Chapter 17

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Chapter 17: I Am The King Of North Blue

Dust billowed as the cold steel danced wildly. Vinsmoke Judge stared at the mostly ruined Germa Kingdom, with tear-filled eyes. 

"Damn it! This old man is the one who will lead Germa to dominate the North Blue!"

Darren squinted and smiled, "The Marines are the overlord of this sea. And the title of King of North Blue, I will not give it to you." He raised his hand and waved it forward. Dozens of twisted steel bars suddenly rioted. They stretched out, piercing the air under the magnetic field's action, and shot toward Vinsmoke Judge.

Vinsmoke Judge's boots ejected two streams of white smoke, and, propelled by the smoke, his silhouette soared from the spot like a strange bird.

"Then let me show you the true power of Germa 66 with your own eyes, Darren kid!"

He wielded the metal spear with both hands, deflecting all the rapidly approaching steel bars. Then, he swooped down from the sky, his long golden hair fluttering behind him.

The blue electric light shone on the spear, emitting a dazzling glow. "Electromagnetic thrust!" In the blink of an eye, Vinsmoke Judge swooped in front of Darren and stabbed down with the lightning spear held in both hands. The high-temperature current and penetrating power made the air explode with a bang.

"The power of technology?" Darren just chuckled, facing the lightning spear that could pierce through steel and fortresses. The oncoming wind disturbed his black hair. Even though the spear tip got closer to his brow and he could feel the hot current, he still smiled.

An invisible magnetic field fluctuation spread out from his body. The next second, ripples appeared in the air. The spear seemed to have pierced into a mass of transparent paste, and its speed slowed down astonishingly until it finally came to a stop.

Vinsmoke Judge's pupils shrank. No matter how hard he pushed, the once omnipotent high-tech spear remained motionless, as if held by an immense hand.

"Using the power of technology against me was your biggest mistake," Darren said calmly.

"Damn! I don't believe this!" Vinsmoke Judge roared hysterically and abandoned the spear. His body spun in mid-air, his boots bursting with dazzling lightning as he kicked sideways toward Darren's head.

"Electromagnetic shatter!"

Yet, the same thing happened. The combat boots, spraying white streams of smoke, were also "frozen" and "imprisoned" in mid-air by that strange force and could move no further.

Vinsmoke Judge's face showed astonishment. His own high-tech weapon had been completely restrained by this guy's Devil Fruit ability!

Before he could react, Vinsmoke Judge only saw a blur, and Darren in front of him disappeared. The bursting wind blew by his side, and as a chill ran down his spine, he gritted his teeth. Behind him, the fluttering cloak wrapped around his body. Then came a powerful kick to his stomach, and he was launched toward a military fortress in the distance like a cannonball.

The entire castle was pierced through instantly, dense cracks spread across the wall, and then it collapsed. Countless rocks fell, and the earth groaned.

Darren landed firmly on the ground.

"Damn! This is impossible! My technology is clearly invincible!" Vinsmoke Judge exclaimed, staggering out from the rubble. Darren just smiled with satisfaction.

He had been testing the power of his battle suit, and Vinsmoke Judge, unlike his future children, had not been genetically modified by technology and did not possess an invulnerable body.

Most of his strength comes from his high-tech weaponized battle suit. Without it, he wouldn't be stronger than a Marine officer. Although it's only the first generation of battle suits and less powerful than the ones in the Cake Island plot, it's sufficiently effective. Darren looked at his attack and defense with the suit and felt very satisfied. He estimated that any Marine trained to use a suit like this could likely match the combat power of a Marine Commodore.

At that moment—

"Hahahaha! Let me help you, Darren! The geniuses from the Naval Headquarters will defeat the evil army commander, save the kingdom of Yardis from war, and become heroes of the Marine!" A wild laughter echoed from nearby. 

Darren paused and turned around. He noticed that his warship had arrived, and Gion and Flying Squirrel were leading the Marines in a fierce battle against the clone soldier remnants. Kake burst through the crowd with great momentum, stirring up dust as he rushed toward Vinsmoke Judge.

Darren felt a headache coming on. This guy was trying to show off again. He was about to intervene when Kake proudly shouted, "Darren, don't move!" Darren hesitated, then stopped.

Kake's excitement grew when he saw this. He smirked at Vinsmoke Judge who was panting heavily. Kake had noticed he wasn't very strong. If he managed to take him down, Gion would surely see him in a new light. And even if that didn't happen, he could still be the hero who saved the Kingdom of Yardis, attracting the attention of many ladies. With this thought, Kake quickened his pace.

"Vinsmoke Judge, Commander of the Evil Army, I, Major of the Naval Headquarters, in the name of justice—" He couldn't finish his sentence.

Boom! A combat boot wrapped in blue lightning struck Kake's face accurately. He flew backwards at twice his charging speed and crashed into a military fortress. 

Nearby, Flying Squirrel covered his face with his hands, feeling the pain. Vinsmoke Judge's defeat wasn't because he was weak; it was because Darren was too strong. Gion shook her head, speechless.

After kicking the ridiculous Marine away, Vinsmoke Judge turned his attention back to Darren, panting heavily. "Damn Marines, always interfering!" he cursed. He activated the battle suit, propelled by hot air, and lunged at Darren once more. He refused to accept that his tech, developed with Vegapunk, was so easily defeated.

As Vinsmoke Judge attacked, Darren simply raised his hand and shook it slightly. An invisible magnetic field rippled out, freezing Vinsmoke Judge midair. Suddenly, he felt excruciating pain in his hands and feet. The metal components of his weapon and boots twisted and stabbed through his flesh, causing blood to flow. 

"Ahhhh!!" His screams filled the air. However, thick steel bars sprang up, wrapping around him like pythons, and imprisoned him in midair. Suddenly, his mouth was sealed by a piece of metal, silencing him. Bloodshots filled his eyes.

"Shh..." Darren approached, gestured for silence, and smiled gracefully. "Sorry, your plan to dominate the North Blue is over."