Punk Hazard.
When Kane walked through the base gates carrying Mihawk, who was wrapped up like a mummy, the soldiers who had been gathered on the training ground gambling and brawling instantly fell silent.
Immediately after, a unified, almost fanatical roar erupted.
"Woooh! The boss is back!"
"Did the boss send Roger off in the East Sea? That's so badass!"
Then, hundreds of malicious gazes fell upon the "bandaged man" in Kane's hand.
"Is this the reckless fool from the news who dared challenge the boss?"
"Tch, doesn't look like much. Not even as sturdy as the butcher in the kitchen!"
"Hey, kid! You've got some guts drawing your sword against Boss Kane! Wanna come down and spar with us?"
Though swathed in bandages and barely able to stand, Mihawk stubbornly propped himself up with his sword scabbard, his back ramrod straight. His still-burning hawk-like eyes swept coldly over the rabble of soldiers around him.
Crude, chaotic, utterly undisciplined.
This was the Navy?
How was this so different from the legendary "Army of Justice"?
"A bunch of clueless idiots. Shut your mouths."
Kane casually tossed Mihawk onto the ground. He brushed some dust off his coat, his gaze piercing through the crowd to settle on three figures standing apart at the edge of the training ground, their auras distinctly out of place.
"Sakazuki, Kuzan, Borsalino, come get your man."
Whoosh—!
Almost the moment the words left his mouth, three figures materialized in front of Kane.
Though they hadn't yet ascended to the rank of Admiral, the monstrous aura they exuded was already impossible to conceal.
"Oh~ So this is the rookie who caused such a stir in Loguetown?"
Borsalino adjusted his brown sunglasses, pursing his lips, his tone so lazy it made one want to hit him. "Such a scary look in his eyes~ Feels like he might cut someone down any second."
"Willing to join the Navy just to get stronger?"
Beneath the brim of his hat, a magma-like heat flickered faintly in Sakazuki's palm.
"As long as he holds Justice in his heart, I can accept him regardless of his background. But if he's just a loudmouth weakling, I'll turn him to ash right now."
Kuzan let out an earth-shattering yawn, scratching his head of fluffy, curly hair.
"Ah, la la, more trouble... Kane, why are you handing this kid over to us? I'm on vacation right now."
A soldier, acting like the most obsequious lackey, scurried over to light Kane's cigar.
Kane took a deep drag. What he said next almost convinced even himself.
"You don't understand."
"This young man possesses a dedication to the way of the sword that ordinary people can't hope to match. He's a rare genius."
"Though he's a bit weak right now, can't even beat my nail clippers, he makes up for it by being durable."
Kane reached out and gave Mihawk's shoulder what seemed like an encouraging pat, nearly driving the severely injured man straight into the ground.
"I went through a hell of a lot of trouble to drag him back from the crooked path of piracy. This uncut gem, I'm entrusting to the three of you to polish in turns."
Mihawk gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain as he stared fixedly at the three men before him, each radiating a terrifying aura.
Logia Type… and three of them!
Even in the New World, this was an exceptionally rare lineup of top-tier powerhouses!
"Sakazuki." Kane pointed at the Red Dog. "You're in charge of his endurance training. As long as you don't actually kill him, go as hard as you can. Make him understand what it means to face the iron fist of 'Absolute Justice.'"
Upon hearing this, Sakazuki's gaze toward Mihawk shifted—it was the look one gives a piece of scrap metal waiting to be forged. "Since this kid has such resolve, I'll make sure he learns what real 'Absolute Justice' training feels like."
"And you, Borsalino." Kane turned to Kizaru. "This kid is too slow—he couldn't even dodge my nail clippers. Whenever you have time, give him some 'dodge training.' Just don't kick him to death."
"Yare yare… overtime, huh…" Borsalino grimaced.
"Double overtime pay, taken from G-5's slush fund."
"Deal~"
Borsalino's face instantly reverted to its usual sleazy grin.
