The sea wind still howled, whipping up dust from the ground and lashing against the three men.
Roger's fingers unconsciously stroked the hilt of the Named Sword "Ace."
He tried to forcefully muster his Haki once more, but the tearing agony deep within his body made it painfully clear—his body had reached its breaking point.
One more move, and even without the Navy monster before him lifting a finger, his terminal illness and injuries would shatter him first.
Rayleigh was in slightly better condition, but he too was running on fumes.
His usually calm and intelligent eyes were fixed intently on Kane, his mind racing as he calculated the odds—even if only one in ten thousand—of breaking through with his captain.
Tap, tap, tap.
Kane slowly walked toward the two of them.
His boots crunched on the gravel, producing crisp, clear sounds.
Just ten meters away from them, Kane suddenly came to a halt.
Clang.
Under the astonished gazes of the two, Kane sheathed Tensa Zangetsu.
The terrifying aura of killing intent and Haki vanished in an instant, like a receding tide.
Kane pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, placed it between his lips, and lit it.
Puff—
Pale gray smoke slowly drifted out, blurring his stern face.
"I'm done fighting."
Kane flicked the ash from his cigarette, his tone as casual as a worker just clocking out.
"Keep this up, and you'll die, while I'll end up at a loss. High investment, low returns—that's a deal I, Kane, never make."
"...Huh?"
Roger and Rayleigh both froze, their expressions stiffening.
Even for the Pirate King and the Dark King, who had sailed the seas and weathered countless storms, their minds struggled to process this.
One moment, every move was aimed to kill, as if he wouldn't rest until they were ground to dust.
How had it shifted to calculating profits in the blink of an eye?
Was this Navy officer… mentally sound?
"Roger."
Kane held the cigarette between his fingers and pointed at the Pirate King slumped on the ground. The killing intent in his eyes was gone, replaced instead by the shrewdness of a merchant.
"Since you're about to die, why not make a deal?"
Roger blinked, a strange and wary expression crossing his bold face. "A deal? What do you want? The Road Poneglyphs to Laugh Tale? Or the truth of the Void Century?"
"If it's for those, you can keep fighting," Rayleigh interjected coldly, tightening his grip on his sword. "We won't utter a single word, even in death."
"No, no, no, don't misunderstand."
Kane waved a finger, cutting them off with a look of disdain.
"I have no interest in the junk Joy Boy left behind, nor any loyalty to that World Government that's destined to be overthrown."
"Those elusive fragments of history are far less tangible to me than the Berries in my pocket."
Roger and Rayleigh exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.
Greedy? Vulgar?
But how could someone of such strength possibly be like this?
"Then what do you want?" Roger asked solemnly, a hint of curiosity in his tone.
Kane took a deep drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaling as his gaze grew profound:
"You're going to die, Roger. We both know that."
"Either today at my hands, or in a few months, tormented by illness."
"Your era is destined to end this year."
His voice was soft, yet it struck deep into Roger's heart.
"Since death is inevitable either way, why not make your death... more meaningful?"
Roger's pupils abruptly contracted.
Kane's voice took on a devilish allure.
"Your reputation, your identity, the title of 'Pirate King'... these are the greatest treasures of your life."
"To die quietly of illness on some nameless island..."
"Don't you think... that's too wasteful?"
"Use your life as my stepping stone, Roger."
Kane spread his arms as if embracing a new era, his face revealing undisguised ambition.
"I need an achievement that will shake the entire world."
"After a 'fierce' and earth-shattering battle, I, Marine Kane, will have successfully 'captured' you."
"I will become the hero who personally ended the Pirate King. I will gain everything I desire: fame, status, power, and... supreme glory."
"You..." Rayleigh trembled with rage, about to curse this Marine's shamelessness.
But Kane's next words made both their hearts stop.
"And in exchange—"
Kane's gaze grew sharper than ever:
"I will use all the power and resources of my future position as 'Marine Hero' to ensure the safety of your child and the rest of your beloved's life."
"Portgas D. Rogue."
"And the unborn child in her womb, the future... Portgas D. Ace."
Boom!
The impact of these words on Roger was a hundred times greater than the earlier Getsuga Tenshō.
"You... how do you know?!"
Roger's pupils shrank to pinpoints, his weakened body jolting upright from sheer shock!
Portgas D. Rogue.
And that unborn child, Ace.
They were his final attachments in this world, the absolute secrets he had fought to conceal at all costs!
