The sea breeze ceased.
Across the vast harbor of Punk Hazard's southern coast, where tens of thousands gathered, silence fell so profound one could hear a pin drop.
Only the distant waves crashing against the towering alloy walls produced a dull, thunderous roar.
In the distance, Moria, who had been moving bricks, gaped, his jaw nearly dislocating.
What had he just witnessed? A Navy Admiral had publicly slapped and sent a descendant of the Creator flying?!
On the other side of the sandy ground, Crocodile broke out in a cold sweat.
He wanted to kill a Celestial Dragon—that was a desperate counterattack when pushed to the brink.
But this Navy Admiral had taken the initiative, shattering a Celestial Dragon's face before tens of thousands of people!
A madman!
This was a complete and utter madman!
Gulp…
The faint sound of swallowing echoed through the crowd.
Dozens of Marines in the front row who had witnessed the entire scene felt their legs go weak, collapsing to the ground with a series of thuds, their hands trembling violently as they clutched their rifles.
The sky had fallen.
That was the only thought flashing through everyone's minds.
Assaulting a Celestial Dragon—once the news reached Mary Geoise, the Five Elders would surely be furious. The Admiral would face a Military Tribunal, and even the entire G-5 Branch might undergo a massive purge!
Just as panic was about to consume the army.
"All personnel! Level One combat alert!"
A gruff voice rang out over the harbor, devoid of any emotion.
Sakazuki sharply pulled down the brim of his hat, striding down from the high platform. His thick right arm had already transformed into churning, dark-red magma, the terrifying heat distorting the air around it!
"Immediately seal off ports one through five! Close all sea gates!"
"All coastal defense heavy artillery, disengage safeties and lock onto the World Government's escort fleet! Anyone attempting to board or disembark without authorization will be executed on the spot!"
These crisp, decisive orders snapped the stunned Marines back to attention.
"Ara ara... Kane, you've really given me one hell of a problem."
Almost the instant Sakazuki gave the order, Kuzan scratched his afro and lazily stood up.
A piercing chill erupted from him as the center.
"Ice Age."
Crack, crack, crack—!
Accompanied by a teeth-grating sound of freezing, a white wave of cold surged across the sea's surface, spreading wildly.
In the blink of an eye, the surrounding sea for dozens of miles was completely frozen into an impenetrable continent of ice! The World Government's luxurious escort ships anchored on the harbor's periphery were firmly trapped within the ice layer, utterly deprived of any possibility to turn their rudders.
"So scary I didn't see anything at all."
Borsalino pursed his lips, hands in his pockets, yet his body instantly transformed into countless dazzling photons, shooting skyward!
"Yata Mirror!"
A golden beam of light refracted several times mid-air, precisely landing on the main mast of the government fleet.
Seconds later, all Den Den Mushi and communication equipment on the escort ships were reduced to scattered components under a series of precise "Lightspeed Kicks."
Block the escape route, cut off communications, and demonstrate overwhelming force!
All of this happened within just ten seconds of the Celestial Dragon hitting the ground.
Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino—the three future pinnacles of the Navy's combat strength—executed this chilling "cleanup" procedure with seamless fluidity, without even exchanging a glance.
They didn't care who Kane had struck.
They only knew that since Kane had taken action, G-5 absolutely could not afford to be passive.
Locking down the news within Punk Hazard was the only correct course of action.
The Marines instantly found their anchor.
Click-clack-clack—
A dense chorus of rifle bolts being drawn echoed in unison.
On the hundred-meter-tall steel walls, dozens of massive cannons slowly swiveled their barrels, their dark muzzles locking onto the government warships on the sea.
The G-5 Branch, this war machine armed to the teeth, bared its most ferocious fangs at this moment.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea watching nearby felt a chill shoot straight to the crowns of their heads.
Was this really the Navy, the supposed embodiment of Justice?
Meanwhile, the instigator of it all, Kane, stood on the high platform, listening to the system notifications flooding his mind, a smile harder to suppress than an AK.
[Ding! Detected host publicly slapping a Celestial Dragon, causing an extremely severe political impact!]
[Seriously challenging the authority of the World Government, shaking faith in the Creators.]
[Calculating Violation Value…]
[Congratulations, host! Violation Value: 1,200,000 points!]
Kane fought back the urge to laugh out loud, reassumed his sorrowful, righteous expression, and turned to descend from the platform.
On the sandy ground.
Hancock still sat slumped, not even noticing her scraped knees.
She wasn't looking at the tense, armed forces around her, nor at the frozen ships. Her beautiful eyes were fixed solely on Kane as he walked toward her.
The sunlight happened to be behind Kane, sharply outlining his tall figure.
Hancock's heart began to pound at an unprecedented, frantic rhythm.
Just minutes ago, she thought she was doomed to fall into hell.
But this man…
This usually harsh Admiral who constantly forced her to do accounting and flicked her head without hesitation—for her, he had kicked away CP0 without a second thought and even slapped that arrogant Celestial Dragon flying.
He was a Navy Admiral, more aware than anyone of the consequences of striking a Celestial Dragon, yet he had done it anyway.
'Did Admiral… declare war on the World Government… for me?'
The worldview of the ten-year-old girl was catastrophically reshaped in that moment.
The invincible fear Elder Nyon spoke of now seemed utterly laughable.
A sense of security, so overbearing it defied reason, enveloped her completely.
What lofty gods?
Admiral was the true god!
Kane stopped before Hancock, looking down at the dazed little girl.
"What are you spacing out for? The ledger's fallen in the sand. Aren't you going to clean it off?"
Kane frowned, his tone as disdainful as ever.
"If you can't find solid evidence of Crocodile's fraudulent bookkeeping today, your meat ration at dinner is halved."
Hearing this familiar, cold threat, Hancock's cheeks flushed bright red instead, her moist eyes glimmering with a hint of fervor.
"Yes! This concubine will investigate immediately!"
She scooped up the ledger from the ground, lifting her flushed little face, her voice soft enough to melt.
"Admiral, rest assured, this concubine will absolutely not let even a single Berry of your money… go missing!"
Seeing the little girl's flushed face, even her breathing tinged with excitement, Kane raised an eyebrow.
Is this girl scared out of her mind?
Whatever, as long as it doesn't interfere with settling the accounts.
"Sakazuki," Kane leisurely pulled out a cigar, his voice carrying across the sea breeze to everyone present, "immediately send an urgent combat report to Marine Headquarters."
"Say... Saint Roswald was ambushed by the Revolutionary Army during his voyage! The G-5 Branch fought desperately to protect the Celestial Dragon and annihilated all the assassins. However, Saint Roswald unfortunately sustained injuries during the pirate attack."
Kane walked toward the human-shaped crater left by the impact, the corner of his mouth curling into a chilling arc.
"Now, I will personally administer emergency physical first aid to His Excellency."
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