Aiden couldn't quite take Kane's emotional speech. He waved his hand.
"Just eat it first and see the effect."
Kane held the strange purple fruit covered in spiral patterns. His throat moved.
"Sir, then... I'll eat it!"
"Eat it," Aiden said. He sat on a nearby wooden crate and watched him. "Remember to eat the whole thing. I heard it works best if you finish it."
Kane's face turned a little green.
But he looked at the priceless treasure in his hands and clenched his jaw.
To get stronger... he had to risk it.
He opened his mouth wide and took a huge bite.
"Ugh..."
The moment the fruit entered his mouth, a disgusting taste spread through his tongue and throat. Kane's whole face twisted. He almost threw up on the spot, but he clamped a hand over his mouth, forced the nausea down, and swallowed the entire fruit, skin and all, in a few quick bites.
"How do you feel?" Jinbe leaned in out of curiosity.
Kane clutched his neck and dry-heaved for a moment. Then, his body suddenly jolted.
"Hot... it's so hot! It feels like a volcano just exploded inside me!"
He felt his blood boiling. His bones made crisp cracking sounds.
"Roar!!!"
With an uncontrollable low roar from Kane, his body began to change.
His capable but slightly thin body grew larger at a visible speed. His skin quickly hardened, turning into a thick, rough grayish-green layer of keratin. It looked like he was wearing a natural suit of heavy plate armor.
His forehead bulged high. Three sharp, spear-like horns pierced through his skin and grew out. A thick, powerful tail trailed behind him, bringing a heavy rush of wind with every swing.
In just a few seconds, the somewhat gentle-looking adjutant had turned into a five-meter-tall human-beast Triceratops form.
Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model: Triceratops — Human-Beast Form!
"Is this... the power of a Devil Fruit?"
Kane clenched his thick claws. He felt strength filling his arms, back, and legs, far beyond anything he had before.
Right now, he felt strong enough to tear through steel.
"You can't know how strong you are just by standing there."
Aiden stood up, patted the dust off his pants, and beckoned to him.
"Come on, Kane. Attack me with all your strength."
"Let me see the quality of an Ancient Model."
"This... Sir, I have a lot of strength right now..." Kane hesitated. Aiden wasn't even preparing to defend himself. "What if I hurt you..."
"Stop talking nonsense."
Aiden smiled, but his voice left no room for argument.
"If you can make me take one step back, you win."
"Yes! Forgive me then!"
Kane stopped holding back. His hind legs kicked hard against the deck. Two deep footprints instantly caved into the special alloy steel plates.
"Brutal Charge!!"
Kane lowered his head and charged straight at Aiden. The three sharp horns on his head aimed forward, and his heavy body carried enough force to smash through a wall.
The air was squeezed by this brute force, letting out a sharp whistling sound.
However.
Facing this fierce strike, Aiden raised his right hand without moving from his spot and extended a single index finger.
Armament Haki instantly coated his fingertip.
"Bang!!!"
A dull crash echoed throughout the entire ship.
Kane's charge came to a sudden stop half a meter away from Aiden.
Aiden's finger blocked the Triceratops's hardest horn. It did not budge at all.
The force spread outward with the two of them at the center. Aiden's trench coat whipped behind him, but his feet stayed planted on the deck.
"This..."
Kane froze. After gaining so much strength, he still could not move Aiden's finger?
"Not bad. The speed is a bit slow, but with this kind of body hardness, you have more than enough to protect yourself in the New World as long as you don't run into the strongest fighters."
Aiden pulled his finger back. Although he blocked it easily, the deck beneath his feet could not withstand the transfer of that force. It cracked into web-like lines.
"This is the advantage of the Ancient Model. Thick skin, great strength, and strong recovery."
Aiden patted Kane's armored shoulder.
"Develop it well. Don't waste this good fruit."
"Yes, Sir!!" Kane undid his transformation. He returned to his normal form, still flushed with excitement.
...
Two days later.
