The smoke at the FBI's Hoover Building had not yet dissipated, and though the news was strictly suppressed, invisible shockwaves had already been accurately blasted into the cores of power on both sides of the ocean through specific channels. Kanjuro gave the world no time to digest the shock. Carrying the absolute military force and terror displayed in the heart of the Eagle Country, his will swept like an invisible tsunami over the violent machines of the Island Nation and the Eagle Country, which he had already secretly subverted.
The Island Nation, Tokyo, the Grand Hall on the top floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
In the once solemn and majestic hall, the atmosphere was now strangely eerie. On the massive projection screen, two sets of images flickered alternately: one was a close-up of the aftermath of an "exercise accident" (the official cover story) inside the Washington FBI headquarters, specifically featuring melted alloy doors, violently torn passages, and traces of destruction on the ground that no human force could cause; the other was of Kanjuro during a public condolence event in the Island Nation, showing his signature gentle smile to the camera while countless people cheered fanatically behind him.
Below the stage, the high-ranking officials of the Island Nation's police force sat in a dense, dark mass. From the Superintendent General to the various bureau and division chiefs, from the heads of major prefectures to the commanders of elite units—they were all dressed in sharp suits with shining shoulder boards, yet every face was etched with an inescapable terror, struggle, and a pale, resigned acceptance. The air was as heavy as lead, making even breathing feel like a cautious endeavor.
The doors of the Great Hall slid open silently.
There was no long procession of guards, no loud announcements. Kanjuro walked in alone. He was still wearing that simple charcoal-gray coat, his pace leisurely, as if he were merely attending an ordinary meeting. However, the moment he stepped into the venue, an invisible pressure permeated the air like a physical weight, sending a chill down the spines of every officer and making it almost impossible to breathe.
He walked straight toward the rostrum, looking at no one. Following behind him were only three people:
Ran Mouri, dressed in a black, sharp, modified uniform resembling a police ceremonial dress, though her shoulder boards bore a never-before-seen dark silver pattern of entwined thorns and stars. Her gaze was cold, her hand resting on the hilt of a uniquely shaped short sword at her waist, the patterns on the scabbard faintly echoing the subtle designs on Kanjuro's coat.
Koizumi Akako had, for once, changed into a sharply tailored, deep purple long-style uniform adorned with mysterious runes. Her long hair was pinned up, revealing her elegant neck, and the ruby on her finger refracted an eerie light under the lamps. A faint, inscrutable smile played on her lips as her gaze swept over the audience, like a queen inspecting her subjects.
And Jodie Starling. She wore the standard Island Nation Senior Superintendent uniform, her blonde hair meticulous, her expression calm and professional, holding an electronic command tablet. Her appearance caused the pupils of several high-ranking officials who knew her 'former FBI' identity to shrink. Their last shred of hope was completely extinguished—if even the enemy's elite had been so thoroughly converted and given key roles, what right did they have to resist?
Kanjuro stood still at the center of the rostrum, his calm gaze scanning the entire hall. There was no opening statement, no pleasantries.
"From this day forward," his voice reached everyone's ears clearly through the speakers, not loud, yet carrying an unquestionable, absolute authority, "all operating principles, personnel appointments, and resource allocations of the Island Nation's police force will be directly handled by the 'Integrated Security Management Bureau.' I will serve as the Director."
He turned slightly, indicating the three behind him: "Ran Mouri will serve as the Director of the General Bureau of Special Operations, responsible for the handling of all'special threats' and major trans-regional cases. Koizumi Akako will serve as the Director of the General Bureau of Technical and Strategic Support, responsible for cutting-edge technology R&D, intelligence analysis, and responses to unconventional situations. Jodie Starling will serve as the Director of the General Bureau of Internal Inspection and Anti-Infiltration, responsible for disciplinary rectification and loyalty assessments."
Each appointment struck their hearts like a heavy hammer. Special operations? Technical strategy? Internal inspection? This almost completely hollowed out and reorganized the core power structure of the entire police system, and those in power were all the closest and most terrifying figures around Kanjuro.
"Your original duties and structures will be temporarily retained, but you must cooperate unconditionally with the work of the new system," Kanjuro continued, his tone as flat as if he were stating a weather forecast. "Any dissent, any delay, any outward compliance while inward opposition..."
He paused, his gaze suddenly becoming as sharp as an ice pick, sweeping over several veteran officers in the front row whose faces showed the most struggle.
"...will be regarded as treason. The handling protocol will follow the 'uncontrolled extremists' from the 'exercise accident' at FBI headquarters."
The cold word "treason" and the implicit bloody threat left the entire hall in a silence so profound that a pin could be heard dropping. On the projection screen, shocking images of the destruction at FBI headquarters flashed again at the perfect moment. Several elderly officers swayed, nearly fainting.