After assigning the two laborers, Kane finally looked at Kuzan. "This kid has too much fire in him, too impulsive. Kuzan, you're in charge of cooling him down, teaching him how to stay calm."
With just a few words, Kane had Mihawk's future days mapped out perfectly.
Morning: magma baths. Noon: Lightspeed Kicks to the face. Evening: Ice Age frozen meat.
This was Kane's tailor-made—hellish crash course—for the future "World's Greatest Swordsman."
"Listen up, Mihawk."
Kane looked down at the bewildered swordsman, a malicious smirk curling at the corner of his mouth. "If you want to challenge me, first survive under their hands. The moment you force Sakazuki to use Elementalization, I'll give you another chance to see me draw my blade."
Mihawk stared at the three monstrous figures radiating terrifying auras before him. Instead of feeling the slightest fear, his golden pupils blazed with even fiercer flames.
Three top-tier Logia Type powerhouses as sparring partners?
What kind of heavenly treatment was this!
Though something felt off—like what the hell was that "overtime pay" about—for someone solely focused on becoming stronger, this arrangement was nothing short of paradise.
"I accept." Mihawk tightened his grip on "Yoru," his voice hoarse yet resolute.
Kane nodded in satisfaction.
Good.
Now he had free labor, these three guys had something to keep them busy instead of watching him all day, and he could even rack up some "abusing subordinates" Violation Value in the process.
Truly killing three birds with one stone.
"Alright, take him away and start the drills." Kane waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. "Oh, and don't cripple him. Medical bills are expensive."
He turned and walked toward the office at the highest point of the base, the one that belonged solely to him.
Bang!
The door closed and locked.
He settled into the large leather swivel chair, propped his feet up on the desk, and focused his thoughts.
Hum—
A deep blue screen unfolded across his retina.
The trip to Loguetown, executing Roger plus conning Hawk-Eye, had netted him a whopping 1.15 million Violation Value.
Combined with his previous savings, his balance was quite substantial.
But Kane wasn't in a hurry to draw prizes.
His current strength had already hit the ceiling—his physique and Haki were maxed out.
Looking further down, his gaze fixed firmly on the upgrade path provided by the system.
[Path B: Archaeologist: Seek out and make contact with the three "Ancient Weapons (Pluton/Poseidon/Uranus)" at their core origins, and analyze the power of their rules.]
This was a shortcut.
[Uranus] was in the hands of the Celestial Dragons, suspended high above the world, out of reach for now.
[Poseidon], Princess Shirahoshi, hadn't even been born yet.
That left only [Pluton].
If his memory served him right, the true form of Pluton—that super battleship capable of destroying an island with a single shot—lay dormant deep beneath the land of Wano Country, the isolated nation of samurai in the latter half of the New World!
The best part was, Wano Country was currently at a rather delicate moment.
Roger had just died. That fool Kozuki Oden should have returned to his country by now, but instead of immediately going to war, he was dancing naked in the Flower Capital like a clown, trying to "save" the hostages from Orochi and Kaido in such a ridiculous manner.
"How utterly foolish..."
Kane sneered, the light in his eyes turning cold.
Wano Country was not an Affiliated Country of the World Government. There were no Celestial Dragon spies there, no World Government laws.
It was a lawless land.
This meant that no matter what heinous—no, earth-shattering—deeds he committed there, the World Government would have a hard time detecting them immediately.
"A dormant ancient battleship, a Beast Kaido in his prime, and a foolish samurai."
Kane pulled out a map of the New World from a drawer and drew a heavy red circle around the location of "Wano Country."
Once he obtained Pluton, the firepower of the G-5 Branch would directly surpass that
of Marine Headquarters.
At that point, even if the Five Elders wanted to move against him, they'd have to ask Pluton's main cannon for permission first.
"Earn points, seize territory, and along the way, beat up that dragon Kaido to boost my reputation..."