Year 1520 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
East Blue.
Somewhere within the waters of the 153rd Marine Branch.
A medium-sized warship cruised across the sea.
In the East Blue—where the average pirate bounty barely exceeded 3 million beli
a headquarters warship like this was a rare sight.
On the spacious deck—
An old man with graying hair lay lazily on a reclining chair.
He had a sturdy, powerful build—
But his entire demeanor carried the weight of old age.
"Report to Vice Admiral Kane!"
"A pirate crew has been spotted ahead!"
"Based on intel, it's the Alvida Pirates. Their ship is the Miss Love Duck. Captain Alvida has a bounty of 5 million. They are currently attacking a passenger ship."
"Should we open fire?!"
A Marine lieutenant shouted loudly.
Kane didn't respond at first.
Only after a moment did he lazily lift his eyelids—
Without even bothering to get up.
"Oh? Pirates?"
"Then fire."
He spoke casually, as if it didn't concern him at all.
So perfunctory…
the lieutenant thought.
But remembering Kane's identity—
He immediately straightened and saluted.
"Understood, Vice Admiral!"
He quickly left.
Kane closed his eyes again—
But this time, sleep didn't come.
"Sigh… this damn world."
"It's already been fifty years…"
"Guess it's about time things end."
Kane sighed.
His original name was Xu En.
Fifty years ago—
He transmigrated into this young Marine named Kane.
At first—
He thought he'd be like other transmigrators:
With a system, a cheat ability—
Rising rapidly in the Great Age of Pirates.
Maybe not becoming a legend—
But at least making Admiral wouldn't be a problem.
But reality?
No system.
No cheat.
Not even Conqueror's Haki.
Sure, he'd seen a few Devil Fruits—
But none suited him.
And in his youthful arrogance—
He believed Haki was the ultimate power.
So he never ate a Devil Fruit.
In the end—
He accepted his fate.
Thankfully—
He had decent talent.
And as a transmigrator—
He relied on foresight to survive in this brutal world.
He had been young.
He had been reckless.
He had dreams—
Dreams of changing the world.
But over time—
Reality crushed him again and again.
Comrades of his generation—
Dead.
Wounded.
Gone.
He experienced firsthand—
The true nature of this world.
It wasn't something he could change.
He wasn't some chosen king.
By the end—
Even he didn't know what he had accomplished.
It all felt…
Meaningless.
What a damn joke.
So now—
Kane only wanted one thing:
A peaceful retirement.
That's why—
Even when hearing about pirates earlier—
He reacted so lazily.
If it had been ten years ago—
He would've already hurled cannonballs himself.
Those days of competing with Garp in throwing cannonballs—
Were long gone.
"Damn… that old man Garp…"
"He's older than me by four years and still in peak condition…"
"And me?"
Kane felt a wave of sadness.
These past few years—
He couldn't even handle someone like Hancock properly—
So he had been wandering the seas to avoid trouble.
After thinking for a while—
He stopped.
His retirement request had already been submitted.
Why bother thinking about all this?
Once he retired—
He'd enjoy the rest of his life.
Even if there weren't many years left.
But then—
He suddenly frowned.
Didn't Bogey say to fire?
Why is it still quiet?
Something went wrong in East Blue?
"Report, Vice Admiral!"
"The Alvida Pirates are under attack!"
"The opponent is a straw-hat boy—a Devil Fruit user!"
"What are your orders?!"
Kane froze.
"…Bogey."
"What straw-hat boy?"
Then—
His eyes narrowed.
"Is he wearing a straw hat… and a red vest?"
Bogey looked shocked.
"Yes! Vice Admiral—how did you know?!"
Kane didn't answer.
His Observation Haki spread instantly—
Covering the nearby sea.
He saw it clearly!
On the passenger ship:
"Gum-Gum… Pistol!"
The boy shouted—
His arm stretched backward—
Then snapped forward with elastic force—
Slamming into Alvida.
The huge pirate woman was instantly blown away.
A smile appeared on Kane's lips.
"Well, well…"
"Didn't expect to run into this brat."
"So he's set sail already?"
Should I capture him…
And hand him to that old man Garp?
Maybe squeeze a few hundred donuts out of him?
But soon—
Kane shook his head.
Forget it.
Monkey D. Luffy—
Was a walking troublemaker.
Better stay far away.
After all—
He just wanted a peaceful retirement.
Over the years—
Kane had learned one truth:
The world doesn't stop turning without anyone.
But then—
Suddenly—
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
"Congratulations, host."
"You have survived until the start of the main storyline."
"Conditions met for system activation."
"Would you like to load now?"
Kane froze.
Then exploded:
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
"I'M ABOUT TO RETIRE AND YOU SHOW UP NOW?!"
At the same time—
A terrifying aura burst out from him.
Bogey froze instantly—
His face turning pale.
The surrounding Marines trembled.
They had never seen Kane like this before.
"V-Vice Admiral… what's wrong?"
Bogey swallowed hard.
Kane snapped back to reality—
Realizing he lost control.
But inside—
He was extremely annoyed.
"Bogey."
"Let them handle it."
"You clean up afterward."
"That kid isn't a bad person…"
"But he's not exactly good either."
Then Kane added:
"As Marines…"
"Shouldn't we be angry when pirates loot others?"
The Marines' eyes lit up instantly.
So that was it!
Vice Admiral Kane was furious because of pirate crimes!
Fear turned into admiration.
"Justice prevails! Justice prevails!"
Some Marines even teared up.
"Understood, Vice Admiral!"
Bogey left excitedly.
Kane sat back down—
Took a deep breath—
"…Load it."
"Super Wealth System loading…"
"1%… 2%… 5%…"
Watching the progress bar—
Kane grew increasingly annoyed.
Especially when—
He saw the pirate ship trying to escape.
"Bogey."
"Bring me my sword."
Bogey froze—
Then quickly realized—
Kane was going to act personally.
Excited—
He rushed off.
Soon—
He returned with a sheathed blade:
A crimson scabbard with gold trim.
Kane's weapon—
Second-Generation Kitetsu—Demon Blade, Benizakura.
Kane drew the blade.
The dark-red edge gleamed—
Radiating a chilling, sinister aura.
He had obtained it from Wano—
And nurtured it with Haki for thirty years.
Not yet a black blade—
But close.
Kane stepped to the bow—
Looking at the fleeing pirate ship—
No fancy stance.
Just one motion:
Draw.
Slash.
Sheathe.
A white arc cut across the sea—
And instantly—
Split the Miss Love Duck clean in two.
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