She agreed to join.
Of course, Uta never truly expected Kairos Flint to help her beat up Shanks—her adoptive father. That part was clearly a joke.
But the words that came after… those resonated with her deeply.
Now that she knew the truth, she fully understood that the destruction of the Kingdom of Elegia had a lot to do with her. Even if she'd been manipulated, even if she hadn't meant for it to happen, the fact remained.
And so, she felt a sense of responsibility.
At the very least, she could try to atone by rebuilding Elegia, the kingdom that was once hailed as the capital of music.
Just as Kairos had said.
She could make money with her voice—spread her music across the world, and use the profits to restore the place she once called home.
"Uta, you don't have to do this," Gordon said gently.
He had raised her since she was a child—of course, he knew exactly what she was thinking.
"Gordon," Uta said firmly, "Elegia was destroyed because of me. That's a fact I can't escape. I've grown up, and I need to take responsibility. I will conquer the world with my singing—and every coin I earn will go toward restoring the Kingdom of Elegia to its former glory."
Her voice was steady. Resolute.
Today had been an emotional rollercoaster—grief, revelation, confrontation, and release. But for Uta, it was also the most liberating day she'd had since Shanks left her behind.
The weight that had burdened her heart for so long… was finally gone.
[Pickable items detected. Do you want to pick them up?]
"Pick up."
[Ding! Successfully picked up: Basic Physique Crystals ×2, Basic Soul Crystals ×2, Basic Talent Crystals ×2, Basic Martial Arts Crystals ×2, Basic Swordsmanship Crystals ×2. Stored in portable space.]
At that moment, Kairos Flint casually picked up the ability crystals dropped by the two pirates he'd defeated earlier.
The crystals weren't high-level, nor were there many of them.
Still, every little bit helped.
"Kairos! There are pirates chasing me—help!"
A familiar voice rang out.
Nami came running toward him in a panic, a group of pirates hot on her trail.
Her speed was impressive—those pirates behind her were struggling to keep up, panting as they ran, clearly driven by madness or something unnatural.
Their faces were flushed, their eyes bloodshot—like they were high on some kind of stimulant.
Kairos took one look at the situation and let out a long, exasperated sigh.
"…Why are you running? Just fight back. It's not like you can't beat them," he said with a deadpan expression.
He wasn't even joking.
Last time, he'd strengthened Nami's abilities considerably. Just a lieutenant-level physique alone made her far superior to most people—and that's not even accounting for the combat skills and swordsmanship she had picked up.
She should've been able to take these thugs on easily.
But here she was, being chased around like she was helpless.
"Maybe she just hasn't gotten used to how strong she is," Kairos muttered to himself, trying to stay positive. He really didn't want to think of his woman as… dimwitted.
"I'm coming!" he shouted as he rushed toward her.
Ichidō Style — Xiaoman!
Sword energy erupted from his blade like a torrential downpour, raining down on the group of pirates. With a series of wet, slicing sounds, blood sprayed in arcs, and bodies hit the ground hard.
Some of the more severely injured pirates collapsed immediately, moaning in pain. Others struggled to stand, trembling from the onslaught.
Standing behind them was a man dressed more finely than the rest—clearly their captain.
As he witnessed the destruction caused by Kairos, his face went pale with terror. Without saying a word, he turned and ran like hell.
"What a coward," Kairos sneered. "Didn't even try to fight."
But he recognized him immediately.
"Captain of the Battle Pirates—Beiruts, huh?"
Kairos had seen his bounty before, but honestly, he was only mildly interested in the money.
What fascinated him more was the man's Devil Fruit ability.
Yes, Devil Fruits came with side effects—but for someone like Kairos, who had a collector's mindset, collecting various Devil Fruits sounded pretty appealing.
"Stop!" he called out.
In the next instant, Kairos launched himself forward.
One-Sword Style — Ghost Energy: Jingzhe!
With a single, clean slash, it was over.
Beiruts—the captain of the Battle Pirates—was decapitated on the spot.
"Huh. Weak as hell, and I still used ghost energy," Kairos muttered, curling his lip in mild disappointment as he looked down at the corpse.
Sure, Devil Fruit powers could be amazing. But in the end, how effective they were came down to the user. A powerful fruit in the hands of a weakling was still worthless.
And now that the captain was dead, the remaining pirates—previously crazed and fanatical—seemed to snap out of it.
It had to be the effect of Beiruts' Devil Fruit.
Whatever power he had used to make them so hyper-aggressive had vanished the moment he died.
Their eyes cleared. Their expressions shifted from bloodlust to fear.
When they saw their captain's headless body, they panicked.
Chaos broke out as they tried to run.
But Kairos wasn't about to let them go.
With the Third Generation Oni Blade gripped in his hands, he dove into the fray.
A whirlwind of steel and shadow followed.
One by one, the pirates fell—cut down without mercy. No one escaped. No one was spared.
When it was over, the entire crew of the Battle Pirates had been annihilated by Kairos Flint alone.