Kane led Gion through the fervent gazes of the Marines, heading straight for the towering command tower of the base commander.
Pushing open the heavy, gold-trimmed door to the top-floor office, Kane strode inside. His Justice Coat hadn't even settled behind him before he took his seat in the expansive leather chair that symbolized the highest authority in G-5.
He propped his legs up on the expensive mahogany desk, looking completely at ease.
Gion walked naturally over to the nearby liquor cabinet, expertly retrieving a bottle of extremely aged red wine and pulling out the cork.
Crimson wine poured into the goblet, its rich fruity aroma instantly filling the air.
Bang!
Before the office door could fully close, it was shoved open roughly.
Sakazuki walked in with a dark expression.
In his right hand, he was holding a tall man in a yellow-striped suit like a chicken ready for slaughter.
"So sleepy... Sakazuki, the sun is so nice today, and you had to drag me out of bed... You know this is obstructing official duties, right..."
Borsalino let out a long yawn, his body going limp as he collapsed onto the leather sofa like a puddle of melted mud.
"You've been sunbathing from eight in the morning until three in the afternoon! A full seven hours!"
A vein throbbed at Sakazuki's temple, the cigar in his mouth grinding audibly between his teeth.
"And you call that official duty?!"
"Conserving energy, always ready to respond to potential threats from major pirates—that's my Justice~"
Borsalino pouted, pushing up his yellow sunglasses with righteous indignation, wearing an infuriating expression that said, "What are you gonna do about it?"
Kuzan was the last to wander in, still wearing a green frog-shaped eye mask on his head and exuding the salty, fishy smell of someone who'd just returned from fishing by the sea.
"Ara ara... Kane, you've been gone for over half a month. I thought you'd died in some den of pleasure."
Kuzan found himself a single-seat sofa and, without any courtesy, took the freshly poured glass of red wine from Gion's hand and downed it in one gulp.
Kane accepted the second glass Gion handed him, gently swirling the wine with his fingertips as his gaze slowly swept over the "Navy Rogue Squad" he had personally molded.
"How have G-5's 'business' and defense been during my absence?"
At the mention of serious matters, Sakazuki's expression instantly turned extremely stern.
"After Roger's death, a total of three hundred and twelve foolish pirate crews attempted to pass through G-5's defense zone to enter the New World."
"Except for two that Borsalino deliberately let slip because he found them troublesome, the rest—ships and all—have been sent to the bottom of the sea!"
Borsalino immediately raised both hands from the sofa in a gesture of innocence.
"My shift was over that day..."
"Shut up!"
Sakazuki shot him a glare, then continued reporting to Kane, his tone tinged with a hint of barely suppressed satisfaction. "Also, regarding the military funding issue..."
He paused, a cruel and extreme smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.
"The five non-affiliated countries in the surrounding area, as well as three World Government Affiliated Countries, have all 'voluntarily and enthusiastically' paid this year's 'G-5 Special Security Guarantee Fee.'"
"At first, that country called Prodence tried to pressure me with their Affiliated Country status, shouting about reporting me to Mary Geoise..."
"So?" Kane raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"So I took some men to the main square of their capital and gave them a detailed demonstration of what 'Meteor Volcano' is."
Sakazuki's tone was matter-of-fact, as if he were describing a routine official duty.
"And I thoroughly explained to them the grave security reality that Pirates could destroy their country at any moment."
"After gaining a deep understanding of the Navy's hardships in protecting them, His Majesty the King wept bitterly. Not only did he immediately pay the protection fee in full, but he also generously sponsored the entire construction cost of three additional Warships."
Kane's gaze toward Sakazuki grew increasingly benevolent.
Just look!
This is what you call a top-tier employee!
While the boss is out causing trouble, the employee diligently works on "revenue generation" back home, and the points and Berry just keep rolling in.
That once rigid and inflexible Sakazuki had been thoroughly molded by him into a warlord who believed, "As long as we get money to fight Pirates, even collecting protection fees like a gang is for the sake of Justice."
"Well done, Sakazuki."
Kane raised his glass in a toast.
"The execution of Justice inherently relies on financial support."
He was very satisfied with the work ethic of the three. After chatting for a while longer, he waved them off to attend to their respective duties.
