New World, Punk Hazard.
When that emergency extra edition spread like snowflakes to this fortress via the news birds, the entire G-5 Base went completely mad!
"Boss—!"
"It's the boss! The boss took down the Pirate King!"
"Wahahaha! Who dares call our G-5 a den of scoundrels now?"
A scar-faced old veteran, his eyes rimmed red, slammed his worn-out cards onto the table with force.
"Listen up, you scum!"
He jumped onto the table, pointing at his own chest as he roared hoarsely.
"We are the subordinates of a hero! Do you understand what the hell that means?!"
In the square, hundreds of once-ferocious military ruffians were now acting like children, tossing the newspapers in their hands high into the sky.
Countless sheets printed with Kane's "battle-damaged look" fluttered through the air, creating a scene comparable to the grandest celebration.
They bared their upper bodies, their muscular arms wrapped around each other, weeping and sobbing.
Some even hoisted huge beer barrels, guzzling directly from the spout in a frenzy, the alcohol mixing with scalding tears as it spilled all over the ground.
This was G-5's revelry, celebrating the glorious victory of the only man they truly acknowledged.
Inside the Governor's Mansion.
Even through the thick bulletproof glass, the tsunami-like roar from outside still shook one to the core.
Inside the room sat a lineup so luxurious it could make the future order of the seas tremble.
"So scary~"
Borsalino held that newspaper in his hand, his eyes behind the amber-tinted sunglasses wide as saucers, his signature crooked-mouth expression appearing especially genuine at this moment.
"Is this what Kane meant by 'going to the South Blue to clear his mind'?"
"Single-handedly capturing Roger... Yep~ I bet the folks at headquarters are about to have their jaws hit the floor, right?"
Sakazuki sat on the sofa, still wearing that baseball cap even indoors.
At this moment, this iron-willed hardliner who upheld "Absolute Justice" had fingers trembling slightly as he held his cigar.
He stared at the photo in the newspaper of Kane, covered in blood, leaning on his sword alone as Roger knelt before him.
That level of brutal.
That sense of tragic and heroic.
That resolve to burn the last drop of blood for the sake of Justice!
"Hah..."
Sakazuki exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, his eyes actually somewhat reddened, his voice low and hoarse:
"That guy Kane... to uphold Justice... he actually fought to such an extent."
"He is a true soldier."
Beside him, Kuzan removed his eye mask, scratching his fluffy curly hair, unusually wide awake for once.
"Ara ara... This really is going to cause a huge mess."
Kuzan let out a long sigh. Though he spoke of trouble, the corner of his mouth unconsciously curled into a smirk of amusement.
"If even a monster like Roger could be handled by him, I'm afraid the threshold of our G-5 branch is going to be trampled flat by Navy elites from all over the world."
"Should I submit my retirement application early and live a leisurely life sleeping twenty hours a day?"
And in a shadowy corner of the room.
A man dressed in blood-red noble attire, with an aloof and solitary demeanor, held a newspaper in trembling fingers.
"The Solitary Red" Baron Redfield.
This legendary pirate, who had been tricked by Kane into becoming an "unofficial enforcer," was currently having a mental breakdown.
'Roger... lost?'
'That brat... actually did it?'
He couldn't believe it.
That was Gol D. Roger!
But the devastating landscape in the photo's background, along with Kane's grievous injuries, forced the Red Count to believe it.
"This is bad..." the Red Count muttered to himself.
"Did I just board some kind of incredible pirate ship?"
If all of this was true, it meant that Kane's hidden strength was even more unfathomable than he had imagined.
That damn "fundraising officer" job was probably something he'd never be able to quit for the rest of his life.
Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts.
A cry shattered the room's equilibrium.
"Big Brother Kane!!!"
Gion clutched the newspaper tightly, her beautiful eyes already red and swollen from crying.
She stared at the "bone-deep" wound on Kane's chest in the photo, her heart aching so much she could barely breathe.
He was her light! Her hero!
"How could... how could he lose so much blood..."
Gion suddenly lunged for the Den Den Mushi on the table, her trembling fingers dialing that number.
It was Kane's private line.
Buru buru buru...
Buru buru buru...
The Den Den Mushi rang for a long time.
Each moment of waiting sank Gion's heart deeper into despair.
Until—
Click.
The call connected.
A faint groan slowly came through.
"Is that... Gion?"
...
South Blue, Baterilla Island.
The sun was bright, the sea breeze gentle.
Kane was sprawled out on a beach chair, casually swirling a glass of top-tier red wine he'd "borrowed" from Roger's ship.
Where on his body was there even a trace of injury?
Life Return had long since healed those superficial wounds without leaving a single scar.
Roger was squatting under a coconut tree nearby, drawing circles in the sand, his entire being radiating an aura of existential despair.
Hearing the Den Den Mushi ring, Kane glanced at the caller ID—[G-5 · Little Bunny].
"Ahem."
Kane instantly sat up straight, unhurriedly setting down his wine glass.
Actor mode, activate!
He took a deep breath, using localized muscle control to make his voice sound hoarse and dry.
That single sound alone sounded painful.