An island shrouded in dark clouds and smoke appeared at the edge of the horizon.
It was a sea fortress built entirely of steel and black rock. Its massive walls rose from the sea, covered in iron plates, cannons, and watchtowers.
Countless scorch marks and repair patches from artillery fire covered the outer walls. Unexploded shells were even embedded in some spots. Above the fortress, a huge Marine flag flapped wildly in the bitter cold wind. Its edges were torn, but it still held firm.
G-5 Branch.
The Storm Reaper slowly sailed into the port.
There were no neat formations on the pier, nor were there any welcoming bugles.
There was only a group of untidy Marine soldiers. Some were gathered around gambling, some were drinking heavily, and some were even beating a few pirate-looking prisoners for fun. Screams echoed one after another.
When they saw the Storm Reaper docking, this group of rogue soldiers lazily raised their heads.
They noticed the battle-scarred state of the Storm Reaper and saw that it didn't fly a flag representing a flag officer.
It looked just like a battered warship that had fled back after suffering a terrible defeat.
"Yo, another ship that doesn't know the rules has arrived?"
A few shirtless Marines with fierce tattoos on their chests walked over lazily. They blocked the newly lowered gangway.
"Hey! You on the ship!"
The leading one-eyed soldier spat on the ground and tapped the gangway with his sword.
"Do you know the rules? Did you pay the port entry fee?"
"Looking at how poor you are, you probably don't have much of value. How about this: leave half the supplies on the ship, and we'll let you in."
His single eye swept over the people on the deck with open mockery.
Aiden sat on a wooden crate on the deck. He wasn't angry. He only sighed.
"Why is this always the same routine, whether in the East Blue or the New World..."
He sighed softly.
"Kane."
"Here!" Kane, who had just changed clothes, immediately stepped forward.
"Go down."
Aiden motioned toward the pier with his chin.
"Go down there and teach him a lesson."
"Wake him up. Teach him how to talk to his superior officer."
"Understood!"
Kane had been holding back the urge to test his new abilities. Even though he didn't need to transform to deal with someone like this, the strength from his new Devil Fruit had clearly boosted his confidence.
Without a word, he jumped straight down from the bow. He landed on the pier with a boom, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"You..."
Before the one-eyed soldier could react, Kane stepped in and drove his fist into his face.
"Bang!!!"
The impact echoed throughout the port.
Although Kane didn't use his Devil Fruit power, his physique had already been enhanced by the Ancient Model. The force behind that punch was still far beyond ordinary.
The one-eyed soldier didn't even have time to scream. He was sent flying, spinning three times in the air. A mouthful of teeth mixed with blood sprayed all over the ground. Then, he smashed heavily into a pile of cargo in the distance, his fate unknown.
"Smack!"
Immediately after, Kane turned and drove another punch into the next soldier.
The rogue Marine had been about to raise his gun, but the punch knocked him straight to the ground. Half of his face swelled up at once.
"Are you blind?!"
Kane adjusted his slightly messy gloves and stepped on that soldier's chest. He looked around at the others.
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"
This happened too fast. The other rogue soldiers froze for a few seconds, then started shouting all at once.
"Bastard!!"
"You actually dare attack people in G-5 Branch?!"
"Someone's trashing the place!! Grab your weapons, boys!!"
"Wait until Commodore Gulliver gets here. I want to see how you die!"
The commotion here quickly caught the attention of the entire port.
"Someone's causing trouble?!"
"Damn! You dare hit our G-5 brothers? You got a death wish!"
Alarms blared instantly.
The originally lazy port suddenly filled with shouting and the sound of weapons being drawn. Dozens of Marines holding swords and guns rushed over from all directions and surrounded the Storm Reaper. Although they lacked discipline, the edge they had developed after years of surviving in the New World was real.
Faced with Kane's aggressive stance, they weren't afraid at all. Instead, they loaded their weapons one after another and refused to back down.
The main reason G-5 Branch was called a "thug nest," aside from their brutality, was their biggest trait: they were extremely exclusive and internally united.
