Outside the auction house, the chaotic smoke of battle had yet to dissipate.
Kane was squatting on the ground, holding a piece of high-quality silk as he meticulously wiped a bloodstain from his leather shoe.
Beside him, Borsalino was holding a small notebook, conducting a friendly post-battle settlement with the auction house owner whose face had turned pale with fear.
"Borsalino, did you include my uniform in the calculation? This is my first uniform, and I've grown quite attached to it after wearing it for so long. Now it's stained with blood that won't wash out, so this should be counted under emotional damages," Kane said without looking up, his tone matter-of-fact.
"Yee~ Already added it, young Kane," Borsalino pushed up his sunglasses, pursed his lips, and looked at the numbers on the calculator. "Including warship wear and tear, ammunition consumption, and the appearance fees for us elite Marine Headquarters members... The owner says he's willing to donate thirty million Belly to the Marine Headquarters~"
"Thirty million?"
Kane paused in his shoe-cleaning, slowly stood up, and casually threw the blood-stained silk onto the trembling owner's face.
He revealed an extremely bright smile: "Boss, I just saw several escapees running toward your underground vault. For the safety of your property, I believe it's necessary for me to conduct a thorough search of the vault."
The owner's legs went weak, nearly collapsing to his knees: "No! That won't be necessary! Fi... fifty million! I'll go get the cash right now! Please don't search the vault!"
"Ah, this is so embarrassing, making us look like robbers," Kane patted the owner's shoulder with satisfaction. "Hurry up, I'm pressed for time."
Just then.
"BOOM——!!!"
A terrifying aura, like an erupting volcano, instantly enveloped the entire street.
Heavy footsteps echoed, each step seeming to pound in rhythm with everyone's heartbeat—thump, thump, thump.
Zephyr, draped in his Justice Coat, approached with large strides, his resolute face now covered with thunderous rage. The marine soldiers behind him were as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to even lift their heads.
Zephyr walked to the edge of the ten-meter-wide crater, glanced at the unrecognizable remains of "Galdino" at the bottom, surveyed the scattered limbs and severed arms littering the ground, before finally fixing his gaze firmly on Kane.
In that instant, Kane felt as if he were being stared down by a prehistoric tyrannosaurus.
"KANE!!!"
The roar reverberated like rolling thunder, causing even the masts of the warships docked in the harbor to tremble.
"Is this the Justice I taught you?!"
Zephyr pointed at the crater, his finger almost jabbing Kane's nose, veins bulging on his forehead: "A Devil Fruit user! If sent to Impel Down, that would mean permanent imprisonment! Now that you've killed him, the fruit will eventually regenerate elsewhere, only to be eaten by new villains who'll create more chaos! I've emphasized this countless times in class!!"
Facing this overwhelming pressure, Kane remained exceptionally calm.
He straightened his slightly crooked tie, stood at attention, and gave a standard military salute.
"Teacher, please let me explain."
Kane sighed, pointing at the bottom of the pit. "This really was an accident. The situation was extremely critical—the guy threatened to collapse the support pillars and take everyone down with him. To protect the hostages, I acted in the heat of the moment and might have used just a tiny bit more force than necessary."
"A tiny bit?" Zephyr laughed in exasperation, gesturing to the shredded corpses around them. "And what about these people? Did your hand slip with them too?"
"They... resisted arrest."
Kane kept a straight face, spinning his nonsense with utter seriousness. "Besides, the floors of this auction house were waxed too slick. They lost their footing and threw their necks right onto my Finger Pistol. What was I supposed to do?"
"You bastard! Do you take me for a three-year-old?!"
Zephyr finally lost his patience.
Boom!
Zephyr's right arm was instantly coated in black Armament Haki as he swung it down toward Kane's head.
This time, Zephyr was truly furious.
If he didn't teach this reckless brat a harsh lesson, the boy would surely fall into darkness one day!
The fierce wind whipped against Kane's face, stinging his cheeks.
But he didn't dodge.
Just as Zephyr's fist was ten centimeters from Kane's nose—
A fist wreathed in magma thrust between them, forcefully blocking Zephyr's strike.
BOOM!!!
A shockwave erupted, shattering all the surrounding windows in an instant.
Zephyr's pupils contracted as he stared at the person who had intercepted him, his face showing genuine astonishment for the first time.
"Sakazuki? You're stopping me?"
Under normal circumstances, Sakazuki would have been the first to condemn Kane for violating regulations.
Yet now, he was standing in the way?
