Tatsuki stood at the bow of the warship, listening to the pleasant prompt in his mind.
He let the heat wave mess up his hair, looking at the apocalyptic scene in the distance, gently shaking his head with a tone full of regret for their failure to live up to expectations. "Oh my, oh my..."
"Judge-san, is this the confidence you use to dominate the North Blue? It's a bit disappointing."
Tatsuki raised his hand, pointing at Judge, and turned on his taunt mode. "If this is your level, then I suggest you go home and play with mud. The waters of the North Blue are too deep, you can't handle it."
...
"Bastard! Damn Marines! I'll tear you to pieces!" Judge was completely driven mad.
The foundation he had built up over decades was one-tenth destroyed in a single encounter.
He slammed the button on his mask, and the high-tech jetpack on his back sprayed blue airflow, causing him to levitate.
"All Germa units, take to the sky! Kill them using Sea Stone bullets! As long as we spread out our formation, that kind of clumsy attack won't hit—"
However, before he could finish his sentence, a lazy voice rang out above his head.
"Clumsy? Are you talking about Sakazuki? That's quite a scary evaluation. But being treated like a fool is also a headache for me."
Judge looked up sharply.
Blinding.
It was more blinding than looking directly at the midday sun.
Borsalino had his hands in his pockets, his body completely defying the laws of physics as he hung hundreds of meters in the air, his yellow striped suit shining brilliantly in the light.
He pursed his lips, his sunglasses reflecting the Clone Soldier army below trying to take flight like headless flies.
"Spreading out the formation is indeed troublesome, after all, I'd have to aim one by one, so..."
Borsalino crossed his hands in front of his chest, locking his index fingers and thumbs, as golden light danced at his fingertips like thousands of stars flashing simultaneously.
Yasakani no Magatama!
Just as the golden light was about to pour out, another slightly sluggish voice spoke up eerily beside him, "Since Borsalino is working so hard, I'll add a little something too. If we let them swim away, cleaning up will be a hassle."
Unnoticed, Kuzan had already appeared in mid-air. With a shake of his arms, the air around his body instantly condensed, and hundreds of ice-thorn spears emitting a bone-chilling frost appeared out of thin air.
Partisan!
Swish... Swish...
For a moment, the sky was split by two completely different lights.
On one side was a rain of golden light bullets falling at high speed with destructive heat.
On the other was a flow of pale ice spears, sharp enough to pierce steel and emitting extreme cold.
There were no blind spots, no room for evasion.
This time, it was Germa's turn to experience what fire coverage meant.
Golden explosions and icy freezing erupted simultaneously within the Germa fleet.
Before the soldiers pierced by the light bullets could scream from the heat, the ice spears that followed froze them and the surrounding air into blood-red blocks of ice.
Those Clone Soldiers trying to disperse via jetpacks had nowhere to hide in the gap between light and ice, falling into the scalding seawater like dumplings into a pot.
[Ding! Detected teammates Borsalino and Kuzan causing large-scale casualties!]
[Judgment: Tendency to massacre prisoners!]
[Violation Points +1500!]
"It's over... Why would monsters like this appear in the North Blue?!"
Judge's hand holding the spear began to tremble violently, and cold sweat instantly soaked his raid suit.
"Is Marineford crazy? To deal with one Germa, they sent three top-tier Logia users?"
His legs went weak, and he slumped to the ground.
His spear fell with a clang.
In just three short minutes, the invincible fleet he was so proud of was half turned into molten iron and half riddled with holes.
"Run... I must run..."
The ambition in Judge's eyes was completely extinguished, leaving only the instinct to survive. He crawled on all fours toward the escape pod console located at the rear of the bridge.
As long as he could escape back to the core laboratory, as long as the cloning technology was still there, he could...
"Arara... Since you're here, don't be in such a hurry to leave. If I let you run away, Tatsuki will nag me again for not working."
A lazy voice, accompanied by a bone-chilling cold, enveloped the entire sea area.
Kuzan crouched on the gunwale of the warship, one hand reaching into the seawater.
Ice Age!
Crack... Crack...
The tooth-aching sound of freezing rang out.
Centering on the warship, the pale ice layer spread outward at a terrifying speed, instantly swallowing the boiling sea surface.
The waves were frozen mid-curl, and those giant snail ships trying to turn around were instantly locked onto the thick ice plain, not even a fly could fly out.
The entire world had turned into a massive ice sculpture graveyard.
[Ding! Detected teammate Kuzan freezing an important shipping lane, obstructing traffic!]
[Judgment: Environmental destruction! Affecting navigation!]
[Violation Points +1000!]
Tatsuki suppressed the urge to curl his lips upward as he looked at the skyrocketing numbers on the system panel, it was enough for him to start the lottery.
Geppo!
Thump!
Stepping on the air, he landed elegantly on the already frozen deck of the Germa flagship.
His leather soles collided with the ice, making crisp "tap, tap" sounds. This sound was particularly piercing on the deathly silent ice plain, each step treading on Judge's collapsing nerves.
At this moment, half of Judge's body was already frozen to the console, unable to move, only able to look in horror as the young Marine Warrant Officer approached step by step.
Behind him, three "monsters" emitting terrifying auras stood in a triangular formation, surrounding the ashen-faced Judge.
Tatsuki walked up to Judge, knelt down, and showed that kind smile that was like a spring breeze.
"Nice to meet you, Vinsmoke Judge-san."
Tatsuki considerately brushed a piece of ice off Judge's shoulder, his tone gentle. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Marineford Warrant Officer, Tatsuki."
"What did I say just now?"
Tatsuki took out the small notebook labeled "Fine" from his pocket and tapped his chin with the pen cap, looking thoughtful.
"Oh right, illegal assembly, environmental pollution, violent resistance to the law, attacking an officer... these charges are not light."
Judge's teeth chattered as he looked at the demon before him, squeezing words out from between his teeth, "I... I'll give... 500 million... let me go..."
As long as he could live, what did money matter?
With Germa's technology still intact, he could make a comeback.
Hearing this, Tatsuki did not show a satisfied expression. On the contrary, he frowned and looked at Judge with surprise, as if he had heard something unbelievable.
"500 million?"
Tatsuki gave an exaggerated sigh, slowly stood up, and looked down at this former hegemon of the North Blue. That look was like looking at a native who didn't know the rules.
"Judge-san, did you misunderstand something?"
"The 500 million mentioned earlier was the friendship price before we started. Now..."
Tatsuki's eyes were deep as he glanced at the three monster figures behind him and said softly, "You'll have to pay more."