Inside the G-5 command room, Gion's tears instantly overflowed: "Wahhh! Big Brother Kane! It's me! It's Gion! How are you? Are you alright?"
"Me? Heh..."
Kane looked at the blue sky and white clouds, but his voice was utterly desolate.
"Still alive..."
"Just twelve broken ribs, half my lungs shattered by Roger's Conqueror's Haki, and my heart... probably stopped for about three seconds."
"But it's fine. For Justice, I can still hold on."
Pfft—!
Roger, who was eavesdropping nearby, nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
You have twelve broken ribs and you're here sipping red wine?!
Your heart stopped for three seconds and you're here spouting nonsense?!
Kane shot Roger a fierce glare, signaling him to shut up, then continued "weakly" panting into the Den Den Mushi:
"Gion, don't cry... a soldier's blood is shed for Justice. As long as we can capture Roger, as long as we can save a few more lives on these seas... what do my little injuries matter?"
"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
The phone call was filled with Gion's heart-wrenching sobs and the sound of a sword being drawn. "Big Brother Kane! You must hold on! I'll bring the medical team right now!! Anyone who dares to stop me, I'll cut them down!!"
Listening to the young woman's distraught cries on the other end, Kane nodded in satisfaction.
Excellent. More Violation Value was about to be credited.
This kind of behavior, deceiving the feelings of an innocent young woman, was definitely something the system would reward.
"Cough, cough... Gion, let Sakazuki and the others take the call."
Kane spoke with "difficulty."
After a series of hurried footsteps, Sakazuki's heavy voice came through. "Kane, it's Sakazuki. How... how are you?"
Kane's tone suddenly shifted. Though still weak, it now carried a hint of severity.
"Listen, my condition is critical. I've forcibly stabilized my injuries using Life Return, but my combat strength is less than ten percent of what it was."
"To prevent Roger's remnants from counterattacking, or in case someone from the World Government tries to snatch the credit..."
At this point, Kane's voice suddenly turned stern.
"You three, immediately set sail on the fastest warship available! Come and reclaim the Justice that belongs to us!"
"Remember! If anyone dares to intercept us along the way, whether they're from Cipher Pol Aigis Zero or lapdogs of the Celestial Dragons, sink them all!"
"This is our G-5's funding for the next ten years, and... cough, cough... and my medical expenses!"
Sakazuki's hand gripping the receiver tightened abruptly.
Even at a time like this, this bastard was still thinking about funding...
But why did it sound so reassuring?
"Understood."
Sakazuki took a deep breath, his eyes boiling with a magma-like fighting spirit.
"Don't worry, Kane."
"No one can steal the glory that belongs to you!"
Beside him, Borsalino adjusted his sunglasses, a dangerous smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "If it's Kane's 'medical expenses,' then we really can't let anyone else touch them~ I'd be very troubled if someone intercepted them~"
Kuzan stood up, a wave of cold air instantly dropping the room's temperature to freezing. "Ara ara, let's set off then. I'd like to see the expression on the face of the legendary Pirate King right now."
The three exchanged glances.
Without a single unnecessary word, the future top combat powers of the Navy reached an unprecedented understanding in that moment.
Click.
The call ended.
Kane casually tossed the receiver back onto the sand, picked up his wine glass again, and took a comfortable sip.
"Tsk, this batch of subordinates is so easy to lead."
He looked at the system notifications flashing on his retina:
[Ding! Through your superb acting, you have deceived the pure feelings of your subordinates and incited discord between G-5 and the World Government.]
[Violation Value +10,000!]
[Ding! Your "playing the victim" act caused the affection of the important character "Gion" to surpass a critical threshold, transforming into an obsessive infatuation, judged as "distorting another's values."]
[Violation Value +5,000!]
"Comfortable."
Kane stretched lazily and turned to look at Roger, who wore an expression of extreme constipation.
"Mr. Roger, don't look at me with those eyes as if I'm a devil."
Roger lifted his head, his gaze indescribably complex.
He looked at the young man before him. This extreme contrast, this method of manipulating people's hearts with such ease, sent waves of trepidation through Roger, the Pirate King who had weathered countless storms.
"You... you're crazier than Rocks," Roger's voice was hoarse.
Rocks' madness was written all over his face—a domineering ambition that sought to devour the world.
But the man named Kane before him hid his madness beneath the mask of "Justice." It was a terror so deep and unfathomable that it could toy with the entire world at his fingertips.
"You flatter me," Kane waved a hand dismissively.
"Let's get down to business."
Kane set down his wine glass, leaning forward slightly. A gentle, spring-like smile graced his face, yet the words that followed made Roger's eyelids twitch uncontrollably.
"Regarding the ownership of the treasure on your ship, the Oro Jackson."
"After all," Kane pointed solemnly at his perfectly intact chest, his tone pained, "I broke twelve ribs..."
"Collecting compensation for emotional distress, battle damage repairs, lost wages, and site destruction... all of that is perfectly reasonable, right?"
Roger: "..."
Suddenly, Roger felt that all the misdeeds he had committed in the past were as pure as a newborn's.
He even began to feel a twinge of sympathy for the World Government.
Faced with such a monster who held no loyalty to "Justice," their future days were bound to be anything but peaceful.