One million.
A full million discipline points!
Looking at the dizzying string of zeros flashing across his retina, Kain's heart, which he had tempered to be as hard as iron in the name of "justice," missed a single beat in spite of himself. He felt a surge of adrenaline that had nothing to do with combat and everything to do with profit.
He had officially struck it rich.
This massive sum of money was enough to push his Observation Haki and his physical Physique directly to their absolute peaks. It was even enough for him to splurge on the "Big Wheel" several times over, gambling for the highest-tier rewards the system had to offer.
He forcibly suppressed the uncontrollable upward curve of his lips. His expression management was instantly back in place, returning his face to a state of calm, cold indifference.
Kain's gaze swept over the blood-soaked reef beneath his boots, then he glanced down at the two living legends on the ground. Every breath they took sounded like air escaping from a leaking bellows.
Rayleigh propped himself up using his sword as a crutch and struggled to stand on his own two feet. He looked deeply at Roger, then turned his gaze toward Kain, his eyes filled with a level of complexity that was hard to describe.
Roger...
Go now, Rayleigh.
Roger grinned at his old friend, his smile carrying a genuine sense of relief and total composure.
Go to the Sabaody Archipelago. Open up a coating shop for ships, drink some good wine, and just wait to see what the future of this world looks like... do it for me.
...Okay.
Rayleigh's Adam's apple bobbed as he struggled to find his voice, finally squeezing the word out from between his gritted teeth. he turned his back to leave the ruined island behind.
Wait.
Kain's voice was not particularly loud, but it possessed a sharp edge that instantly pinned the Pluton's footsteps in place. Rayleigh looked back over his shoulder warily, his voice sounding hoarse and tired.
What is it now? Marine brat, are you already planning to go back on your word?
No, the spirit of a contract is a vital part of my professional ethics as a righteous Marine.
Kain replied to the accusation unhurriedly, his tone conversational.
It is just that if you leave the scene first, the overall composition of the shot will not look very good.
Rayleigh: "?"
Roger: "?"
Kain completely ignored the identical looks of confusion on their faces and began to point his fingers around like a theater director.
Rayleigh, go over there. Stand next to that broken coconut tree stump. Now, turn your back to me, hunch your shoulders forward a bit, and make your footsteps look stumble and weak!
You really need to act out that deep sense of sorrow and desolation—the feeling that your Captain has been captured, yet you are completely powerless to change a single thing!
Rayleigh: "..."
I have never been this speechless in my entire life.
Hurry it up! I am just about to start filming! Kain urged them impatiently, pulling out a specialized image den den mushi he had prepared specifically for this exact moment.
This was the latest high-end model exclusively supplied by the news mogul Morgans. it was capable of directly connecting to the global broadcast signal of the World Economic News Agency.
Whew...
Rayleigh gritted his teeth in frustration and finally moved stiffly to the "background" position that Kain had designated for him.
Kain nodded with a look of pure satisfaction and turned his gaze back toward Roger.
Mr. Roger, it is your turn now.
Kneel down on both of your knees and lower your head toward the ground.
The emotion of the scene needs to be just right! Show me that feeling of the "fall of a great king" and "repentance in the face of justice"! Also, whatever you do, do not smile! Be serious! I am supposed to be executing justice here!
Roger curled his lips helplessly at the absurdity of it all. His knees softened as he slowly knelt down on the reef that had just witnessed his ultimate defeat.
Very good, that is perfect.
Kain nodded in satisfaction.
The very next second, a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes. He mobilized his own Armament Haki and delivered a merciless, heavy punch directly to his own solid chest!
Pfft—!
A mouthful of dark blood sprayed out, splattering perfectly across his chest and the front of his uniform, creating a convincing sense of tragic battle damage.
Next, sharp wind blades flickered past his limbs.
Several gruesome-looking wounds immediately appeared on his body. They were deep enough to show the bone underneath, yet they perfectly avoided every single vital point and major artery.
The image of a tragic marine hero who had "survived a near-death experience and burned through his entire life force to barely achieve a pyrrhic victory" was instantly born!
As Kain pressed the activation switch on the image den den mushi, the encrypted channel of the World Economic News Agency, which had already been pre-connected, was instantly activated!
...Sea Calendar Year 1498.
This day was originally supposed to be just an ordinary day for the people of the world.
Until that specific signal forcibly cut into the receiving terminals of every news agency and private screen across the globe.
The screen was initially a mess of violent shaking, static, and visual chaos. One could see the crashing waves, hear the howling winds, and see a sky that looked shattered.
