Early the next morning.
The entire sea area surrounding the G-5 Branch underwent a sudden and violent change in atmosphere.
Twelve warships patrolled the critical maritime chokepoint like a pack of hungry wolves and tigers. On the massive white sails of each ship, several arrogant characters had been painted in eye-catching, bright red paint. The words were written in a crooked, thuggish hand:
"Marine G-5 Branch, Justice Maintenance Tax Collection Office!"
Below the main heading was a line of smaller, equally menacing text: "Fair prices, no cheating. Those who refuse to pay will be physically transcended."
On the deck of the Storm, the scene was even more relaxed.
Kane had ordered a comfortable beach chair to be moved to the center of the deck and set up a huge, colorful sun umbrella. He was slumped lazily in the chair, looking as if he were relaxing on a private vacation beach rather than a frontline military vessel.
Gion knelt faithfully beside him. Her slender, graceful fingers picked up a ripe purple grape, carefully peeling it before feeding it to Kane. She looked out at the G-5 soldiers on the distant warships, who were howling with excitement and waving their blades and guns in the air. Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly as she whispered her concerns.
"Big Brother Kane, is it really okay for us to do this? If Fleet Admiral Sengoku finds out about the tax..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a drawn-out, wretched voice drifted over from the side.
"Oh~ If Fleet Admiral Sengoku finds out, he will probably have a brain hemorrhage from sheer anger~"
Not far away, Borsalino was holding an account book he had just "collected" from a passing merchant ship. He was slowly crossing items off the cargo list with a pen, complaining in his usual slow drawl.
"This is even more blatant than being a pirate~"
"What is there to fear?"
Kane chewed the grape Gion had just fed him, the sweet juice splattering as he spoke indistinctly.
"The mountains are high and the Emperor is far away in Marineford; he can't reach us here. Besides," he tilted his chin lazily toward an underground merchant ship that was currently being ransacked by the G-5 veteran thugs, "we are effectively weakening the forces of evil by taking their resources!"
Kane turned his gaze to the other side of the deck, toward a figure as cold and stern as a mountain.
"Sakazuki, you tell her. Of all the ships passing through this chokepoint, how many of them are actually clean?"
Sakazuki stood by the ship's railing and let out a cold, sharp snort upon hearing the question.
"Hmph! Aside from pirates who do not value their lives, they are either underground merchant ships transporting supplies to great pirates or filthy slave ships! Not a single one of them is innocent!"
"Exactly!"
Kane slapped his thigh and sat up slightly.
"It is the same old saying, Gion. If they have no money, they cannot buy guns and cannons. If they cannot buy weapons, they cannot recruit subordinates, and they cannot do evil!"
Sakazuki nodded in deep, solemn agreement.
"Correct! Any act of subsidizing evil must pay a heavy price!"
Just then, the lookout in the crow's nest shouted down excitedly.
"Report, sir! Another pirate ship is coming into view!!"
It was a medium-sized pirate ship flying an unknown skull flag. The pirates on board were clearly greenhorns who had just rushed out of the first half of the Grand Line. Their faces were filled with a naive longing for the New World and a sense of lawless fanaticism.
"Halt!"
The G-5 veteran thugs picked up their megaphones and skillfully shouted the lines Kane had forced them to memorize yesterday.
"Marine G-5 Branch is collecting taxes ahead! Raise your hands and surrender! Hand over all the treasures on the ship immediately!"
"Hahaha! Marines? Just you?"
The pirate Captain laughed arrogantly from his deck.
"I am the man who will become the Pirate King! Boys, charge through! Seize their ship and take their heads!"
However, their laughter soon froze on their faces.
"Oh~ Young people these days really have such scary bloodlust~"
Borsalino's punchable voice drifted over slowly.
With a blinding flash of golden light, he appeared at the very top of the pirate ship's mast, looking down at the stunned pirates below. He adjusted his sunglasses and unhurriedly raised his leg.
"Speed is weight... Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
BOOM!!!
An incredibly brilliant golden laser beam pierced straight through the pirate ship's main deck! A violent explosion instantly consumed half the hull, and countless pirates were blown into the sky amidst their own screams.
[Ding! Detected that the host is condoning subordinates in the indiscriminate slaughter of pirates, seriously violating Marine humanitarian standards!]
[Discipline points +2200!]
"Beautifully done!"
Kane adjusted the back of his beach chair down another notch, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight and the pleasant chime of the system notification tones. This was exactly the retirement life he had dreamed of.
"Next ship!"
A sneaky, unmarked underground merchant ship was intercepted next.
"We are legitimate merchants!" the Captain trembled as he knelt on the deck.
"Legitimate?"
Kane's voice spread across the entire sea area through a loud Den Den Mushi.
"Then explain which pirate you were planning to sell those heavy weapons in your hold to? Cut the crap." His tone instantly became cold and unquestionable. "Leave the cargo on the deck. As for the people, you can beat it."
[Ding! Detected that the host is openly robbing merchant ships and abusing power for personal gain; behavior is no different from a pirate!]
[Discipline points +3500!]
"Next ship!"
A noble vessel flying the flag of a World Government-affiliated nation sailed over pompously. A pot-bellied noble stood at the bow, pointing his finger arrogantly at Kane's flagship and cursing at the top of his lungs.
"You bastard! Do you see this flag? I am a member of the royal family of the Storaub Kingdom! You lowly Marines actually dare to stop my ship? Move! Or I will definitely file a formal complaint against you with the World Government!"
"Stop shouting, it's so noisy."
Kuzan, who was napping on another beach chair nearby, opened his eyes impatiently and waved his hand toward the noble ship.
"Ice Age!"
Crack... crack crack... Frigid air swept across the sea, and that magnificent, golden ship was instantly frozen into a giant, silent ice sculpture. The G-5 soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers and rushed forward with hammers and chisels to "extract" the loot from the ice.
[Ding! Detected that the host is permitting subordinates to attack a ship of a World Government-affiliated nation, seriously damaging the international reputation of the World Government!]
[Discipline points +5800!]
"Next ship!"
This time, a great pirate crew with a bounty exceeding five hundred million arrived, radiating murderous intent and black Haki.
"Absolute Justice does not allow any evil to exist!"
Sakazuki didn't even bother saying another word to them. He simply raised his hand.
"Great Eruption!"
BOOM!!
A massive fist of molten magma descended from the sky like a meteor. That giant pirate ship, along with the hundreds of pirates on it, was directly evaporated by the high temperature before they could even let out a single scream of terror.
[Ding! Detected that the host...]
[Discipline points +3100!]
In this way, the three of them took turns "on duty" with terrifyingly high efficiency. When they encountered pirate rookies, they physically transcended them. When they encountered underground merchant ships, they collected heavy taxes. When they encountered blind, arrogant nobles, they flipped the table directly.
In just a few short days, the G-5 Branch transformed from a junkyard recognized by the Marines into an incredibly efficient maritime money-printing machine. The entire entrance to the New World was turned upside down, filled with complaints and grievances. Countless pirates and underground forces felt the fear of being "robbed" by the Marines for the first time in their lives.
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