"Now," Kanjuro took the electronic tablet handed to him by Jodie and operated it briefly. A long document with a red electronic seal appeared on the large screen. "This is Integrated Order No. 1. Sign with your biological information and electronic authentication."
The order was instantly sent to the tablets in front of every officer via the internal network. The content was concise and domineering: swear loyalty to the new system, obey the orders of Kanjuro and his designated officials absolutely, and abandon all original factions and personal stances.
Silence. A suffocating silence.
Ran Mouri took a step forward, her cold gaze scraping across the front row like a physical blade. The ruby on Koizumi Akako's finger glowed slightly, and the lights in the hall seemed to dim for a moment as an invisible, heart-pounding pressure descended.
Finally, the most senior official, the Superintendent General sitting in the front row, reached out with a trembling hand, picked up the electronic pen, signed his name on the tablet, and pressed his fingerprint. With the first, came the second, then the third... like falling dominoes. Even though a few eyes flashed with a final sense of grief and indignation, under the absolute power gap, the terrifying precedent, and the atmosphere of colleagues bowing their heads one after another, everyone eventually completed the "signing."
On the screen, all the signature fields lit up green in sequence, eventually converging into a piercing light symbolizing "Full Approval."
Kanjuro looked at that green light, a gentle, almost gratified smile appearing on his face.
"Very well. May you all, under the new order, fulfill your duties and protect the 'peace' of the Island Nation."
On this day, the Island Nation's police force completed a total transfer of power and spiritual submission in silence. Members of the Black Organization began to openly wear police badges and appear in key positions at all levels. The Suzuki Conglomerate's funds were injected into police equipment updates and welfare systems with unprecedented force, tightly binding the economic lifeline to the machine of violence. Any faint, underground sparks of resistance would be swiftly and cruelly extinguished by Jodie's Internal Inspection Bureau and Ran Mouri's Special Operations Team.
Almost at the same time, in Eagle Country, atop the ruins of the FBI headquarters, a more efficient and cold-blooded takeover was occurring.
Kanjuro had not left Eagle Country. He was stationed in an underground command center in a Washington suburb that had just been "requisitioned," originally belonging to a top defense company. The technical equipment here was even more advanced than that of FBI headquarters.
The screen was divided into dozens of feeds, connected to major FBI field offices, branch offices, and key safe houses across the country. In front of each screen stood or sat a high-ranking FBI official, their faces pale, their eyes hollow or filled with fear. Some had been "invited" from their homes, others had been directly controlled at their posts. Beside or behind them, figures stood—some were long-embedded organization members, others were newly "persuaded" or "converted" defectors, and in some feeds, the eerie magical light effects of Koizumi Akako or the cold, murderous figure of Ran Mouri appeared in the background.
Kanjuro's voice was transmitted simultaneously to the ears of the officials in front of every screen via an encrypted channel.
"The incident at the Hoover Building proved the fragility and inefficiency of the old system," his voice was steady, yet carried the weight of an unquestionable judgment. "The FBI needs a rebirth, it needs a stronger, more absolute power to handle the threats of the new era—including threats from your internal corruption and external infiltration."
"I will temporarily take over the supreme command of the FBI. Effective immediately, all field operations are frozen, all intelligence flow will be filtered through the newly established 'Purification Center,' and all personnel files and internal investigation authorities are moved upward."
"You have two choices." Kanjuro paused, his purple eyes peering through the screen as if looking directly into everyone's souls. "First, cooperate with the transition, accept new loyalty assessments and capability tests, and find your place within the new structure. Second..."
He did not continue, but all the screens switched simultaneously to play a brief, edited, yet clear video: it was a clip of Kudo Yusaku and Shinichi Kudo being "questioned" in an interrogation room. There was no sound, only the twisted faces of the father and son in pain and their powerless struggle. There was even a final still of Kuroba Toichi lying by a rusted pipe, his eyes wide in death.
Fear, like the coldest venom, was injected into the heart of every viewer. Kudo Yusaku's reputation for wisdom and Kuroba Toichi's mysterious legend had been crushed like toys in Kanjuro's hands. What did they, these "ordinary people," amount to?
"The new command structure will be jointly managed by Vermouth, Jodie (whose original FBI agent status was specifically emphasized here), and other professionals designated by me." Kanjuro provided a list that seemed to include "their own people," slightly easing the thoughts of some who were considering a desperate, suicidal resistance. "During the transition, all orders must receive my final approval."
He did not demand they swear loyalty immediately; that was unrealistic. But he had removed the foundations of their resistance—operational rights, intelligence rights, and personnel rights—and hung the most terrifying Sword of Damocles over them. Cooperate, and perhaps they could linger on, even carving out a place in the new order; resist, and the bloody end was right before them, with no chance of victory.
