That despairing cry, choked with sobs, struck like thunder crashing into a still lake, instantly igniting the atmosphere inside the luxurious tavern!
"One man?!"
"Are you kidding me?! That was over a dozen ships! A thousand of our brothers!"
"Were you scared out of your fucking mind?!"
Baroque seized the pirate messenger by the collar and hoisted him into the air, his bloodshot eyes fixed on him as he sprayed spit all over his face.
"Tell me exactly what happened! Which Marine Vice Admiral led the attack?!"
"N-no... not a Vice Admiral... it really... really was just one man..."
The pirate was nearly choking, his limbs flailing in the air, his face filled with terror.
"A warship... he... he jumped over from that warship... all by himself... and smashed all our ships... to pieces!"
"S-smashed them to pieces?"
Baroque's grip loosened, and the pirate fell to the floor with a thud, gasping for breath.
An eerie silence fell over the entire tavern.
Not one of the outlaws present still wore the expression of a spectator enjoying a show.
They were all villains who lived on a knife's edge, and they understood the strength of a patrol fleet better than anyone.
That much firepower, on that scale, broken through by one man?
This wasn't a battle. This was a monster rolling over them.
"Fuhahaha..."
Baroque suddenly broke into a nervous laugh, dry and grating.
"Interesting... very interesting... looks like Marine Headquarters has sent out quite a monster too!"
His arrogance vanished entirely at that moment, replaced by a greed mingled with fear and morbid excitement.
"Take it from your corpse?"
Diamante rose gracefully and straightened his cape, the clown makeup on his face making his smile look particularly eerie.
"It seems there's a more interesting option now."
Without another glance at