Kane stepped steadily in his military boots toward the human-shaped crater that had been smashed into the ground.
The soles of his boots ground against the rubble, producing faint scraping sounds.
At the bottom of the crater, Saint Roswald's protective suit was torn and tattered. His obese body lay limp, eyes rolled back, face covered in blood, breathing faint.
"My, my, these injuries are quite severe."
Kane bent down, reaching out to check the other's carotid artery, his tone full of concern.
The moment he lowered his head, his eyes underwent a strange transformation.
Within his dark pupils, three crimson tomoe appeared, connecting end to end, forming an intricate and sinister four-pronged pinwheel pattern.
Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, activated.
[Ding! Detected host's intent to use the ultimate genjutsu 'Kotoamatsukami' on a World Noble.]
[The skill is currently on cooldown.]
[Consume 1,000,000 Violation Value points to refresh the skill cooldown?]
The system prompt sounded in his mind.
Kane didn't even frown, directly issuing the command in his heart.
"Deduct."
One million Violation Value points in exchange for an absolutely obedient Celestial Dragon ATM—this deal was a guaranteed profit.
[Violation Value deduction successful. Kotoamatsukami cooldown refreshed.]
A flash of crimson light passed through the depths of his eyes.
Kane grabbed Saint Roswald by the collar, forcibly pulling the swollen face close to his own, forcing him to make eye contact.
Pupil power instantly pierced through the other's fragile mental defenses.
A completely new and logically airtight memory was forcibly engraved deep into that degenerate brain.
'While traveling on your escort ship to the G-5 Branch, you were ambushed by the Revolutionary Army…'
'The enemy's firepower was extremely fierce, not only destroying all communication equipment immediately but also deploying unknown heavy weaponry…'
'Your guard team resisted desperately, and the CP0 Agents protecting you all died heroic deaths…'
'At the critical moment, Navy Admiral Kane descended like a god, charging alone into the thick of the battle…'
'To save you, he disregarded his own safety, enduring the Revolutionary Army's hail of bullets…'
'In the end, he only managed to save you alone; all other personnel, along with the warship, perished in the flames…'
'Kane is your most loyal, most magnificent life-and-death best friend. He gave everything for you; you must exhaust all your wealth to repay this debt of gratitude!'
Memory implantation complete.
The pinwheel pattern in his eyes slowly dissipated, returning to a deep black.
Kane released his grip, letting Saint Roswald fall back into the crater.
He stood up, took a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket, and meticulously wiped the fingers that had touched the other's collar, not even missing the spaces under his nails.
After wiping, he casually tossed the handkerchief aside as if it had touched something filthy.
"Sakazuki."
Kane turned his head, looking toward the red dog not far away, whose body was oozing magma.
"Here."
Sakazuki pressed down on the brim of his hat, his voice rough.
He was already prepared for the worst. At most, he'd follow Kane in rebelling against the Navy. After all, he'd long been fed up with this corrupt and murky World Government.
"Clean up the bodies of those Cipher Pol Aigis Zero agents at the port. The Revolutionary Army's methods have always been brutal—not even leaving whole corpses behind. It's truly appalling." Kane sighed, his tone filled with compassion.
Sakazuki paused for a moment.
He glanced at the corpses whose heads had been smashed by Kane's fist and chests shattered by his kick, then looked at Kane's face, which was etched with Justice.
What the hell Revolutionary Army methods!
But Sakazuki didn't say anything more. He knew his superior's style all too well.
"Understood."
His figure shot into the sky and landed atop the city wall.
"All cannons, fire!"
Scorching cannonballs tore through the sky, accurately striking the government fleet on the ice.
Explosions rang out one after another, flames dyeing half the sky crimson.
Screams were drowned out by the roar, along with the elite agents and luxurious warships, all reduced to charred debris floating on the sea.
"Kuzan, melt the ice on the sea. Don't leave any traces," Kane continued giving orders.