Even if their own people made mistakes, it wasn't up to outsiders to teach them a lesson.
Aiden sat on the ship and watched the scene below. He wasn't angry.
"This place isn't bad."
"Perfect. A place like this is suited for what I'm going to do next."
His "exile" here was a punishment in name only. In reality, he had broken free from the strict rules of Headquarters. In G-5, he would have far more freedom to act.
Compared to the more orderly first half of the Grand Line, this chaotic New World and the messy G-5 Branch made for his ideal base of operations.
With this layer of cover, he could hunt pirates in the New World without Headquarters watching his every move.
There were as many pirates here as fish in the sea. As long as he kept gaining Sin Points here and kept strengthening his Haki and physique...
When the time came, whether it was the Five Elders or Imu, he would be ready to face them.
Compared to the first half of the Grand Line, this was the best place for him to grow stronger.
"Who dares touch my men on my turf?!"
Just as the chaotic situation was about to erupt, a furious roar came from the direction of the base building.
The crowd parted automatically.
A muscular man nearly three meters tall walked out.
He wore an unbuttoned Marine coat, revealing a chest full of scars. A fierce knife scar crossed his face, and his eyes were bloodshot from anger.
The current Base Commander of G-5 Branch—Commodore Gulliver.
"The boss is here!"
"Boss! These outsiders hit One-Eye!"
The surrounding rogue soldiers instantly grew louder after seeing him and started shouting.
Gulliver glanced at his subordinate lying on the ground with a mouth full of blood. He clenched his jaw.
He looked up and ignored Kane completely, turning straight toward Aiden sitting on the deck.
Gulliver froze.
It was him. Aiden.
Even though Marine Headquarters had notified him, he still didn't expect Aiden to cause such a huge scene on his first day. Shouldn't he keep his head down for a while first?
However, the shock passed in an instant, replaced by anger.
This was G-5! His territory! If he let him walk all over him on the first day, how was he supposed to lead his troops in the future?
Thinking of this, Gulliver gritted his teeth, braced himself, and tried to maintain his authority.
"Beating my men on my turf right after you arrive?"
Gulliver scoffed. His muscles tensed, and his Haki spread out as he tried to intimidate the other party.
"Aiden! Right now you are just a Private stripped of his rank! Do you understand the rules here?!"
Facing Gulliver's questioning, Aiden finally moved.
He slowly stood up and patted the dust off his trench coat.
"Hum—"
Aiden released a brief burst of Haki, then pulled it back at once.
It was only for a moment.
Gulliver felt pressure tighten around his throat. Cold sweat soaked his back, and most of his arrogance vanished in an instant.
Aiden looked down at Gulliver and smiled. Gulliver understood the threat behind that smile.
He raised his hand and gave a salute.
"Reporting, Sir. Private Aiden, reporting for duty."
However, there was not the slightest bit of respect in his tone. It sounded more like teasing.
Aiden pointed at the one-eyed man groaning on the ground.
"Just now, these two guys tried to extort a fellow officer. They not only violated military discipline, but also made G-5 Branch look bad. I educated them a bit on your behalf. A strict leader like you, Commodore, shouldn't mind, right?"
Aiden's excuse was clean.
Gulliver looked at Aiden's smile, then at Jinbe standing behind him, and finally at Issho, who had appeared in the newspapers.
How were these new recruits here to serve a sentence? They were clearly a force to be reckoned with, here to take over!
Fight? He definitely couldn't win.
Reason with them? They were in the right.
Gulliver was a smart man. Although he was brutal, he knew how to read the situation.
He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and squeezed out a smile.
"Fine... very good."
"Since you were enforcing discipline, forget it."
Gulliver turned and kicked the one-eyed man. "Useless trash! Get out of here! Don't embarrass me!"
After venting his anger, he turned back to Aiden.
"But, Aiden... G-5 doesn't keep slackers. Now that you're here, you have to follow the rules here. Don't think you can show off just because you were a Rear Admiral before."
