Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 198 Bane: What's the use of having a "D" in your name? You'll still get shot if you go fishing without a helmet!

Inside the cabin, Bane sat on the sofa, looking at the three Paramecia-type Devil Fruits placed on the coffee table.

Although he was in a hurry to fight Kaido and didn't have time to deal with Doflamingo's corpse, his body was swallowed into Bane's dark dimension, so his power couldn't escape either.

Including Diamanti and Pica later on.

The three Devil Fruits currently displayed on this table are the String-String Fruit, the Flutter-Flutter Fruit, and the Stone-Stone Fruit.

"Anything you like?" Bane asked Ian.

Without any hesitation, Ain shook her head and said, "No."

After speaking, she seemed a little embarrassed and couldn't help but say, "I'm sorry, young master."

"There's nothing to apologize for. Of course, you have to think things through before you act," Bane said with a smile and a wave of his hand.

It's not that Ain looks down on these Devil Fruits. After all, besides these three, Bane has many other powerful abilities, including Mythical Zoan and Logia types. However, Ain doesn't seem to have decided which ability to eat yet. Perhaps it's because there are too many top-tier abilities to choose from, causing him to suffer from decision paralysis.

Seeing that Bane had retrieved the three Devil Fruits into the Dark Dimension, Ain spoke again: "Then, let's continue with what I was reporting earlier. The Chief Advisor's suggestion is to postpone the announcement of the Dressrosa incident for a few days."

Upon hearing this, Bane raised an eyebrow and said, "Does the Chief of Staff mean that he wants to use this incident to suppress the hype surrounding the battle of Punk Hazard?"

"That's right. So far, although the outcome is not yet decided, this civil war within our navy has already caused many adverse effects on the high seas. The most noteworthy one is that many people believe that no matter the result of this battle, it will shake the internal stability of our navy. This may greatly affect our navy's strategy in the New World and further weaken our navy's deterrent power," Ain said.

The showdown between Kuzan and Sakazuki will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the Navy; this is unavoidable.

The outcome is still uncertain, and Kuzan has not yet lost, so there is no possibility that Kuzan will resign as admiral and leave the Navy after this. However, the Chief of Staff has obviously anticipated this situation.

Based on his understanding of the two admirals, Chief of Staff Azuru believed that if Sakazuki were to lose, it would be relatively easy to deal with, since Sakazuki would never leave the Navy. However, the situation was more complicated with Kuzan, who had stated more than once that he would never agree to Sakazuki becoming Fleet Admiral.

If we analyze this statement in depth, it's not hard to guess that Kuzan is very likely to leave the Navy completely after the defeat.

Therefore, considering these potential adverse effects, Chief of Staff A-He hoped that Bane's side could continue to block information about Dressrosa until a victor was decided there.

Regardless of the outcome, the fact that Bane killed one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and fought Kaido to a standstill is enough to divert attention from and suppress the influence and popularity of the Admiral-level duel.

This also fully demonstrates that the navy's combat power remains extremely strong.

During the civil war between the two admirals, the Navy was able to decisively kill the Seven Warlords of the Sea and repel the Four Emperors!

After thinking for a moment, Bane nodded and said, "I understand. Let's do as the Chief of Staff suggests and continue to block information from Dressrosa."

After confirming Bane's intentions, Ain quickly left to deal with the subsequent trivial matters.

After Bane rested on the sofa for a while, there was another knock on the door.

Then Trafalgar Law walked in.

"Have you calmed down?" Bane asked Trafalgar Law with amusement.

Trafalgar Law also evacuated Dressrosa with the Navy, but he has been locking himself in his room for the past two days and hasn't come out to see anyone.

Bane guessed that he was probably adjusting his emotions. After all, this huge hatred was finally over. Doflamingo had been killed, and he had been deeply involved in this matter, avenging his Mr. Corazon.

"It's not entirely about adjusting my emotions," Trafalgar Law shook his head and said, "It's more about feeling lost. The reason I chose to go to sea in the first place was for only two things."

