Pirate: I'm an admiral now, what's wrong with taking a little extra money?

Vinsmoke Judge, spear in hand and draped in a golden cloak, stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window. Through the gaps in his mask, he coldly gazed at the burning town below.

"Commander-in-Chief." A clone commander in a black uniform strode over and mechanically reported, "A warship is approaching from three nautical miles away."

"A bunch of low-level navy rabble from the North Sea?" Judge frowned slightly, then let out a contemptuous sneer. "Probably some reckless branch colonel trying to get a piece of the pie."

“Ignore them.” Judge waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. “Fire warning shots. If they don’t cooperate, just sink them. Shipwrecks are common in these remote waters, aren’t they?”

"Understood, Commander."

……

Three seas away.

A medium-sized warship without any serial number is cutting through the waves.

"Wow... is this the legendary Germa 66?"

On the deck, Kane held up his binoculars, gazing at the densely packed fleet in the distance, his mouth practically watering.

In view, the densely packed snail-shaped boats looked not like warships, but like moving mountains of gold.

"Those ship hull structures, if they're made of special alloys, could fetch hundreds of millions of Berries just from being dismantled and sold as scrap metal... And those combat suits on the clones, if you stripped them off and sold them on the black market..."

Kane muttered to himself as he even took out a calculator and started pressing buttons.

"Oh dear... Kane wipes his drool. If you get photographed like this by reporters, the Navy's image will be completely ruined."

Kuzan scratched his fluffy curly hair and looked at the fleet that blotted out the sky in the distance.

"The Vinsmoke family... I've heard their technological prowess is so enviable that even the scientists at headquarters are envious. With so many ships, they must have at least tens of thousands of troops, right? There are only four of us; won't that be too much of a stretch?"

"troops?"

Sakassky stood at the bow of the ship, his crimson shirt stretched taut by the gale.

He pulled his hat brim down, and his right arm, billowing black smoke, betrayed his current mood: "Just a bunch of small fry relying on external things. Quantity is meaningless in the face of absolute power."

"Yay~ Sakazuki is still as scary as ever~" Borsalino said, pouting as he held a cup of hot tea. "But they're a member state, you know. If we make the first move, writing reports back home will be a real hassle~"

"Make the first move? How could that be?"

Kane put away the calculator, straightened his tie, and put on his standard smile.

"We are the Navy, partners of justice. How can we resort to violence so easily?"

As he spoke, he pulled a specially made megaphone Den Den Mushi from his pocket and cleared his throat.

"Hello? Testing the microphone, testing the microphone. Boom boom boom... Hmm, the sound quality is not bad."

next second.

The sound, amplified several times over, instantly resounded across the entire sea area, drowning out the continuous gunfire.

On Germa's flagship, Judge suddenly looked up.

All the clone soldiers who were firing froze.

Even the civilians on the bombed island were stunned.

Who the hell is this? Testing the microphone on the battlefield?

The sound continued to come.

"Ahem! Greetings to the 'Derma 66' illegal armed group ahead! This is the 'Special Operations Enforcement Team' of the Navy Headquarters!"

"I am Warrant Officer Kane, the commander-in-chief of this law enforcement operation."

Kane didn't give him a chance to react, and continued to shout:

"We have received reports from concerned citizens that you are suspected of a serious illegal assembly!"

"First! Your gathering of over three hundred warships here constitutes a massive illegal armed assembly! According to the latest regulations of this headquarters, any armed gathering of more than three people must submit a written application to Marineford thirty days in advance! Did you apply? No!"

"Secondly! Your indiscriminate firing has filled this sea area with smoke, severely damaging the air quality of Beihai and even causing marine noise pollution! Have you considered the feelings of the fish sleeping in the sea? This is utterly morally depraved!"

"Third! And most importantly! We need to check if you are carrying any prohibited items! Such as weapons of mass destruction!"

"Now, on behalf of the Navy Headquarters, I am conducting a surprise inspection of you!"

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Not only were the soldiers of Germa dumbfounded, but even the marines on the warships were stunned.

What the hell is this illegal assembly?! What the hell is this fish's sleep quality?!

