"Queen?" Sora frowned. "What do you mean by that title?"
"Just what it sounds like." Michael shrugged. "Since you were willing to drink a potent drug with severe side effects to save your child, why not try something even more drastic? A coup d'état isn't exactly unheard of in the nations of this world, is it?"
As soon as Michael finished speaking, Sora's expression changed drastically.
His words were far too blunt.
So blunt that the face of the maid, Ebony, standing beside them turned paler than the walls in an instant.
What kind of proper Marine would goad a Queen consort of a World Government-affiliated kingdom into staging a coup in her own chambers, damn it!
This entire exchange felt utterly surreal.
But no matter how much Ebony internally complained, deep in her soul, she wasn't actually opposed to the idea.
From an outsider's perspective, it was clear that under Vinsmoke Judge's rule, this kingdom was only marching further down the path of becoming cannon fodder.
If even a maid could see that, how much more obvious must it be to Sora, now that her health had been restored?
Like her name suggested, her eyes reflected the color of the sky—clear, blue and sparkling like sapphires.
Now, those eyes were filled with nothing but "determination."
Michael knew he had succeeded.
This mother would not hesitate to overthrow her bastard of a husband for the sake of her children.
"...What do you plan to do?" Vinsmoke Sora stared straight at Michael. "Surely you don't intend to help me carry out a coup all by yourself?"
"Is one person not enough? Not to look down on Germa 66 or anything..." Michael, who had always seemed somewhat nonchalant, suddenly exuded a trace of killing intent.
"If I wanted to, I could destroy this entire kingdom."
"No. Aside from Vinsmoke Judge, my children and the clone soldiers are all innocent."
"Fortunately, I think the same way." Michael nodded and stood up. "So, do we have an agreement?"
"...What exactly do you want from the Germa Kingdom?"
"Can't I just dislike Vinsmoke Judge? Though I advocate for Democracy and Science, taking science too far—to the point of abandoning human ethics and emotions—is going overboard." Michael turned away.
"...By the way, where is Judge's laboratory?"
"Your target is the method for creating clone soldiers?"
"No, no. Quite the opposite." Michael glanced back with a smile. "What I desire is a grand liberation of humanity."
"And the subjects of that liberation aren't limited to just the Vinsmoke Family."
"You think if those clones developed fully autonomous consciousness and truly became 'human,' would they still serve Vinsmoke Judge as their master?"
"This is... truly something to look forward to."
****
"Contact northeast! A blue-haired woman in Marine uniform!"
"Report to His Majesty Judge immediately!"
"The rest of you, follow me!"
The clones' fervent voices echoed across the Saint Germain.
A dozen soldies with different appearances representing a dozen clone models fanned out through streets and alleys in their search.
In a relatively hidden corner, a faint swirl of sand drifted by.
Crocodile sat atop two unconscious clone soldiers, her long legs crossed elegantly like Sharon Stone reborn.
Though she'd reverted to her blue-haired mature woman form, she couldn't kick her smoking habit.
Inhale—Exhale
After taking a deep drag from her cigar, Crocodile glared at the sky.
"Damn it, why hasn't Michael wrapped this up yet? Being chased by these weaklings is getting annoying."
Though she called them "weaklings," Crocodile wasn't taking them lightly.
Each clone soldier possessed considerable combat strength.
Their bodies were enhanced with strong exoskeleton.
With a dozen specialized models working in concert, their combined combat effectiveness was formidable.
While her Logia abilities and martial arts could easily handle several squads—even dozens—of clones...
Any more than that, and she might actually get overwhelmed.
Especially with Vinsmoke Judge waiting in the wings.
Though the man was weak, his advanced technological weapons—particularly the electricity-based ones—could affect her even in her sand form.
"Strange smoke over here! Target must be here!"
"Tch."
Hearing the approaching voices, Crocodile viciously stomped on the unconscious clones beneath her, grinding her heel.
"Did these clones get programmed without any vices? Couldn't they have given them a smoking habit or something?!"
"Desert La Spada!"
Her arm transformed into a blade of sand, which she swung toward the source of the voices.
Buildings within a ten-meter radius were cleanly bisected by the attack.
The structures continued crumbling along the cuts, gradually weathering into piles of sand.
Rather than deterring the clones, the display only made them converge faster.
Yet...
They merely surrounded her without attacking.
Until a cat-shaped vehicle screeched to a halt.
Vinsmoke Judge had arrived.
"Marine! This is all a misunderstanding!"
"We're not pirates! This isn't a pirate ship!"
"I am King Vinsmoke Judge of the Germa Kingdom, sent by Rear Admiral Michael to find you!"
Judge's voice carried both suppressed frustration and relief.
Crocodile raised an eyebrow.
Whatever trick Michael had pulled, it seemed to have worked perfectly.
Never one to pass up some mischief, Crocodile immediately played along with exaggerated outrage.
"What?! You expect me to believe this isn't a massive pirate vessel?! Do I look blind to you?"
Crocodile spoke while pointing at the flag of the Germa Kingdom fluttering in the wind atop the building.
"Such a huge skull flag! The whole ship is covered with them!"
"Thats a misunderstanding! That's our national flag! The Germa Kingdom's flag looks like this! We're a member nation of the World Government, allied with the Marines!"
Watching Judge's frantic attempts to explain, a faint flush crept onto Crocodile's face.
Was this the thrill of basking in borrowed authority?
Was this the joy of being a Marine?
Hmm… it actually felt pretty good?
For the first time, Crocodile felt that turning back into a woman and being forced to join the Marines might not be such a bad thing after all!
------------------------------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator