"Crazy bitch! You killed someone in broad daylight!"
"Are you out of your mind?! Aren't you afraid the Marines will come swarming in?!"
"You damned whore! You'll get us all killed bringing the Navy down on us!"
The four thugs who had blocked the road stared in terror at Millie, stunned that a woman who looked so delicate and soft-spoken could be so ruthless, striking to kill without hesitation.
Right after, Mina drew her ivory handgun, leveled it at them, and cocked the hammer. Her delicate features were cold as frost.
"Talk. How did you know we were carrying that kind of money?"
"If you don't speak, I'll blow your heads off."
The thugs swallowed hard. The words rang disturbingly familiar. Two gun-toting women, cold-blooded killers staring them down, it was a nightmare.
"We're with the Giant Fish Pirates! If you kill us, aren't you afraid of our... our revenge?!" one of them blurted, a bulky man with spiked hair. His voice tried to sound fierce, but it cracked with fear.
Another gunshot. The man collapsed. A hole the size of a bottlecap was punched clean through his forehead.
"Wrong answer," Mina said flatly. A curl of smoke rose from the barrel of her pistol.
The remaining three were too terrified to even speak now. These two women were monsters. Cold, fast, efficient, there was no surviving a fight with them.
"This is the last time I'll ask," Millie said, raising her weapon. Her voice was ice. "How. Did. You. Know?"
The three stood frozen. One of them finally summoned enough nerve to respond, defiant but pale:
"Kill us if you want, bitch. Our brothers in the Giant Fish Pirates will avenge us."
They weren't fearless, just hopeless. Even if they talked, they doubted these killers would let them live. And if they did survive, their own captain would kill them for squealing. If they were going to die either way, at least they'd die standing.
"Pretty gutsy," said Aeridar as he stepped forward, gently pushing down the barrels of Millie and Mina's guns.
The three thugs exhaled in faint relief, only to hear Aeridar add coldly:
"In that case... all of you can die."
Aeridar flicked his fingers three times. Thumb pressed against middle, finger snapped outward.
Three muffled pops. The air shimmered faintly.
The men dropped, screaming, each one clutching his chest. A fist-sized crater of blood opened in each of them, punched straight through by an invisible force. The ground was smeared with red.
"Let's go," Aeridar said, flicking his coat back as he turned and strode away.
At the bow of a massive, custom-built battleship.
"Admiral Kizaru! There's been an incident in the city!"
A black-and-white checkered-suited officer in a Justice coat ran up the deck in a hurry, breath ragged.
Lounging in a deck chair, Borsalino lazily sipped from a fruit juice glass before responding, voice drawn out in that slow, languid tone:
"Rear Admiral Lypayas, huh? Let me guess... that nasty guy again?"
"Er... yes," Lypayas said, then quickly explained. "A rumor started spreading in the city, no one knows from where, that a pirate crew recently exchanged over a billion berries' worth of gold in Water 7. Supposedly, they've got over a billion in liquid cash on them."
"Just now, some of the Giant Fish Pirates tried to rob a group they suspected, only to get themselves killed on the street. And it turns out... the killers were Chris T. Aeridar's crew. The Golden Ring."
Lypayas paused, then asked, "Admiral, do we intervene?"
Lypayas, 41 years old. Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters. Master of both swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat. Current captain of G.O.X-Class Ship No. 5—one of Admiral Kizaru's personal fleet.
[Note: G.O. is the codename for the Marine HQ. While X-Class are used for top-tier ships like the one they were currently on.]
"What a nasty piece of work," Borsalino muttered. "And those other idiots... picking fights right next to the Navy? They've got guts, I'll give them that. But yeah, we should do something. Letting it slide would make us look bad."
He stood up, stretched, and said, "Let Rear Admiral Dole and Rear Admiral Drella take a team down there."
"Aeridar's the type who'll clean up the big fish himself anyway. They're just there to mop up the mess."
"Understood, I'll issue orders at once." Lypayas saluted and left, hand resting on the hilt at his waist.
A short while later, the sound of boots thundered across the port. A battalion of elite Marines assembled with grim expressions and palpable killing intent.
At the head marched two Rear Admirals in Justice coats:
One was a towering man with cropped black hair, rugged features, and a black suit. A Jitte strapped across his back.
Rear Admiral Jirandas Dole, age 31, stationed at Marine G-6.
The other wore a smirk. Tall and lean, clad in an open brown vest, dark pants, and black-brown cavalry boots. Slung across his shoulder was a wild-looking nodachi over 170 cm long.
Rear Admiral Dakas, age 28, Marine HQ.
"Fools," Dole said coldly. "Starting trouble in Water 7, knowing full well a Navy fleet's right next door? They must be suicidal."
"Heh. Morons with a death wish. Do they really think the Warlords are easy prey?" Dakas sneered, shifting his massive blade.
"Well, greed makes people blind," Dole replied darkly. "And people like that... deserve to die."
As the two spoke, more than a thousand Marines finished assembling behind them. Without wasting another word, the Rear Admirals led the charge straight into Water 7.
"Before the Navy shows, get them!"
The city center exploded into chaos. Gunfire, screams, and the clash of steel filled the air. Dozens... no, over a hundred armed thugs swarmed from all directions like a tidal wave.
Suddenly, a white shimmer burst out—translucent, expanding like an upside-down bowl across the street. A concussive shockwave rippled outward in a deafening roar, the air itself becoming a weapon. Stone shattered. Bodies flew, blood sprayed.
Dozens, maybe hundreds, were flung back, twitching on the ground. Whether dead or unconscious, no one could tell.
"Annoying pests," Aeridar muttered, withdrawing his fist, eyes gleaming coldly.
"Captain," Millie said as she approached, gun still in hand. Her brows furrowed, frustration flashing in her eyes. "We split into three teams to exchange the gold. One of them must've slipped up. That's how word got out."
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