"I'm just a worthless insect..."
An unnamed Marine Vice Admiral knelt on the ground with his hands pressed against the floor, his morale completely shattered.
Above him, three Negative Hollows circled ominously.
At the same time, five portals abruptly opened in the air.
Five figures emerged in an instant.
The clones, including Ling, attacked simultaneously, each delivering a powerful punch to the Vice Admiral's body, knocking him unconscious on the spot.
The next moment!
A chain shot out from the rightmost portal.
Invis swiftly grabbed it—the chain transformed from the Maid—and efficiently bound the Vice Admiral in tight restraints.
The chain then retracted.
Immediately after, the five successful clones retreated back into the portals.
The portals vanished shortly after.
The entire operation, from the portals opening to disappearing, took less than ten seconds. A Marine Vice Admiral had been effortlessly captured.
The live broadcast team, which had been tracking the battle in real time, stood frozen in shock, even forgetting their most urgent task—to cut the feed immediately.
Fast.
Too fast.
A high-ranking Marine Vice Admiral had been defeated in an instant!
This defied all logic!
At that moment, silence fell over the world.
Viewers across the globe stared at their screens, struggling to process what they had just witnessed.
"Impossible!" someone shouted, their mind reeling from the brutal reality.
That was a Marine Vice Admiral!
Why had he been completely helpless against them?
What kind of ability was that?
This was cheating!
"...Is the Marine force losing this war?"
A terrifying thought crept into everyone's minds. Before the battle, analysts had explained the stakes—if the Marines lost, their authority would crumble, emboldening pirates worldwide.
Suddenly, someone screamed.
"Look!"
Marineford Plaza
The plaza was now deathly silent.
No one understood the strength of these Vice Admirals better than the Marines present.
Yet when the footage of the first Vice Admiral being instantly captured played out, everyone was stunned.
Tsuru said nothing, only shaking her head.
The gap was too obvious.
And Reddy had no regard for the "honor" of a true warrior. Based on her intel, every one of his attacks relied on overwhelming numbers and absolute force to crush his opponents.
This time, the Marines were on the receiving end.
Momousagi focused instead on the clones' strength, objectively analyzing, "Each clone is incredibly powerful... I might not be a match for any one of them."
The Marine soldiers serving the higher-ups overheard her assessment and were stunned.
Momousagi was a Vice Admiral candidate for Admiral!
Even she acknowledged the clones' strength?
"Cut the broadcast now," Sengoku ordered darkly, demanding the frontline team terminate the live feed to prevent further damage.
The command was quickly relayed.
Sengoku exhaled, then calmly assessed, "These clones possess top-tier Haki. And they seem to be mastering advanced Armament Haki techniques... No, more like adapting to them."
"They're growing stronger at an alarming rate."
Tsuru, more observant, noticed finer details.
From these, she deduced the clones were rapidly refining their advanced Armament Haki application.
A Marine Vice Admiral's strength was undeniable.
Yet after taking just one hit from five clones, the Vice Admiral had been knocked out cold.
Clearly, their punches weren't just surface-level—they penetrated internally, or such an effect wouldn't be possible.
Compared to her previous intel, the clones' growth rate was frightening.
Then Momousagi saw something unbelievable and gasped.
"The broadcast is still going!"
Loguetown
The town square had become a sea of cheers.
The sight of five clones capturing a Vice Admiral electrified the crowd.
"Dr. Reddy truly has his own power," Dragon mused, now fully assured. Even without his intervention, Reddy's forces were clearly unbeatable.
And this was only five clones—many more hadn't even appeared yet.
The broadcast then showed another Vice Admiral.
When portals suddenly opened in midair, the square erupted in excitement.
Just as the crowd hoped:
Ling's Negative Hollows struck first, followed by Control's slowing ability.
Two consecutive debuffs left the Vice Admiral defenseless.
The five clones attacked together again, knocking him out and securing another prisoner.
The feed continued switching.
A third. Then a fourth Vice Admiral fell in seconds.
The square was beyond jubilant now.
Every person was lost in celebration, dreaming of a brighter future.
Dragon smiled faintly, thinking, "The broadcast should end soon."
Sure enough.
When the fifth Vice Admiral appeared on screen, the feed finally cut off.
The crowd paused—then roared even louder.
It didn't matter. They knew Reddy had already won.
A happy future was waiting!
World Economic News Agency
"A shame we couldn't buy more time," Morgans muttered, pacing excitedly around his office.
As the head of the world's largest news outlet, his influence was unmatched.
Upon learning the World Government planned to broadcast the operation, he had secretly arranged "technical difficulties" to prolong the feed.
His instincts told him—this would be a world-shaking event.
Now, he had his proof.
"Release an extra edition immediately!" Morgans barked. "The world must know this news! Not even the World Government can hide the truth!"
The newsroom erupted into cheers.
Every reporter worked frantically, racing to distribute the scoop worldwide.
Marineford
Sengoku's face was stormy as he roared at the reporting Marine Lieutenant, "Why wasn't the broadcast cut sooner?!"
The Lieutenant stammered, "T-the broadcast team encountered unexplained technical issues... They couldn't terminate the feed..."
His voice trailed off weakly.
Even he didn't believe it was just a Den Den Mushi malfunction.
But with no proof of sabotage, the excuse was flimsy.
"Leave us," Tsuru interjected, shielding the Lieutenant from Sengoku's wrath.
Though only a three-minute delay, it had been enough to broadcast four Vice Admirals being crushed live to the world.
This was a stain Marineford could never erase.
No wonder Sengoku was furious.
It was like slapping the Marines across the face repeatedly.
Sengoku forced down his frustration and grabbed a Den Den Mushi, connecting to Sakazuki on the frontlines.
The call connected.
His voice was ice.
"Sakazuki. Do not underestimate Dr. Reddy. His forces exceed all expectations."
"Handle this personally."
"That's an order."
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