"T-The Pirate King's bloodline?!"
"That man… he's his son?!"
"Unbelievable! Fire Fist Ace is the Pirate King Roger's son!"
---
The moment Sengoku's voice echoed through the broadcast, shockwaves spread across the world.
Even within Marineford's plaza, the Marines erupted into disbelief.
For the officers who had grown up in Roger's era, the revelation hit especially hard.
Now, they finally understood why Sengoku had orchestrated such a grand-scale execution for Ace.
---
[Kobayashi: Whoa! Did you guys hear what that seagull-hat uncle just said? The guy being executed was in his mother's womb for one year and three months!]
[Haibara Ai: I've officially given up on making sense of this world… This is not scientific!]
[Orochimaru: The Pirate King's son… a sinful bloodline, huh? Quite intriguing…]
[Tony Stark: Wow, are they really gonna chop that young guy's head off? That's brutal.]
[Random Passerby Trying to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Sigh… too bad I'm too weak. Otherwise, I'd love to go save Ace!]
[Esdeath: This world is amazing! So many people who look incredibly strong!]
[Xiao Mei: I wonder how strong the warriors of this world really are… Those giants alone look terrifying. Even our clan leader probably wouldn't stand a chance against them.]
[Random Passerby Trying to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Xiao Mei, little sister, if there's anything you want to know, just ask me!]
[Fubuki: @Xiao Mei Be careful, newbie! Don't get tricked—this guy is not a good person!]
[Random Passerby Trying to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Hey, hey, hey! That's too much…]
---
While the chaotic group chat exploded with arguments, Kizaru had no time to waste on their nonsense.
"Dragon, you really gave me quite the surprise this time..."
Thanks to his Stand's abilities, Kizaru's Observation Haki had reached an insane level.
Although he hadn't gained abilities like the Voice of All Things or Future Sight, his sensory range had far surpassed even Enel's Mantra, which had covered an entire Sky Island.
So the moment Revolutionary Army South Army Commander Lindbergh appeared on the horizon—piloting a bizarre, wasteland-style flying machine—Kizaru sensed it instantly.
But it wasn't the flying machine that caught his attention.
It was the giant missile hanging beneath it, painted with a radiation symbol and a skull.
---
A Nuclear Bomb?!
Kizaru's first reaction was that it had to be a fake.
As far as he knew, this world's technological level shouldn't be advanced enough to produce something like that.
Sure, he'd once casually mentioned superweapons while chatting with Dragon, but he never expected Dragon to actually pull it off.
Then again…
Considering the Revolutionary Army's ties to that broken genius, Dr. Vegapunk…
And factoring in Lindbergh's own talent in engineering…
It wasn't impossible that they'd been secretly cooking up something insane for years.
---
"Hm? What's that?"
Kuzan had also noticed Lindbergh's arrival.
But unlike Kizaru, he had no idea what he was looking at.
He simply assumed the missile was just a particularly powerful bomb—and didn't pay much attention.
"Revolutionary Army South Army Commander Lindbergh… Hmph. These sewer rats actually dare show themselves?"
Sakazuki scoffed.
From his perspective, even if the Revolutionary Army teamed up with the Whitebeard Pirates, there was no way they could win.
Especially since Sengoku had seemingly anticipated their move and had already set up ambushes.
Though Sakazuki hated that bastard Delocas for attacking his own men, as long as their current enemies were pirates and revolutionaries, he was willing to temporarily tolerate the scumbag.
---
"That thing is way too dangerous. Let's make sure it doesn't land."
Kizaru lazily crossed his legs and raised his hand.
At his fingertips, blinding light began to gather.
Aokiji and Akainu both glanced at him in mild surprise.
It was rare for Kizaru to take such initiative.
But out of the three Admirals, only Kizaru had the capability for pinpoint long-range attacks like this.
If Aokiji or Akainu wanted to hit something that small from that far away, they'd have to resort to massive area-wide bombardments.
---
"Wahhh! Emergency escape system, activate!"
On the flying machine, Lindbergh suddenly screeched and yanked the control lever.
A hidden ejection mechanism immediately activated, launching him—and his entire seat—into the air.
A split second later, Kizaru's laser struck the flying machine, reducing it to flaming wreckage.
The nuclear missile beneath it, now detached, began plummeting straight into the waters off Marineford.
