Chapter 168: The Start of the Exercise
Several hours later, the Judicial Ship entered the harbor of the Marine base, bringing a long procession behind it.
As the leader of Enies Lobby, the Chief Judge once again came to Axel's office.
He stood across from the boy for a long while, looking at him in silence. There was a trace of melancholy on his aged face.
"If possible," the Chief Judge said at last, "I did not want to use such forceful methods."
"But you already have," Axel replied.
The Chief Judge did not deny it.
"Indeed." He sighed. "Even now, it is not too late for you to change your mind. Otherwise, CP9... they are a ruthless group. I have no authority to command them. I cannot say what will happen once this begins."
"Trying to make me change my mind now is just self-deception," Axel said. "Let's settle it on the battlefield."
"...Sigh. Then I hope you take care of yourself."
The Chief Judge let out a deep breath.
The situation had already slipped beyond his control. He no longer had the power to intervene as he pleased. His impression of Axel was not bad. At the very least, the boy had a sense of justice. He was also part of the Marines, which did not conflict with the Chief Judge's own idea of justice.
If possible, he truly had no desire to become enemies with him.
Unfortunately, possibility and reality were rarely the same thing.
"Then let us discuss the rules of the exercise."
"I'd like to hear exactly what kind of 'game' you people have prepared."
Axel looked at him with his red eyes, hands clasped together beneath his chin. His expression even held a hint of anticipation.
"To reduce accidental casualties, all combat in this exercise will end once a decisive hit is made. The weapons used will also be specially prepared, with low lethality."
Axel nodded to show he understood.
Of course, even bare-handed, CP9 could still display terrifying power. After all, they had mastered the Six Powers. Lucci's Tempest Kick alone was enough to slice through a warship.
The rules were only there to reduce casualties among the ordinary Marines and make the exercise look more legitimate.
The World Government would never let the Marines know their real purpose. Even the soldiers under Enies Lobby's command probably believed this was nothing more than a genuine exercise.
"In addition," the Chief Judge continued, "the exercise area will cover the entire Marine base. It will begin in one hour and last one full day. During that time, both sides may engage anywhere within the base. The exercise ends when either side's leader is captured, or when the time limit expires."
Axel looked at him with doubt. "You?"
He was genuinely worried that if he accidentally touched the old man, the Chief Judge might simply drop dead on the spot and add another charge to his record.
The Chief Judge stiffened slightly under Axel's up-and-down gaze.
That suspicion was not exactly wrong. His body really could not withstand strenuous activity anymore.
He coughed twice to hide his embarrassment.
"Of course not. Our side's leader will be Lucci, whom you met two days ago. The outcome will only be decided when one of you two leaders is captured, or when the time limit ends."
Axel considered it for a moment.
The opponent's victory conditions were simple.
First, capture the enemy leader.
Second, last until the time limit expired.
On the surface, it seemed fair. In reality, it was anything but.
If Axel was captured, they could naturally proceed with the arrest and investigation. If Lucci was captured, it would only prove that Axel's strength exceeded CP9's ability to subdue him, making the mission meaningless.
As for the time limit, that was even clearer.
Their primary goal was to conduct a preliminary search. One full day was more than enough for CP9 to comb through the base once.
In other words, this was an unfair confrontation from the start. The conditions were all unfavorable to him.
"Fine," Axel said. "I agree."
After receiving his answer, the Chief Judge did not say anything else. He turned and left.
Compared to when he had arrived, his steps were noticeably quicker. His old bones could not afford to linger in a place where trouble was about to explode.
Axel had his men relay the rules, then leaned back into his soft chair and waited.
One hour passed in the blink of an eye.
A sharp alarm rang throughout the Marine base, announcing the start of the exercise.
"Finally," Axel muttered with a yawn. "I was getting sleepy."
He remained sprawled lazily in his chair, looking nothing like a commander about to face battle.
Tom stared at him and found himself at a loss for words.
Seeing the person in charge act like this gave him a very bad feeling about what was about to happen.
"I think you should take this more seriously," Tom said. "That day, after I dove into the sea, I saw the wreckage of the sunken warship. I checked the cut myself. It was clean and smooth. That wasn't something an ordinary person could do."
He had already mentioned it once before, but Axel's lack of tension forced him to bring it up again.
These past few days, Tom had been inspecting and repairing Marine warships, so he knew exactly how tough their materials were. Their hulls were reinforced well enough to withstand impacts from smaller Sea Kings.
That was precisely why the clean cut had shocked him.
Axel, however, clearly was not listening.
He was muttering to himself.
"What should we eat for dinner? Pumpkin cold soup wasn't bad..."
Tom shook his head.
For once, his usual line about a man standing tall could only serve as a way to comfort himself.
Creak.
The sound of a door opening reached his ears.
Tom instinctively looked toward the office door.
But the sound had not come from there.
Behind Axel, in midair, an invisible door had appeared. A figure slowly pushed it open from the other side.
It was Blueno of CP9.
Tom froze for a heartbeat, then shouted, "Look out!"
But the warning came a step too late.
Blueno had already curled his index finger and thrust it toward Axel's shoulder.
Finger Pistol.
Although the technique was highly lethal, Blueno still held back. His orders were to capture Axel alive, not kill him.
Axel, the target of the attack, acted as if he had noticed nothing at all. He was still listing possible dinner dishes.
Blueno's Finger Pistol struck Axel's slender shoulder.
The difference between their physiques was almost absurd. Blueno's powerful finger pierced toward a child's thin frame from a blind spot. Under normal circumstances, the result should have been obvious.
But the outcome was decided in an instant.
Crack.
The sound was sharper and louder than the air door opening.
It came from Blueno's finger.
His Finger Pistol, a strike comparable to a bullet, failed to harm Axel at all. Instead, the finger that made contact bent at an unnatural angle. Anyone could tell the bone inside had broken.
Blueno did not cry out.
He made the most correct choice in that moment.
Retreat.
His body slipped back toward the Air Door even faster than he had emerged.
Half of him had already entered the space beyond. All he had to do was close the door, and he would leave this place.
Then a small hand grabbed the edge of the door.
The door froze in place.
"Leaving already?" Axel said. "You only just got here."
Blueno's expression finally changed.
"What did you do?"
Axel looked at him calmly.
"I locked its direction."
.....
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