"Two things?" Bane raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, the first and most important thing is to avenge Mr. Corazon and kill that bastard Doflamingo." Trafalgar Law spoke of this with gritted teeth, seemingly still unable to let go of the fact that Doflamingo was dead.

After a moment, he sighed softly and said, "Now that the goal has been achieved, Doflamingo is dead, and Mr. Corazon can rest in peace."

"And what's the second thing?" Bane asked.

"Actually, there's something I've never told anyone except Mr. Corazon," Trafalgar Law said, looking at Bane. "In fact, I'm also a member of the D. Clan. We Trafalgar have a secret name. My real name is Trafalgar D. Water Law!"

To be honest, Bane knew about it, but if the kid hadn't brought it up, he would have completely forgotten about it!

"I see," Bane smacked his lips.

"Perhaps you are not aware, but the D clan has always been..." Trafalgar Law seemed to want to explain further.

However, Bane immediately waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, I have absolutely no interest in this whole 'clan' stuff. To me, it's all just mystical metaphysics. What's with all this 'D' stuff? Does not having a 'D' in your name mean you can't achieve great things? Does having the so-called 'D' clan identity guarantee success? I even know someone named Big D, who got killed fishing without a helmet. Anyway, I don't believe in any of this."

Bane hated this the most. What's with all this talk about bloodlines and the D clan? It's so pointless. If everything on the high seas is already predetermined, then the world would be far too boring.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Just like that Laugh Tale, the blank history from eight hundred years ago, Bane was completely unmoved by it.

He's someone who prefers to look forward. History is best left in the past; the future is something he has to create himself!

He doesn't believe in Laugh Tale or the Poneglyphs; they're meaningless.

From beginning to end, he adhered to his own principles, which can be summarized as: one must rely on oneself!

Bane's completely uninterested attitude left Trafalgar Law speechless. However, it was precisely because of Bane's indifferent attitude that he felt inexplicably relieved, and a smile finally returned to his face as he said, "Since you're not interested, then I won't say anything more. The second thing I originally wanted to do was to find out what this so-called 'D' of mine really meant, but since setting sail, I haven't really had much of a grudge. Perhaps I just wanted to find something to do after this revenge journey is over, which is why I set this goal."

"So, you're now planning to give up on this goal?" Bane chuckled.

"After all, I've already sold myself to you completely, haven't I?" Trafalgar Law said without any hesitation.

He was forced into it back then on Sabaody Archipelago, but looking back now, all he can say is, "It's so good!"

After a slight pause, Trafalgar Law looked at Bane earnestly and said, "Then, please tell me what else you need me to do. Even if it's just to train hard enough to awaken my Devil Fruit power and perform the surgery to grant you immortality, I will strive towards that goal!"

"Hahahaha." Bane laughed loudly upon hearing this, saying, "I'm not interested in your abilities either. Compared to immortality, I'd much rather you create more value for me. Since you need me to point you in the right direction and help you find new goals..."

Bane's tone softened at this point, and he continued, "After that, I need to return to Marine Headquarters."

Bane returned to headquarters this time for no other reason than the position of admiral. Kuzan was about to flee, and Sakazuki was about to become the Fleet Admiral. Bane's strength was undeniable, and he had proven himself with a substantial record, making him a formidable figure in the Marine Headquarters. There was no way he would give up the position of admiral to anyone else!

"You'll go to Melvure with Professor Zephyr and the others. That will be our base in the New World. Afterwards, I'll arrange for someone to contact you and you'll assist her. We'll be taking over the Don Quixote family's businesses in the New World, and we'll be taking over the suitable ones," Bane said.

"To venture into the dark world? That requires connections and resources, you..." Trafalgar Law hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"If you know anything about the underworld, you should have heard of Baroque Works. This is an organization under my command. What you need to do is follow the vice president's instructions and develop our independent intelligence network and financial chain in the New World," Bane instructed.

Speaking of which, Nico Robin's preparations are almost complete. Now that the Donquixote Family is finished, it's the perfect time for Baroque Works to make a major push into the New World.

(End of this chapter)