He'd been played…
And played hard.
As Shiki stared at Daren's distant, mocking smile, his mind went completely blank. The same thought echoed endlessly in his head.
That Marine brat... He'd had the power all along to take the Moa Moa no Mi without any effort!
Damn it!!
As for that bizarre gesture—Shiki had no idea what it meant, but the mockery and provocation behind it were clear enough.
"What a shame... Your grand fleet is gone, and you were just inches away from claiming the Moa Moa no Mi..."
A calm, drawn-out voice suddenly came from a short distance away.
Shiki whipped his head around and locked eyes with Borsalino, who had landed smoothly on the other side.
The man casually spread his hands with an apologetic shrug, but the smirk tugging at his lips betrayed how much he was enjoying the show.
As the words hit, bloodshot veins flooded Shiki's bulging eyes.
And it wasn't just him—far off, the panting "The Conflagration" King, the Charlotte brothers Perospero and Daifuku, and even Marco, hidden away in some corner, were all frozen in disbelief.
Every single one of them... had been played.
But as soon as that realization hit, a wave of dread surged through their hearts.
If the Marines had the power to take the Moa Moa no Mi from the start... then why didn't they?
The thought struck them all at once. Their faces turned pale.
Could it be...
"Then it's time to end this."
Daren's voice rasped through the air, twisted with a feral grin.
Szzzz...
Sparks of blue lightning began to dance across his body. An invisible, violent force seemed to explode outward from the Commodore, pressing down on everyone nearby.
The crackling light illuminated his face, making his pallor even more ghostly. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, bright against the glow.
But in his eyes burned a savage, unrelenting killing intent.
He slowly raised his blood-soaked right hand.
"No!! Stop him!!"
King's face changed drastically, as if realizing something too late.
Charlotte Perospero and Charlotte Daifuku stared wide-eyed, fear creeping into their expressions.
Shiki's pupils shrank.
Daren burst out laughing—and slammed his hand to the ground.
"All of you—stay right here!!"
Bang!
His palm struck the earth with force.
Whoosh!!
Dozens of thin, crackling electric currents instantly spread out in all directions.
...
Coin Island, First Port.
"Run!! Get out of here!!"
"Shiki's here! If you stay, you're dead!!"
"What the hell happened?! Shiki's entire fleet got wiped out just like that!!"
"How should I know?! Just run if you want to live!!"
"Hurry up!! Get on the ship!!"
The once-busy trade port had erupted into chaos.
Pirates from all over the world, along with agents of the underworld, were fleeing in all directions, drenched in sweat as they scrambled onto their ships.
They'd only just barely escaped with their lives from the auction house—none of them had the time or will to think about anything else.
The docks were packed with pirate ships ready to sail. In the rush, rival factions clashed, hurling insults and blows in a scramble to escape.
But then...
"What... what is that?"
On one of the pirate ships, a sailor pulling the anchor froze. His hand stopped mid-motion, eyes locked ahead in horror.
His face slowly drained of color, like he'd seen a nightmare come to life.
From the direction of the land came a low, metallic groan—like some massive machine shifting into motion.
The strange sound caught everyone's attention.
They turned to look.
And then—they froze.
Like soulless statues, they stood still, paralyzed in fear.
On the island's surface…
Row after row of heavy metal cannons slowly turned, adjusting their aim...
Their barrels pointed straight at the port.
"It's over..."
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
A storm of artillery fire swallowed everything whole.
...
The ruins of the auction hall.
All the pirates present stared in amazement at the flames and black smoke rising from the major ports of Coin Island, their hearts trembling amid the deafening sound of cannon fire mixed with the screams of pirates.
The earth seemed to be shaking.
They stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.
"The port... has been blown up..."
"Our pirate ships... have all been sunk..."
"This... how is this possible..."
"The Marines... have gone mad..."
"..."
At this moment, the pirates' hearts were completely filled with fear, even more shocking than when they had just witnessed the destruction of Shiki's entire fleet with their own eyes.
All the ports of Coin Island had been completely destroyed, and all the ships anchored in the ports had been sunk...
This also meant that they were all trapped on this island with no way out!
There was no escape!!
"What a crazy brat... Jihahahaha..."
Shiki didn't know whether to be angry or laugh. His bloodshot eyes flashed with a fierce light, staring intently at the Commodore of the Marines who was being protected by Sengoku.
"So, Daren, you want all the pirates on this island to join forces and kill you?"
What kind of counterattack would a beast driven into a corner launch?
You have to understand that among the pirates participating in this auction, there were nearly a hundred with bounties of over 100 million!
The other pirates also stared at Daren with hatred, their eyes filled with murderous intent as if they wanted to cut him into pieces.
Under normal circumstances, pirates would not dare to provoke the Marines.
But now…This Marine brat had completely cornered them all!
Noticing everyone's gaze, Sengoku's eyelids twitched, and he hurriedly gave the order, shouting,
"Protect Commodore Daren!"
As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of elite Marines stationed around them immediately rushed forward with their weapons, forming a defensive camp and protecting the seriously injured Daren firmly behind them.
"Kill me?"
At this moment, Daren spoke with a cold smile.
He was gasping for breath, blood seeping from his mouth and nose, and he was in terrible shape.
He propped himself up on his knees and struggled to stand up from the ground.
He looked up.
His eyes swept over the faces of the pirates who were rushing in from all directions and surrounding the Marines.
"No..."
He laughed coldly:
"I'm going to wipe you all out... every last one of you!!"