"No, Vice Admiral Kane… I've decided to stay."
Nefertari Cobra's words made Kane frown.
Even Koza and the others were momentarily stunned.
"You're sure you want to stay?"
"I am."
"As the king of this country… I believe I should trust my people."
"Heh… How naive."
"You really think doing this will make them trust you more?"
Cobra didn't respond.
But his resolve was clear.
"Suit yourself."
"A naive king like you is a rare sight."
"Thank you for your understanding, Vice Admiral."
"Understanding my ass."
"I'm just worried about my money."
Cobra froze awkwardly.
"If you insist on staying, then stay."
"But let me be clear—"
"If you die, I'm collecting the money from your daughter."
Kane said bluntly.
Cobra could only smile bitterly.
*Vice Admiral Kane really is… something else.*
Koza, meanwhile, looked at Cobra with a complicated expression.
This version of Cobra—
Stirred something in him.
"You should go."
"You don't need to stay here."
"We'll head to the capital."
"When the time comes… I hope the truth will be revealed."
Koza said.
"Koza, the reason I'm staying—"
"Is because we need to talk properly."
"And… I hope you can trust me more."
"So I won't leave."
"Enough."
"If you want to stay, then stay."
"I'll settle things quickly anyway."
"Vice Admiral Kane… can you take me with you?"
"I want to go too. If this is true, then I—"
"Stop."
Kane cut him off.
"You don't seriously think Crocodile is easy to deal with, do you?"
"Drop that naive idea."
"Why would I take you along?"
"But—"
"No 'but.'"
Koza's face fell in disappointment.
"Don't forget—your king is still here."
"You need to ensure his safety."
"For all you know—"
"There could be high-ranking agents of Baroque Works among you."
"And you know exactly what their goal would be."
As soon as Kane said this—
Koza's expression changed drastically.
He immediately looked around at the others.
The rest did the same.
Because if what Cobra said was true—
Then there were definitely spies from Baroque Works among them.
That meant—
The king was in real danger.
"Until the truth is revealed—"
"I won't let anyone harm him."
Koza said firmly.
Cobra had already gone this far.
Koza felt—
He had to do something as well.
"Whatever."
"But while I'm gone—"
"If anything happens to him…"
"I'll wipe every single one of you out."
Kane's tone was calm—
But it sent chills down everyone's spine.
Once again—
They were reminded—
Of just how terrifying this Marine was.
Seeing their expressions—
Kane nodded in satisfaction.
"Pack up and head out."
"I'll finish things soon."
"Such a hassle…"
"Vice Admiral Kane… thank you."
"If you really want to thank me—"
"Prepare more money."
"I won't take jobs like this again."
"Too troublesome—and not enough pay."
Cobra stiffened.
Kane ignored him.
With Koza here—
There shouldn't be any problems.
The reason he didn't take Cobra along—
Was simple.
If he did—
He'd have to babysit him.
Too troublesome.
Besides—
This had been the original plan anyway.
In the next moment—
Under everyone's shocked gaze—
Kane transformed into a giant dragon.
With a powerful flap of his wings—
He vanished instantly.
The resulting gust—
Kicked up another storm of sand.
It took quite a while—
Before things returned to normal.
And by then—
The dragon was long gone.
Leaving behind a group of stunned rebels.
Meanwhile—
Flying through the sky—
Kane suddenly realized something.
"…Did I forget something?"
Back at the rebel base—
Cobra muttered blankly:
"…Does Vice Admiral Kane even know where Rainbase is?"
Two hours later—
Kane stared down at the town below, his face dark.
He had forgotten to ask for directions.
Which led to one small problem—
He had flown in the wrong direction at first.
And only realized it after traveling quite far.
That alone cost him two hours.
Still—
It wasn't too bad.
From the moment he dealt with Crocodile earlier—
Until now—
Not even half a day had passed.
If he had come earlier—
That guy probably wouldn't even be here yet.
Now—
It was nearing evening.
But the sky remained bright.
"Look! What is that?!"
Someone shouted in shock.
"A… a dragon?!"
"It's coming down!"
"And it's heading this way!"
Panic spread instantly.
People scattered in all directions.
As Kane descended—
He transformed back into human form—
And landed in the street.
The hiding townsfolk cautiously peeked out.
But when they saw his Marine uniform—
Confusion filled their faces.
Still—
No one dared approach.
Kane ignored them.
Instead—
His gaze shifted to the grandest building in town.
At the very top
Was a massive golden banana-shaped structure.
Even in the evening—
Its lights were already shining.
Making it look even more extravagant.
"…Now that's luxurious."
Kane sighed.
But he was also pleased.
Because the more luxurious it was—
The bigger the payoff would be.
"Twenty minutes to gather two billion Beli…"
"Let's hope this gives me a nice surprise."
With that—
Kane slowly walked forward.
Only after he left—
Did the townspeople begin to emerge again.
"Was that really a dragon? Why is it a person now?"
"And… is he a Marine?"
"What's the Navy doing here?"
"Who knows…"
"Yeah…"
Gradually—
Things returned to normal.
Kane had already reached the entrance of the casino.
The guards found it strange—
That a Marine had shown up—
But didn't stop him.
So—
He entered—
The largest casino in Alabasta.
Inside—
The air reeked of money.
Some people cheered.
Some people cried.
Watching all this—
Kane sighed.
"This country has places where people can't even eat…
"And yet business here is thriving."
"…Isn't that just the truest face of this world?"
"Oh?"
"Is that so?"
Kane turned his head.
Standing before him—
Was a woman in a cowboy outfit.
Nico Robin.
As the calm, composed beauty of the future Straw Hat crew—
She was certainly worth admiring.
Though—
Her past had been far more tragic.
Compared to her—
Even Nami had it easier.
But in this world—
Tragedy was never rare.
"Vice Admiral, may I ask—"
"What is your purpose in
coming to Rain Dinners?"
Robin asked calmly.
Though her expression was steady—
Her heart was anything but.
She had already heard what happened earlier that day.
A Marine Vice Admiral—
So powerful—
That even Crocodile wasn't his match.
And yet—
Why would a Marine attack Crocodile?
And even extort so much money?
This was nothing like the Marines she knew.
Hearing her question—
Kane took a deep drag of his cigar.
Then—
A look of righteous indignation appeared on his face.
"I came here for a very simple reason—"
"I, Kane—"
"Cannot coexist with gambling!"
-----------------------◇ Bonus Chapter Rewards◇--------------------------
◇ Every 10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ Every 100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ You can read 60 chapters ahead on Patreon if you're interested:
patreon.com/Sanam123
Your support helps the story grow and motivates faster updates.