Punk Hazard, a desolate island that had remained silent for countless years, had finally come to life.
Boom—!!!
The deafening sounds of explosions and the constant roar of heavy machinery echoed across the landscape day and night. Driven by the sheer power of money, this wild and frozen land had been transformed into a massive construction site.
Kane personally oversaw every part of the operation. In his mind, this new G-5 Base was meant to be much more than a simple military fortress. It was the embryo of his ultimate ambition.
The entire project was divided into three distinct parts, with all of them progressing at the same time.
First was the ground military fortress. Utilizing the natural mountainous terrain of the island, the workers built a steel fortress that integrated defense, offense, training, and living quarters. The outer walls stood a hundred meters high and were infused with Sea Stone powder, making them despairingly thick and strong. On top of these walls, dense arrays of heavy artillery gleamed with a cold metallic sheen. Every firing angle was meticulously calculated to ensure the guns could tear any pirate fleet daring to approach into shreds.
Second was the underground research zone. The interior of the island's mountain was being completely hollowed out. This formed an underground world that was even larger and more secretive than the fortress on the surface. This would be the location for his future secret research—projects he definitely did not want the World Government to find out about. His plans included studying Devil Fruits, developing advanced weapons, and eventually poaching the genius Vegapunk.
Third was the undersea ghost dockyard. Beneath the circular seabed surrounding the island, several massive secret docks were constructed. These docks were capable of hiding submarines, effectively becoming hidden fangs lurking beneath the waves of the Grand Line.
The scale of this entire project exceeded what anyone could have imagined. It was like a gold-devouring beast that could never be satisfied, voraciously consuming the contents of Kane's treasury.
In just one month, the mountain of six hundred billion Berries had visibly shrunk by half. Material costs, labor fees, and equipment purchases were all astronomical expenses. Especially those alloys mixed with Sea Stone powder—their price was even higher than gold. To Kane, it felt like he was practically burning his money.
By the fortieth day, the atmosphere inside the temporary command post had become heavy.
Kuzan handed Kane the latest financial report and said, "Kane, it looks like our money is almost gone. The glaring red deficit on this report is honestly shocking to see."
Borsalino added from the side in his usual annoying tone, looking quite pleased, "At this rate of spending, we will be completely bankrupt in half a month at most. By then, we might have to delay paying the wages of those thousands of workers. How terrifying~"
Sakazuki remained silent, but the deep furrow in his brow showed how much he worried about the situation.
"Delay wages?" Kane asked, before bursting out laughing. He crumpled the financial report into a ball and casually tossed it into a nearby brazier, watching the paper turn to ashes. "Those two words do not exist in my dictionary."
He stood up and stretched his arms, his joints cracking like popping beans. His handsome face showed no trace of anxiety or fear. "If we are out of money, we will simply go get more. Do I really need to teach you three such a simple principle?"
"How exactly do we do that?" Kuzan asked with curiosity. "Are you going to go cry to the Fleet Admiral again for more funds?"
Kane shot him a disdainful glance and replied, "Think bigger, Kuzan. The Fleet Admiral's wool has already been plucked bare by me. If we pluck any more, we would be plucking the hair off the heads of the Gorosei. We need to set our sights much farther than that."
His gaze then fell on a figure sitting alone in the corner of the room, meditating with his eyes closed. It was Patrick Redfield. Since arriving on the island, the legendary pirate had stayed in a state of self-isolation. He did not participate in the construction and he did not communicate with the others, acting as if he were a total outsider.
A playful smile curled at the corner of Kane's mouth as he slowly walked over to the man. "Old Red, how is your recovery going? Are you settling into your new home well?"
The Red Earl did not even bother to open his eyes, and his voice was icy as he answered, "Thanks to you, I am at least not dead."
"As long as you are not dead, that is fine with me." Kane sat down right beside him and unceremoniously extended his hand. "Where is the thing I asked you for?"
The Red Earl finally opened his crimson eyes, showing a flicker of helplessness. He pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his chest and tossed it toward Kane. "Here is the list you wanted. The wealthiest figures in the New World, both legitimate leaders and Underworld bosses, are all on it," he snorted coldly.
Kane took the list and quickly unfolded it. On the paper were many names written in dense rows, and each one was famous throughout the New World. There were captains of notorious pirate crews, Underworld kings with wealth that rivaled entire nations, and even a few kings of affiliated nations known for their cruelty and extravagance.
"Tsk tsk, your skills are truly impressive, Old Red!" Kane nodded in satisfaction. He pulled out a pen and swiftly wrote a series of numbers next to each of the names. After he finished, he slapped the paper back onto the chest of the Red Earl. "Go on then. This is your first task after joining us. Collect every single one of these."
The Red Earl picked up the paper and looked at the numbers, which all started in the hundreds of millions. His brow furrowed tightly. "What are these numbers supposed to be?"
"Those are the amounts they owe us," Kane said with a grin, revealing his white teeth. "Since they are on this list, these people all owe our G-5 a justice maintenance tax. Depending on how much they are worth, the tax ranges from one billion to ten billion Berries. I do not care how you do it—rob them or steal from them—just make sure every last Berry gets back to me."
The fingers of the Red Earl tightened on the paper, and his lips began to twitch violently. In all his years of living and his long life as a pirate, this was the first time he had heard someone describe a robbery in such a polite way. A "justice maintenance tax"?
"You really want me to go alone?" the Red Earl asked, his voice lowering as his crimson eyes fixed intently on Kane.
"Why not?" Kane retorted as if the answer was obvious. "We are proper Marines now. How can we do dirty work like looting and plundering? It would tarnish the glorious image of the Marines if people found out. You are different. You are a pirate by nature. If you go to collect the money, people will just think it is Underworld rivalry. It is perfectly justified. Don't worry, your old ship is gone, but I have already had Gion prepare a new one for you. It is a bit small, but it is definitely fast enough. Also, you can keep ten percent of the money you collect as your own operating funds. See? I am a very generous boss, aren't I?"
The Red Earl said nothing. Looking at Kane's face, which was filled with total confidence, a surge of rage shot straight to his head. He was a legend on the same level as Roger and Whitebeard! Now, he was being reduced to a thug for some Marine brat, traveling the world to collect protection money. If word of this got out, would he, the solitary red, have any dignity left?
"What? Are you not willing to do it?" Kane's eyes instantly turned cold. "Do not forget our deal. You are my man now. Isn't it only right for you to do some work for me? Or are you no longer interested in that Immortality fruit?"
The mention of the word immortality was like a bucket of cold water, instantly stopping the Red Earl's anger. He took a deep breath and clutched the shameful debt list tightly in his hand. "...I understand," he squeezed the words out through his gritted teeth.
"That is more like it," Kane said, his smile brightening again. "Go quickly and come back soon. The entire base is counting on your money just to eat meals."
With those words, Kane hummed a tune and left the room with Kuzan and the other two officers. He left the Red Earl behind, whose expression shifted with uncertainty. After a long while, the legendary pirate stood up and stepped outside. He glanced at the busy construction site, then looked down at the list in his hand.
Finally, he transformed into a red streak and vanished into the sky.
On this day, all the great pirates, Underworld kings, and greedy monarchs of the New World were still unaware of what was coming. A blood-colored debt collector who would make them tremble in fear had officially started his work.
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