Golden Lion fell severely wounded into the sea, his fate unknown.
His once-invincible fleet, which had arrogantly sought to conquer the world, was now completely reduced to countless burning, twisted steel wrecks at the bottom of the ocean.
"Guh—!"
Kane staggered down from the sky, his feet landing heavily on a large floating plank.
He could no longer hold back, bending over abruptly as a metallic, bloody taste surged up his throat. He vomited a large mouthful of fresh blood.
His body was completely drained.
Manipulating celestial phenomena on a large scale and clashing head-on with a legendary great pirate had nearly exhausted all his stamina.
Especially that final strike aimed at Golden Lion's head—it had sapped the last vestiges of his energy and spirit.
Now, he couldn't even lift a finger; he felt as if his very soul was swaying with the ocean waves.
But he had won.
Kane forced himself to raise his head, his bloodshot eyes scanning the devastated sea before locking firmly into the distance.
There, the clash between two figures continued to tear the ocean apart.
Garp and Roger.
Those two true monsters had been fighting since the battle began, as if they knew nothing of fatigue. Each collision of fist and sword still darkened the skies and made the sea wail in agony.
Kane's utterly exhausted mind, however, was now racing at an unprecedented speed.
Golden Lion was finished.
The Edd War had been completely disrupted by his interference.
But...
The true core of this naval battle, that man, Gol D. Roger! Was still out there!
The Great Pirate Era.
It was this man's final words before his death that had driven countless ambitious schemers, scoundrels, and villains to flood into the seas, chasing after that elusive treasure.
The number of pirates exploded, shattering the peace of the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line. Countless civilians lost their homes and families, displaced and adrift.
Admittedly, Roger might have had his own dreams and ideals of freedom, ushering in a turbulent era, but he had also brought endless calamity to this world.
From the perspective of "Justice," Roger was the root of all evil.
And from Kane's own perspective...
What if, while he still had the last shred of stamina and his consciousness remained clear...
He sent the Oro Jackson to the bottom of the sea as well?
Without the Oro Jackson, Roger would be like a rootless duckweed, unable to escape even if he grew wings.
By the time Admiral Sengoku's main fleet arrived, with Garp and Sengoku joining forces, plus himself—capable of manipulating celestial phenomena...
Roger would absolutely not leave the waters of Edd War alive today!
If he could end the future "Pirate King" here and now...
Would the "Great Pirate Era" even begin?
Which direction would the future of this world tilt?
At this thought, Kane's heart began to race uncontrollably.
Just how much Violation Value would the system reward for this level of "disruption," enough to alter the world's course for decades to come?
How immense would the system's rewards be?
It would undoubtedly be an astronomical figure—one he dared not even imagine, perhaps enough to crash and reboot the system outright!
Let's do it!
The moment this thought emerged, Kane's eyes once again turned razor-sharp, interwoven with greed and madness.
He forcibly squeezed out his dwindling life force, raising his violently trembling right hand to aim at the distant Oro Jackson.
"Hey! Brat! What are you trying to do?!"
On the Oro Jackson, Rayleigh's keen Observation Haki immediately detected Kane's intention.
That gathering storm energy, carrying undisguised malice, was directed at their ship!
"Nothing much."
Kane grinned, his smile as brilliant as the midday sun, but his words sent a chill down Rayleigh's spine.
"I just think pirate ships are better off sunk at the bottom of the sea."
Before his words even faded.
Kane moved.
He poured every last ounce of strength squeezed from his body into manipulating the storm.
The sea, which had just calmed, turned violent once more!
A sea tornado connecting sky and sea rolled up hundred-meter-high waves, savagely lashing toward the Oro Jackson!
"Everyone! Hold steady!"
On the Oro Jackson, Gaban, Shanks, and the others were thrown into chaos.
Watching as the all-devouring sea tornado was about to tear their ship apart.
"Captain!" Rayleigh cried out in alarm.
Roger, locked in fierce combat with Garp, caught sight of this shocking change from the corner of his eye.
For the first time, the carefree smile vanished from his face.
The ship was their only home on the sea.
He could die, but the ship must not sink!
"Garp! We're done for today!"
Roger forced Garp back with a swing of his sword, stomped hard, and leaped high into the air, instantly appearing at the very front of the ship.
"You're a hundred years too early to touch my ship, Navy brat!"
Roger's voice was icy, devoid of any emotion.
He gripped the Supreme Grade Sword named "Ace" with both hands, raising it high above his head.
Huummmmm————!!
A Conqueror's Haki far surpassing any previous outburst erupted explosively!
Centered on Roger, it exploded outwards in a ring! It wasn't just willpower; it was a tangible pressure of a king!
Crimson lightning ran rampant, and black Haki coiled around his blade like furious black dragons.
The sky seemed to crack, the sea wailed in agony.
Even Garp, behind him, had his pupils contract sharply, instinctively tensing every muscle, a grave expression appearing on his face.
This was the full-powered strike of the Pirate King!
"—Divine Departure!!!!"
In an instant, Kane's sensory world was completely stripped away.
A black slash spanning the horizon shot forth from the blade. It was domineering beyond reason, brutally, despairingly overbearing.
In Kane's pupils, there was only that ever-expanding blackness.
He frantically drove the storm, trying to block it, deflect it, do something.
But it was useless.
Wherever that slash passed, it seemed as if all rules, all existence, were forcibly made to "depart" before this single strike!
Riiiiip——!!
The sea tornado connecting heaven and earth was effortlessly split clean down the middle by the black wave of slashing energy!
The domineering attack's momentum didn't fade, grazing past the edge of the driftwood where Kane was, flying off towards the distant horizon.
The next second.
BOOOOOOM———————————!!!!
The entire expanse of sea behind Kane was completely cleaved apart.
The once continuous sea surface vanished, replaced by a bottomless abyssal chasm!
The seawater on both sides recoiled in terror, rolling back without daring to close in, roaring with deafening thunderous crashes as it trembled beneath the divine might of this strike!
"Pfft—!"
Kane was struck as if by lightning, the backlash forcing a mouthful of blood from his lips.
The power within him was instantly drained, his vision went dark, and he fell straight backward, plunging into the icy sea.
Is this... the true power of the Pirate King...
In the final moment before his consciousness faded into darkness, Kane seemed to hear Roger's voice, tinged with a hint of regret and admiration.
"What an impressive kid... It's a pity you're still too young."
"Garp, out of respect for you, I'll spare this boy. Until we meet again!"
"All hands, set sail!"
With a violent burst of gas propulsion, the Oro Jackson's stern erupted with immense thrust, transforming into a streak of light as it vanished beyond the horizon.
The frigid seawater completely swallowed Kane.
Just before his consciousness faded entirely—
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind!
[Ding! Host detected attempting to terminate the source of the "Great Pirate Era," historical progression forcibly interfered with!]
[Worldline has undergone an epic-level deviation! Calculating Subversion Coefficient...]
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