Death arrived before the roar of a sonic boom could even echo through the air.
Bang!
The pirate closest to him didn't even have time to scream before his head exploded like a crushed watermelon. Scalding red and white matter sprayed in a fan shape across the exquisite face and pearl necklace of the noblewoman behind him.
The noblewoman froze for a second. Then, an ear-piercing scream echoed throughout the hall.
"AAAAAAAAAAH—!!!"
But this scream was as insignificant as a mosquito's buzz compared to the bloodbath that followed.
"What?!"
Hanging from the ceiling chandelier, Galdo's pupils shrank violently. Disappeared? That Marine disappeared?!
"Too slow."
A gentle voice appeared beside the pile of explosives. The pirate lackey responsible for the detonation only felt a cold sensation on his wrist. He looked down, horrified to find that his right hand, which had been holding the detonator, had left his wrist at some point and fallen flat on the floor; the cut was so clean that blood hadn't even started to spray yet.
"This... this is..."
Puchi!
Kane's finger pierced through his chest without resistance, directly crushing his still-beating heart. Immediately after, a bloody wind swept through the hall.
"Finger Pistol: Ranren!"
Kane's figure moved through the crowd like a ghost. Every time he paused, a life was taken. Moreover, the deaths were gruesome. Some pirates had their spines kicked apart, their bodies folded like a quilt; others had their throats crushed and collapsed limply; some were even torn in half by the powerful wind pressure, their internal organs spilling all over the floor.
In just 5 seconds, blood stained the expensive marble floor of the Auction House. The hostages were scared witless, forgetting even to cry out; they could only stare wide-eyed as this Grim Reaper in a white Marine uniform harvested lives. Every drop of blood that splattered onto his face made his originally sunny smile appear increasingly bewitching and terrifying.
Is this a Marine? This is 10,000 times more brutal than a pirate!
[Ding! Displaying extreme blood and violence in front of civilians! Caused 128 hostages to suffer severe psychological trauma! Disciplinary Violation +50! Disciplinary Violation +50! Disciplinary Violation +50...]
Hearing the system's wonderful prompts, the curve of Kane's lips grew wider.
5 seconds. Only 5 seconds.
Except for Galdo, who was still on the ceiling, the 20 odd pirates on the ground had all become mutilated corpses. Kane stood in the center of the pool of blood, elegantly pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiping the blood from his fingers. He looked up at Galdo on the chandelier.
Gulp.
Hanging from the chandelier, Galdo was drenched in cold sweat. Madman... this Marine is definitely a madman!
"You... don't come any closer!" Galdo's voice trembled, the springs in his legs compressed to the limit. "If you dare move, I'll smash the main support pillar of this building! Everyone will die!!"
"Oh?" Kane tossed the handkerchief aside and tilted his head. "Then go ahead and smash it. I can escape even if the building collapses. As for these hostages..."
He glanced at the nobles and civilians in the corner who had already wet themselves in fear and sneered: "It is their honor to sacrifice themselves for justice."
"Waaaaah..." The hostages broke down in tears again, and some even fainted from fright.
[Ding! Expressing extreme remarks that disregard life! Disciplinary Violation +1,000!]
"You..." Galdo completely broke down.
Just then.
Swish—
A dazzling yellow flash condensed at the entrance of the hall. Borsalino stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at the mangled flesh all over the floor, his eyes widening slightly behind his sunglasses.
"My~ how scary~ is this Brother Kane's way of rescuing? It's truly nightmare-inducing~"
Immediately following that, a wave of scorching air swept in.
"Hellhound!!"
Sakazuki rushed in, his body wreathed in billowing smoke and magma, his face full of rage. He had originally prepared to come in and start a massacre, but he froze when he stepped into a puddle of blood.
Is it over? What's with all these severed limbs and broken bodies?
"Classmate Sakazuki, you're late." Kane even had the mood to tidy up his slightly messy hair.
"You bastard!!" Sakazuki looked at the hostages who were driven insane by fear and roared, "With such brutal methods, where is the dignity of justice!"
"Dignity?" The smile on Kane's face vanished instantly.
Moonwalk!
