The world fell into a moment of dead silence.
Blinding white light engulfed everything in an instant, followed by a shockwave that blasted outward from the epicenter, sweeping across the land in all directions.
Countless trees were uprooted by the tremendous blast, and a massive fireball blazed across the sky. In the frigid air, the searing heat birthed a terrifying crimson fire tornado that devoured everything in its path—stones, trees, snow—all reduced to ash.
Only after a full second did the deafening boom reach the ears.
Every Marine along the coastline instinctively dove for cover. As they looked toward the towering fireball, their faces turned pale, eyes filled with unprecedented fear.
High above, the North Blue fleet was rocked violently by the blast wave. The ships jolted and groaned, and faint cracks formed along the hulls and decks.
Tokikake, Gion, and the others gripped the railings tightly, faces full of shock.
Sengoku raised an arm to shield himself from the scorching winds, his expression frozen in disbelief.
At last, he understood.
Why that brat Daren had dared to hand over such a massive cannon to Byrnndi World.
Rumble...
The entire island shook violently, as if struck by a magnitude ten earthquake.
Waves tens of meters high roared across the ocean like a sea dragon.
"So… this was part of your plan too?"
Borsalino stood tall in front of Daren, arms raised parallel to the ground in a defensive stance. Channeling outward Armament Haki, he shielded Daren from the lingering shockwaves of the explosion.
Daren's blood-matted black hair whipped in the wind, the blood at the corner of his mouth long dried.
He licked his parched lips and grinned.
"He wanted a heavy cannon, so I gave him one."
He paused, and the smirk on his face turned sly.
"Of course, the gift I gave him wasn't just that."
"Oh?" Borsalino blinked, then a strange grin crept across his usual goofy face.
...
The fierce winds faded, the flames receded.
Thick black smoke curled across the sky, twisting through the falling snow.
Everyone suppressed the flood of emotions from surviving the devastation and looked toward the center of the blast.
The terrain of the island had completely changed.
Barren. Charred. Pockmarked with craters. Scorched earth still smoldered with embers.
Within a kilometer radius, all snow, boulders, forests, and vegetation had been annihilated—utterly incinerated by the explosion.
At the blast center, the oversized cannon spewed thick smoke. Its twisted barrel was torn open with a massive hole, and molten metal—now black and red—sizzled and dripped onto the ground like liquid iron.
The Marines collectively gasped, horror etched into their faces.
Because they saw someone.
Byrnndi World—no, what remained of him was barely recognizable as human.
His flesh seemed to melt like liquid, dripping steadily. Charred, rotting wounds covered nearly every inch of his body.
His neck and chest were the worst. Beneath scorched, decaying flesh, muscle fibers were clearly visible. His exposed throat and windpipe pulsed slightly beneath white fascia.
There was no intact skin left on his chest. The outer layer of flesh had been blown away, revealing his ribs—and through the gaps between them, the beating of his heart and lungs was visible.
The gruesome sight made everyone's skin crawl.
"D-Damn it…"
Byrnndi World struggled to lift his head, blood streaming uncontrollably from his body.
His horned helmet was gone, revealing a face torn apart like a skull. With no eyelids, the mucous-covered eyeballs bulged grotesquely from his sockets.
Those bloodshot eyes rolled and finally locked onto Daren, veins spiderwebbing across the whites.
"You… planned… all of this…"
Daren staggered to his feet from the rock wall, laughing through ragged breaths.
"More or less. Honestly, I didn't think you'd survive a blast like that."
Byrnndi World's eyes burned with rage. He bared his teeth, revealing bloody gums beneath his mutilated cheeks.
"Impossible!"
"How could I… fall to some brat from the North Blue!!"
His eyes blazed with killing intent. He took a step forward.
Even if he died—he'd take this brat with him!
Sengoku and Borsalino, who had just arrived, immediately tensed at the sight of his movement.
But the next second, Byrnndi World stumbled and dropped to one knee with a heavy thud, coughing up a mouthful of dark blood.
"Wh… What's happening to my body…"
He gasped wildly, clutching his mouth with a decaying hand as blood seeped through his fingers, his face filled with disbelief.
A crushing wave of weakness seized his body, leaving him limp and powerless.
"Sea… Seastone…"
"When…?"
Byrnndi World stared at the wounds on his thighs, abdomen, and arms—and clearly saw tiny black stones embedded deep in the exposed flesh!
"It was the shell."
Daren's breathing finally steadied. He wiped the blood from his face and spoke calmly.
"I packed a measured amount of Seastone into the shell of that cannon."
"I wanted to use more, but after searching the entire North Blue… that was all I could find."
As the words left his mouth, not just Byrnndi World—even Sengoku whipped around, staring at him in shock.
Borsalino squinted at Daren with a grin.
"Now that's downright sneaky…"
"Right back at you, Rear Admiral Borsalino."
Sengoku suddenly snapped out of it, shouting in anger.
"What the hell were you thinking, you little brat!? What if that cannon had hit my warship!?"
That shell was packed with Seastone!
If it had hit him, even with Haki defense, his fate wouldn't have been any better than Byrnndi World's!
"Then I'd have no choice but to pray for your safety. Mistakes happen when you're making plans, after all."
Daren's absurdly calm tone nearly made Sengoku choke on his own blood.
This bastard… this lunatic of a brat!
"I'm sure Rear Admiral Borsalino would be more than happy to take your place as Admiral."
Daren added with a smile.
Sengoku's face went dark.
Borsalino's grin froze.
Daren chuckled and shook his head, turning his gaze back to Byrnndi World.
"Well then, it's over."
"Byrnndi World… any last words?"
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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