The office fell quiet once more. Gion obediently cleared the tea table and retreated to the adjacent secretary's office to await further orders.
Kane walked over to the massive floor-to-ceiling window.
Below lay his kingdom.
Punk Hazard, a steel fortress with the beginnings of a vast industrial scale.
Alloy-forged walls stretched for dozens of kilometers. Over fifty heavily armed giant Warships were docked at the port. Marines drilled on the training grounds, their synchronized battle cries piercing through the clouds, soaring into the sky.
But he was not satisfied.
Deep within the ruins beneath Wano Country, that steel behemoth that had slumbered for centuries remained fresh in his memory.
Pluton.
It was simply not a creation of this era.
Its complex energy circuits, its unimaginable core power engine, and its main cannon launch matrix capable of obliterating an island with a single strike... all of it far exceeded this world's understanding of technology.
The system could analyze it all it wanted, but he had no idea how to operate the thing.
Forget activating it; even with all the craftsmen currently at G-5, they probably couldn't even scratch a layer off Pluton's outer armor.
He needed to find a peerless genius with a mind containing five hundred years of future technology.
A man who could transform that pile of rusted scrap into an invincible fleet powerful enough to sweep through the Holy Land Mariejois.
Kane turned and walked back to his desk, pulling open the hidden compartment at the very bottom.
Inside lay a single-line encrypted Den Den Mushi.
He picked up the receiver and dialed.
Brrr brrr brrr...
After two rings, the call connected.
"Master."
The Den Den Mushi mimicked a woman's uniquely charming eyes and brows, its voice languid yet carrying a trace of bone-deep reverence.
The Queen of the Pleasure Quarter, Xitus.
"Has business in the New World been affected?" Kane toyed with the wine glass in his hand, asking lightly.
Xitus chuckled softly from the other end of the line.
"With the Great Age of Pirates underway, desperate outlaws running around with bounties are ten times more numerous than before. The casinos and red-light districts of the Pleasure Quarter are now packed every night."
"Last month's twenty percent profit, a total of four point eight billion Berry, has already been laundered through channels and sent to G-5."
"Good."
Kane's tone was steady.
"Find someone for me."
"Find someone? What kind?" The Den Den Mushi made a gesture of brushing back hair, its voice seductive, "Young and beautiful? I just got a new batch of goods here—"
"Vegapunk."
Kane uttered a name.
The expression mimicked by the Den Den Mushi stiffened for half a second.
"...Who did you say?"
"Vegapunk."
Kane's tone was as casual as if discussing the weather.
"The World Government's chief scientist, that genius said to possess 'wisdom surpassing humanity by five hundred years.'"
"I want his exact current location, and a list of all research projects he is currently conducting."
Silence reigned on the other end for a full five seconds.
Xitus's voice carried an unusual note of caution: "Master, this person... is not easy to touch. He is a core asset of the World Government, constantly watched by the CP Organization. The limit my intelligence network can reach is probably just tracing his activity zones over the past six months."
"That's enough. The zone is fine; precise location I'll handle myself."
"Alright, but there's a problem—" Xitus paused, "What do you intend to do with Vegapunk? If it's assassination, I don't recommend it. If that man dies, the World Government will go mad."
Kane took the unlit cigar from his mouth, placed it on the table, and spun it twice.
"Who said I'm going to kill him?"
"I want him."
The Den Den Mushi's expression twisted.
A long silence.
Then Xitus laughed. It was a laugh tinged with helplessness, absurdity, and a bone-deep understanding of Kane's way of doing things.
Kidnapping the world's number one scientist? Only he would dare to do something like that.
"...Alright. Give me two weeks."
"One week."
"...Ten days. No less."
"Deal."
Kane hung up the call, leaned back, sinking his entire body into the soft chair back, and closed his eyes to rest.
Vegapunk.
A mind five hundred years ahead of its time.
If there was one person in this world who could understand Pluton's control system, who could integrate the eight-hundred-year-old Ancient Weapon into G-5's weapon system—
It could only be him.
As for how to lure a national treasure-level scientist, cherished by the World Government, into his own fold...
The corner of Kane's mouth slowly curled up.
When had he ever lacked the means to deceive someone?
If I can't pilot a Gundam, then why am I even joining the military!
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