Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Hall of Power.
The usually peaceful and tranquil Holy Land was now shattered by the crisp sounds of porcelain breaking.
"Bastards! They're all useless!"
The Financial War God, Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, slammed the sheathed First Generation Ghost Cutter onto the floor tiles, creating a deep crater.
"'Bank Restricted Zone' is the highest level of secrecy! Two elite Cipher Pol units, one Cipher Pol Aigis Zero ace, and they still let someone take Vegapunk right from under their noses?"
He is the foundation of the World Government's technological supremacy.
Sea Stone weaponization processing, warship propulsion system improvements, life science research... all these technological lifelines that have supported the World Government's eight-hundred-year rule are held in the hands of this one man.
What's even more critical—Vegapunk's mind contains far too many things that should never be known by outsiders.
"Unforgivable."
The Legal Military God, Topman Warcury, had veins bulging on his forehead.
"Notify Marine Headquarters immediately! Issue the highest-level manhunt order! Seal off all checkpoints across the four seas and the Grand Line! Even if we have to drain this ocean dry, we must get Vegapunk back!"
...
Marineford, Fleet Admiral Office.
Kong grabbed the Den Den Mushi on his desk, sweat streaming down his rigid face.
His desk was piled high with reports of distress calls and sightings from various regions, all of them false leads.
Every available officer at Marine Headquarters had already been deployed by him.
Garp was dispatched to the first half of the Grand Line, Sengoku went to the South Blue. Even Zephyr, who was still training recruits, had been pulled out to oversee Sabaody Archipelago.
Kong still couldn't rest easy.
An opponent capable of abducting Vegapunk without a sound right under Cipher Pol Aigis Zero's watch undoubtedly possessed power at the very peak of the seas.
He knew very well that the only man he could currently rely on, who would never drop the ball, was the one guarding the front lines of the New World.
...
Punk Hazard, G-5 Branch.
Command Tower, top floor.
The night breeze brushed against the wide floor-to-ceiling windows. Kane lounged in a spacious leather sofa, swirling a glass of special reserve red wine from the North Blue.
Gion, wearing a loose silk house dress that outlined her graceful figure, was feeding a peeled, crystal-clear grape into Kane's mouth.
Buru buru buru—
The Den Den Mushi on the table rang.
Kane swallowed the grape, leisurely washing it down with the red wine.
A call at this hour was never good news.
He reached out and picked up the receiver.
"Kane!"
Fleet Admiral Kong's roar, a mix of anxiety and fury, blasted directly from the receiver, making the desk vibrate.
"Immediately enter the highest state of combat readiness!"
"Fleet Admiral, such a temper in the middle of the night?"
Kane shifted to a more comfortable position, propping his feet up on the coffee table, his tone as casual as if discussing household matters.
"Which clueless pirate has upset you again?"
"No time for jokes!"
Fleet Admiral Kong's words came rapidly, carrying a heavy sense of impending storm.
"Just two hours ago, the Bank Restricted Zone in the South Blue was attacked. The World Government's chief scientist, Vegapunk, has been abducted!"
Crack!
A crisp shattering sound echoed.
The expensive crystal wine glass in Kane's hand shattered instantly.
Sharp shards of glass mixed with crimson wine splattered everywhere, staining the expensive Persian carpet.
"Brother Kane!"
Gion was startled and quickly pulled out a tissue to wipe the wine from his hand.
But Kane abruptly raised his hand, stopping her.
He shot up from the sofa.
The lazy, carefree demeanor from a moment ago vanished completely. He straightened his back, grabbed the Justice Coat hanging on the nearby coat rack, flung it over his shoulder, and roared into the Den Den Mushi with a voice that shook the heavens.
"Who did it?!"
Kane's voice was filled with barely restrained fury, his tone trembling violently.
"This is sheer lawlessness! These maniacs who treat Justice as nothing! They actually dared to abduct a national treasure of a scientist, one who has made outstanding contributions to humanity's future, right under the World Government's nose!"
"What do they take us, the Navy, for? Decoration?!"