After saying that, he waved his hand. "Disperse! Go do what you're supposed to do!"
Watching Gulliver angrily lead his men away, Kane approached with some worry.
"Sir, we've made an enemy out of him. He will definitely hold a grudge. Will he make things hard for us later?"
"Make things hard for us?"
Aiden shrugged.
"As long as everything looks fine on the surface, it doesn't matter. I have no plans to play political games with him inside this so-called G-5 bureaucracy."
After making his point in front of Gulliver, Aiden led his group to the temporary quarters assigned to them by the base.
Although it was an "exile" in name, Issho, a Special Consultant enjoying the treatment of a Headquarters Vice Admiral, was still in the group. Logically speaking, their living conditions shouldn't be neglected.
However, when Kane pushed open the rusty iron door, a smell of mold mixed with foot odor hit them.
It was an abandoned dormitory building on the edge of the base. The hallway was piled with empty liquor bottles and trash. The paint was peeling off the walls, and rats could even be seen running across the floor in broad daylight.
A few Marines playing cards in the hallway only lazily raised their eyelids when they saw people coming. They didn't salute, continuing to shout and throw their cards down.
"This is the place they arranged for you, Sir?!"
Kane looked at the filthy hallway and clenched his fists. Gulliver was clearly trying to disgust them.
"I'm going to reason with that bastard Commodore right now!"
"Forget it."
Aiden reached out and stopped Kane. He looked around the place without much reaction.
"Since it's an exile, it should look like an exile. Living in a mansion doesn't seem like serving a sentence."
"But..."
"Tap, tap, tap."
Just then, a set of orderly footsteps came from the end of the hallway.
Unlike the unkempt, foul-mouthed rogue soldiers around them, the newcomer's footsteps sounded completely different.
Aiden turned his head.
He saw a tall young officer wearing a black and white checkered coat walking over with a squad of soldiers.
He wore sunglasses and carried a bamboo cane. The soldiers behind him didn't hold weapons. Instead, they carried buckets, brooms, and brand-new bedding.
The young officer stopped in front of Aiden, brought his legs together, and gave a proper salute.
"I am very sorry, Mr. Aiden."
The man spoke politely.
"The base is currently short-handed, and the logistics department neglected to clean up. It is truly a disgrace to G-5 Branch to let you and your subordinates see such an improper sight."
As he spoke, he waved his hand.
The soldiers behind him immediately began to sweep the hallway, shooing away the card-playing rogue soldiers. They moved quickly and cleaned with a discipline that was completely different from the lazy men around them.
"I am Lieutenant Vergo of G-5 Branch."
The young officer calling himself Vergo bowed slightly again. He looked calm and respectful under the sunglasses.
"Commodore Gulliver is busy with official duties, so he specifically instructed me to look after you all. If you don't mind, I will handle things here."
If an ordinary person saw this, they would probably trust him at once.
Even Kane and Jinbe lowered their guard a little.
After all, in a garbage dump like G-5 where everyone was a scoundrel, suddenly seeing a normal Marine was already rare.
However.
Aiden looked at Vergo in front of him and almost failed to keep his expression steady.
Because, right on Vergo's left cheek, there was half an unfinished hamburger patty stuck squarely on it.
The patty was even dripping with sauce, trembling slightly as Vergo spoke.
But Vergo himself seemed completely unaware. He kept his polite posture and spoke to Aiden with a straight face.
Aiden hadn't expected to meet him so early.
The future Demon Bamboo, one of the Donquixote Family's top officers, and Doflamingo's undercover agent inside the Marines.
He didn't expect Doflamingo's forces to have already infiltrated the New World's G-5 Branch this early. And judging by Vergo's method of winning people over, he had clearly been lying low here for a while, and even thriving.
"Lieutenant... Vergo, huh."
Aiden adjusted his expression.
"Since you are so welcoming, Lieutenant Vergo, I'll trouble you with this."
Aiden didn't point out the comical patty on his face, nor did he expose his identity.
