Mount Fuji.
The highest peak of Wano Country, perpetually shrouded in thick fog and snowstorms.
Legend has it that this is the holy land of the tengu.
Of course, Kane had always scoffed at such mystical theatrics—after all, he himself was the master of such tricks.
Tianyue Shi stopped before a vine-covered rock wall, pushing aside the withered vines to reveal a narrow crevice barely wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways.
On the rock wall, the ancient emblem of the Kozuki Clan was nearly faded.
"This secret passage leads to the base of Mount Fuji."
"The Kozuki Clan passed this down orally, never leaving written records."
Tianyue Shi turned to look at him, her expression complex under the moonlight.
"Eight hundred years. You are the first person outside the Kozuki Clan to set foot here."
Kane, holding a cigar in his mouth, patted her shoulder.
"Don't get so sentimental. Let's go."
—
The underground passage was even deeper than expected.
Stone steps spiraled downward, with icy droplets seeping from the green stone walls on either side. The two walked in silence for nearly half an hour.
Finally, the end of the passage opened up into a vast, artificially carved cavern. In the very center of the cavern, a massive, square, ancient red stone tablet stood silently, emanating an aura of antiquity.
Under the faint light, the densely packed ancient characters on the tablet's surface glowed with a dark red luminescence. Each character seemed to contain a certain magic, still sharp and clear despite eight hundred years of weathering.
A Road Poneglyph!
Kane walked up to the stone tablet and placed a hand on its cold, rough surface.
"What's recorded here is one of the navigational coordinates to the Final Island, 'Laugh Tale,'" Tianyue Shi explained softly, standing respectfully half a step behind him. "The Kozuki Clan knows how to interpret the pronunciation of the ancient text, but I've only learned a part of it..."
"No need for you to translate. The less of this dangerous knowledge you carry in your mind, the longer you'll live."
Kane's tone was flat, but his movements were swift and precise. He pulled out specially made rubbing paper and ink from his coat, and with professional skill, completed a perfect rubbing in just ten minutes.
After storing the rubbing paper, Kane exhaled a thick puff of smoke and turned his gaze toward the secluded pool at the deepest part of the stone chamber.
"That is the entrance to the ruins of old Wano Country."
Tianyue Shi's voice was filled with reverence.
"That warship slumbers in the deepest part of this inland sea."
Kane nodded, walking to the edge of the bottomless pool and looking down. The next moment, he raised his right hand, fingers splayed wide!
Boom!
The power of the Storm Fruit displayed near-miraculous control at this moment. A chaotic whirlwind was intensely compressed in his palm, transforming into an invisible, pale giant blade that cleaved through the water at the bottom of the pool from above!
Tens of thousands of tons of seawater were violently pushed aside by the terrifying wind pressure, forcibly creating a waterless vacuum tunnel that reached straight to the seabed in the depths of the sea!
"Wait for me here."
Kane casually removed his Justice Coat and tossed it to Tianyue Shi. Clenching the cigar between his teeth, he leaped into the dark abyss.
The water pressure in the deep sea was terrifying, with light completely disappearing below two hundred meters. Yet with Kane's Observation Haki fully activated, the eight-hundred-year-old broken walls and ruins of ancient structures around him were clearly visible in his mind.
Following the route provided by Tianyue Shi, Kane navigated through the underwater ruins.
The depth continued to drop.
Two hundred meters, five hundred meters, eight hundred meters...
Kane counted the marked nodes on the map—after bypassing the coral fossil cluster, a massive upward passage appeared ahead.
Stepping inside, his feet landed on smooth stone bricks, while unknown minerals embedded in the walls on both sides emitted a faint orange glow.
After walking for about three minutes, his footsteps suddenly halted.
The cigar in his mouth fell to the ground with a soft "thud."
"Holy shit..."
Even Kane, who had always remained unfazed in the face of danger, couldn't help but curse aloud.
It was an overwhelmingly massive underground dry dock.
And lying quietly at the bottom of the dried dock was a Steel Behemoth that surpassed the limits of human imagination!
Its length was estimated to be over a thousand meters, with the hull entirely pitch-black—its material neither wood nor steel, its surface shimmering with dark golden patterns.
The bow featured a massive skull statue, its eyes hollow and mouth wide open.
This was no mere decoration.
Kane's Observation Haki could clearly sense an incredibly complex energy circuit hidden deep within the skull's mouth.
It was a power system Kane had never seen before—yet even in its dormant state, the residual energy fluctuations inside caused the air in the entire underground dock to tremble faintly.
That skull's mouth was the main cannon.
Dozens of secondary cannons lined both sides of the hull, their barrels so wide that a Sea King could swim through them.
What caught Kane's attention the most was the ship's bottom.
The keel structure completely surpassed the shipbuilding technology of this era. Kane had seen the Adam Tree Improved Keel Structure Blueprint, but compared to Pluto's keel, that thing was child's play.
"Pluto..."
Kane took a deep breath.
He finally understood why the World Government would go to any lengths to suppress information about the Ancient Weapons.
If this thing were to sail out to sea and unleash a full volley, the entirety of Marineford would be wiped off the map.
He slowly walked forward, reached out, and pressed his palm against Pluto's icy, bone-chilling black armor.
Bzzzt—!!!
In his mind, a cold, mechanical blue screen instantly erupted with blinding light!
[Beep—]
[Host has made contact with the Ancient Weapon: Pluto's core essence!]
[Analyzing rule-based power...]
[Analysis progress: 1%...5%...12%...31%...67%...100%!]
[Analysis complete!]
[Path B: Archaeologist: Progress updated—1/3!]
[Note: The host has successfully made contact with and analyzed the rule-based essence of the first Ancient Weapon. To break through to the [Divine Domain], contact with the remaining two Ancient Weapons (Poseidon/Uranus) is required.]
