Tsuru's Appreciation

"Kane, it's charging over! Get ready!"

Hina's warning carried over from afar.

"Don't worry, I'm already preparing for an extra meal."

Kane smiled and waved at her. Then, amid everyone's astonished gazes, he leaped onto the mast, crouched slightly to gather strength, and explosively launched himself forward like a cannonball!

The tremendous force of his kick even caused the warship to sink abruptly. By the time everyone regained their footing, Kane was already above the Sea King's head, his black fist coated in Haki crashing down!

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang out. A massive dent bearing the imprint of a fist instantly appeared atop the Sea King's head, and it crashed into the sea with a thunderous roar.

Kane, meanwhile, leisurely hovered in midair using Geppo. He rolled his wrist and remarked that a Sea King's skull was indeed tough, though not tough enough to make him use his full strength.

According to the Marines' records, he had yet to eat a Devil Fruit, so he could not reveal any Fruit abilities.

Fortunately, all of his Fruit abilities came from copying. He was not afraid of seawater or Seastone, so he did not have to worry about being exposed someday.

A moment later, the Sea King surfaced, its eyes rolled back and foam spilling from its mouth. Kane had actually knocked it unconscious with a single punch.

"Is he a monster?"

"Someone that strong is serving as a branch base commander?!"

"Idiot! If he weren't strong enough, why would Admiral Zephyr recommend him to manage the G-5 Branch?"

"But this is just ridiculous..."

Amid the cries of amazement, Kane lightly landed on the Sea King's belly, secured the rope Hina threw to him around its body, and then jumped back onto the warship.

"You're practically a monster. Hina is shocked."

Hina stood with her hands on her hips, staring at Kane, whose clothes were not even dirty. She shook her head in disbelief.

Kane pushed his sunglasses up onto his forehead, looked at Hina, and smiled casually.

"Making you look shocked gives me a greater sense of accomplishment than defeating a Sea King."

"Are you an idiot?! Why do you even care about something like that?" Hina's gaze shifted away slightly.

"Hahaha, that just makes you even cuter!"

Kane laughed heartily and patted Hina on the head.

"When you grill the beef tongue, remember to add extra chili peppers, little Hina."

"Hina will make the cooks add a super extra amount of chili peppers!"

Hina did not swat Kane's hand away. She merely tilted her head aside to avoid it a little.

The enormous Sea King was butchered by the Marines. The edible portions were moved into the warship's refrigerated storage, piling up like a small mountain, while the finest cuts were immediately prepared and brought onto the deck.

Fortunately, this Sea King possessed the best qualities of both fish and cattle. Its meat was delicious, with the tenderness of fish and the springy texture of beef. It tasted good no matter how it was cooked.

Such meat was exceedingly rare on the market and absurdly expensive. As the Marines feasted, every one of them felt deeply grateful to Kane.

Even Hina abandoned her usual stern demeanor. She even allowed the Marines who had secretly stashed alcohol to bring out their drinks, turning lunch into a banquet.

More than ten days later, Hina's warship crossed the Grand Line and the two Calm Belts, finally arriving in a stretch of sea in the North Blue.

When Hina's warship reached the designated location, Kane saw an island shaped like a swallow, as well as two warships moored beside it.

In that instant, something seemed to flash through his mind, though he could not make sense of it for the moment.

After all, he had been transported into the world of pirates for ten years now, and many plot points had become blurry.

"Let's go. Vice Admiral Tsuru wants us aboard."

Hina patted Kane on the shoulder and headed toward the boarding point.

Kane nodded, signaling Robin to wait patiently before following Hina onto Tsuru's warship.

However, the moment he stepped onto the bow, a petite figure came flying at him and dove headfirst into his arms.

"Kane~!"

Kane helplessly rubbed his forehead and raised a hand to stop the fierce incoming headbutt, lest he get seriously injured.

Silky long hair fell between his fingers, swaying cheerfully and gleaming with a bright rose-gold sheen.

"You nearly broke my ribs last time. Were you aiming for my heart this time?"

The girl whose head he held back was adorably charming. Though she was still young, her figure had already developed alluring curves.

Her fair legs beneath her orange skirt were long and well-proportioned. Her delicate, pale toes poked out from her sandals, pressing against the soles and the deck as she strained like a little calf, pushing forward with all her strength against Kane's palm.

As she charged forward, she wildly waved her milk-white arms, trying to grab Kane. Yet beneath Kane's utterly unmoving arm, all her efforts were futile, and her chubby little lips puffed out in frustration.

