Boom!
The once clear, cloudless sky shifted without warning. In a single breath, darkness swallowed the heavens as thunder roared and lightning tore across the sky.
"What just happened?"
The pirates who had been relentlessly attacking the Sound Country paused and turned in confusion.
Far out at sea, violent lightning raged beneath thick storm clouds. The sudden surge of wind and waves left them stunned.
"What? Thunderclouds gathered this fast? Is a storm coming?"
Rumble!!!
A massive sheet of silver-white lightning stretched across the horizon.
"No… this isn't normal lightning!"
Among the pirates, a few with sharper perception quickly realized the truth.
Puff!
Clarkson, known as the "Vicious Supplicant," a pirate with a bounty of 116 million Berries, yanked his spell-engraved longsword from a soldier's neck. His eyes widened, the strange incantations across his body twitching violently as he pointed toward the distant lightning.
"T-this… this is Admiral Cero's Thunder Fruit ability! Damn it! Brothers, retreat! The Admiral is here!"
"What?! An Admiral?"
"The new Admiral Cero? One of those monsters?!"
The pirates, who had been lost in slaughter, were jolted awake by fear.
"Admiral Cero?"
Puff!
Kerr, the "Bloody Savage," another pirate nearing a 100 million Berries bounty, withdrew his axe from a fallen soldier. He stared at the storm with a cruel grin and roared,
"It's just an Admiral. What's there to panic about?! Our boss is the strongest in the world… the God King Shirogai!"
His voice rose with arrogance.
"Even if more Admirals come, they won't stand a chance against him!"
The burly pirates around him, dressed like wild savages, laughed in agreement.
"That's right! Just an Admiral!"
"As long as God King is here, we'll crush them all!"
"The era of the Marines is over! This world already belongs to the God King!"
"What World Government? What Marines? Just relics of the past!"
Clarkson cursed under his breath, veins bulging on his forehead.
"You idiots! Even God King wouldn't underestimate an Admiral! And he already said he wouldn't act lightly against ordinary enemies!"
Boom!!!
Without warning, a massive bolt of lightning descended like a divine judgment.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!!!
The ground exploded.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
Screams filled the battlefield as pirates were blasted away, their bodies charred as they collapsed, twitching in agony.
When the dust settled, a massive, bottomless crater had formed.
Kerr, who had stood at its center, was gone. Completely erased.
Silence fell.
The remaining pirates trembled.
"H-he's dead? Just like that?"
"A pirate worth nearly 100 million… gone in one strike?"
"Kerr… the one who could dive into the deep sea and hunt Sea Kings… killed instantly…"
Clarkson's eyelids twitched uncontrollably as he stared at the crater. A chill crept into his bones.
If that strike had landed on him, he would not have survived.
Without hesitation, he turned and fled.
"Retreat! Retreat now! Find God King! Only he can deal with this!"
His subordinates followed instantly, panic spreading like wildfire.
Their retreat left the remaining pirates confused.
"Kehehehe!!! Die! You worthless trash! Let God claim your souls!!!"
A grotesque man, his body reeking of swamp-like decay, laughed madly. His long tongue dangled as a machine gun emerged from his belly, mowing down soldiers.
"Huh? Why are they running?"
Cribb, the "Undertaker," a man with a green chameleon perched on his head, slammed his shovel into a soldier and turned in confusion.
"B-big brother… should we retreat too?"
"Retreat? Retreat from what?!"
Caribou, the "Wet-Haired," with a bounty of 170 million Berries, sneered. His long tongue flicked out as he gripped his curved blade.
"Are you an idiot like them?"
"If we run now, that man will look down on us!"
His grin twisted with ambition.
"We're aiming to become core members of this crew. The best way to earn merit is right here… crush this country and present its king's head!"
"Hmph… not bad."
Mick, the "Malicious Executioner," worth 190 million Berries, nodded in approval. He spun his bloodstained sword and stared at the city like it was already a graveyard.
"Only the weak retreat."
"The God King is the strongest in the world."
"A man like that won't praise cowards."
Caribou grinned wider.
"You get it."
"This is our chance. Even if I die, I'll take this country for him!"
In this world, the World Government was like a parasitic force, feeding on everything to strengthen itself.
But pirates were no better.
They destroyed without restraint, tearing apart order for their own desires.
To ordinary people, both were disasters they could not escape.
"B-big brother…"
Cribb suddenly stammered, his voice shaking.
"W-w-wait…"
Caribou frowned and snapped,
"What now?! Speak properly!"
"The ship…!"
Cribb pointed toward the sea, his face pale.
"God King's ship… it's leaving!!!"
"What?!"
Caribou and Mick both turned sharply.
Out on the ocean, the massive pirate ship bearing the God King's flag was accelerating away, cutting through the waves.
Silence fell between them.
"What… is going on?"
Caribou exchanged a glance with Mick. Confusion filled both their faces.
A thought crept into their minds, cold and unsettling.
"Did… the God King retreat… because of the Admiral?"
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