"Fire on me."
Daren's command made Shiki's eyes widen in shock, his bloodshot eyeballs nearly bulging out of their sockets.
The order was delivered with chilling calm—no hesitation whatsoever.
The North Blue Fleet, dormant for years, comprised of fifteen heavily armed warships, all bristling with weaponry. Hundreds of heavy cannons... all adjusted in unison, aiming squarely at the two figures on the ground.
Momonga, who had already raised his arm in an attack gesture, narrowed his eyes and swung it down fiercely!
Boom!!
Boom!!
Boom!!
Hundreds of heavy cannons roared, spewing blazing fire!
Countless traditional black cannonballs, small missiles trailing fiery tails, electromagnetic metal shells...
In that instant, they transformed into a storm of fire, pouring down through the gaps in the Torikago, an overwhelming downpour aimed at Daren and Shiki.
The sky itself was nearly blotted out.
Behind his sunglasses, Doflamingo's pupils shrank into pinpoints. He instinctively retreated, leaping all the way to the edge of the Torikago.
As if terrified of being caught in the relentless bombardment, he frantically tugged and twisted his threads, weaving a massive cocoon of white threads to enclose himself completely.
"White Thread: Giant Cocoon!!"
Just as the cocoon finished enclosing his body, the barrage arrived—engulfing everything, drowning the cocoon in fire.
But the most terrifying part was still to come.
These fifteen flying warships of the North Blue Fleet weren't just loaded with Germa 66's advanced tech like small tracking missiles and magnetic-propulsion cannons. They were also equipped with light laser cannons—experimental weapons recently developed by the Marine Science Division, not even officially deployed yet.
As the air filled with the trails of countless shells and missiles, golden beams of laser light surged out from the main cannons of the warships.
Rumble...
Rumble...
Amid deafening explosions, waves of fire swept across the barren island.
Flames soared into the sky. The land collapsed layer by layer. Small mountains were flattened.
Countless trees were incinerated in the blasts.
Everything visible had become a literal hell on earth.
This was... the full firepower of the North Blue Fleet!
A carpet-bombing assault!!
Onboard the warships, the North Blue Marines stared in stunned silence as the island trembled and was swallowed by flames. Their expressions were filled with disbelief.
Though they were part of the North Blue Fleet, this was the first time they'd witnessed the overwhelming firepower of the secret fleet Vice Admiral Daren had kept hidden all these years!
It wasn't an exaggeration—though they'd never personally seen the Marine Headquarters' legendary "Buster Call," the sheer battlefield dominance on display here... had already surpassed it!
After all, every ship in the North Blue Fleet carried firepower exceeding that of a standard Buster Call warship!
"Report, Admiral Momonga! The laser cannon's energy is depleted!"
A messenger rushed over, panting heavily.
"Don't hesitate—keep firing!"
Momonga looked down coldly at the island in chaos, his fist clenched tightly.
"And..."
He paused, a flash of steely resolve in his eyes, then grit his teeth.
"Use that!"
The Marines recoiled in shock.
"But Vice Admiral Daren..."
Momonga cut him off, his tone icy.
"This is part of Daren's plan!"
"Yes, Admiral Momonga!"
The Marines saluted in unison, immediately turning to execute the order.
Two seconds later...
On the side of the North Blue Fleet's flagship, two panels in the hull opened, revealing twin rapid-fire machine guns that extended outward.
Rat-a-tat-tat!!
Both guns opened fire simultaneously.
But instead of standard lead bullets, they spat out polished black mineral pellets!
Hearing the thunderous roar of the machine guns, cold sweat gathered in Momonga's palms.
At this point, all he could do was trust that Daren's "Indestructible Body" was truly as unbreakable as claimed!
His sharp command snapped the Marines back to focus, and the cannon fire resumed with even greater ferocity.
From their high vantage point, they could see fire erupting everywhere across the island trapped within the Torikago. The ground was visibly exploding—collapsing, layer by layer...
One minute, three minutes, five minutes…
For a full five minutes, the North Blue Fleet bombarded the island relentlessly. Only then did the military strike—surpassing even the power of a Buster Call—gradually come to a halt.
On the heavily armed warships, hundreds of heavy cannons were glowing dark red, their barrels coated in thick white smoke. The heat radiating from them had reached an utterly terrifying level.
"Did it work?"
Momonga narrowed his eyes, staring hard at the island cloaked in flames and smoke, searching for any sign of Daren and Shiki.
The other Marines held their breath, not daring to make a sound. Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads.
At the island's edge, the charred white cocoon slowly unraveled, turning back into silk threads that fluttered to the ground.
Doflamingo stood up from within, his face slightly pale. He stared into the distance, his expression wavering between shock and uncertainty.
The intensity of the cannon fire just now had been horrifying.
Even though he was far from the center of the bombardment, the waves of flame and flying shrapnel... had made his heart pound inside the giant cocoon.
At the center of the island, thick smoke churned violently.
Winds stirred the haze.
Flames flickered endlessly.
Bit by bit, the scorched and blackened terrain came into view.
What had once been elevated ground was now completely flattened. The land had been blasted down by several meters, forming a charred crater nearly a kilometer wide.
A towering figure—inhuman in build—emerged first.
He stood shirtless, his body crisscrossed with scars, now covered in char and soot from the bombardment. Some of the more brutal wounds had shrapnel still embedded in them.
It was Daren.
The Vice Admiral stood motionless amid the scorched earth. Several seconds passed—then he moved.
"Hoo..."
Daren let out a long breath of smoke like a dragon and stepped forward lightly.
A bold, unrestrained smile curled at the corner of his mouth. He spread his arms wide and clenched both fists tightly.
Crackle...
Countless fragments of shrapnel, broken stones, and metal particles fell from his body, revealing hard, steel-like muscle beneath.
Fierce beyond belief!
"Vice Admiral Daren..."
"He's too strong!"
"Vice Admiral Daren withstood the bombardment almost unscathed!"
"Incredible!"
The soldiers of the North Blue Fleet were momentarily stunned—then burst out into cheers of disbelief and excitement.
Then... what about Shiki?
They quickly regained their focus, their eyes scanning the smoke.
Soon, they locked onto a faint, indistinct figure.
"I never expected… that I… would be pushed to this extent by you…"
A hoarse voice slowly echoed from within the flames and smoke.
Sinister, guttural, and filled with the deepest hatred, rage, and resentment imaginable—
The tone made every listener's scalp go numb.
Hearing that voice, Momonga, Doflamingo, and all the Marines turned pale, eyes widening as they stared in horror at the figure shrouded in smoke.
Under such overwhelming firepower... that guy was still alive!?
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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