He reached out and patted Vergo heavily on the shoulder.
"In a hellhole like this, there aren't many good guys like you who understand the rules."
"You flatter me."
Vergo kept his smile. Even when Aiden patted his shoulder hard, his body did not stiffen at all.
"We are all doing this for justice. It's only right."
Over the next half day, Vergo fully demonstrated what it meant to be a perfect logistics manager.
Not only did he clean the dormitory spotlessly, but he also brought good alcohol and cigarettes.
Even when Kane went to the shipyard to repair the Storm Reaper and the red-nosed head shipwright made things difficult by asking for an exorbitant repair fee, Vergo happened to pass by.
He didn't use force. He just pulled the shipwright into a corner and whispered a few words.
No one knew what he said.
They only knew that the originally arrogant shipwright came back pale. Not only did he not dare take a single Berri, but he also brought out a few pieces of high-quality material from his personal collection for the Storm Reaper, and he started working especially hard.
"Sir, Vergo is such a good guy."
Half an hour later, in the base cafeteria.
Vergo personally kept Aiden and his group company while they ate.
The food here was not bad. It couldn't compare to Aiden's cooking, but it was still a rich meal.
During the meal, Vergo behaved like an honest Marine trying to keep the bigger picture in mind inside this chaotic base.
While eating, Vergo defended the hot-tempered Base Commander with calm words.
"Mr. Aiden, I hope you won't blame Commodore Gulliver."
"The pirates in the New World are getting more and more rampant, and the casualty rate of G-5 Branch remains high. The Commodore simply cares deeply for his soldiers. He is actually not a bad person by nature. His methods are just a bit rough."
Watching Vergo defend his superior and think about the overall situation, Kane and Jinbe both came away with a good impression of him.
After the meal, Vergo politely excused himself to handle official duties.
Looking at his departing back, Kane picked his teeth and couldn't help but sigh.
"Sir, Vergo is a rare good guy."
"He's capable, has a good temper, and takes such good care of us. I really don't know how a talent like him ended up in a mud pit like G-5, and he even has to put up with Gulliver's crap."
"Indeed."
Jinbe also nodded.
"I also feel that although his strength isn't exceptional, he handles things with great structure. He is a talent."
Hearing his subordinates' praise, Aiden took a sip of red wine and said nothing.
A good guy?
He was the kind of man who could destroy you while smiling.
But Aiden didn't plan on exposing him right now. Life was too boring. Keeping a master actor like him around to watch him put on a show was its own kind of fun.
...
Late at night, Base Commander's office.
"Bastard!! That damn bastard!!"
Gulliver was smashing things like crazy in his office. Expensive decorations shattered all over the floor.
"Who the hell does he think he is? He's an exile! And he still dared to embarrass me in public!!"
Gulliver breathed heavily. He was furious, but there was fear under that anger that he did not want to show.
That brief clash earlier in the day made him clearly realize that their strength was on entirely different levels.
He couldn't swallow this insult, but he was even more afraid of dying.
Gulliver collapsed into his chair, grabbing his hair.
"Am I just supposed to let him walk all over me? Watch him act like a king in G-5?"
In the shadows, Vergo stood quietly. He still had no expression on his face.
After Gulliver had vented enough, he handed him a cup of water.
"Commodore, calm down. Going head-to-head is indeed unwise."
Vergo spoke calmly.
"Someone who couldn't be kept down even by two Admirals working together won't be stopped by G-5's forces. If we throw everyone at him, we will only get ourselves killed. And if a fight breaks out, losing part of the base would be the smallest problem."
"Then what do we do?!"
Gulliver grabbed the cup and drank it all in one gulp. He slammed it back onto the table and clenched his jaw.
"There are many ways to make him die. Why do you have to do it yourself?"
Vergo pushed his sunglasses up. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"The New World is very dangerous. It's not just us here; there are also those ruthless great pirates."