---
"Not good! At this range—Rocket boosters, full power!"
Lindbergh frantically checked the missile's trajectory before slamming a button on his chair.
With a loud whoosh, twin rocket boosters popped out from either side of his seat—hurling him away from the impact zone as fast as possible.
---
The nuke hit the ocean with a heavy plunk, rapidly sinking into the depths.
But neither the Marines nor the millions watching the broadcast seemed to care.
Most of them hadn't even recognized who Lindbergh was, let alone understood what had just been dropped into the ocean.
---
"Boom!"
The missile continued sinking.
Meanwhile, seated beneath the execution platform, Kizaru suddenly let out a small sigh—
And pulled out an oversized umbrella from who-knows-where.
Aokiji gave him a puzzled look.
But before he could ask—
His face suddenly froze.
---
"RUMMMMMMBLLLLLE!"
All of Marineford shuddered violently.
Out at sea, the water's surface bulged upward into a massive dome—
As if something colossal was about to erupt from below.
Then—
BOOOOM!
A massive waterspout exploded into the sky.
Tens of millions of tons of seawater were blasted upward in an instant, forming a towering water column that momentarily swallowed Marineford in a dense mist.
Then, rising far beyond the clouds, came an enormous mushroom cloud—far larger than Marineford itself—unfolding over the Navy headquarters' outer sea.
Even from dozens—even hundreds—of nautical miles away, people could clearly see the monstrous column of destruction.
---
Before the drenched Marines could even snap out of their shock, they saw it—
A towering tsunami, dozens of meters high, surging toward Marineford with unstoppable force.
If nothing stopped it—
It would drown everything.
---
"Ursus Shock!"
Without a word, Bartholomew Kuma stepped forward.
Ignoring Boa Hancock, who had been hiding behind him to avoid getting wet, he calmly pressed his massive paw against the air.
A compressed bubble of atmosphere formed—
And then, with a deafening boom, he unleashed it.
The resulting shockwave obliterated the incoming tsunami in an instant.
---
Though Lindbergh's nuclear strike had thoroughly washed Marineford…
It had ultimately failed to deal any real damage.
But—
For anyone who had just witnessed it firsthand—
The sheer, apocalyptic destruction of a nuclear explosion was impossible to ignore.
---
"Fufufufu… Now that's terrifying."
Donquixote Doflamingo slicked his wet hair back, grinning in amusement.
"With power like that… It might be worth having a little chat with those guys. I wonder if the Revolutionary Army is open to business..."
His sunglasses gleamed, reflecting the mushroom cloud looming over the ocean—
His hungry gaze filled with greed.
---
"Heeheeheehee! With this kind of power… I bet we could blow Kaido's ass straight to hell!"
Gecko Moria cackled, his sharp teeth flashing.
This war…
This chaos…
Might just be his chance for a comeback!
---
"Ahhh~! Lord Borsalino is truly magnificent! Even at such a distance, he still struck it down effortlessly…"
Boa Hancock clasped her hands to her heart, her stunning face aglow with admiration.
Her eyes shimmered with pure devotion.
---
Elsewhere, Dracule Mihawk simply raised his sword—
And with a casual downward slice, he cut apart the incoming mist before it could even touch him.
He barely gave the explosion a second glance.
It was a terrifying blast, sure—
But he only cared about swordsmanship.
---
While the Warlords were either unfazed, amused, or greedy for the nuke's power…
The Marines were a different story.
Those who had just witnessed that hellish explosion…
Were horrified.
For many of the higher-ranking Marines—
It became painfully clear that if they had been within the blast zone…
Even Vice Admirals would've had almost zero chance of survival.
If Kizaru hadn't shot down the aircraft before it reached the plaza…
If the bomb had detonated over Marineford itself…
Tens of thousands of elite Marines would've been wiped out in an instant.
"W-What the hell was that bomb?!"
"Bastards! This is an open act of war against the Navy! We won't let them get away with this!"
"It was the Revolutionary Army! They actually dared to pull this stunt?!"
The previously shocked Marine officers quickly became furious.
Their rage burned hotter than ever, their bloodlust rising.
If they got their hands on any Revolutionary Army members—
They would hang them from the masts without hesitation.
Even the giant Vice Admirals—normally fearless in battle—
Felt a cold sweat run down their backs.
