Attack!

The Summer Domain Royal Palace was pleasant due to the cold winds from the snowy mountains. The gardens were a riot of flowers in full bloom, a breathtaking sight.

But within this beautiful scene, two auras continuously escalated, forming tangible storms that destroyed everything in the garden! One side was a fearsome lightning tornado, drifting slowly, leaving nothing but barren land in its wake, utterly destructive. The other side was black smoke, intermittently mixed with fiery red sparks, setting the ground ablaze.

Countless people watched the direction of the garden with awe, inwardly startled by the clash of the two auras.

"Alas, I hope Fred can understand everything I've done..."

Deep within the palace, Queen Rosa stood by the windowsill, her brow furrowed with more worry than usual.

"He will surely understand, Your Majesty."

A sturdy figure clad in black stood behind the Queen. Upon hearing her words, he cupped his hands in response.

"I hope so... Hmm? It looks like the victor has been decided?"

In the distance, the lightning tornado suddenly contracted, then expanded outwards. Simultaneously, the dark black smoke was also pushed aside, dissipating into the air. When everything calmed down, the entire garden had vanished, leaving behind only a devastated ruin with no trace of life.

A few minutes later, a guard announced that Ron was requesting an audience.

Ron had already changed into the unique green leaf uniform of the Hana guards, a carefully selected white rose pinned to his chest, symbolizing his devotion to Queen Rosa. After the announcement, Ron entered the Queen's chambers and knelt on one knee.

"I have not failed in my mission, Your Majesty!"

"You... you didn't tell him the truth, did you, Ron?"

Rosa, devoid of her usual commanding presence, was now just an elder worrying about a junior. Even a deaf person could hear the sorrow in her voice!

"Of course not, and there was plenty of time!"

"Good!"

Rosa looked up, gazing at Ron with immense admiration. "Everything is entrusted to you, Mr. Ron!"

"Understood!"

Half an hour later, at the Marine encampment.

"You're saying you pretended to defect, and that's how Fred revealed Baroque Works' whereabouts?"

Garp looked at Ron with astonishment, circling him. "I never expected this! Ron, you seemingly upright fellow, you'd resort to trickery too?"

Garp was already surprised that Ron had become the Royal Palace Guard Captain. However, considering Ron's important mission and the need for a suitable identity to move within the palace, it wasn't entirely inexplicable. But Fred actually trying to win Ron over, even offering the position of Hana's Grand General and intelligence on Baroque Works in exchange for Ron's support in his rise to power, that was what Garp found truly astonishing!

Not to mention, it was a feigned defection!

Ron rolled his eyes in response, retorting irritably, "Cut the act! Fred was practically begging for the Marines to find Baroque Works so he could use them to kill his enemies. Even if I hadn't pretended to defect, he would have secretly leaked Baroque Works' information behind my back, hoping we'd eliminate those hyenas for him."

After taking a sip of water, Ron asked, "What do we do next? It seems there's no opportunity to deal with Fred..."

Since Fred dared to discard Ron after using him, he must have erased all traces of his connection with Baroque Works. Even if the Marines captured everyone from Baroque Works, they wouldn't find any substantial evidence.

After all, as he said, it had been a full four months!

Knowing the Marines wouldn't give up, how could he leave such a threat behind?

Therefore, the path of convicting him to save the Queen was blocked...

Even if Baroque Works were apprehended, Queen Rosa would still face pressure from the Allied Nations to abdicate. All they could do was protect the Queen's safety amidst the turmoil.

That was all!

And Ron was right, Fred was eager for the Marines to attack and eliminate Baroque Works' remaining forces on the island, silencing them. Once the Marine army deployed, the palace would inevitably be in chaos!

In that situation, dividing their forces would be the only outcome.

"Do you have confidence in protecting Her Majesty the Queen from Fred's attack, Ron?"

This matter concerned Queen Rosa's safety, so Traine asked with grave seriousness.

Ron shook his head readily: "No!"

"Fred, as a Paramecia-type user of the Coal-Coal Fruit, I can crush him in terms of destructive power. Combined with his Logia-type elemental body, I would surely win in a fight! But if his goal isn't victory, but to kill the Queen, then the destructive power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and the Coal-Coal Fruit becomes a disadvantage, impossible to defend against."