On the other end of the receiver.
Fleet Admiral Kong, hearing Kane's righteous and impassioned roar, felt the frustration and anxiety that had been suppressed after being berated by the Five Elders ease considerably.
Listen.
This is the Navy's pillar.
This is what you call resolve. While everyone else was shirking responsibility, only Kane was the first to express profound distress over the Navy's honor and Justice being trampled upon.
"The CP0 escorts were killed. The method was clean and efficient—a single, fatal strike."
Kong's voice calmed slightly from its initial rage, settling into the cool demeanor expected of a military commander.
"No traceable clues were left at the scene. The Five Elders believe it was an organized, premeditated operation."
Kane's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, how is the Navy planning to respond currently?"
"I have already ordered Garp to set up three blockades in the first half of the Grand Line. Sengoku is taking men to investigate in the direction of the South Blue."
Kong paused, his tone becoming one of immense reliance.
"Your side—I need you to immediately seal off the shipping lanes in the New World. If Vegapunk is being taken to the New World, he must be intercepted within your jurisdiction."
"Understood!"
Kane slammed a heavy fist onto the solid wood desk, sending the documents on it flying into the air.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, rest assured! I will order the entire G-5 force to mobilize immediately! Deploy all available fleets to blockade the main shipping lanes of the New World! If those thieves dare show their faces, I'll personally smash their bones to pieces!"
In the office, Gion stood to the side, watching Kane's tall, imposing figure. Her eyes involuntarily grew moist.
This was the man she followed with unwavering devotion.
Always carrying Justice on his shoulders, always showing righteous hatred in the face of evil.
This resolve to sacrifice everything for the greater good—no one in the entire Navy could match it.
"With your word, I am reassured."
Fleet Admiral Kong's voice carried great relief. With Kane guarding the rear, he finally felt confident.
"However," Kane's tone shifted abruptly, instantly adopting the role of a tactical commander, "the New World's sea area is too vast. Once the thieves succeed, they will undoubtedly plan the most concealed escape route. To prevent us from running around like headless flies, and more importantly, to avoid having our forces scattered and defeated piecemeal..."
He leaned closer to the Den Den Mushi, his voice lowering yet filled with an indisputable decisiveness.
"I need the precise coordinates of all current troop deployments from Headquarters and the CP Organization."
"G-5's fleet must accurately block their defensive blind spots!"
"Marine Headquarters will cast the net, and G-5 will plug the gaps. I'm setting up a true inescapable net to ensure not even a single seagull can slip through!"
Fleet Admiral Kong nodded repeatedly as he listened.
This tactical thinking was flawless!
Without a moment's hesitation, he directly reported a string of classified intelligence.
"Currently, twenty main ships of Cipher Pol Aigis Zero are firmly guarding the Reverse Mountain waters connecting the South Blue to the Grand Line; fifty heavy warships from Marine Headquarters are conducting a dragnet search along the outer edge of the Calm Belt. Additionally, for the defensive line set up by Garp in the first half of the route, the World Government has dispatched a joint fleet from the Affiliated Countries."
"Understood."
Kane quickly visualized a nautical chart in his mind.
"No one is guarding that abandoned route on the eastern side?"
"Insufficient manpower, we can't spare it right now."
"Leave it to me!"
Kane declared loudly.
"G-5's main fleet will immediately head to the eastern waters and firmly guard the blind spot!"
The call ended.
The expression of righteous indignation on Kane's face, as if he were ready to perish alongside evil, vanished completely and effortlessly.
He casually pulled out a towel and wiped the red wine stains from his hands.
"Brother Kane."
Gion snapped to attention with a salute, her hand gripping the hilt of Kibira, her fighting spirit soaring.
"Should we sound the combat alarm immediately and notify the entire force to board the ships?"
"Not urgent."
Kane tossed the towel into the wastebasket and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at his massive base.
"It's the middle of the night; the soldiers train hard enough as it is. Notify the ship captains for a meeting at eight tomorrow morning—just go through the motions."
