The battle, right from the start, was utterly one-sided.
"Crush them!"
The colossal Brachiosaurus, over twenty meters long from head to tail, had transformed into a full-scale semi-trailer, rampaging directly across the battlefield. No one could stop him.
Every unlucky soul who stood in his way met the same end, mercilessly trampled into a pulp.
But this Brachiosaurus, compared to his four brothers, had the weakest destructive power.
Each colossal fireball that landed was a violent explosion comparable to heavy artillery.
Frenzied lightning continuously sparked with the streaking blue electricity, touching it meant instant death.
The yellow-haired youth rode the wind in mid-air, constantly showering down wind blades capable of easily slicing through human bodies.
However, the one with the strongest destructive power was undoubtedly the pink-haired youth. It seemed the pinker the color, the more ruthless the attack.
Unlike his four brothers, the Toxic Pink battle suit's cape resembled a moth's wings. Coupled with the jet ports on his battle boots, he could truly fly.
As he swept through the sky, pink currents descended from nowhere. These currents, just by touching one's skin, would rapidly corrode the flesh. If accidentally inhaled, the stomach would be completely corroded in the blink of an eye.
In just an instant, this coastline had turned into a purgatory.
"No! No!"
Doctor Trafalgar watched all this, feeling his body stiffen. "It shouldn't be like this..."
If he hadn't tried to be clever and toy with Roa, trying to get free benefits from the Calamity Company, how could this have happened?
It's all my fault, all my fault!
This doctor, who once saved lives, now stood completely frozen on the battlefield. Not to mention picking up a weapon to fight, he couldn't even move.
But thankfully, even within the Revolutionary Army, he was a civilian.
Someone took over command in Dragon's absence. "Counterattack! Quickly counterattack!"
Actually, no command was needed. When the Five-Colored Squadron launched their merciless assault, the Revolutionary Army soldiers had already spontaneously retaliated.
Da da da da da!
Dense gunshots echoed across the battlefield.
Even though they were far behind the weapons used by the Calamity Corps, the weapons Roa sold into the Grand Line were definitely "future weapons" that far surpassed the current average level of the seas.
Overwhelming firepower instantly covered the five brothers.
Electric Blue, who darted across the battlefield like lightning, was fine; no one could lock onto him.
Spark Red, who threw fireballs like a turret, wasn't so lucky, instantly covered by a storm of metal. Storm Yellow and Toxic Pink, flying in the air, were even worse off; there was no need to worry about friendly fire, they were directly targeted.
But the one who was most targeted was the rampaging Brachiosaurus, Crane Green. His enormous size made him a perfect target; no aiming was even needed. At least two-thirds of the firepower was directed at him.
Besides guns, even rocket launchers were aimed solely at him.
Overwhelming numbers brought overwhelming firepower superiority!
However, this also made the soldiers realize an even more despairing truth.
"That tickles! Are you done yet?!"
From the thick smoke of exploding artillery shells, the Brachiosaurus, with slightly stained clothes, charged out completely unharmed, continuing his frantic war stomps. Neither gunfire nor explosions could stop him in the slightest.
In fact, having eaten one more Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit than his four brothers, he appeared unassuming and lacked the flashiness of his brothers' lightning, fire, wind, and poison. However, he was actually the strongest of the five.
The strongest strength, the strongest defense, the strongest stamina, and speed only inferior to Electric Blue. He possessed a simple, unadorned beauty of raw stats.
But besides him, the other four brothers were also completely unharmed.
Their natural exoskeletons were already impenetrable, and with the latest battle suits, all the attacks from the Revolutionary Army only left minor smudges on them.
"What kind of monsters are they?!"
Realizing that no attack had any effect on their opponents, even though this army was composed of Flevance people who had long since come to terms with death, morale was already collapsing.
No matter how fearless they were, they couldn't just die for nothing, right?
"Die!! Bastard!!"
A high-ranking Revolutionary Army cadre, eyes bloodshot, furiously slashed at Spark Red, who had just killed another group of soldiers with a fireball.
However, the incredibly sharp blade couldn't even leave a scratch on Spark Red's face.
"Hm?"
Spark Red raised his hand and grabbed the man's neck. The residual high temperature on his hand instantly made the man shriek repeatedly in pain.
Am I going to die?
