The New World, G-5 Branch Base.
Unlike the solemn cleanliness of Marineford, the G-5 base before them resembled a pirate den.
Damaged warships lay haphazardly docked at the pier, their hulls scarred from battles and stained with years of grime.
The fortress walls were pockmarked with craters from cannon fire, and a tattered flag bearing a seagull emblem drooped lifelessly from the mast.
The Storm slowly docked, its pristine paint job starkly out of place amidst the surroundings.
The pier was deserted.
Not even a welcoming party, let alone a single grunt to help with the mooring lines.
"Ara ara... It seems we're not very welcome," Kuzan yawned, his breath frosting the air.
Borsalino's lips curled into a sleazy smirk as he drawled, "~What a grand welcome indeed~"
Only Sakazuki remained different.
Beneath the shadow of his lowered cap, his eyes simmered with molten rage.
Disgrace to the Navy!
In his view, everyone in this branch—from the base commander to the cooks—deserved to be purged!
Yet Kane's smile remained relaxed.
He took a deep drag from his cigar, exhaling the smoke with relish.
The more chaotic and lawless it was...
Didn't that mean the "disciplinary" flexibility here was beyond imagination?
"Gion, order all personnel to assemble at the pier," Kane instructed calmly.
"Yes, sir!"
Gion immediately produced a Den Den Mushi to relay the new base commander's first order.
The amplifier snail in the central square crackled hoarsely for a long while.
Ten minutes passed.
The pier remained empty except for the dozen elite Marines who had disembarked from the Storm.
Only rowdy noises, the aroma of roasted meat, and crude laughter drifted from the nearby barracks.
"Outrageous!" Gion fumed, her pretty face flushed red. "They're openly defying orders!"
"Hmph, trash," Sakazuki grunted, tendrils of black smoke already curling uncontrollably from his fists.
But Kane laughed.
He stubbed out his cigar, casually flicked it aside, and ground it under his shoe.
"Let's go take a look."
Hands in his pockets, he strolled leisurely toward the disorderly barracks.
Sakazuki, the other two, and Gion promptly followed.
The scene in the open area before the barracks was as unsightly as expected.
Over a hundred slovenly Marines, stripped to the waist, displayed various fierce tattoos.
They crowded around barbecue grills, chugged cheap liquor from barrels, and piled Berries on tables—clearly gambling openly.
A burly man with a brutish face sat cross-legged on a chair, a spiked club discarded carelessly at his feet.
He was the former G-5 base commander, a troublesome commodore exiled to this post.
Seeing Kane's group approach, the old ruffians didn't restrain themselves but erupted into even more raucous laughter.
They were all troublemakers and scumbags exiled from various branch bases, never one to care about rules.
A so-called Marine Hero from headquarters thought he could control them? In his dreams!
Kane scanned his disheveled, pirate-like subordinates, then strode directly toward the former base commander with his long legs.
"Just as the rumors said, what a lively unit."
Kane walked to the table, looking down at the piles of Berry and playing cards, his tone betraying neither anger nor joy.
[Ding! Detected host is in an environment of "Severe Violation of Marine Corps Appearance and Discipline Regulations"!]
[Continuously gaining Violation Value: +1 point per minute!]
The former base commander narrowed his eyes, his hand stealthily reaching for the flintlock at his waist while speaking with sarcasm: "Oh, here already? Sorry, sir, the men were in the middle of training and didn't hear any assembly call."
"Understood, completely understood."
Kane smiled and nodded.
He casually picked up a piece of charred meat from the table, brought it to his nose for a sniff, then—
BAM!!
He delivered a powerful kick!
The still-sizzling grill instantly transformed into a cannonball, smashing directly into the faces of several soldiers who had been laughing the loudest!
"Ah—! My face!"
"Bastard! How dare you attack?!"
The surrounding soldiers immediately erupted, drawing swords and raising guns—over a hundred dark muzzles instantly aimed at Kane and his companions.
"Yee~ how scary~"
Borsalino tilted his head, eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses as a piercing light gathered at his fingertips.
"Pointing such toys at your superior~"
BOOM—!
Before he could act, a terrifying black-red shockwave erupted from Kane as the epicenter!
Conqueror's Haki!
The overwhelming pressure instantly engulfed the entire clearing.
The veteran scoundrels who had been shouting threats just moments before didn't even have time to react—their eyes rolled back, foam spewing from their mouths as they fell like harvested wheat, collapsing in waves.
In just an instant, less than half remained standing.
Not because their willpower was particularly strong, but because Kane's Haki had deliberately avoided them.
Yet even those still standing now had trembling legs and streaming cold sweat.
"M-monster!"
"This... this is Conqueror's Haki?!"
The former base commander, being at the forefront, felt his mind go blank, his legs giving way as he nearly collapsed to his knees.
