Sea Circle Year 1529, North Blue — Marine Branch 108, Cash Redemption Office.
Kane leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, watching the staff prepare the Beri and listening to the sound of bills being counted.
The corner of his mouth curled up.
This was where bounty hunters collected their rewards.
Bounty hunters would bring in pirates — dead or alive — and the local Marine branch would report the information to headquarters.
The Intelligence Management Office at Marine Headquarters would verify it, then issue the bounty and release the funds.
Under normal procedures, from the moment a bounty hunter turned in a pirate to successfully collecting the bounty, there was a waiting period of three to seven days, sometimes even longer.
It all depended on the local commander’s attitude — whether they were flexible or rigid and inflexible.
If you got someone easy to deal with, they could advance the bounty payment on the same day at the earliest.
If you got someone corrupt or crooked, they might just tell you to get lost and pocket the bounty themselves.
After all, branch bases were not headquarters.
Scum like Captain Nezumi had managed to hold sway in the East Blue for years, so you could imagine what things were like in other seas.
There were bound to be similar cases.
Captain Nezumi was no small fry either.
Keep in mind that the East Blue had a special situation — a Marine Hero regularly returned home to visit family, and even he never discovered that rotten tumor.
But Kane did not have to worry.
He enjoyed VVIP treatment.
Colonel Kuro, the base commander of Branch 108, personally verified everything, instructed his adjutant to report the intelligence, and without waiting for a reply, took Kane to collect the money.
“Mr.
Kane, please confirm the bounty.”
“No need.
We are old friends.” Kane waved his hand and closed the briefcase.
Out of personal habit, he always came to Branch 108 to exchange his bounties.
He had long since gotten familiar with Colonel Kuro and the cashiers.
Though Kane spoke smoothly, his eyes were sharp.
He had already confirmed the amount while the cashier was preparing it.
The payment was correct.
“Kane, join the Marines!
I will personally recommend you.
I guarantee you will get into Marine Headquarters’ new recruit training camp.
With Instructor Zephyr’s dedicated teaching, this is an opportunity you cannot afford to miss.”
Kuro extended the invitation warmly, almost the same pitch every time.
Honestly, the temptation was strong.
Kane had actually been tempted before.
Even if he had decided to become a pirate, it did not hurt to first join the Marines for systematic training, strengthen his abilities, and then find the right opportunity to defect.
If Kane were alone, he probably would have agreed already.
But he had family, and his situation was special.
“Thanks, but I will pass.
I prefer to be free.”
“Fair enough.
I knew you would say that.” Kuro spread his hands, clearly not holding out much hope.
“By the way, next time we meet, you will have to address me differently.”
Kane paused mid-step, briefcase in hand, his right hand casually resting on his sword hilt as if by instinct.
How did he know I was going to become a pirate?
Could this guy read minds?
“I got word from above.
I am being promoted to Rear Admiral.
I have to thank you for your hard work and support over the past year.”
So that was it…
“Then congratulations, Rear Admiral Kuro.”
“Next time I come, I will count on you to process the payment quickly too.”
“Rest assured.
I would never delay you.”
Kane exited and turned left, heading straight for the shopping district.
As usual, he picked out gifts to bring home.
Small goal complete!
Kane was in an excellent mood.
While browsing the shops, he began to reminisce.
In his previous life, he had been an ordinary person living an ordinary life.
On the night before the weekend, he would buy ingredients and drinks and head home.
Eating hotpot, singing songs, watching a movie, and drinking.
After enjoying a solo drinking session, he would wash up, go to bed, close his eyes — and then open them again, having transmigrated.
Freezing seawater slapped against his face.
He struggled to his feet, sand clinging to his body, and stumbled away from the shore before collapsing to the ground.
Memories from this body began flashing through his mind, making him clutch his head tightly.
After a long while, Kane understood the origins of this body and realized this was the world of One Piece.
After all, Gol D.
Roger’s name was too famous.
His predecessor had no illustrious lineage or noble bloodline.
Like Kane, he was an ordinary person named Darkseid Kane.
He had been traveling with his parents when they encountered a shipwreck.
In extreme weather, all were equal.
No one on the entire ship survived.
Only Kane miraculously lived, clinging to a broken piece of driftwood, floating at sea until he washed ashore here.
But even he had not lasted until the end.
He had already passed.
After that, the transmigrator arrived, becoming the new Kane.
After absorbing the fragmented memories, Kane’s emotions were complicated.
His previous life had been ordinary but safe — nothing like the world of One Piece.
Travel here was difficult.
Dangerous weather was frequent, especially in the Grand Line, where the climate was downright bizarre.
