The towering waves finally came crashing down.
Seawater poured from the sky like heavy rain, striking the ocean and sending ripples in every direction.
The Marine warship rocked violently beneath the impact.
Cold spray splashed across the deck and soaked the uniforms of several Marines.
The sensation finally jolted them out of their daze.
Only a few seconds had passed.
Yet in that brief span of time, the two enemy ships carrying hundreds of armed criminals had been completely destroyed.
Both vessels and nearly everyone aboard them had vanished from the sea.
Were it not for the wreckage, splintered wood, and bodies scattered across the surface, no one would have believed that two ships had occupied these waters only moments earlier.
To Caron, Bart, and the other Marines, the entire scene felt unreal.
The water around them briefly turned pale red as blood spread through the waves.
It did not last long.
The currents quickly washed the color away, leaving only drifting wreckage as evidence of what had happened.
Broken planks and the remains of the enemy ships bumped softly against the Marine vessel’s hull.
The deck fell silent.
No one had recovered from the shock.
Leon’s method had been far too direct.
Far too overwhelming.
In only a few seconds, he had destroyed two ships and wiped out hundreds of pirates with a single attack.
Even after witnessing it with their own eyes, the Marines struggled to accept what had happened.
“I’ll leave the rest to you.”
Leon yawned.
“I’m tired, so I’m going back to sleep.”
“Try not to let anyone interrupt me again.”
The terrifying presence surrounding him vanished.
In an instant, Leon returned to his usual lazy and unmotivated self.
Without waiting for a response from Caron or anyone else, he turned away from the bow and walked back toward his cabin.
He intended to finish the sleep that the pirates had interrupted.
Only after Leon disappeared from sight did the Marines gradually begin to recover.
They exchanged glances, seeing the same disbelief reflected in one another’s eyes.
“Unbelievable…”
“What exactly happened just now?”
One Marine’s throat felt dry as he stared across the ruined sea.
“I blinked, and both pirate ships were gone.”
“There were hundreds of people aboard them, and now almost none of them remain.”
His words finally broke the silence.
The rest of the crew erupted into excited discussion.
“So this is Admiral Kizaru’s nephew?”
“Isn’t he far too powerful?”
“He sank two pirate ships with one attack and destroyed both crews along with them!”
“Mr.
Leon is a monster!”
“Even Admiral Kizaru probably wasn’t this strong when he was sixteen.”
“The forces of the Vinsmoke family and Donquixote Family couldn’t resist at all.”
“Hundreds of them had us completely cornered, yet Mr.
Leon wiped them out in an instant.”
“He’s unbelievably powerful.” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“No wonder he knocked out that Sea King without even touching it.”
“I’m certain that even many vice admirals from Marine Headquarters couldn’t compare with him.”
“Mr.
Leon must already be stronger than an ordinary Headquarters vice admiral.”
Awe and admiration filled every voice.
Everyone had expected Leon to win once he agreed to fight.
What they had not expected was for the battle to end in such an overwhelmingly one-sided manner.
There had been no struggle.
No exchange of attacks.
The pirates had never even been given a chance to resist.
Hundreds of armed criminals had been crushed instantly.
Now that the Marines had witnessed the full destruction of both vessels, they had a much clearer understanding of Leon’s strength.
He was powerful.
Terrifyingly powerful.
The force he had displayed seemed to surpass what they imagined from many vice admirals stationed at Marine Headquarters.
That conviction quickly took hold among the crew.
At only sixteen, Leon already possessed strength comparable to—or perhaps greater than—a Headquarters vice admiral.
He was a genuine monster.
“Captain Caron…”
Bart stood beside him, still staring at the debris scattered across the sea.
“Did you expect anything like this?”
“You’re giving me far too much credit.”
Caron shook his head.
“I believed Mr.
Leon could defeat them.”
“But I never imagined he would need only one attack.”
“One strike wiped out hundreds of pirates.”
“That kind of combat power is absolutely comparable to a vice admiral from Marine Headquarters.”
Caron continued in amazement.
“And the most frightening part is his age.”
“Mr.
Leon is only sixteen.”
“He has only just entered the Marines, yet he already possesses this level of strength.”
“Kizaru, Sakazuki, and Kuzan were also regarded as monsters in their youth.”
“But as far as I know, even they did not display this level of strength until after joining the Marines and undergoing formal training.”
“Mr.
Leon was already this powerful before he officially enlisted.”
After taking some time to regain his composure, Caron turned toward the Marines still discussing the battle.
“Stop staring and get to work.”
“Recover every crate of weapons still floating on the surface.”
“Mr.
Leon’s attack destroyed much of the shipment and sent some of it to the bottom, but there should still be plenty of undamaged cargo.”
“That will be our prize from this operation.”
The Marines immediately began following his orders.
The crates contained weapons manufactured by the Vinsmoke family and intended for the Donquixote Family.
There were more of them than Caron had expected.
After making an initial estimate, he concluded that the surviving weapons alone could fully equip an elite force of roughly one thousand soldiers.
The shipment contained nearly every kind of weapon they could imagine.
Had such a supply reached a small island, it could easily have armed a rebellion, enabled a coup, or allowed a criminal organization to seize control.
“Captain Caron, we’ve recovered all the accessible weapons.”
A Marine approached and reported.
“The men are still counting the crates and inspecting the contents.”
“Leave the remaining work to Bart.”
Caron turned toward his trusted subordinate.
“I need to report what happened to Admiral Kizaru.”
“Understood.”
Bart nodded.
Caron walked toward a quiet corner of the deck beside the railing and took out a Den Den Mushi.
“Purururu… Purururu…”
The call connected quickly.
“It’s already over?”
Kizaru’s voice came through the receiver, carrying clear surprise.
“That was fast.”
“It seems Leon’s strength has exceeded even my expectations.”
Caron immediately gave him a complete account of the battle.
“That brat destroyed two pirate ships with a single attack?”
“And nearly wiped out several hundred pirates at once?”
Kizaru clicked his tongue in amazement.
“My, my…”
“Young people these days really are terrifying.”
“Even I was nowhere near that strong when I was his age.”
After hearing the full report, Kizaru could no longer deny the possibility.
Perhaps the Borsalino family truly was about to produce another Admiral.
Two Admirals from the same family?
The thought filled him with anticipation.
With an achievement of this scale, convincing Sengoku to approve Leon’s exceptional promotion to Marine Captain should not be difficult.
Receiving the rank of captain immediately after enlistment was almost unheard of.
Only a handful of similar cases could be found throughout several decades of Marine history.
Just before ending the call, Kizaru remembered something important.
His tone became more serious.
“You disrupted an arms deal between the Vinsmoke family and the Donquixote Family.”
“Neither organization is known for accepting losses quietly.”
“You should expect retaliation.”
“Remain especially cautious over the next few days.”
“And warn Leon.”
“Tell him not to become careless just because the first group was easy to defeat.”
“I don’t want him being caught unprepared when those two families come looking for revenge.”