Before he could regain his senses.
"Swish!"
A streak of black light flashed past.
The icy cold touch of metal pressed firmly against his carotid artery.
Kane tilted his head, that infuriating smile still on his face as he lightly tapped the flat of Zangetsu against the man's cheek.
"Playing cards without inviting me?"
"Don't you know the rules?"
[Ding! Detected host publicly assaulting comrades, severely damaging Navy internal unity!]
[Violation Value +2000!]
Hearing the system notification, the smile on Kane's lips widened.
He withdrew Zangetsu, then delivered a backhanded punch squarely into the commodore's stomach.
"Pfft—!"
The commodore's eyes bulged as his body curled like a boiled shrimp, vomiting up the previous night's meal.
"Douse all the unconscious ones awake."
Kane pulled over a chair, sitting down with dominant posture as he elegantly crossed his legs.
"Ten minutes. Assemble."
...
Ten minutes later.
The G-5 thugs had obediently formed into a square formation.
Though the ranks were still crooked and uneven, at least no one dared make a single extraneous sound anymore.
Sakazuki stood behind Kane, snorting coldly, clearly still looking down on the quality of this trash.
Kane swept his gaze across the entire assembly, then suddenly smiled as warmly as a spring breeze.
"I know you all look down on Headquarters personnel. You think we're here to boss you around and give orders, right?"
No one dared answer, but the flickering eyes of many said it all.
"I also know you're fighting for your lives in this godforsaken place, scraping by on those meager monthly wages that aren't even enough to find a decent girl in the Pleasure Quarter, right?"
At these words, many Marines abruptly raised their heads, a flicker of resonance appearing in their eyes.
"Even worse, sometimes you have no choice but to skim a little off the top of pirate loot, all while living in fear of being caught by the higher-ups, right?"
Dead silence fell over the entire assembly.
This officer... how does he know everything?
What does he mean by this? Is he setting a trap?
"Tired of it, brothers?"
Kane stood up, spreading his hands with a pained expression.
"We're all risking our necks to make a living. Why should pirates live in luxury while we're left penniless?"
"Is that fair?"
"It's not fucking fair at all!"
"So!"
Kane suddenly slapped his thigh, his voice rising an octave.
"I'm here now!"
"From today onward, G-5 is under my command!"
"Forget all those bullshit rules from before."
"Here, there's only one new rule."
Kane paused, then grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.
"I won't check your discipline, I won't inspect your appearance. Drink if you want, gamble if you want—I don't care about any of it."
"I only care if you can fight!"
"From now on, any money seized from pirates, or any ill-gotten gains..."
"Split twenty-seventy!"
"You get twenty, I get seventy!"
"The remaining ten percent goes into the base's public account, for brothers' compensation and equipment upgrades!"
The entire G-5 Branch once again fell into deathly silence.
All the soldier scoundrels were stunned.
They looked at each other, seeing sheer disbelief in each other's eyes.
No discipline checks?
And they can openly split the money?
Even though the officer takes the lion's share... before, they couldn't even get a scrap, and they had to do it secretly!
What kind of heavenly officer is this?
"O... Officer..." a bold troublemaker timidly raised his hand, "What... what if we rob a civilian ship?"
"Idiot!"
Kane stepped forward and smacked the back of his head.
"We're the Navy! How can the Navy rob civilians?"
Disappointment instantly washed over everyone's faces.
"But," Kane's tone shifted, "we can set up checkpoints and have them voluntarily pay the 'Justice Maintenance Tax'! After all, protecting their safety comes at a cost, right?"
Everyone's eyes instantly lit up!
Brilliant!
Absolutely brilliant!
Any soldiers who still harbored some dissatisfaction felt their last shred of doubt vanish upon hearing this.
This new officer, though ruthless in his methods... he really seems to be looking out for his brothers!
Is this the Navy?
This is fucking heaven!
"Long live the commander!!!"
Someone roared first.
In the next second, tsunami-like cheers instantly engulfed the entire G-5 Branch!
[Ding! Host has publicly delivered corrupting remarks, completely dragging the entire Navy branch's morale into the abyss!]
[Violation Value +8000!]
Gion, standing at the back, slightly parted her small mouth, feeling her entire worldview shatter.
"This... this is how Brother Kane leads troops? Though it sounds strange... it seems... really effective?"
"This is pure madness..."
Sakazuki watched the scene, cursing under his breath, but the black smoke around his fists gradually dissipated.
Though rigid in his thinking, even he had to acknowledge that Kane had completely taken control of this most unruly troop in just over ten minutes.
Moreover, watching those previously lifeless soldiers instantly become filled with murderous intent left him no grounds for criticism.
As long as they could kill Pirates, as long as they could uphold Justice... such methods... weren't entirely unacceptable.
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