Kane didn't answer; instead, his figure flashed and he instantly appeared mid-air. Galdo was about to take advantage of the argument to launch himself away and escape, but he found to his horror that a large hand like an iron pincer had already firmly gripped his face.
"Want to run? Have you asked the civilians you murdered?" Kane's voice was bone-chillingly cold.
"Stop! Teacher Zephyr's orders were to take him alive! Lock him in Impel Down!!" Sakazuki roared from below.
"For trash like this, death is the greatest mercy and the only redemption." Kane's eyes were indifferent. Pressing Galdo's head and utilizing the acceleration of gravity, he plummeted like a meteorite and smashed violently into the ground.
"Go down... and repent!!"
BOOM!!!
A loud explosion shook the entire Auction House. A large pit 10 meters in diameter cracked open on the ground. Galdo's head was like a crushed tomato; red liquid mixed with fragments of internal organs splattered across Sakazuki's pant leg.
The scene was deathly silent. Even the crying hostages were so scared they shut their mouths, fearing that if their breathing was too loud, it would attract the attention of that God of Death.
"You... disobeyed military orders..." Sakazuki pointed at the corpse at the bottom of the pit, his finger trembling slightly, but the fire of anger in his eyes was gradually fading, replaced by an unprecedented confusion and shock.
"I did indeed disobey military orders." Kane slowly walked out from the bottom of the pit. He was covered in blood, his back to the sun, shadows cloaking his face, revealing only a pair of terrifyingly bright eyes.
He walked step by step to Sakazuki, ignoring the magma rolling off the other man, and looked directly into the eyes of this future Fleet Admiral.
"But I eliminated evil. Sakazuki, you are too naive. So-called mercy only makes pirates think we are weak. And this is exactly the root of their recklessness."
Kane reached out a blood-stained hand and gently patted Sakazuki's stiff shoulder. "As long as we compromise once, more pirates will follow suit. As long as one pirate leaves alive, more civilians will suffer. What we need to do is not be some moral role models."
Kane leaned close to Sakazuki's ear and whispered softly: "What we need to do is use the most absolute and brutal methods to strike terror into their hearts! Kill them until they don't even dare to have the thought of 'becoming a pirate'! Even if we bear infamy, even if our hands are stained with blood, as long as we can completely uproot evil, it is worth it. This is the resolve a Marine should carry. This is the true... Absolute Justice."
Rumble!
It was as if a bolt of lightning flashed through Sakazuki's mind. At this moment, time seemed to stand still. Sakazuki's pupils contracted violently. He looked at the blood-covered man before him, at those unwavering eyes, and felt his blood boiling throughout his body.
Absolute Justice! No compromise, no room left! Uproot evil entirely!
This... isn't this the path he had been searching for but could never clearly describe? His gaze toward Kane shifted from initial anger and confusion to deep recognition, and even... a hint of fanatical admiration.
"I have learned much." Sakazuki took a deep breath and pulled down the brim of his cap, his voice low but incredibly firm: "Regarding the report for disobeying military orders, I will help you write an explanation of 'accidental death'."
[Ding! Through extreme actions, successfully ignited Sakazuki's concept of Absolute Justice! Determined as: A major ideological induction affecting the course of the world line! Subversion level off the charts! Disciplinary Violation +8,000!]
Hearing this huge sum of money arrive, Kane almost couldn't maintain his serious expression and laugh out loud. Fantastic. Not only did he get 10,000 points, but he also successfully fooled the future Fleet Admiral! This is truly addictive!
"Don't mention it, we're all doing this for justice." Kane patted Sakazuki's shoulder, putting on a tragic "if I don't enter hell, who will" expression. Then, he turned around and looked at Borsalino, who had been watching the show at the door.
"Hey, Borsalino, I'll leave the rest of the work to you. Also, remember to ask the Auction House owner for an appearance fee, fifty-fifty split."
Borsalino: "..."
Sakazuki watched Kane's departing back, his fists clenched, the magma in his eyes seeming to burn.
"Absolute Justice..." he murmured to himself, looking at the pirates' corpses on the ground, his gaze becoming incredibly firm. "Next time, I will do it even more thoroughly than you!"
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