"Even if you are this powerful, you are no match for the Poker Organization."
The Joker Princess, wearing a grotesque clown mask, faced the approaching Silver Snake. Her twisted grin mirrored the same madness that had marked the King before his death.
"Admiral Silver Snake, pray you never discover the true extent of the enemy you face!"
With that, the Joker Princess spun abruptly and leaped into the sea without hesitation.
"Do members of this Poker Organization really go to such extremes? Suicide at the slightest disagreement?" muttered Silver Snake, transforming into a flash of silver-white lightning.
"Beautiful lady, how about I don't press you on the organization? Perhaps we can discuss life ideals instead?" he added casually, lightning crackling around him.
As the silver-white bolts neared the Joker Princess, she pulled a gun from beneath her cloak and fired.
Bang!
A Sea Stone bullet streaked toward Silver Snake, but lightning form allowed him to dodge effortlessly.
Zzz!
Bang! Another. Bang! A third. A fourth…
The bullets seemed to anticipate his movements, predicting his dodges. But even so, compared to Silver Snake's speed, they were far too slow.
"Impressive Observation Haki," he murmured, raising an eyebrow. Just as the Princess neared the sea, he grabbed her clothes mid-fall, lifting her swiftly back onto the deck.
"…"
The Joker Princess froze, stunned. She glanced around, realizing Silver Snake was nowhere in sight.
"Don't even think about it. Suicide before me is no easy task with your strength."
Silver Snake emerged from the warehouse casually, savoring a cream ice cream.
"Is that so? Then how about this?" the Princess muttered with a twisted grin.
Before she could react further, Silver Snake transformed into lightning, appearing before her. His hand, glowing with deep red electricity, clamped firmly around her neck, lifting her without mercy. Lightning coursed violently along his fingers, illuminating the deck.
Zzz!!
The deck shimmered under countless bolts of red electricity, drowning out her eerie, high-pitched laughter.
"Hehehe… uh, uh, ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Her screams replaced her cackles as the lightning assaulted her body. The black-and-white clown mask disintegrated into powder, drifting away to reveal her original face—beautiful, yet contorted in pain.
"Damn! Is she tricking me?" Silver Snake mused, maintaining the red current.
"Damn it, Admiral Silver Snake! We will meet again!" the Princess shouted through gritted teeth.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.
"You cannot save this world!"
Two eerie black dice rotated within her pupils. One revealed a soul shrouded in fear, the other a soul quietly weeping. They shattered into black smoke that dissipated into the air.
Plop!
The red current stopped. The Princess, scorched and unconscious, collapsed onto the deck.
…
At the Stilan Industrial Empire's dock, aboard a Marine warship.
"So, Admiral Silver Snake, the King of the Stilan Industrial Empire dies before you, the Princess falls into a coma, and her bodyguard suffers amnesia from your lightning—and yet, you did this for the good of the country?" Vice Admiral Dore asked sharply, legs crossed, glaring at the white-haired man lounging on the sofa and eating ice cream.
"That's the truth. What can I do?" Silver Snake replied casually.
Admiral Bai She, savoring his own ice cream, exhaled coldly.
"This is far from over. The true culprit remains at large, and it is likely tied to the Poker Organization, which has thrown the world into chaos."
"I've already reported this to Headquarters," Dore said, her expression solemn.
"This incident is another involving DP and the Poker Organization. Citizens and key national personnel who consumed DP have mysteriously joined the Poker Organization. I've ordered an investigation into DP's origin; clues will surface soon."
"I doubt the King or Princess ever consumed such things," Bai She mused, finishing his ice cream and stretching lazily.
"I have a suspicion, but it can only be confirmed once the Princess awakens."
Suddenly, commotion erupted at the distant dock.
"Pirates! Pirates are attacking!"
"Really? With the Marine warship here?" merchants muttered, bewildered.
Thump, thump, thump…
A panicked soldier saluted Silver Snake.
"Admiral Silver Snake! Over a dozen pirate crews are attacking. Their flags indicate they belong to Edward Weevil, the so-called Whitebeard Jr., bounty 400 million Berries!"
"Hmm? That rookie claiming to inherit Whitebeard's legacy?" Silver Snake's expression shifted to eager interest.
"Let's see how capable Whitebeard's biological son really is! Can he live up to his father's legend?"
"Don't go overboard, Silver Snake. Protect the docks and the people. The King's death and the heir's coma have already destabilized the country," Vice Admiral Dore warned sharply.
"Enen! Got it!" he replied with a grin.
The first three Admirals had been diligent, understanding Marine responsibilities. But the new generation, chosen mid-career from armies and prisons worldwide, often disregarded rules, promoted directly to Admiral after brutal selection trials.
Silver Snake was one of them—reckless at times, indulgent in pleasures, yet relentless against pirates.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cannonballs struck the water, exploding loudly.
"Hand over your money! Or none of you will survive! I am Edward Weevil, Whitebeard's son!"
The burly, ugly man with a crescent white mustache stood on the lead pirate ship, shouting foolishly.
"Mama, did I say it right?" he whimpered, glancing at the shriveled old woman behind him—Miss Bakkin, once close to Whitebeard, now a wizened, stern figure.
"Idiot! Don't look at me! Command your pirates!" she barked. "Seize all goods like your father once did!"
Edward nodded, shouting at his crew.
"Go! Take the ships! For me and Mama!"
"Captain! Look! The Marine warship! Someone's coming!"
The pirates froze. A white-haired man, bare-chested, emerged slowly. A short-haired female Marine placed the silver-cuffed Admiral coat on him.
"Oh no!!!"
"Admiral Silver Snake!" the pirates screamed in terror.
(No one else wields the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) except Shirogai and Enel. Enel is subdued; the remaining user is Shirogai!)
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