Minutes later, everything settled.
The site of the ancient fort was now just a crater over a hundred meters in diameter and more than five meters deep; the entire fort had vanished.
On the beach, twisted metal parts were scattered everywhere, along with numerous Germa 66 soldiers. Most of these soldiers appeared outwardly unharmed, yet blood flowed from their orifices, and their limbs were limp. Crimson blood stained the sand and the seawater.
Ichiji stared blankly at the chaotic scene on the coast, instantly consumed by a near-frenzy. He roared at the sea, "I'll kill you, you bastard!" His desperate, resentful cry echoed across the ocean.
The losses were too devastating. Three warships, one thousand eight hundred men—now probably barely a thousand remained.
Although the Germa Kingdom's research into Lineage Factors allowed them to "replicate" even more elite soldiers using the Lineage Factors of outstanding Germa soldiers—soldiers who, after modification and cloning, were fearless and absolutely obedient, forming the new Germa 66 army that struck terror into nations worldwide—this cloning technology hadn't been developed for long.
It still required five years to fully cultivate a batch of such soldiers. The first two batches of new soldiers, due to technical issues, hadn't produced a particularly large number of "replicated" new soldiers.
This time, Ichiji had only brought a thousand new cloned soldiers and eight hundred original soldiers who had undergone minimal modifications. The majority of these losses were the new elite soldiers. Even Ichiji, cold-blooded and viewing lives as expendable, felt a pang of heartache over such a loss.
...
One nautical mile away.
A thirty-meter-long azure submarine surfaced from beneath the water.
Clang!
The submarine's top hatch opened, and Vade poked his head out, just in time to hear Ichiji's desperate and resentful cries echoing from the distance.
"Tch, a brat is still a brat. Still very green."
Vade scoffed, looking at the three small black dots in the distance. He then muttered to himself, "The first half of the Grand Line is Marine and World Government territory; I can't go there. The New World, however, is a tangled mess. Even though that bastard Judge moved the Germa Kingdom to the New World a few years ago, he doesn't really get involved in pirate battles. So, I'd best hide out in some big pirate's territory."
"Hmm... I hear the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates have both designated Clifford Kingdom as a neutral zone, and it's also the territory of Aeridar, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. That bastard Judge would absolutely never dare cause trouble there. Plus, there's the world's largest entertainment city there, perfect for relaxing and having some fun."
A sly smile crept onto Vade's face as he thought of this.
"Heheheh~ I'll go to Clifford Kingdom."
...
Clifford Kingdom, Palace Entertainment City Central Building.
On the ground floor of the main hall, about twenty men in black suits surrounded an area. Behind them stood a crowd of visitors from various places: pirates, merchants, nobles, and even World Government officials and royal family members from different nations.
"P-please, spare me! I won't dare do it again next time!"
More than a dozen oddly dressed individuals lay lifeless on the ground. Another man, his face covered in blood, knelt on the floor, pleading miserably. His swollen eyes were barely slits, and blood-streaked tears dripped onto the pristine white tiles.
"Hehe, you really don't value your life, do you? Daring to cause trouble here," a World Government official sneered mockingly.
"Indeed. No one who causes trouble here ever comes to a good end," a prominent merchant nearby agreed, nodding.
"To witness Golden Ring Aeridar-sama in action... it was truly worth the trip today. Such a strong physique, such a handsome face. Just one look, oh~ I'm practically... I...!" A noblewoman from some country gazed mesmerized at Aeridar's back. Her pale skin instantly flushed pink, and her body trembled with excitement, almost collapsing to the floor.
"A bunch of clueless newcomers. These kinds of guys get a bounty of 80,000,000 and are even allowed into the New World. The Marines are truly useless," a pirate in a red suit and brown overcoat said with a look of disdain.
Many people in the hall were regulars here and had witnessed foolish individuals with no power causing trouble a few times. However, they were usually quickly dealt with by the guards.
It was said that the most severe incident only required a top executive of the Chris Pirates to resolve, not even the two renowned as the Chris Pirates' right and left hands.
Today, however, Golden Ring Aeridar, a man of great importance who was both a king, the captain of the Chris Pirates, and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, had personally intervened.
This truly excited many people, as such high-ranking individuals were not a common sight.
"Hey, hey~ With just this much strength and temper, you dared to cause trouble here? I thought you might bring me some entertainment," Aeridar bent down slightly, placing a foot on the man's back. He rolled his eyes in boredom and lazily pulled out a finely crafted ivory flintlock pistol from his waist.
Click!
A bullet was chambered. Aeridar pressed the muzzle to the man's temple and quietly asked, "Any last words?"
Feeling the cold steel against his temple, the miserable wretch shivered. "N-no, don't kill me! I'll give you all the money and valuables on my ship! Spare me, please, please spare..."
Bang!
A gunshot cut him off.
Splatter~
Thump~
Crimson blood mixed with white matter splattered onto the pristine white tiled floor. The man's body immediately collapsed, and a large pool of blood spread, staining the ground red.
"Ahhh..."
Witnessing such a gruesome scene, several ladies in the hall who had never seen anything like it screamed in terror.
"I told you to give proper last words, but you insisted on talking nonsense."
Aeridar pouted, straightening up. He then glanced around the room, looking at everyone present, a sinister smile playing on his lips. He chuckled softly, "Talking money with me? That's quite a cold joke, hehehe~"
He looked disdainfully at the ivory flintlock pistol, its muzzle stained with blood, then handed it to a black-suited guard beside him. He ordered, "Finish off the others. Throw all the bodies into the Colosseum."
Aeridar's voice wasn't lowered. His cold tone and words sent shivers down many people's spines. Of course, some also exchanged knowing smiles. Then, Aeridar's face broke into a radiant, sunny smile as he looked at those present and politely said, "I apologize for showing you such a spectacle today. To express my apology, I'll give each of you 200,000 chips. I hope you all have a good time."
Thump-thump-thump-thump...
Suddenly, a clear sound of footsteps approached. Mina, wearing red high heels, hurried to Aeridar's side and quietly spoke.
"Captain, we've found the destination!"
——————
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