Gion stood frozen in place.
This sudden shift nearly broke her back.
Where had that righteous, iron-willed base commander, who seemed ready to draw his sword and fight at any moment, gone?
Kane paid no mind to Gion's stunned brain.
He pulled open a hidden compartment beneath his desk and skillfully retrieved a Den Den Mushi.
Dialed. Connected.
"Mission accomplished?"
Kane was concise.
"In the cabin, sleeping soundly."
On the other end of the line, Redfield's uniquely lazy voice came through, accompanied by the sound of waves.
"Let me tell you, this is a big deal. Those Navy guys outside are scurrying around like mad dogs."
"Listen carefully." Kane's tone was steady. "Reverse Mountain has Cipher Pol Aigis Zero's main ships, the edge of the Calm Belt has Navy heavy warships conducting a dragnet, and the first half of the route has Garp and the Affiliated Countries' fleet."
The Solitary Crimson on the other end let out a scoff.
"Quite the spectacle. With this encirclement, how do you plan to get me out?"
"The eastern side is the defense zone I requested from Old Man Kong, nominally to be firmly guarded by G-5."
Kane grinned, his smile resembling that of a swindler who had just pulled off a successful scam.
"So I won't send a single small boat over there."
Redfield fell silent for a full five seconds.
Only the howling of the sea wind could be heard.
After a long while, the Red Count sighed with genuine admiration.
"Kane, you're a fucking genius."
Having a Navy Admiral set up the encirclement, only for that same Admiral to openly tear a hole in it and let someone escape.
The most absurd part was that Fleet Admiral Kong, far away in Marineford, was probably still grateful to Kane for sharing the defensive burden.
"Follow the abandoned route on the eastern side all the way. Xitus will arrange for someone to meet you at the agreed-upon reef zone."
Kane gave his final instruction.
"Lay low for the next few days."
He hung up the call.
Deep within Kane's mind, a system notification chimed.
[Ding!]
[Violation behavior being assessed…]
[Behavior identified: A thief crying "stop thief," deceiving the world, and stealing from one's own post.]
[Detailed description: As one of the Navy's highest-ranking combatants, the host not only secretly directed pirates to kidnap a core asset of the World Government but also abused his authority to obtain top-level military deployment secrets. He personally planned an escape route for the criminals, causing the World Government's pursuit operation to completely fail.]
[Calculating impact coefficient…]
[Verifying worldline changes: The host's actions directly resulted in the World Government losing its top genius scientist and the "Mother Flame."]
[The World Government has lost the activation energy for the ultimate Ancient Weapon "Uranus." Mary Geoise has lost its conventional planet-destroying strike capability. Imu's trump card has been severely damaged. The world's balance has suffered a catastrophic tilt. Subversion level: extremely high!]
[Final settlement complete.]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining Violation Value: 1,200,000 points!]
Kane opened his eyes.
One million two hundred thousand points.
He shifted into a more comfortable position, picked up the bottle of red wine with about a third left from the coffee table, and took a swig.
The Mother Flame was gone. In the original story, a single beam from that thing could erase the entire Lulusia Kingdom, even raising the sea level itself. It was the Celestial Dragons' Sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's heads.
Without the Mother Flame, that Uranus floating in the sky was just a useless pile of scrap metal.
Those old geezers, the Five Elders, probably still hadn't realized the severity of the situation.
Satisfying. A profound sense of clarity, from the inside out.
Kane turned and walked toward the wine cabinet, pulling out two new wine glasses with great enthusiasm.
"Brother Kane?" Gion watched Kane's completely different behavior, utterly confused.
"Here, have a drink." Kane opened another, older vintage of red wine, poured a full glass, and handed it to Gion.
"But didn't you say the situation was urgent, that the criminals were still on the run? Why are we drinking… what are we celebrating?" Gion took the glass, feeling somewhat awkward.
Kane raised his glass, looked out at the deep sea beyond the window, and smiled with utmost sincerity.
"To celebrate Justice, once again under my command, standing undefeated."