-Broadcast-
The equipment carried by ordinary Marine soldiers 5 years into the future would have been unthinkable during the previous timeline. These weren't the crude firearms and makeshift weaponry of yesteryear, but cutting-edge military technology that represented a complete revolution in Marine capabilities.
Each soldier carried pristine semi-automatic rifles—weapons that had never before existed in this world. Bayonets gleamed at the barrels' ends for close-quarters combat, while multiple drum magazines hung from their belts. Most intriguingly, each Marine bore several spherical iron objects that confused even experienced intelligence operatives. In reality, these were simple frag grenades—cheap, effective weapons the old Marine had never bothered to mass-produce.
Under Acting Fleet Admiral Artoria's comprehensive weapons reform, research projects focusing on expensive, limited-deployment equipment had been permanently shelved. Every resource now concentrated on developing practical weapons for frontline deployment.
Equipping ordinary soldiers with reliable, affordable armaments meant they could contribute meaningfully to battles instead of merely serving as cannon fodder. When facing Devil Fruit users who lacked Haki training, concentrated gunfire could prove decisive. This allowed elite Marines to focus on truly dangerous opponents without constantly protecting weaker subordinates.
After the warning shots echoed across the harbor, the restless crowd quickly recognized these soldiers weren't to be trifled with. Under the implicit threat of superior firepower, the survivors fell silent and awaited interrogation from the authorities.
"I'm Marine Captain Gabi," announced the diminutive female officer stepping forward. "The Marines require complete, truthful testimony about tonight's events."
Her appearance was as distinctive as her authority—a massive single eye dominated the upper portion of her head, while an oversized sniper rifle rested across her back, seemingly too large for her compact frame.
Character Note: Marine Headquarters Captain, Elite Sniper of the Cyclops Tribe - Gabi
The desperate civilians paid little attention to her unusual appearance, instead launching into frantic accounts of the festival's horrors. A naked giant had materialized without warning, devouring Willy Tybur—the supposed descendant of Flevance's royal family. Chaos had erupted immediately afterward, with the last escapees witnessing a massive white war hammer manifest in the creature's grasp before it systematically demolished the VIP seating areas. Every world celebrity attending the festival had perished instantly.
These testimonies soon received corroboration from an unexpected source. Captain Gabi spotted figures approaching through the smoke-filled sky—two CP0 agents in pristine white suits, each carrying a pair of Celestial Dragons as they flew toward the Marine ships.
The government operatives bypassed the landing forces entirely, heading straight for the admirals' flagship. They deposited their charges on the deck with careful precision, but before either agent could explain the situation, dozens of rifle barrels swung in their direction.
Saint Charlos, still shaken from his aerial evacuation, felt no gratitude toward his rescuers. Protecting Celestial Dragons was CP0's fundamental duty, after all. What truly enraged him was the sight of common Marines daring to aim weapons at divine beings. Where had they found such audacity?
"You filthy peasants!" he snarled, spittle flying from behind his bubble helmet. "Look carefully—I am of the god clan! How dare you threaten me with—"
The crack of a rifle shot cut through his tirade. By pure coincidence, the bullet struck his kneecap with devastating accuracy.
A white-haired figure emerged from the crowd of soldiers, twin cigars jutting from his mouth while a semi-automatic rifle rested casually on his shoulder. "My sincere apologies," Smoker drawled, his tone utterly without remorse. "I was field-testing this new weapon when it accidentally discharged. I hope you weren't seriously injured."
"You... you..." Saint Shalria's face turned purple with rage, veins bulging prominently on her forehead. A Celestial Dragon had been publicly humiliated by a mere commoner—even if that commoner held the rank of Admiral. She had never experienced such degradation. How could she have known that in just a few years, Celestial Dragon status would prove meaningless before Marine authority?
The two adult World Nobles—Saint Rosward and Saint Mjosgard—could only clench their fists in impotent fury. Despite their divine heritage, neither dared make any aggressive moves against the Admiral.
"Smoker, don't push too far," Admiral Gin warned, stepping forward from the assembled officers. "The Fleet Admiral will bear responsibility for your actions."
"Pathetic cowards," Smoker muttered—though his words clearly targeted the four Celestial Dragons rather than his fellow Marines. If these parasites truly attempted anything foolish, the Admiral would not show restraint.
The bullet's impact had shocked Saint Charlos back to rationality. The Marines standing before him bore no resemblance to the servile organization he had commanded 5 years ago. In the past, injuring a Celestial Dragon would have triggered automatic Admiral deployment for their protection. That ironclad rule had apparently become a dead letter.
Only the Celestial Dragons themselves understood the complete truth. The military organization they had nurtured for centuries was now beyond their control. While the Marines nominally obeyed the Gorosei's commands, actual implementation depended entirely on the Acting Fleet Admiral's approval.
Through years of determined effort, Artoria had completely restructured the Marine hierarchy. Twelve elite fighters answered directly to her authority, while middle and lower-ranked personnel had been won over through improved benefits and transparent promotion systems. This unified vision had unleashed terrifying organizational energy.
Regarding Celestial Dragon relations, newly appointed Artoria could only maintain their remaining dignity through minimal courtesy. She preferred avoiding complete diplomatic rupture, recognizing that mutual hostility would benefit neither side.
However, she couldn't prevent her subordinates from testing boundaries. As Marine strength had grown exponentially, so had their collective ambitions. They employed salami-slicing tactics against World Government authority, steadily eroding traditional power structures.
The first reclaimed authority had been judicial oversight. Previously, Marine misconduct fell under World Government legal jurisdiction—though certain fortunate cases might be resolved internally. This had allowed corrupt officials to eliminate troublesome Marine officers through manufactured legal proceedings.
Military tribunals had been established within a year of Artoria's rise. From that point forward, all Marine legal matters would be resolved through internal judicial departments, completely beyond World Government interference. The era of using legal manipulation to eliminate inconvenient Marines had ended permanently.
The Gorosei had also lost all personnel appointment authority within Marine ranks during this power struggle. Otherwise, Artoria's reformed organization would never have achieved its twelve-Admiral structure.
Marines deliberately provoking Celestial Dragons had become increasingly common among the admiralty. These officers were orchestrating a conspiracy to elevate Artoria to even greater heights—they sought to completely eliminate all restrictions on Marine authority, transforming their organization into the ocean's undisputed ruler.
Comparing testimonies from both Celestial Dragons and refugees revealed remarkable consistency. Regarding the sudden appearance of the cannibalistic giant, both Admirals agreed that Doflamingo bore ultimate responsibility.
The former Celestial Dragon was likely conducting weapons experiments. Smoker had witnessed human gigantification research at Punk Hazard, though most attempts had resulted in failures destined for disposal.
Had Doflamingo's scientists actually solved the gigantification problem? Caesar Clown had never revealed such capabilities—but perhaps the mad scientist had deliberately concealed crucial information?
The Marines would soon discover the true destructive potential of human gigantification for themselves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGarudaYou'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~