Kane held the thin intelligence report between his fingertips, his expression showing not a ripple of emotion.
But within his heart, a tidal wave had already surged.
He had waited three whole years! What he had been waiting for was this very fulcrum that could shift the entire era!
"System."
With a single thought, a blue light screen unfolded across his retina.
[Host: Kane]
[Physique: 90 (Monster Level)]
[Skills: Storm Fruit (Unawakened), Advanced Conqueror's Haki, Peak Great Swordsman, Top-Tier Six Styles…]
[Violation Value: 824,500 Points]
Looking at that searing string of numbers, Kane did not hesitate in the slightest.
This was his entire fortune, painstakingly accumulated over three years through a series of unscrupulous operations: "passionate donations" from the Red Count, "account optimization" by Stussy, and the "exploitation of free labor" from the three Admiral candidates.
All for this very moment!
"System, exchange for 'Storm Fruit' ability awakening."
[Ding! Detected host request for 'Natural Logia Storm Fruit' ability awakening. Requires consumption of 600,000 Violation Points. Confirm?]
"Confirm."
But the corner of Kane's mouth curled into a smile of extreme delight.
Money only has meaning when it's spent, when it becomes real power!
[Exchange confirmed! Fruit ability awakening procedure initiating…]
[Connecting to World Core… Analyzing Atmospheric Laws… Reconstructing Ability Sequence…]
The moment the system's cold notification tone faded.
An indescribably vast will instantly pierced through Kane's soul!
Hum—!
In that instant, Kane felt himself vanish.
His consciousness was stretched infinitely, drifting out of the Governor's Mansion, soaring up to an altitude of ten thousand meters.
His consciousness became the first wisp of morning breeze brushing over Windmill Village in the East Blue, became the scorching air whistling through the Alabasta desert, became the biting blizzard over the permanently frozen port of the North Blue, became the ever-changing magnetic storms of the Grand Line!
He heard the flow of every cloud, the condensation of every raindrop, the gestation of every bolt of lightning deep within the clouds!
He felt the entire planet's atmospheric circulation system—that immense power covering the globe, omnipresent. It was no longer an external tool, but had become an extension of his body, his breath, his pulse!
Wind, rain, thunder, lightning, clouds, fog, air pressure…
These forces, which he once had to actively control, were now part of his very instincts.
He was the storm!
He was the natural disaster!
Above the Punk Hazard Governor's Mansion, the weather changed abruptly.
One moment, the sky was clear and cloudless. The next, thick, leaden clouds materialized from the void, converging at a speed that defied the laws of nature, as if a giant hand were forcibly dragging the entire sky down!
The entire island was instantly plunged into apocalyptic darkness!
BOOM!!!
A colossal, purple-black thunder dragon, thick as a mountain range, roared as it tore through the heavens. Its blinding light illuminated countless horrified faces on the training ground below, turning them deathly pale!
"What… what is this?!"
Sakazuki, who was in the midst of extreme weight training, suddenly looked up. The hard ground beneath his feet was being crushed into dust by an invisible, terrifying atmospheric pressure!
"Ara ara... You've got to be kidding..."
The temperature of the air around Kuzan plummeted, countless ice crystals materializing out of thin air, only to be shattered the next second by that overwhelming pressure.
"So... so scary..."
Borsalino, hands in his pockets, gazed up at the churning thunderclouds in the sky, his tone carrying an unprecedented sense of caution.
This power made even the three of them, monsters in their own right, feel a shudder from the depths of their souls.
Inside the Governor's Mansion.
Kane slowly opened his eyes.
Deep within his pupils, it seemed as though thunder and storms were being born and extinguished.
He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly toward the window.
Snap.
In an instant, the dark clouds, thunder, and gales that had enveloped the entire island were wiped away as if by an invisible hand.
The sky cleared once more, and warm sunlight bathed the land again.
Only Kane himself knew that everything that had just happened was no illusion.
"Is this... awakening?"
Kane spread open his palm, a miniature storm swirling within it, intertwined with lightning and vacuum, exuding an aura capable of annihilating all things.
"Six hundred thousand... worth every penny."
Satisfied, Kane closed the system panel and rose from the sofa.
He walked to the massive floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the steel fortress below that had become his private kingdom.
It was time.
To meet the king who had opened an era.
And then... personally offer him, and his era, the most magnificent funeral!
Kane stepped out of his office and, in a flash, appeared at the port.
"Big Brother Kane!" Gion, who was directing soldiers in their daily drills, hurried over as soon as she saw him.
"Are you heading somewhere? Do you need me to arrange a warship?"
"No, that won't be necessary."
Kane waved his hand, cheerfully pinching Gion's delicate, flawless cheek.
"Just going to the South Blue to clear my mind, and incidentally, track down Roger's whereabouts. Let Headquarters know that my annual bonus is due—tell them not to drag their feet."
Sakazuki and the other two also approached, their gazes complex as they looked at Kane. The terrifying aura they had sensed earlier originated from this man.
"Kane..." Sakazuki's Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally couldn't hold back, uttering two words, "Just now..."
"What? Want to give it a try?" Kane glanced at him, a hint of amusement curling at the corner of his mouth.
Sakazuki fell silent instantly.
He was a battle maniac, but he wasn't a fool. The power he had felt earlier was beyond his comprehension.
"Keep an eye on things here."
Kane patted his shoulder, leaving behind a meaningful remark.
Then, under the astonished gazes of everyone present, his feet slowly lifted off the ground. The airflow around him surged, forming two solid Storm Wings.
Whoosh—!
No sonic boom, no deafening roar.
His figure seemed to merge with the wind, vanishing from the spot in an instant.
Only a visible ring of white sonic boom clouds remained, proof that he had once been there.
Gion and the Navy soldiers were left utterly dumbfounded.
Only the three Admiral candidates remained silent for a long time, staring in the direction Kane had disappeared.
Kuzan murmured under his breath, so softly only he could hear.
"That guy... has become a monster we can't comprehend again."