The howling wind swept the scent of blood across the icy surface.
Kuzan, Borsalino, and Sakazuki formed a triangular formation, trapping the solitary red figure at the center and cutting off all escape routes.
Sakazuki's face was etched with coldness, his magma-covered fists still sizzling as if ready to pierce through the legendary Pirate's chest at any moment.
"Well, it's finally over~"
Borsalino appeared lazy, as if ready to clock out, muttering under his breath.
"I'll have to ask Kane for triple overtime pay..."
Kane wasn't in a hurry to issue the execution order.
He stepped over the shattered ice, slowly approaching Baron Redfield.
Under the wary yet weakened crimson gaze of his opponent, he plunged his Tensa Zangetsu into the ice before them with a sharp "clang."
Deliberately, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes mostly soaked in seawater from his pocket, selected one that was still somewhat smokable, and lit it with a flick of his lighter.
He took a deep drag, let the smoke fill his lungs, then exhaled.
White smoke drifted between them.
"Baron Redfield." Kane looked down at the man who had given the World Government so much trouble.
"You're strong, monstrously so. If you had teammates, even just one, it might be us lying here today."
At these words, Baron Redfield's pale lips twisted into a mocking sneer, his voice hoarse yet still arrogant:
"Defeat is defeat, brat. No need to insult me with flattery. Only the weak gather in groups. True strong people always walk alone."
"Alone?"
Kane flicked the ash from his cigarette, a trace of pity flickering in his eyes.
"That's because you're still young, still able to wield that broken umbrella of yours, still relying on your Haki to run rampant."
"But what about in ten years? Twenty years?"
Kane took a step forward, lowering his voice, each word precisely striking the deepest, most fearful vulnerability in Baron Redfield's heart.
"When you're old, when you can no longer swing your umbrella, when your Haki begins to fade, even when your teeth fall out... who will stand in front of you to block the blades of those young, ambitious upstarts?"
"Roger had Rayleigh and Gaban. That old fool Whitebeard has a whole ship of foolish sons willing to take a blade for him. Even an idiot like Golden Lion has an entire flying fleet to use as cannon fodder."
"And you, the aloof Redfield—when you grow old and weak, when you fall from your throne one day..."
"Will anyone on these seas even care whether you live or die?"
As the words fell.
Baron Redfield's crimson pupils contracted sharply.
Those hands, which hadn't wavered even when facing the three Admirals, trembled slightly.
Aging.
It was his greatest nightmare in life.
He pursued ultimate personal strength, trusted no one, formed no alliances, took no crew. But precisely because of this, he feared aging more than anyone, feared the decline of his power, and understood all too well the desolate fate that awaited him once he grew old.
"Seems I hit the mark."
Kane grinned, baring his fangs.
"What you seek is power that reigns supreme above all else. But this human body of yours limits you—it ages, it decays."
"Would you like... to break free from these shackles?"
"Would you like... to transcend humanity, attain true immortality, and possess youth that never fades?"
Red Count's breath suddenly halted, his gaze fixed intently on Kane. "What... nonsense are you spouting?"
"Zoan-Type Mythical Beast Bat-Bat Fruit Vampire Form."
Kane slowly uttered these words, striking Red Count's heart like a hammer.
"Eat it, and you will no longer be mortal, but a king who walks the night. You can restore your youth by drinking the blood of the strong. Your prime will no longer be a fleeting few decades, but—forever!"
Boom!
Red Count's mind went blank.
Immortality!
That was the divine fruit he had yearned for and searched for over the years, yet never found!
"You have this fruit?!"
Red Count's voice faltered for the first time, filled with unconcealed desire and trembling.
"Not at the moment."
Kane shrugged, speaking with unshakable confidence.
The fire in Red Count's eyes instantly cooled, and killing intent surged once more.
"Are you mocking me?"
"Don't be so hasty."
Kane gestured toward his own head with the hand holding his cigarette.
"But I know where it is, and I know how to obtain it. In this world, only I can help you get it."
"That is a priceless treasure, Redfield."
Kane raised a finger, revealing his true intentions.
"Ten years."
"Be my shadow for ten years. That four-billion debt will also be wiped clean."
"I don'tt need you to be my dog. I only need you to handle, in the darkness, the trash that 'Justice' cannot conveniently deal with."
"Ten years later, I will personally hand you this fruit and grant you your freedom."
"Then, whether you want to tear Mary Geoise apart or become the ruler of the moon, it will be up to you."
"Of course..."
Kane's tone shifted abruptly, the warmth in his eyes vanishing instantly.
"You can also refuse, clinging to your laughable pride."
"And then, be turned into barbecue by Sakazuki right now."
Silence.
A deathly silence enveloped the shattered ice field.
A vein throbbed on Sakazuki's temple, and magma dripped from his fist onto the ice, emitting a sharp sizzling sound.
"Kane! Do you know what you're saying?!"
Sakazuki finally couldn't hold back, taking a step forward, burning with rage.
"Making a deal with a pirate? Even planning to give him a Devil Fruit?! This is a desecration of 'Justice'!"
Kane slowly turned around, speaking coldly in a voice only the four of them could hear.
"Sakazuki, a brain is a good thing. I hope you use yours too."
"If we kill him, all we get is a corpse and a few words of commendation. But will the pirates on these seas diminish? No."
"But what if... we put a collar on this 'lone wolf' and make it bite the other wolves to death?"
"Use sin to erase sin, use darkness to devour darkness. If you don't dirty your hands, how can you climb to the highest position to enforce your absolute Justice?"
"Or do you plan to spend your whole life as just an Admiral who follows orders and kills?"
Sakazuki's body froze.
He looked into Kane's bottomless black eyes, where the ambition burned hotter than magma and darker than the abyss.
"Using darkness... to nourish light..."
Sakazuki gritted his teeth, painfully uttering the theory Kane had once instilled in him.
Finally, his boiling magma fist, filled with endless reluctance, slowly extinguished.
He had acquiesced.
This scene was completely witnessed by the Red Count.
He observed the young Navy officer before him.
That face—young, greedy, filled with undisguised ambition.
Navy?
No, this fellow was more pure than the most vicious pirate.
But... that was eternal youth after all.
After a long silence.
A twisted yet relieved smile slowly bloomed on the Red Count's pale and arrogant face.
"The Navy... actually produced an interesting monster like you..."
Struggling, he supported himself with his broken umbrella handle and stood up. Though unsteady, his spine remained straight.
"Ten years in exchange for immortality... this deal."
"Done."
[Ding! Host has not only privately released a legendary pirate but also reached a filthy dark transaction with them, attempting to artificially create immortal monster-level combat power!]
[This behavior seriously violates the highest principles of the Navy Justice Code and may even cause massive deviations in the future worldline!]
[Violation Value obtained: 100,000 points!]
[Current Violation Value balance: 501,800!]
Hearing the cold mechanical congratulations in his mind, the smile on Kane's lips became three times more sinister than the Red Count's.
He strode forward, firmly grasping the Red Count's blood-stained hand and shaking it vigorously.
"Welcome to the G-5 family, Old Red."
"From today onward, you're our branch's... specially appointed 'external personnel'."
"Also, since you're joining, pay the onboarding fee first.Kane spread his palm open, looking completely taken for granted. "Your ship may be gone, but those gem rings on your hand look quite valuable. They'll cover part of the interest for now."
Red Count: "..."
Sakazuki: "..."
At this moment, the legendary Red Count suddenly felt deep doubts about his next ten years.