At the Holy Land's garrison grounds, Chief Commander Kong had already been waiting for some time. When he saw that Tsuru was present as well, his expression flickered with surprise for a moment, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he saluted crisply.
"Honored Gorōsei, the adjustments are complete. Please proceed with the inspection!"
"Hm. Indeed, it's necessary to see its actual combat ability, whether it truly lives up to the almost mythical claims Vegapunk made." The long-mustached Gorōsei nodded slightly, his eyes sweeping across the vast training grounds. Suddenly, he frowned. "Strange… wasn't Vegapunk supposed to be here as well? Why isn't he present?"
The Pacifista project involved Devil Fruit transfers, human cloning, intelligent recognition systems, and the most complex of all, advanced weaponry and energy technology. Each scientist involved could only master one specific field. To grasp the whole picture, only Vegapunk himself truly understood it.
Without him, these laymen could only look on without comprehension.
"He was supposed to remain," Kong explained, as if expecting the question, "But he received a sudden call. The latest batch of Super Electromagnetic Cannons shipped to the frontlines had a malfunction. Considering the Marines are preparing a counteroffensive, I couldn't allow the frontline to falter, so I sent him back."
"Tch. So even the world's foremost scientist makes mistakes? I thought only we failed at covering all bases." The long-mustached Gorōsei chuckled dryly, exchanging glances with his peers before turning back to Kong.
"Then let's begin. Today, we only need to test actual combat performance. Forget the rest."
After all, machinery not only needed to function, it required large-scale maintenance and repairs. Without Vegapunk present, they would only be scratching the surface.
"As you command!" Kong saluted respectfully, then led them onto the high platform, ordering the soldiers to guard them carefully.
He then walked to the center of the training field, glancing at the nervous researchers in white coats.
"Bring out three units first. Let this old man warm up!"
…He was going to enter the field personally?
Tsuru's brows knitted.
"Chief Commander Kong, wouldn't it be better to leave the testing to someone else? You don't need to step in yourself."
Decades ago, Kong had sustained internal injuries. His body wasn't in the same dire state as Whitebeard's had been, but he was certainly far from his prime.Having followed Kong since the years when he led the Marines, Tsuru naturally worried deeply for him.
But Kong acted as if he hadn't heard her. His eyes closed, his breathing calmed, he was already preparing himself.
Seeing this, the long-mustached Gorōsei gently tugged at Tsuru and said, "Strategist Tsuru, don't be too loud. You'll interfere with Chief Commander Kong's concentration."
Those words… were callous, almost heartless. Yet Tsuru was no fool. In a flash, she grasped the underlying meaning and silently nodded.
"…Forgive me. I was out of line."
"Mm. Let's just watch quietly." The long-mustached Gorōsei inclined his head slightly, ending the matter.
It wasn't that the Gorōsei were cruel. The completed Pacifista units had been praised by Vegapunk as near-miraculous weapons. Even Holy Land officials believed that once mass-produced, they would become the divine instrument that would finally end the Great Age of Pirates.
Naturally, Chief Commander Kong would not accept that. After all, the ones battling on the seas were his former subordinates, the Marine Headquarters.
To praise the Pacifista too highly was to slap the Marines in the face.
That was the first reason.
The second: now that the prototypes were complete, the Gorōsei had immediately ordered a massive batch to be deployed in the Holy Land for defense. To Kong, this was a troubling sign.
Until now, the Holy Land's security had been entirely under his command. CP0 merely monitored intelligence and served as mouthpieces. If machines were to replace him, then Kong needed to prove, right here and now, that he was still indispensable.
Whether or not the Gorōsei truly intended to replace him was irrelevant. If he didn't resist this encroachment, if he didn't push back even at this level, that passivity itself would give them reason to lose faith in him.
And so, both sides knew full well, this was more than a test.
It was a performance.
"Schemes, corruption, filth… incurable!"
Akainu's words from a past council meeting echoed suddenly in Tsuru's mind. At the time, she had dismissed them. After all, at least the Holy Land still had the former Marine Fleet Admiral, "Steel Bone" Kong, within its ranks.
But now, watching this scene unfold, Tsuru felt a sudden urge to retire quietly to the countryside.
Exhaustion weighed heavy in her heart.
