"This is bad! Germa only mobilizes like this when they're launching a full-scale war! Everyone run!"
"What? War? Why are they starting a war here?!"
"Who knows? Let's just get out of here! If a real war breaks out, Germa won't care whether we live or die!"
In an instant, chaos erupted as civilians who had been watching the spectacle fled toward the town and their homes in panic. Other pirates who had docked today also quickly set sail, desperate to escape before the fighting began.
"Waaaah! Mama, where are you?" In the chaotic scene, a young child had become separated from his family. Knocked down by hurried pedestrians, he sat on the ground crying loudly.
Carina stepped forward to help him up, gently comforting him and asking about his condition. Watching this scene, Deuce's eyes grew distant as he said absentmindedly, "There's no peace anywhere... Why is there so much war in this world?"
On the Grand Line, the concentration of powerful pirates led to constant conflicts of all sizes that even the Marines struggled to control completely. In the Four Blues, while pirates were generally weaker than those on the Grand Line, many still caused significant trouble.
Beyond pirate-related violence affecting civilians, individual island nations faced their own internal chaos. There were conflicts between ruling classes and common people caused by tyranny or Celestial Dragon interference, plus the hidden struggle between the World Government and Revolutionary Army. Add to that mercenaries and violent organizations like the Mafia, Germa 66, and the Happo Marine.
All these forces made the world complex, unpredictable, and perpetually restless.
Reflecting on his experiences since setting sail, Deuce couldn't help but sigh deeply.
"Your question touches on philosophy and truth at the deepest levels," Jerry replied, patting Deuce on the shoulder. "I'm afraid there's no standard answer in any world, especially one this fundamentally broken from top to bottom."
Jerry pointed to a woman who had appeared and was crying with gratitude while embracing the child in Carina's arms, then turned his attention to the approaching Germa forces.
"No matter what happens, there will always be light somewhere. Let's focus on what's directly in front of us first."
"Right... Jerry, how should we handle this?" Deuce asked, observing the various reactions and actions of people around them.
"Simple. We take these two with us, board our ship, and head straight toward them," Jerry replied, glancing at their captured prisoners with a calculating gleam in his eyes as he decisively determined their next course of action.
Jerry didn't know exactly why Germa had come here, but observing the current situation, even local residents and Skull could clearly sense that the approaching kingdom harbored no peaceful intentions.
Regardless of their specific reasons, knowing Germa's general attitude and their consistent character, Jerry looked at the gradually dispersing people behind him and the two brothers they'd captured.
He knew this battle was inevitable.
The Vinsmoke family—except for Sanji and Reiju—weren't normal people by any reasonable standard.
As a father, Vinsmoke Judge was self-righteous, vain, and despised concepts like "sympathy" and "kindness." While he had some admirable qualities like gratitude and keeping promises, overall he was simply a warmonger who disregarded the weak and treated his subordinates' lives as expendable.
Of course, in reality, most of Germa's soldiers were clone androids anyway.
Normally, Germa deployed its forces as mercenaries to countries that needed them and could afford the price. Judge's three sons—Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji—had all undergone emotional suppression that their father considered "improvements," making these princes behave even more cold-bloodedly and ruthlessly than Judge himself.
Deuce had no objections and nodded. "Understood. Let's go."
After Carina returned, everyone walked toward their pirate ship quietly docked at the port.
"Is this the battle I've been waiting for? Will I make headlines again?" Cavendish mused as he walked, taking the reins of Farul, who had come to his side.
On the Black Nova's deck, Skull watched their single pirate ship facing the massive formation head-on. "Germa has always been a mercenary force active worldwide. Everyone, don't get careless."
Everyone nodded at his warning, though they weren't overly concerned about fighting at sea.
Through Skull's explanations, Deuce and the others all knew the Germa Kingdom consisted of multiple snail ships connected together. However, only seeing it firsthand revealed how truly shocking the sight was.
Beyond the massive central castle, surrounding buildings were arranged in neat, orderly rows of snail ships, circling the main fortress like stars surrounding the moon.
Soon, the snail ship supporting the main castle took position on the ocean surface, serving as a command center and rear base. The remaining ships were packed with soldiers who quickly formed battle lines and began long-range bombardment without any warning or negotiation.
The artillery targeted Jerry's group, but many shells inevitably flew toward the island behind them.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Overwhelming cannon fire streaked across the sky. Witnessing this scene, people hiding near the port or slightly farther away suddenly cried out in confusion:
"Why?! We didn't provoke anyone!"
"If they're here for revenge, why don't they just go after those pirates? They've already left port!"
"Stop shouting! Only scattered shots are coming our way! Run!"
"How can we escape? Where can we possibly go..."
"Prepare defenses!"
In this critical moment, all kinds of human nature revealed itself. Some cursed the Black Star Pirates, saying they shouldn't have provoked Germa's army. Others wanted to flee, some collapsed and knelt trembling while pleading for help, some prayed desperately to the heavens, while others calmly began organizing defense and counterattacks.
As an independent island nation, no matter how small, they possessed some armed forces of their own. However, relying solely on the island's strength against Germa's overwhelming assault would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. The people could only hope Germa wasn't targeting them specifically.
Amid the thunderous cannon fire, Jerry's voice rang out clearly for everyone to hear: "Cavendish, intercept!"
"Got it!" Lightning exploded as Cavendish appeared above their ship in an instant.
Standing in mid-air, he raised his left hand high, clenched his fist, and shouted, "Thunder Web!"
Instantly, countless electrical serpents materialized in the sky. Though independent of each other, they intertwined into a vast net, intercepting and detonating all the seemingly unstoppable shells before they could reach their targets.
The rumbling of thunder and exploding ordnance continued, creating soul-stirring war music that resonated across the heavens.
"Wait... weren't they planning to escape? They're..."
"Are you an idiot? How does someone running away charge straight into the enemy's arms?"
"I don't know why these pirates saved us, but thank you, Flash!"
"Thank you, Flash!"
The island's civilians felt that life's ups and downs were truly intense. One moment they'd been shrouded in fear of impending bombardment, the next they found a hero wreathed in dazzling lightning who had rescued them from disaster.
Nobody knew who first shouted out that nickname, but "The Flash" seemed to take root in the hearts of everyone on the small island as they called out the name with wild enthusiasm.
Aboard the Black Nova, Jerry heard the cheering from behind and gently lowered his right hand, which had been ready to snap his fingers at any moment. He covered his stomach and laughed heartily:
"Haha! Not bad—you've become 'The Flash!' That's definitely going in the newspapers."
Cavendish landed back on deck with his characteristic dramatic flair, clearly pleased with his new nickname. "The Flash... I must admit, it has a certain ring to it. Though 'Beautiful Lightning Prince' would have been more accurate."
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