos muttered with a sigh.
Learning it wasn't something you could rush.
It required time, experience, and an iron will.
But for now, the important thing was that today marked a new beginning.
It was finally time for him and Nami to set sail.
The crisis in Cocoyasi Village was over.
The Arlong Pirates were wiped out.
The corrupt marines nearby—especially that rat Colonel Mouse—had been dealt with.
All was well.
Well... mostly.
The only lingering issue was the romantic tension between him and Nami.
They had admitted their feelings, but thanks to Nojiko's insistence on always sharing a room with Nami, things hadn't gone any further.
Kairos had been nothing but patient, but inside, he was definitely suffering.
Still, that was behind them now.
Now that they were setting out to sea together, no one could stop them from being a proper couple.
Their next destination?
Near the Kingdom of Elegia.
Originally, Nami had planned to take a break before their next adventure.
But fate had other ideas.
Just as they were preparing to relax, a Den Den Mushi call came through—and everything changed.
Nami's expression lit up.
"According to intel from the East Blue Bounty Network, the Battle Pirates will be passing near Elegia soon. Their bounty is in the tens of millions. I'm counting on you, Kairos!" she said cheerfully.
"Oh? That's how you ask for help? I'm feeling a bit thirsty now," Kairos replied, deliberately acting smug.
After all, if someone wanted a favor from him, they had to play the part.
"I'll get you some juice," Nami said quickly, rushing to pour him a drink.
Her eagerness made one thing clear—she was dead broke.
Every bit of money Nami-chan had earned recently, plus whatever she made on her previous journeys, had all gone toward saving Cocoyasi and helping Nojiko.
Now, she had nothing left.
And a broke little thief cat was far easier to manage.
That said, Kairos also understood what he needed to do.
According to the bounty intelligence, the Battle Pirates were a crew of Devil Fruit users.
Their captain, Beluster, possessed a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit: the Battle-Battle Fruit.
Its power?
It drove people into a frenzied state of combat, igniting an uncontrollable desire to fight.
Kairos had never heard of this man before—not even in the original storyline.
Which meant Beluster was probably just another small-time thug who never made it into the big leagues.
Still, a Devil Fruit user was a Devil Fruit user.
This would be Kairos's first real fight against someone with such an ability.
And he had already decided—this pirate had to die.
But Elegia was still quite a distance away.
They wouldn't reach it in a single day.
Their chance would come later, and it did—late at night.
By then, Nojiko had gone off somewhere, leaving the two of them finally alone.
And from there...
Everything just happened naturally.