"Hmph, spare me the nonsense."
Sakazuki could no longer contain the destructive desire in his heart.
"Deluding yourselves into thinking you can rule the seas, scurrying around like rats, creating chaos..."
Sakazuki took a sudden step forward, and the warship deck beneath his feet instantly carbonized and blackened from the intense heat.
He launched himself into the air, his right arm rapidly expanding mid-flight, transforming into a torrent of flowing, dark-red magma. The once gloomy sky was instantly illuminated in a crimson glow.
Aboard the Germa flagship, Judge abruptly looked up, his pupils contracting violently. Through his mask, he witnessed a sight that made his very soul tremble.
A giant fist of lava, as large as half the fleet, blotted out his vision like a meteorite.
"Is that... a Logia-type?!" Judge's voice cracked.
In mid-air, Sakazuki looked down coldly at the ants below, his voice booming:
"A bunch of trash relying on external objects dares to provoke Justice?"
"Great Eruption!!!"
BOOM—!!!
The destructive lava collided with the barrage of cannonballs filling the sky.
There was no suspense at all. The projectiles vaporized the instant they touched the magma, unable to even stall it for a second.
Then, the magma, its momentum unchecked, slammed viciously into the vanguard of the Germa fleet.
Sizzle—!
The sea began to boil.
The first massive Snail Battleship didn't even have a chance to explode; it was directly melted by the high temperature.
Then came the second, the third... a dozen sturdy steel fortresses were instantly reduced to a churning sea of molten iron and fire.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Countless Clone Soldiers were turned to dust before they could even scream.
[Ding! Detected teammate Sakazuki causing devastating destruction!]
[Judgment: Excessive enforcement! A severe violation of the Marine's spirit of humanitarianism!]
[As the commander, the host bears joint responsibility... Violation Value +2000!]
Standing at the bow of the warship, Kane listened to the pleasant notification in his mind and leisurely cracked open a sunflower seed.
He let the heatwave tousle his hair, watched the apocalyptic scene in the distance, and shook his head gently, his tone filled with the disappointment of someone whose high hopes had been dashed:
"My, my..."
"Mr. Judge, is this the foundation you were going to use to conquer the North Blue? It's a little disappointing."
Kane raised a hand, pointed at Judge, and activated his taunt mode:
"If this is your level, then I'd advise you to go home and play in the mud. The waters of the North Blue are too deep for you to handle."
"Bastard! Damn Marines! I'll tear you to pieces!"
Judge had completely lost it. A tenth of the foundation he had built over decades was destroyed in a single encounter!
He slammed a button on his mask, and the high-tech jetpack on his back spewed blue streams of air, lifting him into the air.
"All Germa units, take to the skies! Use Seastone Bullets and kill them! If we spread out, that clumsy attack won't be able to hit..."
However, before he could finish his sentence.
A lazy and punchable voice sounded from directly above him.
"Ooh~ Clumsy? Are you talking about Sakazuki? That's a pretty scary assessment~ But being called a blockhead gives me a headache, too~"
Judge snapped his head up.
Blinding.
It was more blinding than staring directly at the midday sun.
Borsalino stood with his hands in his pockets, his body hovering horizontally hundreds of meters in the air in complete defiance of physics. His yellow-striped suit shimmered brilliantly in the light.
He pouted, his sunglasses reflecting the clone army below, who were trying to take to the skies to fight like headless chickens.
"Spreading out is indeed a hassle, you know. After all, I'd have to aim at each one, so..."
Borsalino crossed his hands in front of his chest, his index fingers and thumbs touching. The tips of his fingers pulsed with golden light, like thousands of stars twinkling at once.
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel."
Just as the golden light was about to be unleashed, another, slightly languid voice echoed softly beside him:
"Since Borsalino-san is trying so hard, I'll add a little something too... It'll be a pain to clean up if they get away."
At some unknown point, Kuzan had appeared in mid-air. With a shake of his arms, the air around him instantly condensed, and hundreds of ice lances, emanating a bone-chilling cold, materialized out of thin air.
"Two-pronged Ice Spears!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!
In an instant, the sky was split evenly between two completely different kinds of light.
On one side was a rain of golden light bullets, plummeting at extreme speed and carrying destructive heat; on the other was a stream of incomparably sharp, pale ice spears, cold enough to pierce steel.
There were no blind spots, no room to dodge.