Sir, are you just trying to rob me outright?!

Kane's smile deepened. He took a deep breath and dropped the final bombshell:

"Given the seriousness of your actions, you are hereby ordered to immediately cease all activities! Everyone must disembark and undergo a body search! Furthermore, you are required to pay a fine of 500 million Berries."

"If you don't cooperate..."

Kane paused, his tone turning chilling:

"We can only conclude that you have violently resisted law enforcement and will take all necessary coercive measures—including but not limited to stewing you and the snails together into soup!"

Inside the flagship command center.

Click!

Judge crushed the wine glass in his hand, spilling red wine all over the floor.

"Five hundred million? Why don't you just rob the heavens?!"

The veins on Judge's forehead throbbed, and the absurd feeling of being humiliated by ants made him laugh in anger.

"You want to stew us into soup?! Fine! Very well! A mere warrant officer from headquarters dares to spout nonsense in front of Germa!"

Who is he? He is a scientist who once worked with Vegapunk! He is the overlord who rules the North Sea!

"Fire!!"

Judge brandished his spear, his roar echoing throughout the hall, "Smash that wrecked ship to smithereens! Capture that bastard, I want to turn him into a specimen and hang him at the very top of the castle!!"

Following the commander-in-chief's order.

The Germa fleet demonstrated remarkable military prowess.

Click click click—!

Hundreds of snail-shaped warships turned their cannons almost simultaneously, their dark barrels densely packed, locking onto the lone warship.

"Boom boom boom boom—!!"

next moment.

The artillery fire poured down like a black rainstorm, the flames illuminating half the sky.

That terrifying density of firepower was enough to wipe a small island off the nautical chart in an instant.

[Ding! Host detected extorting money from member states!]

[Judgment: Extremely serious!]

[Disciplinary Value +5000!]

Faced with the barrage of gunfire, Kane sighed, pulled a handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket, and took a step back.

"Oh dear, you're in such a hurry already?"

"As you all see, the other side violently resisted the law and attempted to murder a naval officer. The evidence is conclusive."

He turned his head, looked at the three people behind him who were already unable to contain themselves, smiled slightly, and spat out a piece of sunflower seed shell.

"In that case, Sakazuki, Kuzan, Borsalino, it's up to you."

"Give this overlord of the North Sea a little bit of natural shock."

Chapter 23 You think you can just leave with 500 million Berries? Sorry, you'll have to pay more!

"Hmph, no need for your nonsense."

Sakazuki could no longer contain his destructive desires.

"They dream of dominating the seas, scurrying about like rats, creating chaos..."

Sakazuki took a sudden step forward, and the warship deck beneath his feet even instantly carbonized and turned black due to the high temperature.

He soared into the air, his right arm rapidly expanding in mid-air, transforming into surging, dark red magma, instantly turning the originally gloomy sky crimson.

On the Germa flagship, Judge suddenly raised his head, his pupils contracting sharply, and saw a scene through the mask that made his soul tremble.

A giant lava fist, as large as half a fleet, obscured the view like a meteorite.

"That's... a Logia type?!" Judge's voice went off-key.

In mid-air, Sakazuki coldly looked down at the ants below, his voice booming:

"A bunch of weaklings who rely on external resources dare to challenge justice?"

"A massive fireball!!!"

boom--!!!

The devastating lava collided with the barrage of artillery shells.

There was absolutely no suspense; the projectile vaporized the moment it touched the magma, not even managing to block it for a second.

Immediately afterwards, the lava, with its remaining force, slammed into the vanguard of the Germa fleet.

Sizzle—!

The sea was boiling.

The first massive snail-shaped warship didn't even have a chance to explode; it was instantly melted by the high temperature.

Then came the second, the third... more than a dozen sturdy steel fortresses, which instantly turned into a rolling sea of ​​molten iron and fire.

"Ahhhh!"

Countless clone soldiers didn't even have time to scream before they returned to dust.

[Ding! Teammate Sakazuki has caused devastating damage!]

[Judgment: Excessive enforcement! A serious violation of naval humanitarian principles!]