…He'd been played.
No—he'd been played like a fiddle.
As Darren looked his way, flashing that cold, mocking grin from afar, Golden Lion's mind went blank, his thoughts repeating the same realization over and over again.
That Marine brat… had the ability to seize the More-More Fruit from the very beginning.
Damn it…!!
And that strange hand gesture—even if Golden Lion didn't know what it meant exactly—he could feel its pure, unfiltered mockery.
"How tragic,"
A slow, easy-going voice drifted in from nearby.
Golden Lion whipped his head around.
Borsalino had just landed, arms spread in a half-hearted shrug. His face was apologetic. His grin? Utterly amused.
In that moment, Golden Lion's bloodshot eyes pulsed with veins.
And it wasn't just him.
From the scorched corners of the battlefield—King, gasping for breath… the Perospero brothers… Marco, hidden in the debris… All of them stared in stunned disbelief.
They'd all been fooled.
All of them.
But as that thought struck—
A deeper fear took root.
If the Marines could have taken the More-More Fruit easily all along—then why didn't they?
One by one, their faces began to pale.
No…
"No loose ends,"
Darren rasped. He grinned, savage and cruel.
Zzzzz…
Blue electricity arced over his skin. A massive, invisible force surged from his broken body, spreading like a tempest.
Lightning danced across his face, casting shadows over his pallid skin and bloody mouth.
But his eyes burned. Wild. Unrestrained.
He slowly raised his blood-soaked right hand.
"No!! Stop him!!"
King's expression changed.
Perospero and Daifuku's eyes widened with horror.
Golden Lion's pupils shrank.
Darren burst into laughter.
Then slammed his palm down.
"All of you… are staying RIGHT HERE!!"
BAM!
His hand struck the earth.
Shhhhk—!!
Streams of fine electric current rippled outward in all directions.
…
Coin Island, Port
"Run!! Hurry, get out of here!!"
"Even Golden Lion's here—if you stay, you'll die for sure!!"
"What the hell happened!? His entire fleet got wiped out in minutes!!"
"How would I know!? Just run unless you want to die!!"
"GET TO THE SHIPS!!"
The once-bustling trade port had become a scene of chaos.
Pirates and underworld syndicates from across the world fled in a frenzy, soaked in sweat, scrambling for their ships.
Most had barely escaped the auction house with their lives. None cared about anything else now.
The docks were jammed with pirate vessels. Factions fought for space, insults flared into violence.
Then—
"What the hell… is that…"
On one ship, a pirate dragging up the anchor froze, staring ahead.
His face went ghost-white.
From land… came a groaning metallic rumble—like massive machinery in motion.
It was eerie. Wrong.
Others turned to look.
And then… they all froze.
They stood there—statue-still, soulless.
Across the island, heavy naval cannons had begun to move.
Turning, adjusting.
Aimed directly at the fleeing pirates.
"…It's over."
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOOOOM—!!
A tidal wave of firepower engulfed the port.
…
Back at the auction ruins—
The pirates on the battlefield stared in horror as fire and black smoke erupted across Coin Island's harbors. Over the roar of cannon fire, they could hear the screams.
The ground itself trembled.
Everyone stood still. Struck numb.
"The ports… They're destroyed…"
"Our ships… They're all sunk…"
"No way…"
"The Marines… they've gone insane…"
"…"
Fear filled their hearts.
Far more than when they saw Golden Lion's fleet fall.
Because now… there was no escape.
Every single port on Coin Island had been annihilated. Every ship moored was gone.
They were trapped.
Caged.
"Crazy little bastard… Jihahahahaha…"
Golden Lion didn't know whether to laugh or explode. His bloodshot eyes gleamed with savage light as he stared at the Marine commodore, now shielded behind Sengoku.
"So, Darren brat… you trying to make every pirate on this island join forces and tear you apart?"
What happens when you corner a beast?
Because among the pirates here—there were nearly a hundred with bounties over one hundred million.
And now… every one of them glared at Darren with unfiltered hatred. Murder in their eyes.
Ordinarily, pirates would never dare strike first against the Marines.
But now…
This Marine brat had backed them into a corner.
Sengoku felt the shift instantly. His eyes narrowed.
"PROTECT COMMODORE DARREN!!"
He barked the order.
Immediately, dozens of elite Marines sprang forward, forming a tight defensive ring around the wounded officer.
"Kill me?"
Darren chuckled darkly.
He was gasping, blood dripping from nose and mouth.
He planted both hands on his knees—and forced himself upright.
Then looked up.
His bloodshot eyes swept over the pirates, now closing in from all sides.
"No."
His lips curled into a grin of brutal contempt.
"I'm here to wipe you all out—in one clean sweep!!!"
---
To be continued…