Sakazuki maintained his blocking stance, his cap pulled low so his expression was hidden, but the heat radiating from him was more intense than ever.
"Teacher Zephyr."
Sakazuki slowly raised his head. His eyes, usually filled with anger, now held a chilling mix of calm and fervor.
"Kane's methods may be radical, but he wasn't wrong."
"That pirate had countless lives on his hands. If we let him live and go to prison, what does that say about the civilians he killed? Where is the deterrence of Justice?"
Zephyr was stunned.
He looked at his prized student as if seeing him for the first time.
"Do you realize what you're saying, Sakazuki? We uphold Justice—we're not bloodthirsty executioners!"
"The evils that Justice cannot handle, we will handle!"
Sakazuki's voice was low, each word striking deep into Zephyr's heart.
"Rather than letting wickedness linger in Impel Down, it's better to annihilate them right here."
"That is... Absolute Justice."
Zephuki opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words, staring at that resolute face.
"Ara ara... I have to admit the scene is a bit messy."
A lazy voice chimed in.
Kuzan scratched his curly hair as he ambled over, taking a position on Kane's left.
He shrugged at Zephyr. "But the result is zero hostage casualties. Teacher, the process might have been rough, but the efficiency was undeniably high."
"Yee~ Such terrifying killing intent, sensei."
Golden light coalesced.
Borsalino appeared on Kane's right, hands in his pockets, his mouth twisted in a smirk. "If we hadn't acted, those explosives would've gone off. Kane here was just thinking of the bigger picture, y'know~"
Under the sunlight.
Kane stood in the center, still wearing that infuriating grin.
Sakazuki stood to the front left, molten lava rolling off him.
Kuzan stood to the back left, an icy chill emanating from his presence.
Borsalino stood to the right, gleaming with golden light.
The future three Admirals stood side by side for the first time around Kane, forming an impenetrable wall.
Zephyr's heart twisted painfully at the sight.
He took a deep breath, looking at these four "prodigies."
A smooth-talking liar.
A fanatical radical.
A slacker who just wanted to coast by.
A lazy bum who avoided trouble.
Was this the future of the Marines?
This was the elite class he had trained?!
Zephyr suddenly felt exhausted. That sense of powerlessness was more draining than his fight with Roger back in the day.
His Justice had ultimately failed to reach these monsters.
They had grown up, grown their own fangs, and were prepared to use those fangs to tear this chaotic world apart.
"Fine, fine... you've all grown so capable."
After a long pause, Zephirk slowly retracted his fist, the Haki dissipating from his body.
In that moment, the "Non-Killing Admiral" seemed to have aged ten years.
His gaze swept complexly over these four young, unruly faces, finally settling on Kane's features.
"Your wings have hardened. I can no longer teach you."
Zephyr turned around, his Justice Coat flapping sharply in the sea breeze. His retreating figure appeared somewhat lonely, yet carried a hint of relief.
"All personnel! Return to headquarters!"
"Since you're all so full of opinions, stop corrupting the other recruits in the training camp! I'll apply to Fleet Admiral Kong to have you bastards... all expelled!"
Watching Zephyr's retreating back, the smile on Kane's face gradually became genuine.
Success.
Not only had he fooled Sakazuki, but he had directly facilitated the early debut of the "Monster Generation."
And...
[Ding! Successfully sowed discord between master and disciple, causing Zephyr's beliefs to waver!]
[Ding! Facilitated the initial formation of the "Marine F4" hooligan group, severely distorting the future three Admirals' development path!]
[Extremely high subversion level, Violation Value calculating... bountiful harvest! +15,000 points!]
[Current Violation Value balance: 45,500 points.]
This was a huge windfall, bringing him closer to the lottery draw.
Kane suppressed the urge to laugh out loud, turned and patted Sakazuki's shoulder, speaking with feigned solemnity:
"Well done, Sakazuki. It seems you've also understood the true meaning of 'Justice.'"
Sakazuki disdainfully brushed off Kane's hand, snorting coldly: "Shut up. I was merely stating facts."
"Hey, don't be so cold."
Kane leaned in, rubbing his fingers together, lowering his voice: "That... about that 50 million, the boss seems to have already delivered it. Although I'll take the lion's share, since you contributed too, to support your future branch renovations, I can reluctantly give you ten percent."
Sakazuki's steps faltered, a vein throbbing on his forehead: "Get lost!!"
"Twenty percent? That's my final offer!"
"I said get lost!!"