"I'm here to end this war."
The Navy Captain's low voice echoed across the deathly silent sea, drawing wide-eyed stares from everyone around.
On the deck of the warship, the Marines of the North Blue looked toward the fierce and commanding figure at the bow. Their eyes lit up with admiration, and several young female Marines even had heart-shaped pupils.
"Damn it!! He pulled it off again!! Why can't I come up with lines like that!?"
Tokikake glanced around at everyone's reactions, then cursed under his breath, his face flushing with embarrassment.
Gion's eyes flickered slightly.
At that moment, Vinsmoke Judge's furious roar rang out from aboard the Germa Kingdom's vessel:
"Daren, what do you think you're doing!? Are you planning to attack me!?"
"Germa is a member of the World Government and has the right to attend the Reverie as a powerful nation... Attacking me is a direct provocation against a fellow member of the World Government!"
"And your Marines have no authority to interfere in disputes between countries!"
Daren narrowed his eyes as the cloak of justice behind him whipped in the wind. He sneered.
"Vinsmoke Judge... It's true that the Germa Kingdom is a member of the World Government, but so is the Yadis Kingdom."
"And more importantly, I will not tolerate a full-scale war breaking out within my jurisdiction."
Vinsmoke Judge let out a cold, furious laugh.
"So you think a mere Navy Captain, with just one warship and a few hundred men, can stop Germa 66's army?"
"You naïve Marine brat! Don't make bold claims you can't back up!!"
He raised his arm and gave the order with a sharp wave.
"No one can stand in the way of Germa's ambition to rule the North Blue!"
A flash of madness and violence flickered in his eyes.
"Fire!! Sink that warship!!"
With Germa's standing as a World Government member state, even killing this so-called North Blue Admiral on the spot wouldn't bring the slightest reprimand from the government.
In fact, it would send a message—no, a warning—to Marine Headquarters: not even the Marines can interfere with Germa's path to dominance!
"Tremble before Germa's firepower... and submit!"
As soon as the words fell...
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Deafening cannon fire shattered the stillness over the sea.
The people of the Yadis Kingdom watched in horror as, from the Germa warships, countless flashes of light erupted wildly, blazing and flaring.
As trails of red light soared into the sky, the clouds above seemed to darken, as if a thick shroud had fallen over them.
No...
That wasn't cloud cover.
It was an overwhelming swarm of cannon shells and bullets, slicing through the air like locusts. They whistled and cracked sharply as they traced dense arcs across the sky, descending en masse toward the Marine warship's position.
A massive black cloud of death was sweeping down—inescapable and suffocating.
In an instant, a scorching wind rushed down from above. Hundreds upon hundreds of shells poured like a torrential storm, flooding the air with the acrid stench of gunpowder.
Amid them, some shapes were clearly visible—these weren't just ordinary cannonballs. Some resembled rockets or missiles.
This… this was the devastating military technology of Germa 66, powerful enough to dominate the entire North Blue.
Aboard the warship, Tokikake and Gion's faces turned pale.
"Damn it!! Germa 66 actually dared to attack the Marines!"
"Has Vinsmoke Judge lost his mind!?"
Tokikake was in a panic, sweat beading on his forehead.
Gion abruptly drew the Meito at her waist, her expression turning grim. A bombardment of this scale could level a small mountain in seconds—there was no way to intercept it.
Worse yet, they were in the middle of the ocean. If the warship beneath them sank, even if they survived the initial blast, they'd be defenseless in the water when the second wave hit.
But just as the two were bracing for the worst, they suddenly noticed something strange—the other Marines on the warship weren't panicking. In fact, their faces showed something… odd.
Could it be...
Gion and Tokikake suddenly realized something. They turned in unison to look toward the bow of the ship—toward Daren.
At that moment, the supreme military commander of the North Blue... made his move.
A cold smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he looked up at the storm of shells raining down. He slowly raised a hand.
Then, gently—almost casually—he pushed the air in front of him.
It was like brushing away invisible dust.
Suddenly, faint arcs of purple electricity flickered through the air.
An unseen force field spread out in silence.
Tokikake and Gion froze, eyes widening in disbelief as they watched the impossible unfold before them.
On the shoreline, tens of thousands of Yadis Kingdom soldiers, including the king himself, stood dumbfounded. Their eyes looked like they might pop out of their sockets.
The sky, once filled with a swarm of missiles and shells raining down like locusts, suddenly hit an invisible barrier.
Their speed dropped drastically—
And then, inexplicably, the barrage stopped midair.
Countless cannonballs and bullets, now hovered silently just five meters above the ship, completely motionless.
At that distance, Tokikake and Gion could clearly see the engravings on the shells and even smell the sharp tang of gunpowder.
Silence.
The world had fallen into a deathly stillness.
So profound was the quiet, it created the illusion that even the air itself was vibrating.
Aboard Germa's main battleship, Vinsmoke Judge's eyes nearly split open in disbelief as he stared at the surreal sight.
The shells—mid-fall—had stopped in the air!?
It was as if the world itself had frozen.
In that breathless silence, a tiny sound broke through.
Click...
A lighter flicked open.
At the bow of the warship, the black-haired Marine Captain lit a cigar, shielding the flame from the cold sea breeze with one hand.
A flicker of red flared in the dim light.
"I'm giving you one last chance, Vinsmoke Judge."
His voice was calm—flat, even.
As he spoke, the countless suspended shells began to slowly turn, as though guided by an invisible force, adjusting their aim.
One after another, the rocket launchers blazing with fire also shifted direction.
Their new target… was aimed straight at the Germa Kingdom.
Vinsmoke Judge's face changed dramatically.
Staring at the dense cluster of redirected missiles and rockets, a chill ran down his spine.
The North Blue Admiral took a long drag from his cigar, and the smoke he exhaled curled into the shape of a pure white flag.
"Leave now, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened."
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake