"Wahhh... If it weren't for you, my dear friend, this Saint would have died at the hands of those despicable Revolutionary Army scum today!"
Saint Roswald wiped the blood and mud from his face haphazardly, struggling to his feet and clutching desperately at Kane's sleeve.
"This Saint absolutely cannot let you bleed for nothing!"
He cried while frantically patting the torn pockets of his ruined protective suit.
"The Den Den Mushi! Where's my Den Den Mushi?!"
A perceptive Lieutenant Colonel nearby quickly stepped forward and respectfully offered a spare Den Den Mushi.
Saint Roswald snatched it and dialed his family mansion's top-secret private line.
"Hello! Father! It's me!"
As soon as the call connected, Saint Roswald began shouting at the top of his lungs.
"I was attacked! Those Revolutionary Army lunatics tried to kill me! All my guards are dead! My escort warship was blown up by them!"
There was dead silence on the other end, followed by the sharp sound of a teacup shattering, and then the old Celestial Dragon's terrified, screeching roar.
"What?! Where are you now?! Are you hurt? Damn Revolutionary Army! Are the Navy just sitting around doing nothing?!"
"I'm fine! Thanks to Admiral Kane! He's my life-and-death friend! To save me, he single-handedly repelled the entire Revolutionary Army fleet!"
Saint Roswald sprayed saliva everywhere, under the deep brainwashing of Kotoamatsukami, wildly embellishing Kane's "heroic deeds."
"Father! To save me, Admiral Kane even exhausted all the military funds of the G-5 Branch!"
"Our family must repay him! Immediately transfer two hundred billion Berry to the G-5 Branch's official account!"
"No! Three hundred billion! As my personal military sponsorship!"
Three hundred billion?!
Hearing this astronomical figure, the breaths of tens of thousands of Marines on the scene instantly hitched.
Crocodile, who was playing Earthwork Brother in the distance, stumbled and nearly fell headfirst into the sand pit he had just filled.
He had worked himself to the bone to become a Seven Warlord of the Sea, and after all that effort, he had only managed to scrape together a few billion.
This guy... just slapped a Celestial Dragon and now gets three hundred billion?!
Even Kane himself wondered if the effects of Kotoamatsukami were a bit too good.
This fat pig is actually this generous?
However, an actor's self-cultivation allowed Kane to quickly get into character.
"Your Excellency, absolutely not!"
Kane abruptly put on a righteous, anguished expression and pressed down on the Den Den Mushi's receiver.
"I saved you because you are an indispensable cornerstone of the World Government, not to covet your wealth! I, Kane, absolutely cannot accept this money! It would be a stain on Justice!"
Kuzan and Borsalino silently looked up at the sky.
Keep acting, just keep acting!
"My friend! Are you looking down on me?!"
As expected, the more Kane refused, the more frantic Saint Roswald became, his fat face flushing red.
"Is my life not even worth a mere three hundred billion?! You must accept it today! If you don't, it means you don't consider me a brother! It means you look down on me, a Descendant of the Creators!"
"Your Excellency, this violates military regulations!" Kane waved his hands repeatedly, his face full of resistance.
"Bullshit military regulations! My word is the rule!"
Saint Roswald shoved Kane's hand aside, shouting frantically into the Den Den Mushi.
"Listen here, old man! Three hundred billion! It must be transferred to the G-5 Branch account before sunset! If you're short even a single Berry, I'll burn down your collection vault when I get back!"
The elderly Celestial Dragon on the other end of the line was utterly bewildered by his son's insane outburst. But upon hearing that his son was safe and that the Navy Admiral had indeed risked his life to protect him, he could only agree repeatedly, immediately ordering the butler to mobilize funds.
Seeing this, Kane let out a long sigh, his face filled with sorrow as he grasped Saint Roswald's mud-stained hand, his tone heavy with grief.
"Since this is your heartfelt intention... it would be ungrateful of me to refuse any further."
"Please rest assured, Your Excellency. I will use every last bit of this money to eradicate the Revolutionary Army! Not a single Berry will be kept for myself!"
Hancock stood not far away, holding the ledger, her gaze flickering as she watched the figure that appeared so radiant and towering under the sunlight.
Admiral... not only is his strength godlike, but his character is also so noble!
He didn't even waver in the face of three hundred billion!
The ten-year-old future Empress once again added a thick layer of holy light to Kane's image in her heart.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in Kane's pocket abruptly rang.
"Buru buru buru..."
Kane calmly took out the Den Den Mushi and answered.
"Kane!" The hoarse voice of Science Defense War God Saint Saturn came through. "What exactly happened in G-5 waters?! The Vivre Cards of ten elite Cipher Pol Aigis Zero agents have all burned out! Why did casualties of this level occur on Saint Roswald's route?!"
Before Kane could reply, Saint Roswald snatched the golden Den Den Mushi and unleashed a torrent of abuse at the highest authority on the other end.
"Saint Saturn! What the hell is your intelligence department doing?!"
Holy Land Mariejois, Hall of Power.
The Five Elders collectively frowned at this sudden, scathing tirade. But considering the other party had just narrowly escaped death and was one of their own kind, they suppressed their anger.
"Why did the intel on my secret route fall into the hands of those Revolutionary Army bastards?! If it weren't for my best brother, Admiral Kane, risking his life to protect me, you'd be collecting my corpse right now!"
Saint Roswald spat as he spoke, embellishing the illusionary scene in his mind with added details.
"He charged through a hail of artillery fire alone to protect me! Those Cipher Pol Aigis Zero agents were all useless, couldn't even withstand one volley from the enemy! It was all thanks to Kane!"
"Not only must you thoroughly investigate the leak, but you also have to promote Admiral Kane and give him a raise! And allocate him a stabilization fund!"
"I almost died! The World Government must settle this account!"
After roaring this, Saint Roswald, panting heavily, shoved the Den Den Mushi back into Kane's hand, then turned with an ingratiating smile. "My dear friend, was that the right way to make demands to the higher-ups?"
Kane's eye twitched slightly as he forced out a moved expression. "Your Excellency... you are truly too righteous."
After hanging up.
Mary Geoise, the Hall of Power fell silent.
On the long table lay several on-site photos just transmitted from the G-5 Branch.
In the photos, charred warship wreckage floated on the sea surface, the terrifying, completely melted-through crater on the main deck was a shocking sight.
This entire scene was fabricated by Sakazuki and Kane working together just moments ago.
"The destruction at the scene is extensive, undoubtedly the result of intense firepower coverage," the bald swordsman Saint Nusjuro said in a low voice as he wiped the First Generation Ghost Cutter. "To approach Punk Hazard undetected and possess such destructive power... the Revolutionary Army is becoming increasingly troublesome."
"The intelligence leak is a certainty. The Cipher Pol organization needs a thorough cleansing," Saint Mars remarked coldly, stroking his long beard.
"However..." the blond Saint Peter snorted. "That kid Kane's loyalty is surprisingly unexpected."
"Usually greedy and lustful, but when it comes to life and death, he could go this far for Rosward, even making him utterly devoted..."
Saint Warcury, with the birthmark on his head, made the final decision: "Rosward personally testified. This incident is classified as a terrorist attack by the Revolutionary Army. Seal the information and designate it as top secret."
"As for Kane... not only is he without fault, but he has also performed meritoriously."
"Such a useful dog must be given enough rewards. Pass down the order: allocate an additional 50 billion in stabilization funds to the G-5 Branch to commend his achievements!"
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "GoddessTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!