On the ice field, the cold wind howled.
Kane and his group set off in a grand procession.
No warships, no supplies, only Kuzan clearing a path ahead.
"Ice Age!"
Kuzan pressed both hands onto the ice surface. A vast wave of cold air spread madly from him towards the depths of the New World.
A wide, flat avenue of frost was forcibly laid out across the turbulent sea.
The soldiers of G-5, along with the heavily injured Red Count, walked on foot along the ice path, advancing toward the future fortress named "Punk Hazard."
The scene was indescribably desolate, yet also indescribably magnificent.
"Kane, are you sure this is the right direction?" Kuzan asked, turning his head while maintaining the extension of the ice path. "If we go the wrong way, I'll run out of stamina."
"Don't worry, my sense of direction has always been excellent," Kane said, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He held a sea chart, but his gaze was incomparably firm.
What a joke.
In the future, Punk Hazard would be one of the central stages for major events. How could he possibly remember it wrong?
The group traveled across the sea like this for a full day.
When a massive island covered in a primeval jungle, with no sign of human life, appeared in their sights, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
They had arrived.
This was their future home.
The new site for the G-5 Branch—Punk Hazard.
At this point in time, it was not yet the island of extreme hot and cold it would become after the great battle between Aokiji and Akainu, nor was it the base for Caesar's evil experiments.
Right now, just as Kuzan had said, it had nothing but a primeval jungle and some strange beasts.
For the next few days, the soldiers of the G-5 Branch began a wilderness survival on this deserted island. Fortunately, they were all elites, so they weren't about to starve to death.
...
A week later.
On the coastline of Punk Hazard, ten giant warships flying the flag of Marine Headquarters slowly docked.
The supply fleet, personally escorted by Fleet Admiral Kong, had arrived.
"Quick, quick, quick! Everyone lie down! Do you know how to play dead or not?!"
Seeing the masts of the warships in the distance, Kane instantly entered "director mode."
He kicked the butt of a soldier who was about to tidy his appearance.
"Who told you to stand? I want you to act out the weakness of not having eaten for days! Sakazuki, wrap the bandage on your arm thicker! Even thicker!"
"Borsalino! Lie on the stretcher and groan a little!"
After a flurry of chaotic activity, when a grief-stricken Fleet Admiral Kong walked down the gangway, he was greeted by a scene resembling a "hell on earth."
Several hundred G-5 elites were sprawled on the muddy beach in tattered clothes. Some were groaning, others were gnawing on tree bark.
Sakazuki leaned against a rock, his right arm wrapped up like a rice dumpling, his face pale—in truth, it was from hunger. To cooperate with Kane's performance, he had deliberately skipped breakfast.
As for Kane, he was "struggling" to lean on Zangetsu, staggering forward with every step, his eyes bloodshot.
"Fleet Admiral..."
Kane's voice was hoarse. Before he could even speak, tears streamed down his face.
"You're finally here... The men... the men have suffered so much..."
Fleet Admiral Kong, a man of iron and blood, recalled the "battlefield" with its completely altered landscape when he passed the ruins of G-5. Seeing this scene before him now, his heart was about to break.
It was too tragic!
His soldiers, the future hope of the Navy, were actually suffering in this godforsaken place!
"Kane!"
Fleet Admiral Kong strode off the warship and pulled Kane into a hug, his large, fan-like hand patting his back forcefully.
"You've all suffered!"
Kane's acting skills exploded in an instant. He hugged Kong back, his voice trembling with choked sobs.
"Fleet Admiral! As long as you're here, we haven't suffered! For the sake of Justice, this little sacrifice is nothing!"
The two of them put on a moving display of camaraderie between a superior and his subordinate, causing Sakazuki, who was watching from behind, to furrow his brow into a knot.
Kong waved his large hand, and soldiers behind him immediately carried down a full one hundred heavy, large chests.
The lids were opened, and the glittering gold of Berries reflected a dazzling light under the sun.
"Ten billion Berries! In cash! Plus two years' worth of supplies!"
Fleet Admiral Kong grasped Kane's hand and said emotionally, "I know this amount of money might be a little tight for rebuilding G-5, but Headquarters is also short on funds right now... You guys make do with it for now. If it's not enough, file another report!"
Kane looked at the one hundred chests of money, and his tears instantly stopped. His originally pale face flushed with a healthy color at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"It's enough! It's enough! For Justice, we'd even eat grass!"
Kane patted his chest with righteous indignation, discreetly giving Gion a look from behind him.
Gion, forcing back the shame on her face, commanded the soldiers to move the money chests away at top speed, afraid the Fleet Admiral would change his mind in the next second.