The battle with Fred this afternoon was not only to create a no-man's-land to isolate their conversation but also a mutual probing. As Ron said, in a life-or-death confrontation, Fred wouldn't be his opponent. Without Armament Haki and not being countered by elemental attributes, the control of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was unparalleled! But Fred was no pushover either. His raw strength was comparable to Ron's, and his smoke could ignite fires anywhere! Utilizing the flammable and explosive properties of coal dust, Ron couldn't stop him if he wanted to kill someone.

It wasn't a matter of not being an opponent, but of being unable to protect.

This was the most frustrating situation!

Hearing the answer, Traine frowned deeply.

He glanced at Garp and saw that the latter's eyes were closed, clearly caught in a difficult internal struggle. Traine then stood by helplessly, waiting for Garp's decision.

After a long while, Garp placed his hands on the edge of the table and growled, "We... are Marines!"

"We strike tonight!"

After saying this, Garp exhaled, slumping back into his chair. However, two palm-sized pieces of wood were missing from the table.

"Don't worry, Vice Admiral Garp, the Queen will be safe... I will protect her well!"

Seeing this, Ron, uncharacteristically, offered a rare word of comfort. Garp's suspicious gaze and question in return were: "Did you steal my donuts?!"

Ron: "..."

He shouldn't have expected anything from the old scoundrel!!!

And...

"Who said I needed your protection?"

Under Ron's shocked gaze, Garp wore a carefree smile. From his burly body, as strong as a bear or a tiger, emanated visible, murderous flames. "This time... I'll handle it myself!"

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.

Because the royal capital's regime was unstable, even with the Queen's birthday banquet approaching, the residents of the capital could only go to bed early, not daring to wander the streets late at night.

Under the bright moonlight, figures leaped over rooftops and darted through alleys, advancing rapidly towards their destination. Their movements were orderly, swift, and agile. Everyone had mastered the Rokushiki technique, Soru, moving at incredible speeds. Ordinary people who saw them would only think they were hallucinating.

This was a troop of Marine elites, with an average Power Level of around 500 – true elites! It was the strongest unit under Garp's command! And leading them were... Ron and Traine!

Don't ask where Garp went!

And the direction Ron and the others were heading was a jungle in Summer Domain, the hiding place of Baroque Works members.

According to the intelligence provided by Fred, after Jed fell into the sea, the Baroque Works members did not evacuate immediately. Instead, they hid on West Island, waiting for their opportunity to seize power and collect their payment. Although four months had passed and people had left one after another, hundreds still remained there!

To ensure success, Garp dispatched this elite unit and had Ron and Traine act together. With their combined efforts – one controlling the battlefield with a Logia ability and the other a sword master handling the assault – they would be able to prevent any enemy from escaping.

They were all superhumans whose Power Levels exceeded the limit. This small squad of less than thirty men possessed terrifying mobility!

In less than half an hour, they had crossed the town and arrived in a remote, deep mountain forest.

Behind the slope lay a dense jungle, appearing no different from any other place. However, Traine, who possessed Observation Haki, clearly sensed something. He tugged at Ron, who was about to press forward, and made hand gestures.

There were...

Sentries...

Three of them...

Nodding, Ron allowed Traine to call three team members from behind him. Then, he unfolded the parchment map and pointed out their respective targets. Lightning was certainly not suitable for clearing sentries; although it could kill them simultaneously, the commotion would be too great. After waiting a while longer, three lifelike nightingale chirps echoed from the jungle. Only then did Traine signal the troop to advance.

Meanwhile, Ron's mission began.

Once Traine led his men into the jungle, Ron calculated the timing. Electricity crackled around Ron as he stomped heavily on the ground, transforming into a bolt of lightning and flashing into the sky!

Lightning, after all, came from the heavens.

As long as Ron willed it, he could float in the sky for half an hour without falling. Limited by his own strength, Ron couldn't even change direction nimbly on the ground, let alone engage in aerial combat. Thus, it wasn't a particularly sophisticated flying technique. However, if he only needed to maintain his altitude and unleash lightning mindlessly, it was very easy.

And his mission tonight was to provide aerial reconnaissance for Traine, as well as... aerial support!

RUMBLE!!!

Three chapters today. I was halfway through writing when I discovered a bug. After fixing and revising, what should have been two chapters became one massive chapter of nearly ten thousand words!