"You jerk, Kane! You haven't come to see me in four months!"

"Then you should suggest that Headquarters establish a regular route to the West Blue instead of trying to explode my heart the moment we meet."

"I don't care! I want to eat the pastries you make!"

"I didn't bring any."

"I don't believe you! Unless you let me search you! Search your whole body!"

"Like hell I'd fall for that and let you take advantage of me!"

"Damn it! I really can't trick you..."

Their bickering drew smiles from the crowd. Tsuru, standing at the front, helplessly shook her head.

"Kujaku, come back. You're troubling Kane."

Only then did Kujaku puff up her cheeks and make a face at Kane before turning and returning to Tsuru's side.

Kane immediately breathed a sigh of relief, saluted Tsuru, and opened the light screen at the same time.

[Tsuru, Favorability: 27]

[Kujaku, Favorability: 66]

Tsuru, already in her sixties, had a slender build. Her full head of white hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and her eyes were bright and sharp, making her seem even more energetic than a young person.

After studying Kane for a moment, she nodded. "You've grown stronger again. No wonder Zephyr and Gion both praise you so highly.

"Especially Gion. She's certain that with you here, the success rate of this operation will increase greatly."

"Vice Admiral Gion? It's hard to imagine her evaluating me like that."

An image of an elegant yet sternly expressioned beautiful Marine vice admiral appeared in Kane's mind. He shook his head with a bitter smile.

"She always says I'm not doing my proper job, and that if she gets the chance, she'll definitely set me straight."

"Is that so?" Tsuru smiled and teased, "In a way, she isn't wrong."

As soon as she finished speaking, a soft laugh came from beside Tsuru.

Kane swept his gaze over and saw a blonde female Marine with a longsword at her waist. The corners of her lips were curled into a smile, her bright eyes blinking as she looked at him with an amused expression.

[Cuckoo, Favorability: 49]

Kane's expression stiffened. He forced a smile at her, but inwardly, he became vigilant, wondering how she planned to mess with him this time.

Kane liked Tsuru's unit very much because it was a powerful Marine force whose core members were all women.

There was Tsuru at the helm, her granddaughter Kujaku, her direct subordinates Cuckoo, Grey Pigeon, Swift, and the others.

They were either immensely powerful or possessed tremendous potential. All of them were outstanding among the Marines.

Take Kujaku, for example. She was Tsuru's granddaughter—innocent, lively, and passionate. In the future, she would become the user of the Whip-Whip Fruit and one of Blade Squad's core members.

She was simply not strong enough yet. Even though her favorability toward Kane was high, Kane had not copied her abilities.

Then there was Cuckoo, one of Tsuru's direct subordinates. She was a powerful swordswoman, a fierce woman who had once smashed Garp's head with a baseball bat, and the source of Kane's Armament Haki.

However, Cuckoo especially loved teasing Kane, and every time she was about to do so, she wore that same amused expression.

Just as Kane was wondering what prank Cuckoo was planning this time, Tsuru suddenly asked,

"Kane, Gion once told me that your mind surpasses even your strength, so I'd like to hear your thoughts on this operation."

Kane immediately set aside his thoughts and said seriously, "Could you tell me what this operation involves?"

Hina perked up her ears beside him. She also wanted to know why they had mobilized such a force.

"This operation is to capture Donquixote Doflamingo and his crew."

"I see... Huh? Who?!" Kane's eyes suddenly widened.

"It seems you've heard of him." Tsuru gave Kane an approving look.

"That makes sense. Gangs run rampant in the West Blue, and he is one of their weapons suppliers. It's no wonder you've heard his name."

"That's right." Kane nodded calmly, though his heart was already churning violently.

Doffy was a powerful and popular character in the world of pirates. How could Kane possibly not know him?!

Tsuru continued, "Do you know the pirate Barrels?"

After thinking briefly, Kane nodded. "I do. He's a former Marine officer who is now a pirate active in the North Blue.

"Since he understands Marine methods and tactics, he's extremely troublesome."

Tsuru was quite satisfied with Kane's answer and nodded.

"Barrels accidentally acquired a Devil Fruit called the Op-Op Fruit. The Marines intend to purchase it for five billion Berries.

"However, Sengoku received intelligence that Doflamingo intends to seize the Op-Op Fruit before the transaction. He will appear on Swallow Island three days before making his move.

"So we plan to lie in ambush here and capture his entire crew in one sweep. The specific arrangements are..."

Tsuru did not notice that the moment she mentioned the Op-Op Fruit, Kane—who had lowered his head as if deep in thought—was filled with shock.