After seeing off the deeply moved Fleet Admiral Kong, Kane's expression changed in an instant. He turned to look at Kuzan, Borsalino, and Sakazuki.
"The three of you, set out now."
Kane issued his order.
"Take this money and go to all the nearby islands. Whether they're Affiliated Countries or black markets, use the highest prices to recruit all the best craftsmen for me! The more, the better!"
"Tell them that at G-5, the salary is triple what it is outside! And we provide food, lodging, and absolute safety!"
The three exchanged a glance and nodded. This was something they were familiar with.
"What about me?"
Gion, who had been following behind Kane, asked with her small face tilted up, her eyes full of anticipation.
"You?" Kane smiled and ruffled her hair. "You're in charge of watching the house and supervising the construction progress."
"Oh..." Gion was a little disappointed, but she still obediently agreed.
"Then what about you, Brother Kane?"
"Me?"
Kane's gaze turned to the distant north, in the direction of the North Blue, one of the four seas.
"I'm going to get some... private savings."
Ten billion might be enough to build an ordinary branch base.
But what he wanted to build was not a branch.
It was a... War Fortress, one formidable enough to make even the World Government tremble in fear!
Half a month later, the mission to recruit craftsmen went exceptionally smoothly.
Under the persuasion of "triple salary" and the "amiable" convincing of the three future Admirals, almost all of the top-tier craftsmen in the first half of the New World were rounded up.
They were brought to Punk Hazard by warship. When they saw this deserted island that had nothing but trees and rocks, they were all dumbfounded.
"Lord Marine, are you sure... you want to build a base here?" a white-haired old craftsman asked, trembling.
"There's no wind and no magnetic fields here. Even a Log Pose can't point to it. It's practically a natural prison!"
"That's right, even transporting materials will be a huge problem!"
The craftsmen discussed amongst themselves, all feeling that this was an unreliable venture.
Just then, Kane returned.
He arrived on a medium-sized warship with a dozen soldiers, having come back from the North Blue.
He ordered the soldiers to unload enormous chests filled with Berries and gold from the ship.
Then, in front of all the craftsmen, he opened them.
The small mountain piled up from money instantly silenced all voices of doubt.
Gulp.
The sound of countless people swallowing their saliva echoed.
All the craftsmen's eyes went wide.
In their entire lives, they had never seen so much money!
"Everyone."
Kane jumped to the top of the money chests and surveyed the thousands of craftsmen below, his voice as loud and clear as a bell.
"I know what you're doubting. You're doubting why we chose such a godforsaken, isolated island."
"Now, I will give you the answer!"
He unfurled a massive blueprint, a blueprint of the future base that he had drawn himself.
A ferocious, majestic steel fortress filled with a violent aesthetic leaped off the paper.
"What you are looking at is not an island!"
Kane's finger tapped heavily on the core area of the blueprint.
"But a future!"
"Here, we will build the world's sturdiest, most advanced, and greatest maritime fortress!"
"It will possess a defense system that surpasses Marine Headquarters! Its cannons will cover every corner of this sea! Its walls will be forged from a special alloy mixed with Sea Stone Powder, making them indestructible!"
"This place will become the ultimate fortress guarding the throat of the New World! Any pirate, any enemy, who wants to step into the New World must first ask if our G-5's cannonballs agree!"
"You will no longer be ordinary craftsmen!"
"You will be the builders of this great miracle! Your names, along with this fortress, will be immortalized!"
Kane's voice was full of incitement.
The blueprint he depicted was too grand, too shocking!
All the craftsmen were stirred up by his words, their blood boiling and their breathing quickening.
To build a fortress that surpasses Marine Headquarters?
What a crazy, yet what a glorious, magnificent feat!
"And I, Kane, the commander of G-5 Base, promise you!"
"As long as you do your best, the triple salary I just mentioned is just the beginning!"
"Bonuses, benefits, and even future arrangements for your families—I'll cover it all!"
"I only have one request!"
Kane's gaze swept over every single person.
"With the fastest speed possible, turn what's on this blueprint into reality for me!"
"Money is not an issue!"
"Tell me, do you have the confidence?!"
"YES!!!"
Thousands of craftsmen roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens!
[Ding! Detected that the host has delivered a highly inflammatory speech, blatantly making empty promises, and attempting to establish a private armed fortress independent of the Navy's system!]
[This behavior has severely shaken the organizational discipline of the Navy and is extremely subversive!]
[Violation Value +80,000!]
Hearing the system's notification, the smile on the corner of Kane's mouth grew even wider.
Very good.
The infrastructure-maniac mode...
Is officially activated!
--Enjoying the story? Want more chapters? Check out my Patreon and support me for 40+ advance chapters.
Just search for "GoddessTL" on Patreon!"
Thanks!