If Kane hadn’t been set on his grand ambition — if he’d had any interest in the title of Pirate King — he would have been the second Pirate King without question.
No one could have taken it from him.
He wouldn’t even need to collect the Red Poneglyphs.
With his special intuition, he could sail straight to Laugh Tale and find the so-called One Piece — probably leaving little Luffy tossing and turning at night in frustration.
“Bepo, learning to read the weather is an essential skill for a navigator.
You need to put in serious effort.” Kane raised his hand and pointed at a cloud in the sky.
“See those cirrus clouds up there?
They look like feathers and horse tails.”
“See how they’re slowly thickening, like a veil of white gauze covering the sun?
That means rain will fall within the next 12 to 24 hours.”
“As the saying goes: ‘Hooked clouds in the sky, rain on the ground below.’ You can start by memorizing that rhyme.
Over time, as you see more and gain experience, this knowledge will become second nature to you.”
“Mm-hmm, I’ll remember that, Brother Kane.”
“Good!
Now look at the sea surface — if the waves…
huh?
Pirate ship!”
Shachi, who had been sunbathing nearby, perked up at the keyword.
He pulled out a monocular telescope and aimed it at the pirate flag.
“That emblem — it’s the Beast Pirates.”
“Let me check…
here it is!” Shachi flipped through the bounty posters and found the target.
“The captain is ‘Beast’ Carrick Medara — 50 million Beri bounty.”
Perfect.
Whatever they needed, it came to them.
They’d used all the pirates captured on Dark Sail Island to cover the costs of sending the freed slaves home.
They’d only scraped together a few million Beri from what the pirates had on them.
“Boys, adjust course — we’re going to rob the Beast Pirates!”
“OHHH!”
Bepo rushed into the cabin and steered the Polar Submarine toward the distant pirate ship.
They hadn’t gone far when the sound of tearing air came their way.
“Cannonballs!”
Law and Shachi drew their katanas.
Penguin gripped his baseball bat tighter.
The three of them stared at the incoming black dots, ready to intercept — palms sweating.
Kane stood behind them without moving.
Through Observation Haki, he could tell the cannonballs were aimed at wildly wrong angles.
Sure enough, the shells splashed into the sea thirty to fifty meters away from the Polar Submarine, sending up plumes of water.
“The enemy isn’t running — they’re charging at us?” Kane planted a foot on the railing, watching the pirate ship grow larger as he waved his hand.
“Who do they think they are?
Move in!”
“Aye, Captain!”
The ships closed in.
More cannonballs flew toward them.
This time, Kane moved.
He leaped into the air, dark purple energy surging along his blade.
With a single swing, the torrent of energy slashes thinned into threads — extending tens of meters in length.
“Oni Giri: Shadow Thread!”
Clouds of black smoke mixed with sparks erupted in the air.
Kane landed back on the Polar Submarine’s deck.
The two ships were now side by side.
“The Polar Submarine is Wolf’s treasure.
We’re not fighting here.
Protect yourselves.” With that, the shadows beneath Kane’s feet expanded rapidly.
Eighteen ghosts emerged and took positions around the deck.
Then he leaped onto the enemy pirate ship.
Bepo climbed onto the deck and looked at Law.
With the captain gone, Law was in charge.
“We’re going too!”
Law made the decision instantly and jumped onto the pirate ship.
The three little ones followed right behind.
The moment they landed, they saw pirates sprawled across the deck, howling in agony.
“Jumping onto my ship and killing my men?
You’ve got guts!”
Beast Medara wore an animal skull that covered his face, wielding a giant axe as tall as a man.
He let out a thunderous roar.
….
“You’re so weak.”
Kane was disappointed.
He’d thought a 50-million-Beri pirate would give him a good workout.
But as soon as he swept them with Observation Haki, their presence was so weak…
It seemed Lao G had been right.
His own 61-million-Beri bounty didn’t belong in the North Blue.
It was like the version update had left him behind.
“Weak?
I’m a man with a 50-million-Beri bounty!
I’ll kill you!”
Beast Medara erupted with power.
His burly frame charged like a brown bear, the giant axe crashing down with a whoosh.
Kane sighed, lowered his blade, and sidestepped the axe.
He turned his head to watch Law’s side — not even sparing Medara a glance.
This infuriated the beast, who swung his axe again and again — but couldn’t even touch Kane’s clothes.
“HIYAAH!
HEY-HEY~ YO!” Bepo stood on one leg, delivering a flurry of kicks that sent pirates flying.
He hopped to another spot in a crane stance, launching more pirates into the air to crash heavily onto the deck.
Shachi with his blade and Penguin with his bat — the two moved together, weaving through the crowd.
Shachi cut down one pirate, and Penguin followed up with a blunt strike to ensure he stayed down.
They charged too deep and got surrounded.
But there wasn’t a trace of fear on their faces.
Back to back, weapons ready, they grinned.
“Time to go, Shachi!”
“Right there with you, Penguin!”
Elsewhere, Law fought alone.
He didn’t use his Ope Ope no Mi ability — only his katana — honing his swordsmanship.
His scene wasn’t as flashy as the three little ones’, but it sent chills down the spine.
Perhaps it was his professional habits — but anyone Law cut with his blade either died or collapsed on the spot.
Before long, dozens of pirates lay piled around him.
It proved the saying: never cross a surgeon.
Beast Medara grew more agitated.
He started attacking recklessly, swinging wildly — smashing the deck, shattering cabins — like he was wrecking his own ship.
“Bastard!
Stop dodging!”
Medara roared — then his pupils shrank.
It was so quiet around him.
“Since you insist — I’ll be magnanimous and meet you head-on.”
Kane swung his right hand.
The long blade traced an elegant arc as it slowly slid into its sheath.
The Armament Haki wrapped around it quietly dissipated.
Beast Medara remained frozen in his downward axe swing, motionless.
SPLURT!
Blood sprayed.
Medara’s shirt split apart.
A vertical gash opened on his chest — so deep that even his internal organs were faintly visible.
CRACK!
The giant axe split in two.
Half of it crashed onto the deck.
Medara fell to the ground with a thud.
Kane stared at Medara for a long moment, then waved his hand.
“Law, come bandage this guy.
Don’t let him die.”
Law rushed over, flipped Medara over, and began examining him.
Bepo jumped off the pirate ship — probably to fetch the medical kit.
Shachi and Penguin went to opposite sides of the ship to keep watch.
“Law, here’s the kit.” Bepo was back.
Law focused intently.
He stopped the bleeding first, then began to dress the wound slowly.
“This isn’t like you.”
“I don’t want the extra trouble either.” Kane turned and walked into the cabin, coming back out with a bounty poster.
“I thought I remembered right.
Take a look at this.”
Law looked up.
The image on the poster caught his eye.
A burly figure, a massive axe, a pale beast skull…
skull?
Kane slapped the bounty poster hard.
“Exactly!
This guy’s photo has him wearing a beast skull!”
“We have to deliver him alive to the Marines.
If he’s dead, how are we supposed to prove it’s him?”
That was true enough.
Law’s mouth twitched.
He didn’t bother looking at the poster again and focused on his work.
“Captain!
We’ve got company!”
“The Marines are here!”