One Piece: Marine's Justice

"Holy crap! Is this guy the Hulk or something?!"

Cross's eyes widened in shock, nearly popping out of their sockets as he witnessed the scene unfold.

With a single bound, the figure soared dozens of meters into the air, his jump was so incredible it could rival that green brute from the Avengers!

Whoosh—!

But just at that crucial moment, a blinding light burst forth, radiant enough to overshadow the sun itself. A golden laser beam streaked across the sky like a meteor, and in the blink of an eye, it pierced straight through Oli Baka's body.

"AAARRRGHH!!"

Oli Baka screamed in agony as he plummeted from the sky, crashing through the roof of a three-story building with a deafening BOOM. The impact kicked up a storm of dust and unleashed a shockwave that rippled across the city block.

"What a terrifying monster... They almost got away!"

On the rooftop of a nearby two-story building, glowing golden particles converged rapidly, assembling into a human shape; a man with a slightly sleazy-looking face and a lit cigarette dangling lazily from his lips.

It was Borsalino, who had arrived just in time to land a shot on Oli Baka and prevent his escape.

"Whew—"

Seeing Oli Baka forced down, Cross, Feli, and the others finally let out a sigh of relief, wiping sweat from their brows.

This was Cross's first time fighting a notorious pirate from the New World, a tremendous challenge in its own right.

And to make matters worse, the enemy's strength wasn't the slightest bit inferior to Donquixote Doflamingo back when they fought in North Blue.

In fact, in some aspects, Oli Baka might have even surpassed him.

If the fight had continued any longer, Cross had already prepared himself to risk everything.

Cross stepped forward and called up to Borsalino on the rooftop, "Vice Admiral! The Gladiator Fiend, Oli Baka, and the Polluter, Bel von Gero, are both here! They've also planted twelve AH-40 plague bombs at six locations throughout the city!"

"Eh?!"

Borsalino raised an eyebrow in surprise. "They hid something that dangerous inside the city? That's really too reckle—"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Before Borsalino could finish his sentence, thunderous explosions echoed one after another. Dark red smoke erupted across multiple locations in Skoggy, the City of Sculptures.

Dragon Square, Master Street, Street No. 3… In total, twelve columns of ominous crimson smoke shot up from six different districts, engulfing everything within a ten-meter radius.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Aaaah—"

"Poison… it's poison!!"

"Get away! Don't breathe it in!"

"—!!"

Hundreds of civilians inhaled the crimson plague mist. In seconds, their skin began to swell and rot. The pain was indescribable, like being set on fire, forcing them to collapse in agony, writhing and screaming.

Panic exploded.

Half the city plunged into chaos. Tens of thousands of people fled through the streets and alleys, screaming in terror.

Men, women, the elderly, children... people were trampled in the frenzy. Every second, someone fell… and was crushed under the stampede. It was carnage.

The Impaler Pirates' plan had succeeded.

"Tch… What a headache…"

Borsalino scratched his head, frowning. True to his motto of "ambiguous justice," he made no move to intervene, even as innocent civilians lay dying all around.

His gaze instead turned to the wounded Oli Baka and Bel von Gero as they slipped away into the chaotic sea of fleeing citizens, quickly vanishing from sight.

If it had been another admiral—say, Sakazuki, who upheld "absolute justice," he might've blasted the crowd without hesitation to eliminate the threat.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Impaler Pirates dropped their weapons and scattered, pretending to be ordinary civilians as they fled in all directions, vanishing into the panicked throng. The Enlivened Army's soldiers suddenly lost their targets.

After all, those creatures had limited intelligence. They were more like pre-programmed biological machines, unable to distinguish between innocent civilians and enemies.

"Damn it! Do something!" Feli shouted furiously, turning to both Borsalino and Cross. "We can't let Bel von Gero escape! We've never had a better chance!"

"Shut your damn mouth!"

Cross's expression turned dark, fury rising. He grabbed Feli by the collar and snarled, "You stupid bastard, what happened here is partly your fault! Now get the hell out of my way, I don't have time to argue with you!"

With that, he tossed Feli aside and leapt high into the air. In a flash, he executed Geppo, stepping onto invisible platforms in the sky. Under Feli's stunned gaze, he quickly landed beside Borsalino.

"Huh. That's strange… You can use Geppo?" Borsalino remarked with genuine surprise.

"It's not that hard," Cross said casually. "Watched it twice, picked it up right away."

Then his tone turned serious. "Vice Admiral, the Marines in the city must restore order immediately. If this chaos continues, the casualties will only grow worse. As for the fleeing Impaler Pirates, I'll lead the airborne Enlivened creatures outside the city to track them from the skies. I'll stay in contact. If we encounter their main force, I'll call for your backup immediately."

"Phew—"

Borsalino slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, his tone as unhurried as ever. "Not bad. That's a solid response plan. Alright, I'm authorizing it, all operations are yours to command. If you find their core force, contact me right away. I'll be there."

"Understood, Vice Admiral Borsalino! For justice, we will prevail!"

"For justice."

Cross saluted sharply. For once, Borsalino responded with a rare, solemn salute of his own.

"ROAAARRR—!"

A thunderous roar echoed from the sky above.

Borsalino and others instinctively looked up. What they saw shocked them all: a massive black dragon, nearly twenty meters long, soaring through the air. Its vast wings resembled those of a bat, and its body shimmered with a metallic sheen under the sunlight; majestic, imposing, and awe-inspiring.

"A dragon, huh… Must be that statue from the plaza," Borsalino muttered.

"It's a dragon!"

"A real dragon!"

"You're kidding! That kind of thing's supposed to be a myth, not real!"

"I swear, I saw it! It's the black dragon statue from Dragon Square, it came to life!"

"—!!"

The crowd was stunned, their worldview shattered. A creature thought to exist only in legend had materialized before their very eyes.

Cross didn't waste time. He leapt high once again, just as the black dragon descended. With precise timing, it caught him on its back. Then, with a powerful beat of its wings, it surged upward, tracing a perfect arc through the sky, flying straight out of the city.

At the same time, all around Skoggy, the Enlivened statues—birds, eagles, gargoyles, gryphons, and more, took to the air. They formed up behind the black dragon, creating an enormous airborne legion. From below, it looked like a vast black storm cloud sweeping across the heavens.

Borsalino watched the scene unfold and couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"Kids these days… like monsters, I swear. Terrifying."

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