"Hahaha! That foolish pirate has been defeated!"
On the ship, the Former King Tyrant of Gear Country stared at the distant battlefield where Franky had been completely drained of strength. Excitement filled his face as he punched the air triumphantly.
"As expected of a Marine Admiral! Admiral Aramaki is truly incredible. He defeated that pirate with ease!"
"How pitiful…"
The beautiful woman standing beside him maintained a sorrowful expression and let out a soft sigh.
"My beloved concubine, today we finally return to our country. When we do, I will make those filthy commoners pay for their rebellion!"
The Former King Tyrant spoke with vicious delight.
He was already imagining the countless ways he would torture the criminals who had dared to ally themselves with pirates and drive him out of his own kingdom.
Then suddenly…
"Eh? Admiral Aramaki, why is he…?"
His eyes widened in confusion.
In the distance, Admiral Aramaki suddenly froze in place for several seconds. Then, without warning, he abruptly turned around and rushed toward the seaside dock.
"Damn it! Damn it! If even my brother Sakazuki warned me to be careful around this guy, then I should leave! It is not that I am afraid of you! This is a strategic retreat!"
Aramaki fled at astonishing speed, moving so quickly that even the Former King Tyrant was stunned.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
A rapidly spinning flower bloomed behind Aramaki's back, lifting him into the air like a helicopter as it carried him back toward the Marine warship.
"Aramaki?"
The Marines aboard the ship stared at him in confusion. Their admiral had clearly won the battle, yet he returned as if he had been completely defeated.
Aramaki did not bother explaining. Gritting his teeth behind his sunglasses, he issued a firm command.
"Stop standing around! Follow my orders immediately. Sail south at once. Hurry!"
"Ah, yes!"
"Understood!"
Although completely confused, the Marines instinctively obeyed. They rushed to their positions and began maneuvering the warship away from the island.
"Eh? Why are they leaving?"
The Former King Tyrant looked shocked. With a youthful face twisted in disbelief, he frantically dialed the Den Den Mushi.
"Admiral Aramaki! Where are you going? This King has not even returned to Gear Country yet! Hurry and come back!"
He waved his arms wildly while shouting orders to his crew.
"Catch up with the Marine warship!"
"You jinx! Do not follow me!"
Aramaki's irritated voice rang through the Den Den Mushi.
"Because of your rotten mission, I ended up encountering that man. What terrible luck!"
He continued coldly.
"You are the king of a tiny affiliated country, yet you cannot even control a few commoners. Truly pathetic."
Then his tone turned even colder.
"On behalf of the World Government, I inform you that you have been expelled from the allied nations of the World Government. Deal with your own problems."
Click.
The Den Den Mushi went silent.
"Ah???"
The Former King Tyrant stood frozen, staring blankly at the Den Den Mushi in his hand. His nose began running as he stammered like a stunned puppet.
"T-this King... has been expelled from the World Government alliance?"
"This is truly…"
The beautiful woman sighed again.
"Tragic."
"Damn it! Damn it!"
The Former King Tyrant suddenly exploded in rage and smashed the Den Den Mushi onto the deck.
"So what if the Admiral abandoned me! That pirate has already been defeated and lies there unable to move!"
Creak!
His modified body began spinning rapidly.
Metal components shifted as he transformed into a half human, half machine form. Numerous mechanical ports appeared across his body.
"My beloved concubine! Quickly connect me to the Destroyer Emperor. I will personally reclaim my throne!"
"Very well. This situation truly is sad."
The beautiful woman wearing a small metal crown calmly pulled several cables from a nearby cabin and skillfully inserted them into the Tyrant's body.
Click. Click.
As the plugs connected, the entire mechanical gear ship emitted a deafening metallic sound.
"Kukuku! Kaka!"
The ship suddenly began transforming.
Splash!
It sank beneath the ocean before emerging again.
A massive mechanical face rose from the sea first, followed by an enormous metallic torso. Grinding gears formed its lower body as the structure continued to rise higher and higher.
The ship had transformed into a towering mechanical giant.
Behind the giant's back rested an enormous mechanical greatsword.
"Hmph! I never intended to use this hidden trump card, but you forced my hand!"
Inside the giant's left eye, the Tyrant piloted the machine with a vicious glare.
His gaze fell upon the shriveled Franky lying on the beach, then shifted toward the rebellious citizens desperately trying to rescue him.
"The Destroyer Emperor is not fully completed yet, but eliminating all of you will still be effortless!"
Clank!
The mechanical giant grabbed the enormous greatsword from its back.
With heavy steps, it marched through the seawater toward the beach.
"Die, you criminals! And you damned pirate! You actually tried to steal the kingdom that has belonged to our royal family for generations. Wishful thinking!"
The Tyrant roared while pushing the control levers forward.
Clank!
"Woooo!!!"
The gigantic spinning greatsword swung downward toward the group of civilians dragging Franky away.
"Die!!!"
A massive shadow covered the ground.
"Run! Faster!"
The citizens shouted desperately while dragging Franky with everything they had.
But no matter how fast they ran, they could not escape the attack range of the descending blade.
"Oh no… they are finished."
In the distant town, spectators closed their eyes in sorrow.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a blazing ice spear shot across the sky and struck the mechanical giant.
Crack!!!!!
In an instant, the enormous machine froze completely.
Ice rapidly spread across every surface until the entire mechanical giant transformed into a massive frozen statue.
Crack. Crack.
The towering Destroyer Emperor, which had nearly slaughtered the civilians moments earlier, now stood motionless as a glittering ice sculpture.
"W-what happened?"
A stunning young female minister rushed onto the scene with soldiers from the capital. She stared at the frozen giant in disbelief.
The citizens were equally confused.
"Lady Iron, we have no idea…"
Some sharp eyed villagers suddenly pointed toward the ocean.
"Look! Something is approaching!"
Out on the sea, a strange square shaped patch of lush vegetation slowly drifted closer.
At the front stood a man with a long pointed nose, drenched in sweat, frantically paddling using vines tied to the structure.
As the strange plant boat reached the shore, the man collapsed backward in exhaustion.
"Ah! Usopp! What happened to you, Usopp?!"
Chopper rushed around him in panic.
"Huff... huff... I really cannot control the Mori Mori no Mi anymore. I have completely run out of strength…"
Usopp's face had turned pale as he spoke weakly.
"Do not worry, Chopper."
A calm voice sounded.
Shirogai jumped down from the plant boat with a relaxed smile. His gaze drifted toward Franky lying weakly on the ground in the distance.
He chuckled lightly.
"Those two are just exhausted. Nothing more."
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