"What... what kind of power is this..."
Gion stared blankly at the cannonballs slowly changing direction overhead, so stunned that even her speech came out in stutters.
"Could it be... the power to control metal?"
Gion was just as astonished.
Beside her, Momonga folded his arms and lit a cigarette with a smile.
Darren's getting more and more precise with his magnetic-field control...
Meanwhile, in the distance,
On the Saint Germain, Vinsmoke Judge stared at the oppressive scene, his pupils trembling. He gritted his teeth.
But Darren's next words only reignited his fury.
That little Marine... what an arrogant mouth!!
Did he really think the power of a single Devil Fruit could stand against Germa Kingdom's "Evil Army"?
"Stop joking around!! If an old man like me can't even deal with a brat like you, how can Germa 66 hope to conquer North Blue!?"
Vinsmoke Judge roared, his eyes bloodshot.
"Everyone, attack!! Close in on him!! Ram that warship and smash it to pieces!!"
At his command, the Germa fleet erupted into motion once more. Towed by giant snails, the ships opened their engines to full power and accelerated furiously toward the warship where Darren stood.
Darren said nothing.
He slowly raised his hand again.
His movement was so slow that, beside the charge of Germa 66's dozens of warships roaring across the sea and churning up raging waves, it seemed almost absurd.
Even the tens of thousands of people in the Kingdom of Yadis along the coast could clearly see his gesture.
His long, powerful fingers stretched out gently in midair.
Then,
he clenched his fist!
The next second,
Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz...
A sharp, thunderous sonic boom rang out without warning.
Everyone's eyes widened.
The dense swarm of cannonballs in midair, which seemed to blot out the sky, suddenly began to shudder violently.
It was as if an invisible storm had taken shape in the void.
Then the air itself roared and burst.
The rain of cannonballs suspended across the sky—
a deadly net capable of leveling half a mountain with ease—
shot toward Germa 66's fleet with twice the speed they'd had while falling, driven by the Marine admiral's gesture.
Vinsmoke Judge's eyes instantly filled with blood.
Boom, boom, boom!!
Like a torrential downpour, the cannonballs plunged into the fortress of warships.
Earth-shaking explosions blossomed one after another across the land of the Germa Kingdom, each erupting into a crimson mushroom cloud.
Under such a fierce bombardment, the Clone Soldiers had no time to react. They could only watch helplessly as their advanced weapons exploded around them, before flames and shock waves mercilessly swallowed them whole.
Fierce flames soared into the sky. The Germa Kingdom, as vast as an island, trembled beneath the merciless, all-out bombardment.
The tremendous explosions sent horizontal shock waves rolling outward, one after another, across the surrounding sea, raising wave after wave of towering swells.
Thick black smoke billowed into the sky. The distant tremors and waves left the soldiers of the Kingdom of Yadis along the coast pale-faced.
On the warship, rocking wildly in the storm, every Marine—including Gion and Gion's partner—clung desperately to the masts and anything else they could hold, trying not to be flung overboard.
Gion and Gion's partner couldn't help looking toward the figure at the bow, standing firm in the storm like a reef.
Against the backdrop of the distant Germa Kingdom's sky-high explosions,
the North Blue Admiral smoked his cigar, a familiar, unruffled smile still on his lips.
The broad white cape behind him, illuminated by the flames, was as blinding as blood.
In a daze,
they finally realized
that Darren had managed to bring order to the chaotic waters of North Blue not only through his forceful, deft political skill—
but also because of his monstrous strength!
Strength enough to single-handedly destroy a country!!
The explosions continued without pause for a full minute before finally fading.
Once the cold sea breeze dispersed the smoke, everyone saw the devastation of the Germa Kingdom's fleet of dozens of warships and drew in a collective, sharp breath.
The land was scorched. Embers still burned everywhere, and craters of every size pockmarked the ground.
The towering, heavily fortified gun emplacements and strongholds had collapsed into charred ruins.
The bodies of Clone Soldiers were scattered haphazardly through the wreckage. Many had been blasted to pieces, leaving only mangled limbs.
Aboard the flagship, the Saint Germain, the Cross Falcon flag that had flown from the highest point slowly turned to ash in the flames.
More than half the Germa Kingdom had been flattened.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Suddenly, a fit of violent coughing sounded from somewhere in the ruins.
"That damned Marine brat... how dare you..."
As scorched rock and rubble tumbled away, Vinsmoke Judge struggled to his feet amid the ruins.
He no longer looked invincible. His body was smeared with blood, and he looked utterly miserable.
The cape marked with "66" peeled away from his body as if it were alive.
"So you've already developed the first-generation Battle Suit..."
Darren raised his brows and murmured with interest.
Germa 66's Battle Suits were high-tech creations made by Vinsmoke Judge.
These powerful suits were crafted from specially designed shape-memory armor and were extremely durable.
Their capes served as shields; not even fire could burn them.
The cape's defensive properties were what had protected him from the blast.
"In that case... let's see what this Battle Suit can do..."
Darren murmured softly, a flash of sharp light passing through his eyes.
He turned toward the Marines and said,
"Hold on tight."
Gion and Gion's partner both froze.
But before they could react, they saw the other Marines, including Momonga, clinging tightly to the railings.
Without time to think, they followed suit and grabbed whatever they could on the warship.
Then,
Darren took a deep breath.
Hiss!
As he inhaled, the cigar in his mouth visibly burned down by a large amount.
The Marine Captain stared down the Saint Germain, a hundred meters away.
His knees bent slightly,
his body lowered,
the cape behind him flared in the wind,
his muscles tensed and coiled like a compressed spring,
his stance like that of a leopard ready to pounce!
"Hey, hey, hey... don't tell me..." Gion's partner seemed to guess what was coming. His eye twitched.
As if to confirm his suspicion,
Darren's body remained tense and lowered as the corner of his mouth curled up.
His body, compressed like a spring to its limit, suddenly unleashed its force!
Boom!!
A dull explosion sounded from the warship's hull. Gion and Gion's partner felt as if the world had suddenly turned upside down. A terrifying centrifugal force surged through them, nearly hurling them into the air.
Darren's kick had actually tilted the entire massive warship.
The bow plunged into the sea, while the stern rose high into the air. The deck tilted at an angle of nearly forty-five degrees!
Bang!!
An unimaginable force burst from Darren's legs, and the tilted warship lurched several meters sideways!
Using the recoil, Darren shot from the bow like an arrow loosed from its string, breaking the sound barrier in an instant and setting off a shrill sonic boom.
He sped across the sea, parallel to its surface. He was so fast that the wind around him carved a long, white trough into the waves.
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