For normal-sized powerful fighters—
They at least had a chance to dodge or escape something like that.
But for giants?
They were huge, slow-moving targets.
If a nuke dropped into a battlefield full of giants…
The casualties would be horrific.
And then—
BOOM!
Sakazuki's face was grim.
The armrests of his chair crumbled under his crushing grip, molten magma seething from his body.
In an instant, the scalding heat evaporated every last drop of water clinging to him.
---
Before this, Sakazuki had always seen the Revolutionary Army as little more than sewer rats—
Hiding in the darkness, scurrying away whenever the Navy got too close.
If not for their elusive nature, the Marines would have crushed them long ago.
But now…
The Revolutionaries had finally revealed their hand.
And Sakazuki realized—
They had become far more dangerous than he had ever imagined.
---
"So scary~! If I got drenched, I might've caught a cold…"
Kizaru lazily closed his umbrella, his expression unreadable.
But inwardly…
He felt a rare chill.
If not for his insane Observation Haki range, he wouldn't have been able to detect that thing in time.
If the bomb had reached above Marineford before detonation—
The devastation would have been unimaginable.
Unless Kizaru truly went all out—
Even if Sakazuki and Kuzan worked together—
They still might not have been able to intercept a mid-air nuclear detonation.
"Was that Dyna Stone just now?"
Kuzan's frozen armor cracked and flaked away, revealing his ever-sluggish face—
Except now, there was a rare hint of seriousness in his eyes.
Unlike Sakazuki, who had spent years stationed at G-1 in the New World,
Kuzan had limited knowledge of Dyna Stone.
In his mind, an explosion of that scale could only come from something as absurdly powerful as the New World's legendary explosive ore.
"No."
Sakazuki's voice was low.
His fury was palpable.
"Dyna Stone stockpiles are accounted for. There's been no theft. That bomb… That was the Revolutionary Army's secret weapon."
For a man who loathed pirates with every fiber of his being—
The idea that the Revolutionaries now had a weapon strong enough to threaten the World Government itself…
Was infuriating.
---
He knew exactly what would happen next.
The moment the World Government confirmed the Revolutionary Army's nuclear capabilities—
They would divert even more of the Navy's forces away from pirate suppression.
Because to them—
The Revolutionaries were a far greater threat than any pirate crew.
---
"That's quite the terrifying weapon…"
Kuzan exhaled slowly before turning to Kizaru.
"Borsalino-senpai, any intel on this?"
Among the three Admirals, Kizaru was the undisputed senior—
In both experience and age.
More importantly…
Both Kuzan and Sakazuki knew that Kizaru's relationship with Monkey D. Dragon was…
Complicated.
If anyone in the Navy might have some clue about the Revolutionary Army's capabilities—
It would be him.
Kizaru scratched his head.
"…Hmm… Short-term, I doubt they have a second nuclear— ahem— I mean, another one of these bombs ready to go."
He still wasn't sure if he should be impressed or horrified.
Back when he and Dragon were still "casually chatting" years ago…
He had offhandedly mentioned the concept of nuclear weapons.
Who would've thought Dragon would actually go and build one?!
But now that he really thought about it…
Didn't he also ramble about other things that night?
Like…
Star-destroying battleships…?
Dyson spheres…?
...
Nah.
There's no way Dragon could build those.
…Right?
"Then that means…"
Sakazuki's magma gradually cooled, but his killing intent only intensified.
"…If we eliminate Dragon, the Revolutionary Army will lose their edge. At least for now."
His voice was calm, but his eyes—
Were colder than ever.
Once, long ago…
Sakazuki and Dragon had been comrades.
They had even fought side by side against pirates.
But that didn't matter anymore.
For the sake of the Navy's future—
Sakazuki would not hesitate to kill him.
"Dragon crossed the line."
Kuzan's voice was steady, but firm.
"Weapons like that should never have existed in the first place."
In mere moments—
The hawk and the dove of the Admirals had reached a unified stance.
Dragon had to die.
Kizaru shrugged.
"No objections from me."
Even if they had stopped the nuke from causing its maximum potential destruction—
At the end of the day, he was a Marine Admiral.
And an Admiral would always side with the Navy.
The hunt for Monkey D. Dragon…
Had officially begun.
°°°
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