Night fell over the New World.
The central plaza of the G-5 Branch was brightly lit, glowing with a chaotic energy that was even more bustling than it had been during the day.
Mountains of treasures, fine wines, and luxury foods plundered over the past several days were piled high across the pavement. Under Rear Admiral Kane's specific instructions, the golden Berries had been heaped into a glittering small hill that shimmered under the torchlight.
All the soldiers of the base sat around in groups, devouring greasy roasted meat and gulping down large bowls of spicy, high-proof spirits. The atmosphere was heated to a fever pitch, thick with the scent of salt, smoke, and greed.
"Listen up, boys!"
Kane stood atop the mountain of Berries and raised his glass high. The entire area instantly fell into a heavy silence as every soldier looked up at him with fanatical, wide-eyed adoration.
"Tell me, these past few days... was it good or what?!"
"YEAH!!!"
The collective roar of hundreds of men almost shattered the dark night sky.
"In just these past few days, we have collected a total of 1.3 billion Berries in 'justice maintenance tax'!"
"Whoa—!"
The soldiers erupted in even more intense cheers, many of them flushing deep red with the sheer excitement of the numbers.
1.3 billion!
This was a staggering figure that they had never even dared to imagine in their wildest dreams before Kane arrived!
"Before I got here, others called you trash. They called you thugs and left you to rot in this godforsaken place!"
Kane kicked a heavy gold bar, which rolled down the side of the pile with a dull, metallic thud.
"But in my eyes, every single one of you is a damn talent!"
"Now, according to the rules we agreed upon!" Kane waved his hand dismissively. "I get seventy percent, you guys get twenty, and the public account gets ten!"
"Your twenty percent share totals 260 million Berries! We are handing it out right here, right now!"
"Ohhhhh!"
The cheers were loud enough to practically blow the roof off the entire base fortress.
Soon, every soldier in the square received over 700,000 Berries in cash. They held the thick, heavy stacks of bills with trembling hands, and some of the veteran thugs even began to weep with pure joy.
"Sir... sob..."
"Long live Base Commander Kane!"
A scarred, grizzled veteran, holding a wooden wine bowl, wobbled up toward Kane and fell to his knees with a heavy thud.
"Boss Kane! I've served under three different base commanders before you! They only ever called us trash and treated us like cattle to be used! Only you! Only you treat us like human beings! Like brothers!"
"From today on, my worthless life belongs to you! Even if you told me to go jump in the sea and bite Whitebeard's balls, I wouldn't even blink!"
"Right! We all listen to the Boss!"
"If anyone dares to disrespect the Boss, I'll be the first to twist his head off!"
"I am willing to die for Rear Admiral Kane!!"
The soldiers' emotions were completely ignited. One by one, they grew impassioned, their eyes filled with an unwavering, dangerous loyalty as they looked at Kane.
On a high stone platform not far away.
Borsalino watched the chaotic, cult-like scene below, his lips curling into a characteristically lewd smirk. "Oh my... it seems G-5 has become quite an extraordinary place now~"
"More importantly..." Kuzan looked down at the check he had just received, appearing unusually spirited and awake. "How should I spend this money... Should I add a solid gold bell to my 'Polar Traveler'? And maybe a top-tier sound system for the handlebars?"
Only Sakazuki remained troubled.
The future Fleet Admiral was currently staring at the staggering amount written on the check in his hand, his brow furrowed in a deep, agonizing line.
"What, not enough?"
Kane had approached him at some point, reeking of expensive alcohol, and placed his hand heavily on Sakazuki's stiff shoulder.
Sakazuki gritted his teeth, his voice coming out in a low, pained growl. "We are Marines, Kane. Not pirates."
"And so?" Kane chuckled and asked back, his voice smooth.
"Should we just take our meager official salaries and risk our lives against those murderous great pirates worth hundreds of millions? Should we let our fallen brothers rot in the dirt because they couldn't even afford a decent tombstone?"
Kane's tone suddenly became sharp and piercing.
"Sakazuki, don't be naive."
"True justice requires money to maintain. Stronger warships, better weapons, and superior benefits are what allow soldiers to carry out 'justice' without any worries at home."
"If you can't even feed your own people, how can you talk about purifying the world? As long as our hearts are red and loyal, what does it matter if the money in our hands is black?"
This last sentence struck hard against Sakazuki's internal core.
His pupils contracted violently as he processed the logic.
Kane shoved the check deeper into the pocket of Sakazuki's dark red suit.
"Take it. Don't hold a grudge against the money."
Sakazuki's body remained stiff, but eventually, his clenched fists slowly relaxed, and he did not pull the check back out of his pocket.
[Ding! Detected the host has used money as a bond to completely corrupt all officers and soldiers of the G-5 Branch, turning them into a mercenary private force!]
[Ding! Detected the host has successfully corrupted the 'absolute justice' values of the future Marine Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, making him accept the degenerate ideology of 'using the black to nurture the white'!]
[Discipline points +50,000!]
[Current discipline points balance: 431,300!]
"Sweet!"
Kane roared in his heart, feeling the rush of the system's reward.
He turned around, raised his glass again, and shouted to all the fanatical soldiers below: "To our justice!"
"To justice!" everyone roared along in unison, as if what they were doing was truly the most glorious thing in the world.
After the revelry finally died down, Kane returned to his private office.
Looking at the long string of numbers on the system panel, the curve of his lips rose further into a confident grin.
The frantic discipline violations of the past few days had pushed his total discipline points past the 400,000 mark.
"System, raise my Physique to 90!"
Previously, his Physique was at 85 points, making him comparable to a young Kaido. But 90 points was the entrance to the true "monster" realm.
[Ding! The host's current Physique is 85 points. To increase it to 90 points, 80,000 discipline points are required.]
[Do you confirm?]
"Confirm!"
Boom—!
Even though Kane was prepared for the pain, this enhancement still made him groan out loud. His legs gave out, and he collapsed directly onto his knees.
He could clearly feel every bone in his body becoming denser and harder. Every bundle of muscle fiber was being infused with explosive energy, and even every beat of his heart became as heavy and powerful as a war drum.
His very life was undergoing a higher-level leap!
Ten minutes later.
"Whew... ha..."
Kane panted heavily, his entire body soaked in a thick layer of sweat.
But he could feel it—his body had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
His muscle lines were smoother and more efficient, and beneath his skin, there was a faint flow of an indestructible, metallic texture. He could clearly sense the vast, ocean-like physical strength and vitality coursing within him.
"90 points in Physique..."
Kane grinned, showing his teeth.
He now had absolute confidence that even if he stood still and took a "Thunder Bagua" from Kaido head-on, he would at most spit out a bit of blood. He could definitely stand right back up and retort: "Is that it? Haven't you eaten yet today?"
He planned to save the remaining 300,000-plus discipline points. Once he gathered 600,000, he would immediately exchange them for the long-coveted Advanced Conquerors Haki.
Just as Kane was savoring the thrill of his skyrocketing power...
"Report, Boss!"
An emergency communication from the lookout post rang out urgently through the Den Den Mushi on his desk.
"An unidentified vessel has been spotted in the waters ahead, sailing straight toward our checkpoint at high speed!"
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