Ambush

Kane's secret talk with Ivankov and Kuma did not take much time. What mattered was obtaining information about Mary Geoise and the Celestial Dragons from them.

After all, they were a professional revolutionary organization and possessed a great deal of intelligence Kane might need while searching for Ginny's whereabouts.

After clearly committing the information to memory, Kane smiled at Ivankov and Kuma, then dispelled his clone under their watchful eyes.

"GOOGLE Search TWKAN"

"What an incredible guy! Hee-haw!"

Ivankov made an exaggerated expression, his enormous eyeballs looking ready to pop out of their sockets.

Kuma remained as expressionless as ever, though a trace of shock flashed through the eyes hidden behind his glasses.

He caught a petal scattered by Kane's dispelled clone and watched it gradually fade away in his palm. His longing for Ginny grew even stronger.

Back at the camp, Kane checked the time. There were still three hours until dawn, so he stood and stretched his body, stiff from sitting too long.

"Youth really is wonderful. Your energy is simply outrageous."

Tsuru's voice suddenly rang out. Kane turned around and saw that she had somehow appeared beside the bonfire, sitting on the ground and poking at the flames.

Kane immediately put on an indignant expression, pointed at the tents around them where snores rose one after another, and said angrily,

"You haven't even gone to sleep, so how dare these guys sleep? I'll drag them up to keep you company right now!"

"Sit."

"Oh."

Kane obediently sat beside Tsuru. He thoughtfully poured a cup of hot water from the kettle by the bonfire and offered it to her with both hands.

Tsuru paused for a moment before casually accepting it, looking at Kane with curiosity in her eyes.

"Why do you always give me the feeling that you're both dependable and unreliable at the same time? Like..."

Tsuru stopped, seemingly lost in thought. Kane asked curiously,

"Like what?"

"Like that idiot Garp."

"Hey, weren't you just insulting someone?"

Tsuru smiled. She brought the cup to her lips, gently blew on it, and took a small sip. Warmth flowed down her throat and into her body, driving away the chill of the late night.

After a moment of silence, Tsuru suddenly asked,

"Reaching the Red Line does not mean we'll be safe. Even at full speed, it will take ten days to reach the Sabaody Archipelago. How do you think we should travel that stretch?"

"Me? I've never even been there."

Kane shook his head, then suddenly looked in a certain direction and asked curiously,

"That's Mary Geoise over there, right? Can I go in and take a look when we pass by? I've always been curious."

"Without a permit, no one can enter Mary Geoise."

Tsuru frowned. "Why are you interested in a place like that?"

Kane shrugged. "I want to see what the Celestial Dragons riding on our heads and throwing their weight around actually look like..."

"Shut up."

Tsuru gave a soft shout, her eyes swiftly sweeping over the surroundings as she warned him quietly,

"The closer you get to Mary Geoise, the more you need to know what should and should not be said.

"Those people are nothing special, but you'd better pray that you never have to deal with them for the rest of your life.

"We will indeed pass by Mary Geoise on the way. You can look at it from outside then, but you are not allowed to do anything unnecessary."

After saying that, Tsuru stood up and walked toward the tent holding Doflamingo's group, carrying her cup. Before leaving, she gave one final reminder,

"Doflamingo may have secretly contacted forces other than Kaido. Be careful on the road."

"Understood."

Kane stood and watched Tsuru leave, silently wondering who Doflamingo might have contacted.

Time passed quickly. When the first rays of sunlight fell over the camp in the morning, Hina stormed out of her tent and headed straight for Kane, who was preparing to put out the bonfire.

"Hina told you to wake Hina in two hours! Why did you..."

"Oh, I wanted you to sleep a little longer."

Kane gave Hina a gentle, easygoing smile, then dumped a basin of water over the bonfire.

Sizzle...

The bonfire went out instantly. Rising steam blurred Hina's vision, but it did not blur Kane's smile in her eyes.

"But Hina clearly... Hina was already prepared..."

Hina felt the anger in her heart snuffed out as though someone had poured a basin of water over it. Only a lingering warmth remained, leaving her at a loss. In the end, she could only warn him weakly,

"Next time, you are not allowed to ignore Hina's words!"

"I'll remember. Let's eat breakfast."

Kane smiled and patted Hina on the shoulder.

"If you really feel bad about it, you can take watch tonight."

"...Okay."

Hina agreed reluctantly, unwrapped a lollipop, and put it in her mouth. Yet the little stick sticking out from the corner of her lips bobbed up and down cheerfully.

After breakfast, everyone immediately set off, while Kane climbed into a carriage and fell sound asleep.

Unlike traveling by sea, carriages constantly rattled and jolted along. They also encountered other travelers on the road, making them far noisier than the ocean.

Worried that Kane would not sleep well, Robin laid thick padding inside the carriage and rested Kane's head on her lap.

But when Kane's hot breath brushed against her skin, she found herself distracted by wayward thoughts.

In the carriage behind them, Monet still had no idea that they were escorting the young master she had been thinking about day and night. As she watched baby-5 sleep soundly, her thoughts drifted toward Kane's carriage.

What she did not notice was that Doflamingo's image in her mind was gradually fading, while her memories of Vergo were becoming increasingly vivid.

But just as Monet was thinking of Vergo, her brows suddenly furrowed, and a nearly instinctive sense of disgust rose within her.

When she focused on it, she felt that the air filling her chest and lungs seemed to carry an extra trace of heat.

At the same time, Kane, who had been sleeping deeply, abruptly opened his eyes. He sat up as though nothing had happened, gently kissed Robin on the forehead, and said,

"Don't come out."

"Okay."