Kuzan scratched his afro and exhaled a cold breath: "Ara ara, the Revolutionary Army... Kane, are you sure those old men in Mary Geoise will believe such nonsense?"
"Whether they believe it or not isn't important," Kane pointed at the deep pit beneath his feet, a playful curve lifting the corner of his mouth. "What matters is that the person involved believes it."
Almost the moment his words fell.
"Cough... cough cough cough!"
A violent fit of coughing came from the bottom of the pit.
Saint Roswald slowly regained consciousness.
He opened his eyes in confusion, his vision gradually clearing from blurriness.
What met his gaze was Kane's tall, upright figure and the "Justice" coat flapping sharply in the sea breeze.
Saint Roswald stared blankly at Kane.
The memories that had just been implanted surged into his mind like a tide.
The sky filled with artillery fire, the ferocious Revolutionary Army, the guards who died tragically, and... that majestic figure descending from the heavens in his moment of despair, shielding him from behind.
"Waaahhh—!"
A piercing wail tore through the sky.
Under the horrified gazes of tens of thousands present, this Descendant of the Creators crawled out of the pit on all fours.
He scrambled and stumbled toward Kane, throwing himself at Kane's leg and bursting into loud sobs.
"Admiral Kane! My dear, beloved friend!"
Saint Roswald cried, snot and tears smearing all over Kane's crisp trouser legs.
"If it weren't for you! This Saint would have been killed by that despicable Revolutionary Army!"
"You saved my life! You risked everything for me! Waaah..."
The sea breeze stopped again.
Above G-5 Base, a few seagulls flew by, letting out a few foolish cries.
Plop.
On the city wall, the cigar Sakazuki had been holding in his mouth fell to the ground, scattering a small shower of sparks.
This man known for his iron will and cruel, now wide-eyed, his perpetually tense jaw uncontrollably slack, his face filled with bewilderment.
Not far away, Kuzan's hand, which had been scratching his afro, froze mid-air.
He looked at the Celestial Dragon clutching Kane's leg and weeping.
Then he looked at Kane, whose face was full of "kindness."
Kuzan felt that even his Devil Fruit Power couldn't cool his currently overheated brain.
In mid-air, Borsalino suddenly pulled his hands out of his pockets, pushing his sunglasses back up from the tip of his nose with force as he let out a completely off-key exclamation: "Ooooh~ How~ terrifying~ Should this old man go get his eyes checked?"
On the distant construction site, Moria rubbed his eyes, then pinched his thigh hard, grimacing in pain.
The newly lit cigar in Crocodile's mouth was once again bitten in two, his face covered in black lines.
Tens of thousands of G-5 Marines stood in unison, jaws dropping with a chorus of dislocated sounds.
They had just witnessed their base commander slap a Celestial Dragon flying.
And then, when the Celestial Dragon woke up, he clung to the base commander's leg and called him his dearest friend?
Does this Celestial Dragon… have some special fetish?
Hancock stood frozen in place, clutching the account book, her small face flushed bright red.
The little girl's already limited brain capacity had completely overloaded. Watching the Celestial Dragon crying without a shred of dignity, then looking at Kane's helpless expression, her admiration for "Admiral Sir" soared straight through the heavens.
Even the lofty Descendants of the Creators had to kneel at his feet and call him their dearest friend!
Admiral Sir truly was a real deity! An existence that stood above the entire world!
"Your Excellency, you must have been frightened."
Suppressing the urge to kick this fat pig into the sea, Kane bent down and spoke in an extremely gentle tone to comfort him.
"The Revolutionary Army assassins have been completely wiped out by us. This is the G-5 Branch, the safest place in the entire world. As long as I, Kane, am here, no one can harm you."
"This Saint knows! This Saint knows it all!" Saint Roswald cried even harder, lifting his face swollen like fermented dough, his eyes filled with fervent gratitude and dependence.
"Those CP0 agents are all useless! At the critical moment, only you! Only you, Admiral Kane, are this Saint's most loyal shield!"