As soon as Kane heard that, he got angry too.
"Sengoku, shut your mouth!"
"Influence, influence — all you ever talk about is influence!"
"Because of this damned 'influence,' are we supposed to just pretend we don't see what's happening?"
"Because of this so-called influence, how many shady and filthy things has the World Government done over the years?!"
Sengoku shouted back, "Kane, you shut up too! Don't forget your status. We have our own position to uphold. This matter is too serious. I have to report it to the higher-ups. You keep Crocodile under control first."
Both of them were clearly furious.
But after yelling for a moment, they both stopped almost at the same time.
"Alright, Sengoku," Kane said again, "don't make this sound so terrifying. If one Warlord gets stripped of his title, the sky isn't going to fall!"
"It's not as simple as you think," Sengoku replied. "But if what you said is really true, then that bastard Crocodile can forget about remaining one of the Seven Warlords. I'll report this matter right now."
Sengoku's tone was still filled with anger.
The truth was, the reason they had been yelling at each other wasn't entirely because of Crocodile.
Sengoku got angry because Kane's words were too dangerous.
Of course, a Warlord doing something like this was also an enormous headache for the World Government.
After all, the Warlord system itself had been approved by them.
Now that something had gone wrong, wasn't that like getting slapped in the face?
If even one Warlord was removed, the impact would be huge.
It would deal a serious blow to the World Government's credibility, especially if everything that happened here were exposed.
"Got it. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up," Kane said.
"Fine."
The two of them then hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Kane looked at the phone snail and let out a cold laugh.
Sengoku was still the same as ever.
But Kane could understand him. After all, Sengoku sat in that position.
At the very least, he could be called a qualified Fleet Admiral.
Besides, Kane also realized that he had gotten a bit too emotional just now.
He would need to pay more attention to that in the future.
Crocodile, whose aura had already weakened, looked at Kane with resentment.
"What kind of look is that?"
Then Kane stomped down again.
This time, it wasn't Crocodile's chest — it was his head.
The strong in this world had terrifying vitality, so Kane wasn't worried about killing him outright.
And even if he really did kill him, it wouldn't matter much anyway.
This time, Crocodile could no longer endure it and passed out completely.
Kane looked at him with intense killing intent in his eyes.
But it quickly faded away.
"How long are you planning to keep watching, Nico Robin?"
Robin said, "I was wondering what kind of person you really are. As a Marine Vice Admiral, you actually hate the World Government this much. A man like you shouldn't be completely unknown on the seas."
"Oh? Is that so?" Kane said. "Digging into this old man's past is a very dangerous thing."
Without a doubt, Robin had suddenly developed tremendous interest in the Kane before her.
"Of course," Kane suddenly added, "it's not like I can't tell you."
Robin froze for a moment.
"As long as you pay."
"Not much. One hundred million Beli, and this old man will tell you all about the heroic deeds of his life."
Kane wore the expression of someone convinced she'd struck gold.
Robin was stunned.
In the end, she simply shook her head.
"No, no need."
"Is that so? What a pity. This old man's stories are very精彩," Kane sighed.
The corner of Robin's mouth twitched slightly.
Even with her personality, for a moment she truly didn't know what to say.
"Oh right, did that guy Mr. 1 die?" Kane suddenly asked.
Robin froze again, unable to understand Kane's train of thought at all.
Why was the contrast before and after so huge?
Just moments ago, he was a righteous Marine who could angrily condemn the World Government for the sake of this country's people.
And now, he had once again become a greedy Marine who loved money like his life depended on it.
That kind of shift left even Robin — someone who had wandered since childhood and seen all kinds of people — feeling bewildered.
"I'm talking to you," Kane said with some dissatisfaction.
Only then did Robin react.
"I checked just now. He should still be alive."
"Is that so? Then trouble yourself to drag him over here. There should be Seastone handcuffs here, right? Just lock them up."
Robin became even more speechless.
She didn't seem to be his subordinate, did she?
But Robin still did as told.
Kane was very satisfied.
After Robin finished handling everything, Kane asked, "Why didn't you run just now?"
Robin gave a bitter smile.
"Could I have escaped?"
"Not bad. Very smart."
"If I had really run, would you have let me go?"
"Then we'd have had to discuss the issue of your bounty going up."
Robin no longer even felt like complaining.
"Alright. The matters here are basically settled. Next..." Kane said, turning to look at Robin again.
"Next, Miss Robin, you don't mind taking this old man to that bastard's treasure vault, do you?"
"Can I say I mind?"
"Of course you can. I just won't agree."
"Vice Admiral, please follow me."
"Very good. Very sensible. I like a girl like you."
Robin said nothing more and turned around to lead the way.
Clearly, she already had a rough understanding of Kane's personality.
Kane followed her.
Very soon, in the underground chamber, they arrived in front of an enormous vault.
"I don't know the password," Robin said.
Kane, however, only stared at the vault in front of him.
"It's fine. I don't need the password."
He walked straight forward.
Under Robin's solemn gaze, his right hand transformed into a dragon claw.
The vault, forged from refined steel, looked as flimsy as paper in front of Kane and was torn open instantly.
Then Kane saw the scene inside.
A smile immediately appeared on his face.
There was basically cash everywhere, along with a fair amount of treasure.
Kane took a look and estimated the total value to be around five billion Beli.
He also finally understood why Crocodile had first offered exactly five billion.
So this place alone already contained five billion.
As for the eight billion, it was probably stored elsewhere, which was why he had needed time to gather it.
That also explained how Mr. 1 had been able to produce two billion Beli in such a short time.
Honestly, robbing pirates really was satisfying.
Kane didn't hesitate at all and directly pocketed all the treasure.
Then he looked at Robin.
Seeing that she was staring at him, he said,
"What are you looking at me for? This shouldn't be all the treasure here, right? Tell me the exact situation."
Robin withdrew her gaze.
Being smart, she instantly understood what Kane meant.
"This is only one of the vaults. The rest are in the various bases. The total value of the entire Baroque Works organization is around fifteen billion Beli, including all of Baroque Works' assets in Alabasta."
"Tell me how much I can take away directly."
"Around three billion."
"So that means fixed assets are worth seven billion?"
"No. Only five billion."
Kane frowned.
"This morning, you already took away two billion."
Kane immediately understood.
"Very good. Then come
with me for another trip."
Robin was stunned once more.
"What? Is there a problem?"
"No."
"Very good."
Kane looked at Robin.
This woman was truly very clever.
Talking to smart people really did save a lot of trouble.
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