Robin did not understand what was happening, but she trusted and obeyed Kane's words without reservation.

"Good girl."

Kane gently stroked her cheek and strode out of the carriage.

There were few pedestrians on the road outside. Several cargo carriages covered in dust cloth approached from ahead, about to pass the Marine carriages.

Kane swept his gaze over them, reached out to snatch a gun from the nearest Marine, and pulled the trigger at one of the cargo carriage drivers.

Bang!

The sudden gunshot startled everyone. The driver clutched his chest in pain and fell over, revealing the hand he had hidden inside his clothes. It was gripping a pistol.

Several horses were spooked by the gunshot and reared up with shrill neighs. The carriages behind them were violently dragged about, and faint cries of alarm came from the cargo compartments.

Everyone around them was stunned, but Kane could not even be bothered to spare them a glance. Before anyone could react, he smoothly swung the gun toward another carriage driver.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out again. The driver, who had already drawn a gun from his clothes, screamed miserably and fell off the carriage.

The compartment behind him exploded apart, and several burly men wielding weapons leaped out, shouting as they charged at the Marines.

By then, even the dullest Marine understood what was happening. They raised their guns at the cargo carriages and the charging men, rapidly pulling their triggers.

In an instant, gunshots and miserable screams erupted all over the road.

Yet Kane, who had caused this enormous chaos, remained utterly calm as he sat steadily atop the carriage.

He silently watched the chaotic battle, only firing to save a Marine when one was in danger, or slightly shifting aside when a stray bullet came flying his way.

The battle had started suddenly and ended just as quickly.

Before the Marines could even emerge from the tension of battle, the enemies were already scattered across the ground, dead or wounded, with only a few managing to escape.

Kane silently watched the shaken Marines. As they gradually calmed down, they all looked toward him, only to instinctively lower their heads whenever their eyes met his.

"Heh, your performance was fucking fantastic..."

Kane's sneer made the hearts of every Marine present tremble.

Although Tsuru was the highest-ranking officer in this unit, Kane had already earned their awe through his terrifying combat strength and ruthless conduct against enemies during the journey.

Especially since Tsuru had strictly ordered everyone in the unit to obey Kane's commands, granting him enormous authority.

Now that Kane's face had darkened and his cold gaze kept sweeping over them, how could they not be afraid?

Just as the prolonged silence began to make their hearts pound, Kane finally spoke again. But his fragrant greeting struck their heads until they buzzed.

"I would like to ask all the idiots here: are you monkeys wearing human skin? Or some kind of rare beast whose intelligence degenerates the moment it sets foot on land?

"The enemy was practically at your throats, yet not a single one of you noticed!

"This kind of nightmare I wouldn't dare dream of, you actually put on right under my nose. Are you all fucking blind and deaf?

"Do you know there are enemies watching us from the shadows? Do you know you need to be alert when someone passes by?

"You actually let the enemy swagger to within ten meters of you. Thank you all so much for broadening my horizons!"

The Marines who had been scolded into lowering their heads flushed red. The Marine whose gun Kane had taken was especially uneasy. He wanted to retrieve his gun, yet did not dare say anything.

Kane slapped the gun in his hand into that Marine's chest and gave him a cold glance.

"Name."

"H-Hans."

"Very good, Hans. You are the most useless person in this unit."

Hans's face instantly turned pale, but Kane mercilessly continued scolding him,

"Your awareness was so poor that you failed to notice an enemy already aiming at you, and you even let me take your gun with ease. What a promising future you have.

"You look big enough that you must eat a lot. Did you join the Marines because the meals are free here?"

Hans was so ashamed that he wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground, but Kane's orders were already firing out like a barrage.

"Everyone, one hundred squats on the spot. Hans gets two hundred, plus night watch tonight.

"Count the exact casualties and losses as quickly as possible. We must depart in ten minutes.

"You should be grateful that we are currently on a classified mission. Otherwise, I would absolutely beat you into the intensive care ward so you would remember this lesson.

"As for these pieces of trash who attacked us..."

Kane paused, then said in an icy tone,

"Leave three alive. Kill the rest. Notify the nearby security officers to handle the bodies."

Kane spoke every word clearly, sending chills through everyone present. One thug pretending to be dead even suddenly sprang up and begged for mercy, asking only to be one of the three survivors.

Inside the carriage, Robin's infatuated gaze remained fixed on Kane through the window, and she laughed quietly to herself.

She had spent three months at Kane's Marine base and knew very well just how brutal and efficient his methods of disciplining subordinates were.

What was happening before her was merely basic stuff to Kane. Robin even felt a little sorry for the Marines who had been scolded into shutting down.

Meanwhile, in another carriage following closely behind Kane's, Monet had been staring at him with gleaming eyes, an unnatural flush rising on her snow-white face.

"Vergo..."

She murmured softly. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, completely captivated by the domineering strength Kane had displayed.

She even felt a little envious of Hans and could not help imagining herself being punished and dominated by Kane.

Kane noticed that Robin and Monet were both watching him, but his gaze turned toward the depths of the forest beside the road.

Someone was hiding there.

Someone was releasing Observation Haki without the slightest restraint.

Kane knew that person was watching.

Watching the Marines, watching him, watching the cause and course of the battle, watching every detail of this unit.

Kane suddenly smiled. He raised his right thumb and made a throat-slitting gesture toward where that person was hiding.

The next moment, a scorching wind howled out of the forest, carrying an aggressive wave of heat!

Yet after the heat wave passed, the forest remained as silent as before, as though everything that had just happened had been an illusion.

The smile on Kane's face became even more disdainful and brilliant as he silently mouthed toward the forest.

Cowardly little...

Trash!