"I'm here to end this war."
The navy captain's deep voice echoed across the deathly silent sea, making everyone's eyes widen in shock.
On the ship's deck, the North Blue sailors gazed in awe at their Captain, admiration gleaming in their eyes. Some of the younger female marines even had hearts practically popping out of their eyes.
"Damn it! He's done it again! How does he come up with lines like that?!" muttered Kaji, glancing around at the others' reactions, his face flushed with frustration.
Gion's eyes flickered with subtle intrigue.
From the Germa Kingdom's ships, Vinsmoke Judge's enraged voice bellowed out.
"Darren! What are you doing?! Are you planning to make a move against me?!"
"Germa is a member nation of the World Government! We even hold a seat at the Reverie! If you attack me, you're defying a member nation!"
"And the navy has no authority to intervene in disputes between nations!"
Darren squinted his eyes as his justice cape fluttered wildly behind him. He sneered coldly.
"Vinsmoke Judge… It's true that Germa Kingdom is a member of the World Government, but so is the Kingdom of Yadis."
"Most importantly, I will not tolerate a war of this scale happening within my jurisdiction."
Vinsmoke Judge let out a furious laugh. "So, you think you, a mere navy captain, leading one warship and a few hundred men, can stop the Germa 66 army?"
"Naïve navy brat! Stop bluffing!"
He raised his hand sharply.
"No one can stand in the way of Germa's ambition to dominate the North Blue!"
A trace of madness and violence flashed in his eyes.
"Fire! Sink that ship immediately!"
Given Germa's status as a World Government member, even killing this so-called North Blue Admiral outright wouldn't bring any repercussions from the government.
In fact, it would send a message, a warning, to the navy itself: even they could not impede Germa's path to supremacy!
"Tremble before Germa's firepower… and submit!"
At his command, the silence shattered with deafening roars.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The thunderous sound of cannons ripped through the stillness.
The soldiers and nobles of the Kingdom of Yadis watched in terror as countless flashes of light erupted from the Germa fleet.
Fiery streaks of projectiles lit up the sky, painting the heavens gray with their sheer density. It was as if a colossal, oppressive storm cloud had blotted out the sun.
No, this was no cloud.
This was an overwhelming swarm of cannonballs and bullets, tearing through the air like locusts, their sharp whines creating a cacophony of chaos as they rained down in parabolic arcs toward the navy ship.
A dark, suffocating net of death closed in.
There was no escape.
The heat of the oncoming barrage swept across the sea like a fiery wind. Hundreds, no, thousands, of shells fell like torrential rain, their overwhelming presence permeating the air with the acrid smell of gunpowder.
Among them were rocket-shaped shells and missile-like weapons, further showcasing Germa 66's advanced military technology, enough to dominate the North Blue!
On the navy ship, Kaji and Gion's expressions twisted in alarm.
"Damn it! Germa 66 actually dared to attack the navy!"
"Vinsmoke Judge has gone mad?!"
Kaji broke into a cold sweat, panic etched on his face.
Gion unsheathed her blade, her expression tense.
This level of bombardment could reduce a small mountain to rubble in an instant. There was no way to intercept it all.
Worse yet, they were in the middle of the ocean. If their ship sank, survival was unlikely under a second wave of attacks.
But as panic seized them, they noticed something odd, an unfamiliar expression on the faces of their fellow sailors. It was... anticipation?
Kaji and Gion turned abruptly to look at Darren at the bow.
At that moment, the Captain of the North Blue Navy moved.
A cold smile curved Darren's lips as he raised his hand and lightly pushed the air.
It was a simple, almost casual motion, like gently nudging an invisible wall.
Then, faint arcs of purple electricity flickered across the air.
An invisible force spread out silently.
Kaji and Gion froze, their eyes widening as if witnessing the impossible.
On the shore, tens of thousands of soldiers from the Kingdom of Yadis, including the king himself, stood stunned, their mouths agape.
The rain of cannonballs descending like locusts, countless projectiles and rockets, suddenly struck something unseen.
Their descent slowed unnaturally, and then, impossibly, they stopped mid-air.
A sea of shells hung in the sky, motionless.
The world seemed to pause.
Even at such close range, the intricate details of the shells, their grooves, the acrid smell of gunpowder, were vivid and tangible.
A deathly stillness enveloped the battlefield.
In that suffocating silence, a faint sound broke through.
Click.
The spark of a lighter.
At the ship's bow, the black-haired navy captain lit a cigar, shielding the flame from the cold sea breeze with his hand.
A faint, glowing ember illuminated his face.
"Last chance, Vinsmoke Judge," he said, his tone calm.
As he spoke, the countless suspended projectiles began to shift under an invisible force, slowly turning in mid-air.
Every rocket, missile, and cannonball adjusted its trajectory.
Their new target, Germa Kingdom.
Vinsmoke Judge's face paled.
As he stared at the swarm of redirected weapons, an icy chill ran down his spine.
The Admiral of the North Blue took a deep drag from his cigar, exhaling a cloud of smoke that hung in the air like a white flag.
"Stand down," Darren said. "And I'll pretend none of this ever happened."