Battle cries and screams of agony echoed incessantly throughout Don Krieg's flagship.
Overall, the Marines held an absolute advantage. Although Don Krieg's crew was numerous, the majority had been taken down by Sean right at the start. Furthermore, while they had numbers, they lacked quality; in terms of raw strength, the average pirate in Krieg's crew was significantly weaker than those of the Black Cat Pirates.
With Lucci acting as the vanguard and systematically eliminating the executives, the Marines of the 16th Branch found the engagement relatively effortless.
Less than a minute after Gin was defeated, the fleet strategist Edman and the martial arts instructor Hustle were targeted and insta-killed by Lucci in rapid succession. There was no hesitation, no wasted movement.
As for the other minor officers, their strength didn't even match that of the company-grade officers from the Elite Training Camp, meaning Lucci didn't even need to lift a finger to deal with them.
"Useless... a bunch of useless trash!" Don Krieg trembled with rage as he witnessed the slaughter.
However, before he could make a move, a figure suddenly materialized before him. It was Lucci, fresh from eliminating two of his top executives.
"Shigan!"
Without a word, Lucci thrust his finger directly toward Don Krieg's heart.
The scene seemed to freeze. Lucci remained in a perfect Shigan posture, while Don Krieg looked down at the finger pressed against his armor.
"Kid, what do you think you're doing?" Krieg let out a mocking laugh. "My entire suit of armor is forged from the highest quality steel. Is this some kind of joke?"
He was genuinely amused by the attempt. However, he failed to notice that beneath the surface of the armor, internal damage had already occurred at the point of impact. Though it looked unscathed from the outside, the structure had been compromised.
In the next instant, Lucci ignored Krieg's taunts and didn't pull back.
"Shigan: Madara!"
A blur of countless finger-strikes erupted in a dense barrage, pummeling Krieg's entire chest.
"It's useless! You're wasting your breath! Even if you used a musket, this armor would—'pfft!!'"
Before he could finish his sentence, Krieg felt a sudden, jarring shock. A spray of blood erupted from his mouth.
His chest armor had been pierced by over twenty holes, and blood was now streaming from the gaps.
"Impossible... how is this possible? 'Cough, cough...' What kind of weapon did you use to sneak-attack me?"
"Weapon..." Lucci was momentarily speechless. He saw no point in explaining the technique to him.
"Rankyaku!"
From a distance of less than two meters, a Flying Slash was unleashed by Lucci's whip-kick.
The strike slammed directly into Don Krieg's chest, sending him flying backward. The golden armor, already riddled with holes, finally gave way, shattering into countless fragments that rained down through the air.
Across Krieg's chest, alongside the bloody perforations, was a terrifying wound—deep enough to expose the bone—stretching from his right shoulder down to his waist. He crashed violently against the ship's railing ten meters away.
Looking at his condition, he wouldn't have lasted more than a few minutes without immediate medical attention.
This sight caused the remaining pirates, who were still resisting, to freeze in their tracks.
It was a nightmare. Their executives had been wiped out, and now their leader, Don Krieg, had been dismantled with ease. These Marines were monsters!
And that Marine Captain was a monster among monsters.
Pirates fear death above all else. Soon, someone dropped their weapon on the deck. Once the first person surrendered, a second and third followed. Before long, every single pirate had laid down their arms.
Seeing this, Lucci prepared to order the rounding up of the prisoners.
But at that moment, a bolt of azure lightning crashed down from the sky, striking Don Krieg where he lay against the railing. It blasted a charred hole straight through his back, incinerating his heart and ending his wicked life instantly.
"Commodore?" Lucci was confused.
Krieg had already been defeated; even if left alone, he would have died within minutes. Was there really a need to finish him off so decisively?
"Lucci, you were careless. Look at Krieg's left arm," Sean said, landing not far from Lucci.
Lucci turned to look. At first, he saw nothing unusual; Krieg was simply lying in a pool of blood. But then, he noticed a hole in the center of the shield on Krieg's left arm.
Lucci was certain that the shield hadn't had that hole before.
"Commodore, what is this?"
"Hidden within that shield was not only a blade but a poison gas canister," Sean explained. "He was planning to use the last of his strength to launch that canister before he died."
"Poison gas?"
"Correct. The toxicity is extreme. If he had launched it, everyone within the battlefield—even those who took a single breath—would have died instantly."
Hearing this, Lucci immediately realized the magnitude of his mistake. If Sean hadn't intervened, Lucci might have been able to rely on his reaction speed and agility to escape the blast radius, but the other Marines...
None of them would have survived. They weren't equipped with gas masks.
"My apologies, Commodore. This was my mistake!"
For the first time, a look of shame crossed Lucci's face. To a man obsessed with mission perfection, this was his greatest oversight. If Sean hadn't acted, this mission would have been an absolute failure.
However, he was curious. How did Sean know? Sean had previously relied on Lucci's reports for intelligence on the Don Krieg Pirates... how did he suddenly become so knowledgeable about Krieg's hidden gear?
Still, Lucci didn't ask.
"We don't have enough handcuffs. Gather all the surviving pirates in one place and keep them under heavy guard," Sean ordered. "Lucci, contact Loguetown and find out where the East Blue prison ship is currently located. If possible, arrange for them to come and collect the prisoners."
"After that, contact Kalan. Ask if the Lawan Company can handle the acquisition of Krieg's fleet in one go."
'''
East Blue, Loguetown.
"Report!"
"What is it?"
Inside the office, the air was thick with smoke. Smoker had two cigars clamped in his mouth, constantly exhaling dense clouds. Ever since Sean had suggested it, Smoker had grown fond of this smoking style.
It was eccentric, commanding, and doubled the nicotine intake.
Simply perfect.
"Captain, we have a call from the 16th Branch. They are inquiring about the location of the prison ship."
"The 16th Branch? Isn't that the branch Sean took over a few days ago? Why do they need the prison ship?"
"According to the report, they are currently on Lava Island. There are nearly a thousand pirates that need to be processed, including the Don Krieg Pirates and the Black Cat Pirates!"
"What? The Don Krieg Pirates and the Black Cat Pirates... they wiped them both out?"
Smoker was stunned.
His junior protégé had just arrived in the East Blue and had already taken down these two pirate crews?
"Yes, sir!"
"Where is our prison ship currently located?"
"It is currently visiting various branches to collect prisoners. According to the original plan, it was scheduled to head to Impel Down in three days. Right now, it should be near the 117th Branch, roughly two days' sail from Lava Island."
"Order the prison ship to change course and head for Lava Island immediately!"
"Yes, Captain, but..."
Standing before Smoker, the Lieutenant Commander suddenly remembered something.
"What is it?"
"Captain, our prison ship is only a mid-sized vessel. It can hold a maximum of about five hundred people at once, and there are already nearly a hundred pirates on board, so..."
'Good grief.'
Did he mean there were too many pirates for the prison ship to even hold?
"I will submit an emergency request to Headquarters for an additional prison ship for support. At the same time, I'll order the branches near Lava Island to urgently mobilize warships and Marines to assist the 16th Branch in guarding the prisoners."
"Yes, Captain!"