[Friendly reminder: Poseidon (Princess Shirahoshi) is expected to be born in Sea Circle Calendar 1506. At that time, please proceed to Fish-Man Island to make contact. For now... you'll have to wait eight years. Wishing you a pleasant mood.]
"..."
Kane stared at that "friendly reminder," the corner of his mouth twitching twice.
Eight years.
Shirahoshi isn't even born yet—heck, her mother Otohime might not even be married at this point.
As for Uranus, it's most likely in the hands of that old bastard Imu.
To snatch something from Imu, you'd first need the power to grind him into the dirt.
And to gain that kind of power, you'd have to break through to the Divine Domain.
A classic chicken-and-egg dilemma.
"Alright then." Kane shelved his calculations, taking one last look at the slumbering Steel Behemoth.
"Hold on a little longer, old friend. Wait until I'm ready, and I'll come take you out to bask in the sun."
He turned and walked toward the tunnel exit, leaving the dry dock behind to sink back into darkness and silence.
By the time he returned to the surface, the sky was already bright.
In the detached courtyard of the Shogun's Castle, cherry blossoms drifted down in a gentle shower.
Kane had changed into a crisp Navy Admiral uniform, the pristine "Justice" cloak flapping sharply in the morning breeze.
Tianyue Shi knelt on the tatami, her eyes lowered, her delicate hands deftly fastening his belt and smoothing the wrinkles on his jacket. Once finished, she retreated half a step and bowed her head to the floor.
"Your Excellency... must you really leave?" Her voice trembled with barely suppressed emotion.
Wano Country was now in tatters. If Kane left, she—a woman alone—would face immense pressure dealing with all the monsters and demons, especially the Beast Pirates who had been sent off to mine.
On a deeper level, one she didn't want to admit: she had grown utterly dependent on this sense of absolute security under his control.
Kane walked up to her, bent down, and hooked a finger under her chin.
"What's this? Can't bear to see me go?"
Two blushes spread across Tianyue Shi's cheeks. She bit her lower lip hard and said nothing.
"Old Man Kong is waiting for my report, and those brats at Punk Hazard can't be left unsupervised either."
Kane's thumb rubbed suggestively against her red lips, but his gaze gradually turned cold.
"Keep a close eye on the mines and the munitions factory in Udon. That's our cash cow."
"Tell Kaido that if he falls short of the monthly quota by even a single ton, I'll make him wear a grass skirt and dance in the Flower Capital for three days straight."
"This humble one understands."
Tianyue Shi straightened up, the vulnerability in her eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by the absolute ruthlessness of Kane's proxy.
Kane gave a satisfied nod. Without another word, he turned and strode out of the courtyard.
...
Nagakage Port.
A small ship was already waiting by the shore.
"Raise the sails! Weigh anchor! We're going out to sea to catch the bad guys!!!"
A childish voice rang out across the port from the ship's figurehead.
Four-year-old Yamato, wearing an oversized sailor uniform and a crooked Navy cap, waved a wooden stick excitedly, her twin horns trembling with glee.
Kane walked up the gangplank onto the deck, grabbed the back of Yamato's collar, and lifted the hyperactive little calf down.
"Lord Kane!" Yamato immediately clung to Kane's leg, her big eyes sparkling. "Are we going to Marineford to fight pirates?!"
"We're going to school.Kane's mouth twitched slightly. "To Instructor Zephyr, so he can beat some of this wildness out of you."
Yamato nodded, not fully understanding. Then, she suddenly ran to the ship's railing, grabbed it, took a deep breath toward the inland direction of Wano Country, cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, and shouted with all her might:
"Stinky old man—!!!"
"Listen up! I'm a soldier of Justice now!!"
"You behave yourself in there! Don't slack off! Smash a few extra rocks!"
"When I grow up and become an Admiral, I'll come back and personally throw you into Impel Down! You wait for me!!!"
Kane rubbed his temples, silently lighting a candle for Kaido in his heart.
Having such a "filial daughter" was truly a blessing not everyone could handle.
At the same time.
Udon Quarry.
Amidst clouds of dust, Kaido, wearing specially made Seastone Handcuffs, was carrying a boulder weighing several tons up the hillside.
"Achoo—!!!"
Kaido let out an earth-shattering sneeze without warning. His hand slipped, and the boulder slid down, landing with a loud "thud" right on his foot.
"Oww—"
Kaido's face twisted in pain as he let out a miserable howl. The Seastone suppressed his abilities and stamina, greatly reducing his resistance to injury.
"Boss! Are you alright!" Queen, dragging his obese body over, hurried over with a rusty shovel in hand.
"Get the hell away from me!" Kaido kicked Queen away and let out a furious roar to the sky. Clutching his chest, he felt as though something incredibly precious had been completely lost to him.
"What are you doing! What are you shouting about!"
In the distance, several overseers in new-style uniforms walked over, arrogantly pointing at Kaido's nose and yelling, "You're still five tons short of today's quota! If you don't meet the target, everyone's red bean soup tonight will be withheld! This is Lady Amatsuki's strict order!"
Kaido's eyes turned blood red, a terrifying killing intent beginning to rise.
"Boss! Hold it in, boss!!!"
King, wearing a mask, desperately wrapped his arms around Kaido's thick waist, his voice trembling with tears.
"Think of Kuri Plaza! Think of Kozuki Oden's dance, boss!!!"
At the mention of the word "dance," Kaido, the fearsome ruler of the New World who once sought death, shuddered violently.
Boundless humiliation turned into a single hot tear at the corner of his eye.
He gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered, silently turned around, and bent his proud spine once more, picking up an even larger boulder.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Once again, the quarry echoed with the synchronized, "labor-loving" hammering sounds of the Beast Pirates.