Runti stared at the smoking ruins, her throat dry."This… this is too much."
For once, she was glad she and her brother had run when they did.
"I really don't know where Boss Kaido dug up a monster like that," she muttered.
Page One's eyes narrowed as a terrifying thought struck him. "Wait… Kane hasn't even used Haki yet, has he?"
Foz F froze. His mind raced back over the battle. Page One was right. Kane hadn't displayed even a hint of Haki.
The realization crushed what little ambition Foz F had left. Competing for the banner was suicide. Not unless his strength grew by leaps and bounds.
Sasaki broke the silence. "Boss Kaido and the others went to the battlefield. Let's see the result."
No one objected. They wanted to see with their own eyes.
When they reached the crater, dust still hung heavy in the air.
But for those with Observation Haki, the haze meant nothing.
"Heh-heh-heh…" Kaido's laugh rumbled as his lips twitched into a grin. "As expected of the one I chose."
The others stayed silent, all eyes fixed on the pit's heart.
Thump… thump… thump…
Heavy footsteps approached.
Kane emerged, dragging a broken and bloodied Jack over his shoulder. Jack was unconscious, blood foaming from his mouth.
Kane set him down with a grunt. "Lord Kaido. Mission accomplished."
Kaido's booming laughter echoed across the battlefield. "Mmm! Good job, brat!" He raised his massive arm and bellowed:
"From this day forward—Kane is one of the All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates!"
A cheer erupted at once.
"Big Sign!""Big Sign!""Natural Disaster!""Natural Disaster!"
The voices thundered like waves.
Kane raised his arms high, savoring the roar of victory. The fallen pirates? Forgotten. Weakness was their sin, nothing more. A general's glory was always built atop countless corpses.
Silently, Kane swore: I will always be the one left standing.
The next day.
Onigashima, Medical Ward
Thanks to Quinn's obsession with bio-weapons and body modification, the Beasts Pirates' medical technology was surprisingly advanced.
"Lord Kane!"
The moment he stepped inside, nurses bowed quickly. His name had already spread across Onigashima like wildfire, and even Wano was beginning to hear of "Natural Disaster Kane."
Kane acknowledged them with a polite nod and smile. "Hello."
In the savage, crude world of the Beasts Pirates, his refined demeanor was like a phoenix among crows. The nurses blushed instantly.
"Lord Kane is so handsome!"
One bold nurse stepped closer, voice honey-sweet. "Lord Kane, how may I serve you?"
Kane slipped free with subtle grace. "I came to visit Jack. Which ward is he in?"
A petite nurse raised her hand quickly. "Lord Jack is under my care. I'll take you there!"
"Thank you," Kane said, ending the competition before it escalated.
The nurse puffed up with pride, pushing the others aside and clinging to Kane's arm as she led him to the ward.
At the door, she released him reluctantly. "Here we are, Lord Kane. Please, take your time."
Inside, Jack lay swathed in bandages, tubes pumping colored fluids into his massive frame. Severe burns, broken bones, internal damage—injuries that would have killed a normal man ten times over.
But this was Jack.
The man once called the Calamity of the Seas. The brute who had fought Admirals, Marshals, and even the Lord of the Elephants… and survived.
Kane couldn't help but respect that monstrous vitality.
Jack stirred, eyelids fluttering. His voice was rough, tinged with surprise. "You?"
Kane smiled faintly. "We're comrades—and rivals. I came to see how you're holding up." He placed a basket of bananas by the bed. "Jhin mentioned these are your favorite. Thought I'd bring you some."
Jack's eyes narrowed. The bedside was bare—clearly no one else had bothered. But his silence stretched, and Kane mistook it.
"Don't thank me," Kane said quickly. "It's nothing."
Jack's composure cracked. "Idiot! Do you think I can eat like this?!"
Leaving his favorite fruit right where he could see it but not touch it—it was torture, pure and simple.
Kane blinked, then laughed awkwardly. "Ah… my mistake." He quickly moved the basket out of sight.
"Rest well," Kane said, smiling again. "We'll fight again. Properly, next time—close combat."
That struck a chord. Jack's eyes lit with fire. "It's settled."
He'd been restless, with no worthy opponents lately. Foz F and the others avoided him like plague. Kane was different. Kane was the challenge he craved.
They spoke for a while. Kane asked about Wano and Onigashima, and Jack answered openly—Kaido's recognition gave Kane authority.
The Beasts Pirates' hierarchy was simple: Kaido at the top, followed by his three All-Stars. Below them, strength dictated respect. The strong were "true fighters." The rest? Fodder.
As for Wano, Jack sneered. "The shogun is a weakling named Kurozumi Orochi, hiding behind his Oniwabanshu. He forgets his place daily. If Kaido wasn't too lazy to rule, and if Jhin wasn't busy managing everything, we'd have killed him long ago."
Kane nodded, eyes narrowing slightly.
Orochi's weakness… might be an opportunity.