This time, it was Germa's turn to experience what a true blanket of firepower felt like.
Golden explosions and icy freezes erupted simultaneously throughout the Germa fleet.
Soldiers pierced by the light bullets didn't even have time to scream from the heat before the ensuing ice spears froze them and the surrounding air into blood-red blocks of ice.
The Clone Soldiers trying to disperse with their jetpacks had nowhere to hide in the crossfire of light and ice, falling like dumplings into the boiling seawater.
[Ding! Detected teammates Borsalino and Kuzan causing large-scale casualties!]
[Judgment: Tendency towards slaughtering captives!]
[Violation Value +1500!]
"It's over... Why would monsters like these appear in the North Blue?!"
Judge's hand, gripping his spear, began to tremble violently. Cold sweat instantly soaked his battle suit.
"Has Marine Headquarters gone mad? Sending three top-tier Logia users just to deal with Germa?!"
His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
His spear fell with a clatter.
In just three short minutes.
His invincible fleet, his pride and joy, was half molten iron and half riddled with holes.
"Run... I have to run..."
The ambition in Judge's eyes was completely extinguished, replaced only by the instinct for survival. He scrambled on all fours toward the escape pod control panel behind the bridge.
As long as he could escape back to his core laboratory, as long as the cloning technology remained, he could...
"Ara ra... Since you're here, don't be in such a hurry to leave. If you get away, Kane will nag me again for not doing my job."
A lazy voice, accompanied by a bone-chilling cold, enveloped the entire sea.
Kuzan crouched on the gunwale of the warship, one hand dipped into the seawater.
"Ice Age!"
Crack crack crack—!
A teeth-grinding freezing sound rang out.
With the warship as the epicenter, a layer of pale white ice spread outwards at a terrifying speed, instantly consuming the boiling sea.
The waves were frozen in their curled positions. The giant Snail Battleships that were trying to turn around were instantly locked in place on the thick ice field. Not even a fly could escape.
The entire world had become a massive, ice-sculpted graveyard.
[Ding! Detected teammate Kuzan freezing a major sea route, obstructing traffic!]
[Judgment: Environmental destruction! Affecting navigation!]
[Violation Value +1000!]
"Perfect."
Kane fought back the urge to smile as he looked at the soaring numbers on his system panel. It was already enough for him to spin the prize wheel.
He brushed the sunflower seed husks from his hands and straightened his tie.
"Moon Walk."
Thump.
He stepped on the air, landing gracefully on the frozen deck of the Germa flagship.
The soles of his leather shoes tapped against the ice, making crisp "tap, tap" sounds.
In the dead silence of the ice field, the sound was exceptionally piercing, each tap striking Judge's frayed nerves.
At this moment, Judge was frozen from the waist down to the control panel, unable to move. He could only watch in terror as the young Marine Warrant Officer walked toward him step by step.
Behind him, the three "monsters" exuding terrifying auras stood in a triangle formation, surrounding the ashen-faced Judge.
Kane walked up to Judge, crouched down, and revealed that warm, friendly smile that could make one feel like they were basking in a spring breeze.
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vinsmoke Judge."
Kane thoughtfully brushed a piece of ice off Judge's shoulder, his tone gentle:
"Allow me to introduce myself. Marine Headquarters Warrant Officer, Kane."
"What was I saying just now?"
Kane took out the small notebook with "Fine" written on it from his pocket and tapped his chin with the pen cap, looking thoughtful.
"Oh, right. Illegal assembly, environmental pollution, violent resistance to law enforcement, assaulting an officer... none of these are light charges."
Judge's teeth chattered. Looking at the demon before him, he squeezed out the words from between his teeth:
"I'll... I'll give... five hundred million... let me go..."
As long as he could live, what was money!
Germa's technology still existed. He could still make a comeback!
Hearing this, however, Kane did not show a satisfied expression.
On the contrary, he frowned, looking at Judge with a bewildered expression, as if he had heard something unbelievable.
"Five hundred million?"
Kane let out an exaggerated sigh, slowly stood up, and looked down at the former ruler of the North Blue.
His gaze was like that of someone looking at an uncivilized native who didn't understand the rules.
"Mr. Judge, have you misunderstood something?"
"The five hundred million I mentioned earlier was the friendship price before we got started. As for now..."
Kane's eyes glinted as he glanced at the three monstrous figures behind him and said softly:
"You'll have to pay more."