The seas were filled with absurdly gigantic creatures — Sea Kings.
The largest individuals could reach over 5,000 meters…
Above the seas, pirates emerged endlessly.
Apart from a rare few crews who bore the name “pirate” but were actually adventurers, most were brutal bandits who robbed and plundered.
If the seas were so dangerous, why not just stay ashore?
NO!
Staying ashore did not stop pirates from coming to you.
Unless you lived in some godforsaken place no one wanted to visit.
But how would you survive in barren land?
Fine, let us assume you are in a wealthy country where pirates dare not attack.
Can you rest easy then?
Clearly not.
Consider the inhuman royalty and nobles.
Consider the Heavenly Tribute.
Consider the Celestial Dragons who love to tour the world.
If your country is not a member of the World Government, you might very well receive a warm greeting from slave traders, have the privilege of participating in the great infrastructure project of the Bridge Nation, or even get the chance to compete alongside the Celestial Dragons.
Of course, the rules are that the Celestial Dragons hunt you, and you run for your life.
As for the Marines…
After the God Valley incident, the number of fanfictions with Marine protagonists plummeted drastically.
Almost no one wrote them anymore…
Forget it.
Wherever you go, make the best of it.
Since he was here, he should first assess his surroundings before making the next move.
That said, his predecessor did have one advantage.
Through his memories, Kane learned that his predecessor had possessed extraordinary perception since birth.
The manifestation was all too familiar.
Others might not know, but Kane, who had watched the anime, recognized it immediately: innate Observation Haki.
Kane stood up as he pondered, but his vision went black.
Unsurprisingly, he fainted from hunger.
If the old man had not happened to pass by, Kane would have become the first transmigrator to starve to death.
He would have been nailed to the transmigrator association’s pillar of shame!
What followed was the predictable welcome.
The old man took him home, cleaned him up, treated his wounds, and prepared food.
Starving, Kane devoured everything in sight.
At that moment, one of the unremarkable fruits on the table underwent a transformation.
It was a newly born Devil Fruit, undiscovered — and Kane ate it.
Kane was lucky.
A starving person finds everything delicious.
Perhaps Devil Fruits really do taste terrible, but Kane could not recall the memory of that flavor no matter how hard he tried.
Maybe the body’s protective mechanism had been triggered, selectively erasing the memory of that taste.
Either way, it was a good thing.
Kane settled down there and began a life of intense training, preparing for his eventual voyage.
As for the reason to set sail — the world was too rotten.
Kane did not like it.
He wanted to overthrow the World Government and remake the world!
Though Kane had been ordinary in his previous life, he did not lack the courage to change the world.
It was a call from the depths of his soul, carried in his blood.
That spirit told him: people can live hard lives and tired lives, but they cannot be denied the right to live.
If those in power made the world so rotten, refusing to provide food or a way to survive, then revolt against them!
What Celestial Dragons, World Nobles, ruling the world for 800 years — none of that mattered to him.
He did not buy it.
Kane believed in: “Kings and nobles, generals and ministers — are they born superior?”
He believed in: “The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky shall rise!”
He believed in: “Long live the people!”
In his previous life, there was a joke about someone who found the Imperial Seal and immediately began preparing for his coronation.
People laughed at him, but they laughed at his lack of strength, not at his ambition to ascend the throne.
These words might not fit perfectly, but the meaning was clear.
As for choosing to become a pirate rather than joining the Revolutionary Army outright — that was due to the unique nature of the One Piece world.
This was a supernatural world.
Warriors who could defeat thousands, human-shaped natural disasters — all of them truly existed.
In the original story, Dragon had built the Revolutionary Army to the point where it became a thorn in the World Government’s side.
If Kane joined, he would certainly push the Revolutionary Army even higher — which would also draw even greater attention from the World Government.
When you are far weaker than your enemy, the one who jumps highest falls first.
So Kane chose to become a pirate.
Pirates were great.
In peacetime, pirates fought among themselves and squared off against the Marines.
At worst, they took down a few CP0 agents, making it easier to build up influence in the early stages and fish in troubled waters.
Even a powerhouse like the Rocks Pirates had never truly caught the attention of the upper echelons.
Over eight hundred years, powerful pirate overlords had come and gone like schools of fish swimming past, each taking their turn on the stage.
If Rocks had not forced his way into the Flower Room and issued his threats first, the God Valley incident might never have happened.
Imu would not have bothered with him.
Imu usually did nothing at all, keeping a close watch on Joy Boy and Nika, occasionally paying attention to Davy Jones.
As for the Five Elders, their top priority was always the Revolutionary Army.