North Blue, waters near Flevance.
Beneath the gray sky, the sea waves took on a oppressive leaden black hue.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Continuous artillery fire tore through the sea breeze.
Looking out, the previously empty sea was now crowded with giant snails.
Hundreds of massive Den Den Mushi Battleships carrying castles and turrets stretched across the water, forming a moving territory. A huge "66" emblem fluttered proudly on their flags.
The War Fortress of the Germa Kingdom, the Vinsmoke Family.
They were conducting a one-sided slaughter.
The besieged island nation stood no chance against the clone soldiers clad in high-tech combat suits, who felt no pain or fear.
Inside the command room of the Germa flagship.
"Is this the lament of the weak? Quite pleasing to the ear."
Vinsmoke Judge gripped his spear, a golden cape draped over his shoulders as he stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window. Through the gaps in his mask, he coldly observed the burning town below.
"Commander-in-Chief." A clone officer in black uniform approached briskly, reporting mechanically, "A naval vessel is approaching three nautical miles out."
"Some trash North Blue marines?" Judge's brow furrowed slightly before he let out a contemptuous sneer. "Probably some reckless branch captain trying to get a piece of the action."
"Ignore them." Judge waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. "Fire warning shots. If they don't back off, sink them outright. Shipwrecks are quite common in these remote waters, aren't they?"
"Understood, Commander-in-Chief."
...
Three nautical miles away.
A medium-sized warship with no identification numbers cut through the waves.
"Wow... so this is the legendary Germa 66?"
On the deck, Kane peered through binoculars at the dense fleet in the distance, practically drooling.
In his view, those countless snail ships weren't warships - they were moving mountains of gold.
"If those hull structures are made of special alloys, we could scrap them for hundreds of millions of Belly... And those combat suits on the clones, if we strip them and sell them on the black market..."
Kane muttered to himself while even pulling out a calculator to tap away.
"Ara ara... Kane, wipe your drool. If reporters catch you like this, the Marines' image will be completely ruined."
Kuzan scratched his fluffy curly hair while looking at the fleet that blotted out the sky.
"The Vinsmoke Family... I heard even the scientists at Headquarters are jealous of their technological power. With this many ships, they must have at least tens of thousands of troops, right? There's only four of us - isn't this a bit too much?"
"Troops?"
Sakazuki stood at the bow, his red shirt whipped straight by the fierce wind.
He lowered his hat brim, his smoking right arm betraying his current mood: "Just trash relying on external gadgets. Numbers mean nothing in the face of absolute power."
"Yaa~ Sakazuki is still so scary~" Borsalino said, holding a cup of hot tea and pursing his lips, "But the other party is a member nation, you know~ If we make the first move, writing the report afterward will be such a hassle~"
"Make the first move? How could that be?"
Kane put away his calculator, straightened his tie, and a standard smile appeared on his face.
"We are the Marines, partners of Justice. How could we resort to violence so casually?"
As he spoke, he pulled out a specially made Amplifying Den Den Mushi from his pocket and cleared his throat.
"Testing, testing? Mic check, mic check. Boom-chick, boom-chick... Hmm, sound quality's good."
The next second.
The amplified sound instantly echoed across the entire sea, drowning out the continuous roar of cannons.
On the flagship of Germa, Judge looked up abruptly.
All the Clone Soldiers who were firing paused.
Even the civilians on the bombed island were stunned.
Who the hell is this? Doing a mic check in the middle of a battlefield?
The voice continued.
"Ahem! Greetings to the illegal armed group 'Germa 66' ahead! This is the Marine Headquarters 'Special Operations Enforcement Squad'!"
"I am the overall commander of this enforcement operation, Warrant Officer Kane."
Kane didn't give him a chance to react and continued loudly:
"We have received reports from concerned citizens that you are suspected of serious illegal assembly!"
"First! You have gathered over three hundred warships in this area, constituting a major illegal armed assembly! According to the latest Marine Headquarters regulations, any armed gathering of more than three people must submit a written application to Marineford thirty days in advance! Did you apply? No!"
"Second! Your indiscriminate cannon fire has filled this sea area with smoke, severely damaging the air quality of the North Blue and even causing marine noise pollution! Have you considered the feelings of the fish sleeping in the sea? Utter moral decay!"
"Third! And this is the most serious point! We need to inspect whether you are carrying contraband! Such as weapons of mass destruction!"
"Now, on behalf of the Marine Headquarters, I am conducting a surprise inspection of you!"
Dead silence fell over the scene.
Not only were the Germa soldiers dumbfounded, but even the Marines on the warships were stunned.
What the hell is this about illegal assembly? What the hell is this about fish sleep quality?!
Sir, you just want to rob them openly, don't you?!
The smile on Kane's face grew wider. He took a deep breath and dropped the final bombshell:
"Given the severity of your actions, you are hereby ordered to immediately cease all activities! Everyone must disembark for a body search! Additionally, you are required to pay a fine of five hundred million Belly!"
"If you do not cooperate..."
Kane paused, his tone turning icy:
"We will have no choice but to deem you as violently resisting enforcement and will take all necessary coercive measures—including, but not limited to, stewing you and your snails into soup!"
In the flagship command room.
Crack!
The wine glass in Judge's hand shattered into pieces, red wine spilling all over the floor.
"Five hundred million? Why don't you just go rob the Celestial Tribute?!"
The veins on Judge's forehead throbbed violently. The absurd feeling of being insulted by an ant made him laugh in fury.
"And stew us into soup?! Fine! Very well! A mere Marine Headquarters warrant officer dares to talk big in front of Germa!"
Who was he? He was a scientist who once worked alongside Vegapunk! The ruler of the North Blue!
"Open fire!!"
Judge's spear swept through the air as his roar echoed through the hall, "Blast that damned ship to pieces! Capture that bastard alive! I'll turn him into a specimen and hang him from the highest tower of this castle!!"
With the Commander-in-Chief's order given.
The Germa Fleet demonstrated astonishing military discipline.
Clank-clank-clank—!
Hundreds of snail warships simultaneously rotated their cannons, countless dark muzzles locking onto the lone marine vessel.
"Boom-boom-boom-boom—!!"
The next instant.
Artillery fire poured down like a black torrential rain, flames dyeing half the sky crimson.
The terrifying density of firepower was enough to erase a small island from nautical charts in an instant.
[Ding! Host detected extorting a World Government affiliate nation!]
[Verdict: Extremely severe!]
[Violation Value +5000!]
Facing the overwhelming artillery barrage, Kane sighed, pulled a handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket, and took a step back.
"My, my, getting impatient already?"
"Everyone witnessed that, right? The other party is violently resisting arrest and attempting to murder marine officers. The evidence is conclusive."
He turned to look at the three restless figures behind him, smiled faintly, and spat out a seed shell.
"In that case, Sakazuki, Kuzan, Borsalino, it's your show now."
"Let's give this North Blue overlord a little taste of Logia-type shock and awe."