The chaos of live broadcasting had caught the Marines completely off-guard. With most of Loguetown's forces evacuated, there simply weren't enough personnel to hunt down Morgans' reporters scattered throughout the town. Each time they cut one signal, two more seemed to spring up like persistent weeds.
Even Admiral Sakazuki found himself fielding increasingly heated calls from Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who was under pressure from both Marine Headquarters and the World Government to shut down the broadcast.
The viewership numbers had already surpassed any previous entertainment broadcast in recorded history. Across the world, people abandoned their daily routines to witness a battle between a Marine Admiral and a former member of the Pirate King's crew. Most civilians hoped for a swift Marine victory, while pirates everywhere secretly wished to see the Marines humbled.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Sakazuki's voice carried through the Den Den Mushi with volcanic certainty, "once I execute Buggy the Clown on live broadcast, this situation resolves itself."
The symbolism wasn't lost on either man. Publicly destroying a former Roger Pirate—especially one connected to Red-Haired Shanks—would demonstrate the Marine's absolute authority while sending a clear message to every pirate watching.
"I have faith in your strength, Sakazuki," Sengoku replied. "Don't disappoint me."
The Admiral ended the call and turned his attention to the prison complex. His Magu Magu no Mi powers surged through his right arm as molten rock replaced flesh and bone.
"Since you're trapped like rats," he muttered, "let me provide some... heating."
"Inugami Guren!" (Dog Bite Red Lotus!)
A massive hound of pure magma erupted from Sakazuki's transformed limb, racing toward the Marine Branch prison with the speed and hunger of a living flame. The temperature around the Admiral spiked so dramatically that nearby Marines stepped back instinctively.
Inside the prison, the Buggy Pirates witnessed the stuff of nightmares. The magma hound struck the outer wall like a meteor, and the reinforced stone—built to withstand cannon fire—lasted mere seconds against the molten assault.
"The lava's coming in!" someone screamed.
"My legs!" Another prisoner's agonized cry echoed as the magma flow reached the first row of cells. "I can't feel my legs!"
Even Richie the lion cowered against the back wall, his animal instincts screaming warnings that no amount of training could overcome. The other prisoners pressed themselves into the deepest corners of their cells, but the magma continued pouring in like liquid death.
The Buggy Pirates clustered around their captain, desperation replacing their earlier bravado. "Captain Buggy, please!" Mohji pleaded. "If you don't do something now, we're all dead!"
Alvida, weakened by her seastone restraints, could barely lift her head. Maybe I should have stayed solo, she thought bitterly. At least then I'd only have myself to blame for this mess.
But Buggy the Clown had reached the end of his performance. The dream of quietly searching for treasure, the plans for revenge against Shanks—everything was about to end in molten rock and screaming.
"I'm so unlucky!" he snarled at the ceiling. "Sky Screen, what did I ever do to you? Why are you playing games with my life?"
The desperate cries around him faded as magma filled every corner of the prison. From the outside, it looked like total annihilation—exactly what every watching Marine expected to see.
Captain Smoker took a long drag from his cigars, twin plumes of smoke curling around his satisfied expression. "Trash is trash. Pirates deserve everything they get."
The destroyed Marine Branch could be rebuilt with World Government funding—probably better than before. It was a perfect outcome all around.
Sakazuki ceased his magma flow and extended his Observation Haki, scanning for any signs of life beneath the molten tomb. His expression remained stern—he never celebrated until every enemy was confirmed dead.
Suddenly, his Haki detected something that made his eyes narrow with dangerous intensity.
"All Marines, defensive positions!" he barked. "Prepare for combat!"
A sound like the world being torn apart erupted from the lava-filled prison. Not just the remaining walls and foundation—the magma itself was being cut, divided into perfect geometric sections that defied every law of physics.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku really honors me," a voice emerged from the destruction, carrying an edge of dark amusement. "Sending an Admiral just for little old me. Am I really worth all this trouble?"
The Conqueror's Haki that followed was like standing in the path of a hurricane made of pure willpower. The sky itself seemed to recoil as clouds scattered in every direction. Marine buildings cracked under the invisible pressure, and waves formed on the previously calm harbor.
Marines who had barely mastered basic Haki found themselves driven to their knees, their minds reeling from the psychic assault. Several unlucky soldiers were blown clean off the dock and into the sea.
Conqueror's Haki, Sakazuki realized grimly. And powerful enough to affect the environment itself.
Even Captain Smoker, despite his Logia advantages, felt the crushing weight of that otherworldly presence. His earlier contempt evaporated like smoke in a storm.
"Impossible," he breathed. "I captured him myself. How...?"
From the ruins of the prison emerged the Buggy Pirates, but they looked nothing like the ragtag crew that had been imprisoned mere hours ago. Buggy the Clown stood at their head like some crimson-nosed deity, his followers gazing at him with the fervent devotion of true believers.
"Really, Marine," Buggy said conversationally, brushing lava dust from his colorful outfit. "Couldn't you have just followed the script? Send me to Impel Down, everyone wins. But no—you always have to complicate things."
His smile was pleasant, almost friendly. His eyes promised death.
Smoker's sharp gaze caught something that made his blood run cold. "The seastone restraints... he's still wearing them. How is he using Devil Fruit powers?"
Seastone was the ultimate trump card against Devil Fruit users—as effective as seawater itself at nullifying their abilities. Yet Buggy had just demonstrated his splitting powers on a scale that dwarfed anything in his previous record.
"Future Admiral Smoker," Buggy's voice carried a mocking lilt, "don't look so shocked. Seastone and seawater..." He reached up and grasped the collar around his neck. "They don't work on me anymore."
The sound of shattering stone echoed across the harbor as the supposedly indestructible seastone crumbled like chalk in Buggy's grip. His handcuffs and leg irons received the same treatment, reduced to worthless debris in seconds.
"How?" Sakazuki demanded, his usually composed demeanor cracking slightly. "Seastone has never—"
"Why would a demon fear some stones and a little seawater?" Buggy asked with mock innocence.
The Admiral's mind raced through possibilities. High-purity seastone restraints should have been absolute. No Devil Fruit user in recorded history had ever overcome their effects through raw power alone.
"Is this the ability you call Devil Fruit Liberation?" Sakazuki pressed.
"Liberation?" Buggy tilted his head like a confused child. "Never heard of it. Sounds made-up to me."
The transparent lie insulted everyone's intelligence, but the implications were staggering. If Devil Fruit users could somehow transcend their traditional weaknesses...
"Since you won't explain," Sakazuki's body began radiating heat that turned sand to glass, "I'll beat the truth out of you."
Magma poured from his hands as he prepared his most devastating technique. "Ryusei Kazan!" (Meteor Volcano!)
Dozens of massive lava fists erupted skyward before raining down like a biblical plague. Each projectile carried enough force to sink a warship, and their combined assault would leave nothing but molten craters where Loguetown once stood.
Around the world, viewers watched in horrified fascination as a Marine Admiral brought the full weight of his power to bear. The very air seemed to catch fire as liquid death fell from the heavens.
But Buggy the Clown stood in the center of that inferno, and for the first time since this battle began, he looked genuinely pleased.
"Now we're talking," he murmured, his grin widening to show teeth that gleamed like polished bone. "Let's see what this new body can really do."
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