Under the deterrent of absolute force, the reality of internal infiltration and collapse, and the psychological blow of seeing their top leaders destroyed, the massive institution of the FBI did not erupt in the expected large-scale resistance. Some chose silent obedience, some secretly looked for a way out only to find they were already being monitored, and the few hardliners who tried to contact others or take action were immediately locked onto by the "Purification Center" and eliminated by the "Internal Disciplinary Team" led by a disguised Vermouth or the Quick Response Team commanded by Ran Mouri.
Kanjuro skillfully utilized the FBI's own bureaucratic system and crisis management procedures, packaging his takeover as a "reorganization and strengthening for a special period." He also used Koizumi Akako's magical power to interfere with communications and surveillance in key areas, making it difficult for the outside world to detect the internal upheaval in a short time. Other law enforcement agencies in Eagle Country, faced with the fait accompli of the FBI's "sudden shift" and its "high degree of synergy" with the Island Nation's police, and receiving vague pressure from above (including political figures already influenced by the Suzuki Conglomerate or secretly controlled by Kanjuro), fell into a vacuum of confusion and hesitation.
One month later.
In Tokyo Bay, Island Nation, on the top floor of the newly completed "New Century Ark," which resembled a palace on the sea built by the Suzuki Conglomerate.
An unprecedented "Global Security and Cooperation Summit" was being held here. Attendees included all the new high-ranking officials of the Island Nation's police force, the primary members of the Eagle Country FBI "Reorganization Committee" (actually Kanjuro's control team), core entrepreneurs from the Suzuki Conglomerate alliance, representatives from "friendly" nations, and... some notorious leaders of the underground world, now dressed in proper suits to "negotiate cooperation."
Glasses clinked amidst a scene of elegance and luxury. Beneath the surface prosperity, a massive undercurrent of power and interest redistribution surged.
Kanjuro stood at the edge of the fully transparent observation deck, overlooking the glittering bay and city beneath his feet. He held a glass of plain water, having not touched any alcohol.
Ran Mouri, Koizumi Akako, Kuroba Chie, Yukiko, Vermouth, Jodie, Kuraki Mai (who had just "praised" the new order with her dark, enchanting voice at a small internal concert)... the most important "women" and "daughters" around him stood slightly behind him like stars surrounding the moon, each radiating a different yet equally daunting brilliance and aura. Their presence itself was the most direct, seductive, and terrifying symbol of Kanjuro's power.
Vodka stood in the shadows on the perimeter like the most loyal guard.
Kanjuro slowly turned around to face the crowd in the hall, which was gradually falling silent. All eyes were focused on him, filled with awe, fear, fawning, desire, and deep submission.
"Everyone," he began, his voice not loud but clearly reaching every corner, and even transmitted via encrypted signal to more distant, important nodes that could not be present. "The old era, filled with strife, inefficiency, and hypocritical disguises, has ended."
"From today, the brilliance of the law and the power of the shadows will no longer be in opposition. They will merge into one under the new order to jointly maintain the...'stability' and 'prosperity' of this world."
He raised the water glass in his hand, the light refracting through the crystal walls and casting deep glimmers into his purple eyes.
"I announce the formal establishment of the 'Integrated Security Management Council.' I will serve as the Life-term Chairman. The Council will coordinate the strength of all members, respond to all threats, and ensure the... rational flow of resources and interests."
"To the New World."
"To Absolute Order."
Below the stage, after a brief silence, a burst of warm and rhythmic applause and cheers erupted. The Island Nation police officers stood at attention and saluted, the FBI representatives nodded in respect, the corporate tycoons raised their glasses with smiles, and the underground leaders bowed their heads in submission... Black and white, light and shadow, blended eerily at this moment, jointly worshipping the one and only dark sovereign who reigned over all.
Kanjuro smiled slightly and drank the glass of water.
Yes, he had unified the Island Nation's police force and controlled Eagle Country's FBI. He had used economy, force, supernatural power, and the absolute conquest of key figures from body to soul to bring the core machines of violence of two major powers under his command. Upon this foundation, he had built a massive dark empire that spanned both the legal and illegal worlds, infiltrating the state apparatus.
The law was for his use, the police were at his beck and call, wealth flowed for him, and even supernatural powers bowed to him. He stood at the pinnacle of power, overlooking the world he had reshaped.
This was not the end.
This was merely a milestone "perfect save" in his game.
He set down the glass and turned his gaze toward the infinite night sky beyond the observation deck, where the stars twinkled like countless chess pieces waiting to be conquered or toyed with.
"The game has only just entered the interesting phase," he whispered to himself, audible only to Ran and Akako, who were closest to him.
"Get ready, my daughters, my women. In the next round, our chessboard... will be the entire planet."
Darkness has already been crowned king. And its journey is endless.
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