He thought, So meaninglessly?
But.
Spark Red didn't immediately twist the man's neck. Instead, he casually examined the man's face.
Then, he casually threw the man to the ground, and with two more fireballs, incinerated many more people.
But if one looked closely, they would notice that Spark Red always aimed at ordinary soldiers, carefully avoiding anyone dressed as a cadre.
By the coast, Tiger and Jinbe had already brought their large ship ashore.
Since they hadn't received any orders, the accompanying clone soldiers obediently remained on the ship.
Only the bold and daring Tiger and Jinbe disembarked to watch the show.
"Invincible to blades and bullets?"
Jinbe exclaimed, looking at the Five-Colored Squadron's expressions. "They aren't even using Haki! What's with their defense?!"
"Because they're artificial humans."
Tiger said slowly.
Indeed, they're on a completely different level from ordinary clone soldiers!
Roa must value them highly, right?
So there's no need for them to feel pain.
So, can these advanced artificial humans be mass-produced?
If so—
Tiger couldn't help but feel his mouth dry. To what extent would the Calamity Company expand?
He pondered, it was unknown if he himself could defeat such an artificial human.
It wasn't just the Revolutionary Army soldiers on the coast who were being mercilessly slaughtered; in the sky, in the battle of monsters, the scales of the Goddess of Victory had already tipped heavily.
"Ugh!"
Dragon was once again sent flying by a heavy mercury punch.
His ribs felt like they were shattered!
What a heavy punch!
Dragon looked at the mercury punch that had sent him flying.
On the dark mercury fist, invisible waves rippled.
Flowing Armament Haki!
Not just technique, but the quality of the Haki was terrifyingly high! It was utterly unlike the level a youth of this age could use!
Mercury Bullet, this is a powerhouse no less than him!
This was already bad enough, but what was worse was that...
He wasn't alone.
A sharp slash suddenly appeared in the air behind him.
Even though Dragon tried his best to dodge, a not-so-shallow wound was still torn in his right rear shoulder.
Dragon, enveloped in a gale, tried to distance himself.
But the Tengu that appeared from the air also manipulated wind, and its speed was astonishingly fast.
Demon Descendant King!
Already a Lunarian with extraordinary racial talent, and even a Mythical Zoan ability user!
Leaving aside the ability to become invisible, controlling wind and fire was already troublesome enough.
More importantly, his slashes were terrifyingly sharp!
Although the sword wrapped around his blade was also flowing Armament Haki, pure Armament Haki definitely couldn't reach that level!
His own Armament Haki couldn't resist it at all!
That must be the effect of a very high-quality famous sword, plus some kind of special slashing ability!
This guy is also a master no less than Bullet!
Dealing with one was already a huge pressure; facing two at once meant he had no ability to parry!
"Storm Dragon King!!"
Dragon's right fist gathered a furious wind, and his swinging fist was a miniature storm.
But King's incoming sword also had wind and fire intertwined.
The moment the two monster-like men collided in the sky, a fierce wind swept across the sky, and flames surged.
But at the exact moment of the collision, an invisible mist suddenly condensed beside Dragon.
"Extreme Heavy Cannon!"
A mercury punch, as large as a small mountain, slammed into Dragon without hesitation.
"Whoa!"
The leader of the Revolutionary Army instantly spat out a large mouthful of blood, his body falling to the ground like a cannonball.
The impact instantly created a large crater, and the ground around it shattered.
Bullet and King simultaneously descended from the sky.
Below, the smoke was instantly cleared by a strong wind. Dragon, tattered and covered in blood, turned his hands into tornadoes, desperately waving them towards the sky.
Bullet and King showed no hesitation. One slammed down an iron fist, the other cleaved down with a blade.
The mercury fist, as large as a small mountain, crushed the whirlwind like dry leaves, and the blade light pulled out by King directly split the whirlwind in half.
Boom!
The earth violently shook, the coast instantly collapsed, and the sea boiled as a result!
When the smoke cleared, the battle was over.
Bullet grabbed the back of Dragon's neck with his left hand, pressing him firmly to the ground, his knee on Dragon's back, and his right hand gripping his right arm.
At the same time, King stomped on Dragon's left arm, his incredibly sharp Meito Ame no Habakiri resting across Dragon's neck.