When the camera finally stabilized and the focus cleared, the entire world instantly fell silent.
It was a battlefield in total ruins. The earth was cracked open, and thick black smoke filled the air. Right in the center of the screen, the truth was revealed.
The man who had been the biggest headache for the World Government for over twenty years—Gol D. Roger—was kneeling powerlessly upon the ruins!
His hands were held tightly together by heavy Sea Stone shackles, and the head that had once looked down upon the entire sea was now deeply bowed in defeat.
And not far from him, a desolate, broken figure was seen fleeing into the distance in a disheveled state. Countless people watching recognized him immediately as the Pirate King's legendary first mate, Pluton Rayleigh!
Finally, the camera slowly panned up from the ground.
It froze on a young, handsome face that was covered in blood and signs of extreme exhaustion. Kain leaned heavily on his pitch-black long sword, his body swaying back and forth as if he would collapse into the dirt the very next second.
But he still managed to stand straight!
Those dark, intense eyes stared back at the entire world through the lens of the snail. With a hoarse, weak voice that nonetheless contained endless power, he announced to the world:
Justice... might sometimes be late.
But it will never be absent as long as I draw breath.
I am Navy Rear Admiral Kain.
The cancer of the sea, the Pirate King Gol D. Roger... has been successfully captured by me!
The chaos of this sea... it should end right now!
Zzt—!
The image froze on Kain's bloodied, smiling face, and the signal came to an abrupt, jarring halt.
The entire world stood still in a state of shock for three full seconds.
Then—
BOOM!!!!
The world completely exploded with noise!
In countless corners of the globe, mountain-shaking and tsunami-like exclamations erupted all at once.
That... that is...
Gol D. Roger! It is the Pirate King himself!
My god! The one kneeling on the ground in chains is actually the Pirate King!
He was caught?! That Roger was actually caught by the Marines?!
Heavens! It is Kain! It is that young Navy Rear Admiral from the newspapers!
What Pirate King! In the face of true justice, he looks pathetic!
Countless civilians embraced each other in the streets, many of them weeping with pure joy. In this chaotic era where pirates ran rampant and destroyed lives, Roger's capture was a shot of adrenaline injected into everyone's veins!
It told the world a simple truth: the Marine is still here, and justice is not dead!
And in the dark, lawless corners of the world, the reaction was very different.
In the Sabaody Archipelago, pirates in countless bars smashed their glasses on the floor, their faces written with pure terror and confusion.
Impossible... that is Roger! How could a man like him possibly lose to a brat!
In the New World, on the deck of the Moby Dick.
The man hailed as the world's strongest, Whitebeard Edward Newgate, suddenly crushed the huge wine bowl in his hand.
Gurarara... Roger, you bastard, what on earth are you up to now?
There was not a single hint of joy in his eyes. There was only an un-dissolvable sense of solemnity and confusion as he stared at the horizon.
At the same time.
Big news! This is the biggest news of the century!!!
At the news agency headquarters, President Morgans was so excited that every single feather on his body stood on end. He lunged at the nearest den den mushi and roared with every bit of strength in his lungs.
Quick! Get the presses running! Print it at the fastest possible speed! Front page! No! Issue a special global edition! I want every person in the world to know the name Kain by sunset!
I have already thought of the perfect headline!
Morgans spread his wings wide, looking like a total madman.
The Fall of a King, the Birth of a God! Marine Hero Kain Ends the Great Pirate Era Single-handedly!
...The screen turned off.
Kain put away the recording den den mushi, and the expression of a tragic, dying hero on his face vanished in an instant. In its place was a gentle, businessman-like smile.
He reached out and easily pulled up Roger, who had been kneeling on the ground.
Mr. Roger, thank you for your hard work today. Your acting was truly great, very intense and believable.
You guy...
Roger looked at this young man who could change faces faster than a person could flip a book. His eyes were filled with extreme complexity. He could already imagine the kind of terrifying waves this sea would stir up because of those short ten seconds of footage.
And the culprit of all this was calmly tidying up those "fake" wounds on his body as if he were fixing a suit.
Are you a total madman?
Kain smiled, pulled out the crushed pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed one to Roger.
Maybe I am.
But in this even crazier world, only the madmen can truly live the best life.
Roger took the cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. He choked on the smoke and began coughing violently.
Amidst the lingering gray smoke, he looked at the excessively young man standing before him. He seemed to see a monster more lawless than himself, more dangerous than Rocks, and more ambitious than all the heroes on this sea combined.
A new legend was rising steadily from the ruins.
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