No outsider could possibly know except him and a few core members of his crew!
Who exactly was this Marine?!
"There are no walls in this world that don't leak, Mr. Roger," Kane replied calmly. "The World Government already suspects you have a bloodline. After your death, the CP organization will turn the South Blue upside down. Every woman connected to you, every recently born infant—they'll all be purged."
"You know better than I do that those mad dogs are capable of it."
Roger's face instantly turned as pale as paper.
Of course he knew—better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one slip through—that was precisely the World Government's way.
"How can you guarantee you can protect them?"
Rayleigh gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse as he questioned from the side.
But his hand gripping his sword had already loosened.
Even trembling slightly.
Because he knew this might be the only way out.
"Because I am now the master of G-5."
"Because I am about to step onto the pinnacle of power, riding on the monumental achievement of 'capturing the Pirate King.'"
Kane spread his hands, a playful curve lifting the corner of his mouth.
"As long as Roger cooperates with me and plays out this act, allowing me to become the hero who ends the old era, I will have enough power and resources to shelter that mother and child under my wing."
"A new identity, inexhaustible wealth, a peaceful future where they will never be disturbed by anyone."
"I can even train your child to become the most outstanding Marine."
Kane's smile took on a mischievous edge.
"The son of the Pirate King becoming a Marine Hero... don't you think that's interesting?"
"As for you, Dark King Rayleigh," Kane turned his gaze toward him. "Three years ago at Edd War, Roger spared my life."
"That debt will be settled today. I'll pretend I never saw you. You can go wherever you want."
Rayleigh fell silent.
He looked at his captain, then at the unfathomable young man before him.
Absurd.
This was all too absurd.
A Marine, after defeating the Pirate King, not only refrained from finishing him off but instead negotiated terms, planning a grand deception that would fool the entire world.
This guy... what is he really after?
Just fame and status?
No, Rayleigh sensed his ambitions ran far deeper than that.
"Why should I... believe you?" Roger's voice regained a trace of calm.
"You have no choice."
Kane's reply was crisp and decisive as he extinguished his cigarette.
"You can only gamble."
"Gamble that the credibility of this 'Justice Marine' is slightly more honorable than those sanctimonious scum of the World Government."
"..."
Roger fell silent.
Indeed.
He had no other options left.
He could face death with composure, but he couldn't let his beloved and their unborn child pay such a terrible price for his dream.
A long time passed.
A very long time.
"Hah..."
"Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!"
Roger suddenly erupted into earth-shaking laughter, tears streaming from his eyes.
He laughed at his own naivety, at the absurdity of fate, and most of all at this Marine before him—who was more lawless than all the pirates in the world combined!
"Fine!"
He stopped laughing, a final glimmer of light bursting in his eyes.
"I agree!"
Roger braced his knees, mustering the last of his strength to rise unsteadily to his feet.
He sheathed the Named Sword "Ace" and tossed it to Rayleigh behind him without a glance.
Then, he extended his hands, clasped them together, and offered them to Kane.
This gesture meant surrender.
It also meant the sealing of a devil's bargain.
"Then it's settled."
Roger grinned, revealing a mouthful of blood-stained teeth.
"My life, my reputation, everything I have—it's all yours."
"But, kid, if you dare break our agreement..."
"I'll claw my way out of hell itself and tear you to pieces!"
Kane looked at those hands that had once stirred storms across the world, his smile as brilliant as the midday sun.
He pulled out a pair of Seastone Handcuffs, already prepared at his waist.
Click.
A crisp sound echoed as they locked around the wrists of the king who had dominated an era of the seas.
"Pleasure doing business, Mr. Roger."
"Welcome to becoming... the most important stepping stone in my script."
[Ding!]
At that very moment, an unprecedented system prompt exploded across Kane's retina.
[Detected that host's actions have caused an irreversible, epic-level deviation in the worldline!]
[Subversion Coefficient Judgment: MAX!]
[Impact Coefficient Judgment: MAX!]
[Deceiving the World and Stealing Fame]: Through a private transaction, stealing the highest honor of "arresting the Pirate King," deceiving the entire world and the World Government!
[Nurturing Bandits to Strengthen Oneself]: Privately releasing the legendary criminal "Dark King Rayleigh"!
[Causality Reversal]: Designating the future son of the Pirate King as a "Navy," severely disrupting the original worldline!
[Comprehensive settlement in progress...]
[Congratulations, host! Violation Value: 1,000,000 points!]
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