Kuma

Under a night sky hung with a crescent moon, Kane held Princess Cuckoo in his arms and flapped his wings toward the Red Line.

However, compared to when he had first carried Cuckoo soaring through the skies, the frequency of his wingbeats had clearly slowed considerably.

Cuckoo lightly wrapped her arms around Kane's neck, her alluring eyes hazy as she breathed a fragrant breath.

"Little Kane~ Do you still have enough stamina?"

"Please don't ask such stupid questions."

"Hehe~ I hope you're not just talking tough~"

"I was the one who took you to heaven, and I was the one who sent you to heaven. And now you're questioning me?"

Kane shot Cuckoo a speechless glance, yet an unconscious smile appeared on his face at the sight of her flower-like smile.

"Instructor Cuckoo, where is your conscience?"

"Right here~"

With a smile, Cuckoo took Kane's hand and guided it toward her conscience.

It was a very nice conscience.

There was a little conscience atop the big conscience.

There was red conscience atop the white conscience.

Faced with such a conscience, Kane's heart swayed for a moment. He felt that he was the one with no conscience for accusing Cuckoo of lacking one.

"Little Kane~ Your flying is getting a little unsteady~"

"Is that my fault?"

"Who else's fault would it be~"

Cuckoo liked seeing Kane captivated by her, so she was never stingy about showing him her beauty.

Kane stared at her without blinking and said,

"Instructor Cuckoo, I hope you haven't developed the illusion that you have a chance to defeat me. Otherwise, you'll taste the bitter fruit."

"Bitter fruit? Like the kind we had in the clouds just now?"

Cuckoo leaned closer to Kane, her smile bright as spring. Her slightly curled golden hair danced in the wind, like slender fingers brushing across Kane's face.

"Yes, like the kind in the clouds."

Kane's gaze turned aggressive, and the arm holding Cuckoo tightened slightly.

Cuckoo's heart suddenly began pounding fiercely. She looked around, her unobstructed gaze reaching as far as her eyes could see.

The vast night sky stretched endlessly before them. Cuckoo felt that the closest thing to them was the crescent moon overhead, which seemed to be secretly laughing.

Clearly, there was no one else but the two of them, yet she somehow felt as though countless pairs of eyes were watching her and Kane.

A string of distracting thoughts suddenly flooded her mind.

They were about to reach the Red Line...

Then came Impel Down...

The mission was about to end...

Kane...

Here...

Here!

"Little Kane, I want you to remember this place forever!"

In an instant, Cuckoo threw away all her distracting thoughts. With her heart thumping wildly, she suddenly threw herself at Kane.

"Kane, it's time to get off the cable car."

Hina's muffled reminder sounded beside Kane's ear, pulling him out of his strange state.

"We're here?"

Kane opened his eyes, straightened up, and stretched. Rarely, he felt somewhat tired.

"Are you very tired?"

Hina was a little confused.

"I'm fine. Maybe I'm just not used to suddenly relaxing."

"Could it be because the air here is a little thin?"

"Very possible."

As Kane spoke, he let out a huge yawn. He looked up toward a patch of sky outside the window, then followed Hina out of the Bubble Cable Car.

The Flower Clone had flown with Cuckoo for over an hour, and they had fought fiercely twice along the way. The stamina they had expended was immense.

On top of that, the higher they went, the thinner the air became. Kane, who had spent all year active at sea level, found it very uncomfortable.

If he had not recently copied Black Maria's Zoan Devil Fruit ability and further strengthened his physique, he probably would not have gotten away with merely yawning a few times.

After leaving the cable car and taking attendance, everyone arrived at the temporary camp Tsuru had set up and hurried to rest, since they still needed to hurry onward after daybreak.

Kane volunteered to keep watch, but Hina firmly objected on the grounds that he looked exhausted.

However, under Kane's insistence, Hina eventually relented and allowed him to stand watch for two hours before waking her.

Soon, snores rose and fell throughout the camp. Even Robin, who had insisted on keeping Kane company, fell asleep while leaning against him.

Kane idly poked at the campfire with a branch when he suddenly heard light footsteps. He turned his head, and a smile naturally appeared on his face.

It was Cuckoo.

Cuckoo looked at Kane with a smile, a strange feeling rising in her heart.

After reaching the Red Line, Kane had carried her around on his back as he had on Minion Island. Even when they reached the edge of the camp, Cuckoo was still draped over his back.

But the moment she jumped down from Kane's back and stepped into the camp, Kane beside her vanished. In the blink of an eye, she saw him sitting by the campfire, flashing her a smug smile.

That strange experience even gave Cuckoo an illusion—a wonderful illusion that she could see Kane anytime, anywhere.

What a smug brat...

Cuckoo gracefully walked over to the campfire and sat down on Kane's other side without saying a word. Flickering firelight reflected off her pretty face, inexplicably lending her an extra touch of charm.

She gently tucked the loose strands of hair by her ear behind it, then tilted her head toward Kane, her gaze content and peaceful.

A moment later, Cuckoo also fell asleep against Kane. Before drifting off, however, she tossed the branch from Kane's hand into the fire and pressed her own hand into his palm.

Kane could not help but laugh. His left hand held Robin's, his right hand held Cuckoo's, and both women leaned against him. He was practically sealed in place.

Fortunately, he possessed a special skill. With a thought, two Flower Clones appeared beside the campfire, each picking up one of the women and carrying them back to their respective tents.

Immediately afterward, Kane created another Flower Clone outside the camp, which swiftly slipped into the woods beyond it.

Under Kane's control, this Flower Clone crept along for a while before reaching a secluded clearing.

Two tall figures stood there, watching Kane's clone swagger into view from a distance.

"Mysterious boy, we have finally met! Hee-haw!"

Ivankov danced strangely as he strode toward Kane. A warm smile hung on his iconic enormous face, while his huge mouth, which occupied half his face, stretched wide in an exaggerated grin.

As that face drew closer and closer, Kane felt the fear of gigantic objects buried deep in his genes nearly acting up. He hurriedly dodged Ivankov's bear hug.

"What did you call me? Mysterious boy?"

"What do you think? It suits your mysterious aura perfectly, doesn't it?"

Ivankov winked at Kane, his enormous false eyelashes even stirring up a faint breeze.

The corner of Kane's eye twitched. For a moment, he did not know how to respond and could only turn to look at the silent Kuma.

"Did the infiltration go smoothly?"

"I once stayed on the Red Line for a time."

Kuma's voice was somewhat heavy, but the expression on his face was even heavier, as though the scenery had stirred old memories.

Kane knew very well how miserable Kuma's past had been, and he could not help feeling a little emotional.

Simply because of their rare bloodline, Kuma's family of three had been reduced to slaves of the Celestial Dragons.

A few years later, his mother died miserably at the hands of the Celestial Dragons. His father was also shot dead by the Celestial Dragons merely because he had spoken a little too loudly.

Then he was transported to God Valley as prey. Although he had luckily escaped the God Valley massacre, it was not long before the king forced him into rebellion.

Later, although he joined the Revolutionary Army, the woman he loved was abducted by the Celestial Dragons. His fate was tragic beyond belief.

If events followed the original plot, Kuma would eventually become a modified human with no independent will. Countless artificial humans made in his image would become accomplices of the World Government in clearing away its obstacles.

Looking at the quiet Kuma, Kane had long decided to change his tragic future, but he still could not help feeling sympathy for him.

Though Kuma looked bold and imposing, he was delicate, sensitive, and perceptive inside. He quickly sensed Kane's sympathy toward him from his eyes, and his heart gave a start.

This Kane...

He seemed to know a great many things...