"My lord, please do not harm me…"
Red Heart Q's face was hidden beneath her hood, yet she still appeared pitiful, the kind of sight that might evoke sympathy in anyone.
"I was acting under duress, but now, thanks to your arrival, my lord, I can escape this sea of suffering."
Her body, seemingly influenced by Admiral Silver Snake, trembled slightly as she pressed her ample curves against Silver Snake's chest. The rose‑like fragrance around her filled the air, enveloping him.
"It's all right, you're safe now!"
Silver Snake looked mesmerized, his gaze growing softer and more adoring as he stared at Red Heart Q.
"You will listen to everything I say, won't you?"
Red Heart Q whispered with a seductive tone that made Silver Snake dizzy with desire. His voice thick and intoxicated, he murmured:
"Yes, yes! I'll listen to everything you say…"
"Hehehe, Red Heart Q's ability has taken effect!"
The members of the Red Heart 10, who had surrounded the two with guns raised, smirked triumphantly at the dazed Silver Snake.
"Even an Admiral can't escape our Red Heart Q's Bewitching Butterfly Powder! Red Heart Q is truly amazing!"
From Red Heart Q's forehead, a pair of segmented, pink antennae swayed slowly toward Silver Snake, intensifying his enthralled state.
Red Heart Q's Bug‑Bug Fruit: Butterfly Form!
"Hmph! A bunch of useless things, in the end I have to do this myself!"
Red Heart Q gave a disgruntled look at her subordinates who only knew how to flatter.
Bang!
Suddenly the courtyard's locked gate was kicked open, its chains snapping instantly.
A lazy female voice rang out.
"Everyone stop, Marine investigation!"
"Who?!"
Red Heart Q and the Red Heart 10 members froze, eyes darting nervously toward the entrance.
"They're here, but…"
Before they could finish, a striking female Marine walked into the courtyard.
She wore a Marine Justice coat over a black short‑sleeved top and dark leather pants that revealed her toned midriff. Purple petals were tattooed on her arm, and around her neck hung a spiked choker. Short dark brown hair framed her face, and a cigarette dangled from her lips.
"You abandoned us, just to come here and flirt?"
The tall, fierce Marine ignored the wildly pointing guns and looked at the handsome white‑haired man entranced beside Red Heart Q.
"Admiral Silver Snake, how long are you going to fool around?"
"Beauty, hug me…"
Silver Snake, still deeply enchanted, could not free himself from Red Heart Q's influence.
"This Marine lady, do not move! The Admiral's life is in my hands!"
Red Heart Q held Silver Snake like a shield, a sharp Sea‑Stone dagger pressed against his neck. Her voice was low and threatening:
"This is a Sea‑Stone dagger! One step forward and I'll kill him!"
"Then go ahead and kill him."
Vice Admiral Dore of Marineford, a subordinate present at the scene, spoke indifferently from the doorway.
"You!"
Red Heart Q trembled violently, staring at Vice Admiral Dore in disbelief.
"Do you think I'm bluffing? That I wouldn't really do it?"
A murderous aura radiated from Red Heart Q. Without hesitation she slashed the Sea‑Stone dagger toward Silver Snake's neck.
"Honestly, why are there always such idiots in this world? Who would think an Admiral chosen from millions could be easily manipulated like this?"
Vice Admiral Dore said helplessly, glancing lazily at the sky.
Zzzzzzt!!!!
A surge of silver light pulsed through the courtyard.
"You…"
Red Heart Q's eyes widened in shock as a figure appeared before her.
It was Silver Snake — still with a lustful expression — but he had extended a finger toward her with a charming, wicked smile.
"Beautiful sister, it seems you and I… are quite compatible."
"You liar… you've deceived me all along…"
Those were Red Heart Q's last words before she fell heavily backward onto the ground.
Bang!
"Oh no! Red Heart Q has been knocked out! Quick! Shoot those Marines!"
Only then did the Red Heart 10 thugs realize what had happened. Panicked, they raised their guns and aimed at Vice Admiral Dore and Silver Snake.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Sea‑Stone bullets fired in a dense volley, steel flashing as they flew toward the two.
"Sound Impact, Exploding Fist…"
Vice Admiral Dore stood firm, her fists covered in Armament Haki, smashing into the incoming bullets to shatter them.
"Hey, don't lay a hand on the beauty!"
Zzzzzzt…
Silver Snake vanished in a flash of silver lightning, moving with the speed of light. Not only did he evade the Sea‑Stone bullets aimed at him…
Zzzzzzt…
He also teleported to Vice Admiral Dore's side, briefly admiring her fierce beauty. Then he swept her into his arms in a princess carry and disappeared from the courtyard at lightning speed.
"Clap, clap, clap…"
The bullets struck only air, finding no targets.
"Where did they go?!!!"
The Red Heart 10 thugs cried in panic.
From their perspective, they'd only seen a silver flash — and then both Marine adversaries had vanished.
Outside the courtyard…
"This…"
"Uh…"
"They won't be silenced by Vice Admiral Dore, will they…"
A group of Marines stared dumbfounded.
Then a silver flash appeared, and Admiral Silver Snake emerged carrying Vice Admiral Dore.
"Huh?"
Vice Admiral Dore paused as realization struck — she was being held by the new Admiral Silver Snake in front of her own subordinates.
"Admiral Silver Snake, please attend to your duties…"
Her face flushed as she struggled to free herself. Angrily, through gritted teeth, she forced her voice to remain calm.
"I don't need your protection at all! Your mission is to capture the terrorists hiding in the Stilan Industrial Empire who are sabotaging this nation's mechanical industry!"
"Hehe, I know," Silver Snake said, gazing admiringly at her. "But protecting a beautiful woman's safety is also my duty."
Before she could retort, his attention shifted to the courtyard behind them, where peach blossoms swayed in the breeze.
"But of course the mission is important as well. Before you arrived, I already investigated where the hidden chaos lies…"
As he spoke, dazzling lightning crackled around Silver Snake's body.
Zzzzzzt…
This lightning, charged with destructive force, roared upward into the sky.
Boom!!!!
In the next instant, the previously clear sky darkened, shrouding the entire region in sudden shadow.
"Oh! It's coming! It's coming!"
The Marines looked upward with excitement.
"Admiral Silver Snake's ultimate technique! The ability that once annihilated a hundred hidden pirates within ten seconds — One Thunder, Three Thousand Transformations!"
Rumble, rumble!!!!
Thunder echoed as silvery lightning streaked across the clouded sky.
Crack!!!
At an unknown moment, The Admiral had vanished from his original position.
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Patreon = _Zeph