"Since we can't deal with him, we can let someone else do the dirty work. As long as he dies in the line of duty while carrying out a mission, even Fleet Admiral Sengoku wouldn't be able to find any faults."
With that, he pulled out a recently received intelligence report from his pocket and placed it gently on the table.
Gulliver glanced at the title on the document. His face changed, and then he smiled.
"Hahahaha! Good! Good idea!"
"Vergo, you really are useful!"
Early the next morning.
An urgent assembly bugle broke the peace of the base.
G-5 Branch Combat Meeting Room.
Officers sat on both sides of the long conference table. Most of them sat casually, some even propping their feet on the table. Smoke filled the entire room.
Sitting in the main seat was Commodore Gulliver, who had suffered a loss the day before.
Right now, he kept glancing at Aiden, who sat at the end of the table.
"Ahem!"
Gulliver knocked hard on the table, quieting the noisy meeting room.
"I called you all here today to announce an important mission."
He picked up a document and looked at Aiden with a forced smile.
"Your performance yesterday left a deep impression on me. Since you are so strong, keeping you at the base is a real waste of your talents."
"It just so happens that Headquarters has been asking us to strengthen our patrols in a certain sea area. I think this glorious and difficult task is perfectly suited for you."
As he spoke, he gave his adjutant a look.
The adjutant immediately spread a giant sea chart across the table, pointing his finger at an area marked in red in the New World waters.
It was an archipelago area located northeast of G-5 Branch.
"Patrol mission in the waters around Hachinosu."
Upon hearing the word "Hachinosu," the officers who had just been watching the show suddenly stopped smiling.
That was a pirate paradise. It was the most chaotic, lawless place on this sea.
And the overlord occupying it now was none other than a dangerous remnant of the former Rocks Pirates—Wang Zhi!
For the Marines, that sea area was a place they avoided unless they had no choice.
Let alone a single warship, even if the entire G-5 Branch mobilized in full force, going there would be marching into a trap.
Having Aiden take a ship to patrol there?
How was this a mission? This was clearly sending him to die! It was a blatant attempt to let someone else do his dirty work!
"How about it? Aiden."
Gulliver leaned back in his chair with a cruel smile.
"The pirates in that area have been too rampant lately. We really need a fierce guy like you to suppress them."
Vergo spoke up at the right time, sounding worried.
"Commodore, the waters around Hachinosu are indeed too dangerous. Even though Mr. Aiden is strong, he only has one ship after all... Isn't this mission too heavy?"
But the more he advised against it, the more Gulliver insisted.
As expected, Gulliver slammed the table.
"Shut up! Our famous Reaper Aiden is highly capable! What's there to fear from a few pirates?!"
The meeting room fell into silence.
Everyone held their breath, watching the young man sitting at the end of the table.
"Heh..."
With everyone watching, Aiden slowly stood up and walked straight toward the main seat.
He didn't even look at the stunned Gulliver. He just reached out and took the mission document from the table.
"This is a good place."
Aiden rolled the mission document into a tube. His tone was casual, as if the mission were nothing special.
"Then I'll head out in a bit."
With that, he turned around and walked toward the door.
Even after Aiden disappeared through the doorway, the meeting room remained dead silent.
The smile on Gulliver's face froze. All the threats and bribes he had prepared in his mind had lost their chance to come out.
He stared at the empty doorway, unable to react for a moment.
He just... took it?
No anger, no resistance, not even a single harsh word?
"Is this guy's... brain broken?"
Gulliver muttered to himself. Then he smiled with contempt.
That was Hachinosu, a pirate paradise. What was the difference between going there to patrol and committing suicide?
"Hmph, he really is just an arrogant kid who only knows how to show off."
Gulliver leaned back into his chair again and smiled.
"Since you have a death wish, don't blame me."
On the vast sea.
The Storm Reaper cut through the waves.
Aiden stood at the bow, facing the cold sea breeze. He held an oiled cloth, carefully wiping the famous sword Oto in his hand.
The white blade reflected the cold sea light as Aiden smiled.