People are sailing and synthesize the devil fruit of phantom beast sp

Kairos Flint was very satisfied.

He hadn't expected Hawkins to bring him such valuable news.

"Alright, you can be my subordinate for now," Kairos said calmly. "But you don't need to follow me directly. I'm giving you a mission — hunt down Devil Fruit users."

"As long as you find someone with a Devil Fruit, kill them. But the ones you target must be pirates — the worst of the worst — those who slaughter innocent people without reason. If you kill the innocent, I won't spare you."

Kairos Flint wasn't naïve or self-righteous, but he knew the importance of maintaining a good public image — especially if he planned to win hearts and minds in the inevitable war looming ahead.

Hawkins was visibly stunned by the request.

Was Kairos asking him to change professions? Become a bounty hunter?

...Well, perhaps it wasn't so outrageous.

The world of piracy had grown increasingly dangerous ever since Kairos Flint rose to power as the King of Bounties.

These days, many powerful individuals had joined the bounty hunter ranks. Weak, small-time pirates no longer had any chance of survival at sea.

Through his divinations, Hawkins had already seen that his own future path was bleak. It was that same foresight that pushed him to join Kairos in the first place. So far, everything had played out just as the stars had shown.

Kairos Flint's arrangement was undeniably the right choice.

"Lord Kairos, I understand. I'll begin immediately," Hawkins said, nodding with resolve. He quickly ordered his pirate fleet to change course and set out to hunt down pirates.

In a symbolic gesture, he also commanded his crew to remove their pirate flag and tear it into shreds.

Hawkins' crewmates, who had always trusted in his fortune-telling abilities, didn't question the decision. From that moment forward, they ceased being pirates and became full-fledged bounty hunters.

After Hawkins left, Kairos turned to Nami. "Adjust the ship's heading. We're going to the East Blue."

Nami blinked, confused.

"Kairos, why are we heading to the East Blue? We worked so hard to reach the New World. Isn't this... kind of a hassle?"

Even so, she didn't argue and followed his command, steering the ship toward the East Blue.

Kairos smirked. "Do you want to take a trip to the sky?"

His cryptic remark left everyone puzzled.

"Kairos, is there actually a place in the sky we can visit?" Vivi asked curiously, walking over with a doubtful look on her face.

Kairos only smiled, not answering directly.

Robin stepped in with a thoughtful expression. "In this vast world, there's more than just land. Don't let the clear skies fool you. Above the clouds, there could be entire worlds we've never seen — like Sky Island. There may be more places out there than we could ever imagine."

Robin's knowledge and insight made everyone thoughtful.

The crew couldn't help but feel excited by the possibility of returning to a Sky Island — or discovering a new one entirely.

——

Elsewhere, the World Government was busy recruiting troops.

The global conscription campaign was in full swing.

Although Kairos Flint had defeated the Navy's three admirals, the government's credibility had taken a huge hit, yet there were still plenty of people who wanted to join the Navy and punish the pirates.

After all, becoming a Marine was still something to be proud of.

So the World Government's mass recruitment was proceeding smoothly. In less than a month, tens of thousands of new soldiers had been enlisted.

More importantly, two new admirals had successfully joined the Navy — Admiral Fujitora and Admiral Ryokugyu — both powerful Devil Fruit users.

With the promotions of Tea Dolphin and Peach Rabbit, the Navy now had a staggering seven admirals.

The entire world was shaken by the news.

It also served to inspire more young people to enlist in the Navy.

——

Meanwhile, Whitebeard had begun a ruthless purge of his enemies.

Ever since Kairos had gifted him a legendary crystal, Whitebeard's health had improved dramatically.

Many of the ailments that plagued him were relieved, and he had regained a significant portion of his strength.

The taste of restored power made Whitebeard crave more of Kairos Flint's crystals — perhaps enough to completely cure him.

If he could eliminate all the pain, he believed his strength could return to at least 70–80% of his peak.

And if that happened, Whitebeard was confident that he could battle Kairos Flint again.

Even if he lost, he wouldn't be humiliated like last time — completely overpowered without even scratching Kairos.

"Dad, the Big Mom Pirates are acting suspiciously," said Diamond George, who had rushed to Whitebeard and knelt on one knee with a grave look on his face.

Whitebeard had been sipping his drink. He set down his glass upon hearing this.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"We were chasing down a pirate crew with an 80-million Berry bounty near one of the outer islands. During the pursuit, we ran into Charlotte Daifuku's unit from the Big Mom Pirates."

"There was some friction," George continued, "but they didn't press the fight. Instead, they turned around and rushed back to Cake Island."

"During the skirmish, Charlotte Opera let it slip that the Beasts Pirates were coming — and they needed to get back fast."

George recalled the encounter clearly and recounted it to Whitebeard with concern.

Whitebeard frowned, thinking deeply. He took another slow sip of his drink.

"Charlotte Linlin… what are you scheming?" he muttered. "The Beasts Pirates are coming? Revenge? Or... was I wrong all along?"

The uncertainty weighed on him, but he couldn't figure out the Big Mom Pirates' exact intentions. It all reeked of conspiracy.

"Dad, maybe I'm just overthinking it," George offered. "It could be that the Beasts Pirates are simply heading to Totto Land to rescue Kaido."

After all, Kaido had been captured within Big Mom's territory. From the earlier photos, it looked like he'd been imprisoned by Charlotte Linlin.

And now, it seemed like the Beast Pirates — including their top lieutenants — were rallying to free him.

It all sounded plausible.

George shook his head at his own naivety. "I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner…"

"Leave it for now. Don't speak of this to anyone else," Whitebeard said after some thought.

He had too many priorities at the moment. The most urgent one was regaining his full strength so he could protect his family.

Diamond George withdrew respectfully.

At the same time, a pirate ship appeared in the distance — approaching fast.

The man on board was none other than Marco.

"Dad! The mission was a success. We've got what we came for!"