Bane picked up the Rc Cell injector from the case, turned it over a few times in his hand, then asked,"How do you use this thing?"
"Just jab it into your kidney and push," Frant said casually. After a brief pause, he added,"Though... I've never seen anyone actually do it. Best not to try it unless you have to."
Bane smirked. "Afraid I'll turn into a man-eater?"
Not that Frant's warning mattered. Even if he hadn't said a word, Bane had already decided not to use the serum—at least not right away. If he hadn't eaten the Yami Yami no Mi, maybe he would've considered it. But now? He had better options.
Still, the injector might come in handy. Maybe he could test it in the world of pirates, see what kind of results it had. If it worked—and the side effects weren't too horrible—it might be worth keeping around.
He put the serum back in the case and asked offhandedly,"How many more of these do you have?"
Frant gave him an incredulous look."You think this is some kind of common street drug? We're talking about stabilized superpowers from another world. Sure, there are side effects—but people on the black market would kill for this stuff."
And he wasn't wrong. Even if it turned people into flesh-craving monsters, there'd be no shortage of desperate souls willing to roll the dice.
But Bane didn't argue. He just tapped the ash off his cigar and repeated,"So. How many?"
Frant sighed dramatically."Three doses total. Including the one I was going to give you."
Bane nodded."How much?"
Frant rubbed his hands together and tried to look innocent."I paid a premium myself... Let's say 800,000 per shot. Just enough to break even."
"Fine," Bane said immediately. "Three doses. One of them's free, right? So that's 1.6 million—in pesos."
Frant blinked. Then howled,"Pesos?! It's supposed to be Imperial Silver!"
Bane waved him off."This whole slum doesn't have Imperial currency. And even if it did, do you think guys like us would have access to it?"
This led to a back-and-forth debate that highlighted the current economic mess of the empire.
A Brief History of the Continent
This continent was once home to two major empires: Sodis in the west and Ceres in the east.
Both were ancient powers with long histories. But over three hundred years ago, internal strife tore Sodis apart. The Ceres Empire took advantage, fanning the flames of rebellion and dragging the civil war out for over 60 years—two full generations.
By the time Sodis was weak enough, Ceres launched a full-scale invasion.
The war lasted another 20 years. When it ended, Sodis was shattered—half its land annexed, the rest splintered into petty kingdoms and puppet states.
Since then, Ceres stood as the sole imperial power.
But conquering was easy—ruling was the hard part.
For the next two centuries, Ceres spent massive resources trying to integrate the new territories. Twenty years ago, they prepared to launch another campaign to crush the remaining Sodis loyalists once and for all.
But then, out of nowhere, Dimensional Gates began opening across the world.
The chaos that followed forced Ceres to abandon the war. Instead, the empire adopted a new policy: The Westward Expansion Movement.
In short, the empire encouraged mercenaries, adventurers, and private factions to invade the western territories on their own—offering rewards like noble titles and land to those who succeeded.
It was partly a power play, partly a strategy to redirect internal unrest.
Cities like New Dall, where Bane lived, were direct results of this expansion. These were lawless, chaotic frontiers—poorly regulated, often violent.
Now, with a new wave of expansion underway, the empire was likely to push the front further west. New Dall would no longer be on the front line, but rather a strategic supply point.
That meant order was coming. And for people like Bane… that wasn't good.
Despite the victories, rebellions remained a constant problem—especially in the former Sodis regions. Three years ago, a man named Tornis emerged, claiming to be a noble descendant of Sodis.
He discovered a Dimensional Gate and triggered a bloody uprising, turning hundreds into vampires and founding a self-proclaimed "Empire of Eternal Night."
Though quickly crushed, the vampire remnants still survived, occasionally stirring up chaos.
So yeah—Bane had originally thought his situation was bad.
But it looked like the empire itself was worse off.
At present, Ceres was held together by strained military power, unending expansionism, and a delicate balance of ambition and fear.
And in places like New Dall, the currency in use—the peso—was just a local workaround. Real power still flowed through the official Imperial Gold and Silver.
Eventually, after much haggling, Bane bought all three Rc Cell doses for 2.6 million pesos.
He didn't have to sell his apartment, but it drained almost all his savings. Even Frant was surprised Bane could afford it.
After the deal was done, Bane leaned back and asked,"Now that New Dall's about to become a rear base, things won't stay so loose around here. You always hear things before anyone else—got any intel worth sharing?"
"Intel's not free, you know," Frant said instinctively.
But when he saw Bane twirling one of the injectors in his hand—and glancing occasionally at his kidney—he broke into a quick smile."C'mon, we're friends. Let's not talk about money."
He clearly didn't want to risk getting jabbed.
Frant looked around to make sure no one was listening, then leaned in and whispered,"I overheard something while working for a real noble. Might be nothing—but it could be huge."
"What is it?" Bane lowered his voice without thinking.
"Not confirmed," Frant said, "but rumor has it… the Dragon Emperor has finally lost his patience with the constant rebellions in the western territories. Word is, he's sending in the Imperial Dragon Guard to crush everything."
Bane's eyes narrowed.
Frant continued nervously,"This isn't like the usual local garrisons and mercs. We're talking elite imperial enforcers. The whole world knows what kind of monster the Dragon Emperor is—he conquered an entire alternate world through sheer force."
There was a long silence between them.
Frant added quietly,"If this is true, New Dall could get swept up too—whether it's a target or just collateral damage."
Then he sighed and said,"You're the only one I'm telling this to. After today, we probably won't see each other for a while."
"You're leaving?" Bane asked, raising a brow.
Frant nodded."Yeah. I'm dumping all my stock and getting out while I can. Gotta liquidate fast and vanish. Maybe when things calm down, I'll come back."
Bane clicked his tongue."Honestly? I'm thinking of leaving too. This empire's a mess. Time I found a safer place to grow my roots."
"You're leaving too?" Frant's eyes lit up. "Where to? Wanna travel together?"
Bane shook his head."Where I'm going… you can't follow. We walk different roads. If fate allows, we'll meet again."
Truthfully, their friendship wasn't worth much more than 2.6 million pesos.
No way was he sharing any secrets.
Because yes—Bane had made up his mind.
It was time to lay low.
And the best place to do that?
The One Piece world.