"It's over."
King's tone was indifferent. "With just this level of skill, do you dare to default on Boss's debt?"
"..."
Dragon was speechless.
What else could he say now?
Whatever he said would only be the wailing of a loser.
To the side, Trafalgar stared blankly at Dragon, who was pinned to the ground.
"Just like that,"
His voice trembled, but more than that, it was bewildered. "Is it over?"
Had all their ambitions, all their dreams and future, come to an end here?
And was all of this because of one wrong decision he made?
Tears, even before his heart felt pain, uncontrollably surged forth.
Trafalgar slumped weakly to the ground, feeling as if his back could never straighten again.
Was it all my fault?
The demise of the Revolutionary Army seemed inevitable.
The disparity in strength was simply too great.
But.
King suddenly sheathed his sword. He pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
"Boss wants to talk to you, Monkey D. Dragon."
Dragon, who was also disheartened and felt that everything was over, was suddenly startled by these words.
Roa wants to talk to him?
Without even waiting for his reply, King casually dialed the number.
Soon, the other end connected.
"Oh! Has it ended already, calling at this time?"
A very clear, youthful voice came from the other end of the line.
Full of energy, yet strangely carrying a hint of laziness, making one feel contradictory.
Was that Roa on the other end of the phone?
The most terrifying pirate in the world, a monster among monsters!
"Yes, Boss,"
Even though it was over the phone, King still bowed slightly, his tone very respectful. "Dragon has been subdued by us."
"Good job. Give him the phone."
"Yes."
King carefully placed the Den Den Mushi in front of Dragon.
Bullet grabbed the back of Dragon's head, forcefully turning him to face the Den Den Mushi.
"I've always been watching you, Dragon."
The first sentence from the phone made Dragon's face stiffen.
Although he was prepared, hearing Roa actually say that, Dragon still felt immense defeat.
"When I learned you were preparing to go against the World Government, I was very happy. There aren't many people in the world with the courage to challenge the World Government like us."
"Us? Where did 'us' come from?"
Dragon tried hard to appear more dignified.
"Don't say that,"
Roa's voice held a chuckle. "The World Government's power is a bit too strong. To defeat them, of course, we must unite all forces that can be united."
"If you don't even have that resolve, what's this talk about establishing a new order?"
"..."
Dragon was speechless.
He and Zephyr had indeed planned this, but hearing it from Roa only made him feel humiliated.
"With the same enemy, we're basically comrades, wouldn't you say? Taking advantage of friends isn't a good habit, Dragon,"
Roa said with a smile. "Consider this a small lesson for you this time. Don't make the same mistake again, or it'll hurt our feelings. Oh, and remember to pay your outstanding balance."
"You said, a lesson?"
Dragon almost gritted his teeth, his body subconsciously struggling.
Bullet immediately applied more pressure, pinning him down firmly.
"Of course it's a lesson,"
Roa said, somewhat surprised. "I specifically told Bullet and King to spare your life, and I also had the Five-Colored Squadron intentionally avoid your cadres. I've already considered you a great deal, you know."
"If anyone else dared to do this, I would have burned them all to ashes long ago. This is special treatment for you, because I've always had high hopes for you."
"Dragon, you should thank me."
"..."
Dragon's teeth almost shattered, his face flushed red, and his facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.
Humiliation!
Never had he felt such humiliation!
In Roa's eyes, what was he?
"I said, Dragon, say thank you."
Dragon could hear the series of screams coming from the battlefield nearby.
The slaughter continued.
Dragon's entire body trembled. Finally, he closed his eyes, speaking with a pained expression,
"Thank you, Roa, thank you for this lesson..."
"You're welcome. Friends helping each other is only natural."
Roa's laughter grew even warmer. "That's how it should be, isn't it? We have the same goal, why make things so tense?"
"Let's continue to cooperate well in the future, with the goal of overthrowing the World Government!"
"We, as always, will provide you with the highest quality weapons. Don't disappoint me, alright?"
"After all, if you disappoint me, then there's no need for you to exist, right?"
"..."
Dragon was speechless.
"Alright, that's enough for now,"
Roa said casually. "Bullet, King, come back. Our friend should have learned a lot from this lesson."
"And Dragon, remember to settle your outstanding balance as soon as possible."