At this age… why must such petty power struggles persist? Did they really think their war against Orrick left them with such overwhelming advantage that they could afford complacency?
"In the end… we've all grown old."
Her thoughts drifted to her comrades of the past: Garp, slain by Rowen; Zephyr and Sengoku, both in retirement; Vice Admiral Momonga and other veterans, still capable, yet limited by age and strength.
The Marines' future no longer belonged to them. It belonged to the younger generation.
"Once this battle is over, perhaps it will be time to recommend Momousagi as my successor…"
Tsuru sighed inwardly.
Meanwhile, the Pacifista units had been brought out.
Pssshh…
A hiss of air released from somewhere within the clone cyborgs fashioned in Bartholomew Kuma's image. A red gleam lit up behind their sunglasses, the signal of combat mode.
"Pacifista, apprehend him!" A researcher gave the order.
Kong's muscles tensed, his body braced. He would not strike first. After all, this was a test. What mattered most was the measure of their offensive power. The Pacifista units, however, did not move at the order. Instead, after a two-second pause, they replied in mechanical voices:
"Warning. Target is a high-ranking World Government figure. Insufficient clearance to initiate attack."
Zzzzt!
Sparks of electricity crackled across their synthetic skin. The Pacifista nearest to the researcher raised its hand, aiming at him.
"Re-verify identity. Failure to comply will be judged as treason. Punishment: execution."
As a researcher, the white-coated man understood better than anyone what those arcs of electricity meant.
That was the Pacifista forcing its cloned muscles into explosive overdrive through electrical stimulation, a high-output attack mode. After all, they were artificial beings; breaking one wasn't a loss worth mourning.
Cold sweat poured from his body. He turned to the Gorōsei for help.
He had nearly forgotten about command clearance. In the lab, such restrictions hadn't been necessary. But here and now, only the Gorōsei held the authority to order the arrest of Steel Bone Kong!
The long-mustached Gorōsei exchanged glances with his peers. Their expressions showed satisfaction before one of them finally spoke:
"Cancel attack preparation. Input new command. Arrest Marine Chief Commander 'Steel Bone' Kong."
Ka-cha, ka-cha…
At once, the Pacifista lowered its hand and turned toward the center of the field, locking onto Kong.
"Command confirmed. Target: World Government Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Kong. Codename: Steel Bone. Executing."
Their slow verbal responses were intentional, giving commanders a final chance to cancel or correct orders before irreversible damage occurred. Vegapunk had designed it that way.
But the moment the words ended, "Such speed!"
With sonic-boom force, the three Pacifista launched forward. Even the battle-hardened Gorōsei could not hide their flicker of amazement.
These weren't cannonballs, but multi-ton mechanical juggernauts.
To move at such velocity, only the very strongest of Marines could compare. And these were mass-produced machines.
"Interesting…"
In the center of the arena, Kong did not panic. His face betrayed only the briefest flicker of surprise before settling back into calm. Observers had to be keen-eyed to notice even that.
His lips curled upward. Suddenly, his massive hands lashed outward.
BOOM!!
Two Pacifista flickered into view as their afterimages were snatched from the air. Kong's giant hands gripped their heads and smashed them together.
The explosion of shattered parts left little doubt, they would not be rising again.
"But one remains!"
The Gorōsei were far from disappointed. Who was Kong?
The former Fleet Admiral of the Marines! A man so powerful that even the peak of "Red the Aloof" could only scrape a narrow victory against him. If such trivial machines had thrown him into disarray, then they would have considered replacing him.
Shuā!
The last Pacifista timed its strike perfectly, halting behind Kong the moment he moved. Its jaw opened wide, a torrent of energy condensing inside.
Laser!
BOOOOM!
The zero-range laser burst against Kong's body with heaven-shaking force. Yet within moments, the sound of steel clashing echoed out, and the Pacifista was hurled spinning from the smoke.
Kong surged after it, legs pounding the air with Geppo. With one hand he gripped the broken husk of a headless Pacifista, wielding it as a weapon.
CRASH!!
The mechanical bodies didn't cry out, but the twisted limbs were enough to make even the Gorōsei draw a sharp breath.
"Steel Bone of the Marines… still as fierce as ever."
They spoke with quiet awe.
KRAASH!
The wreck in Kong's other hand was hurled down. Three Pacifista piled together in a tangled heap.
With a roar, Kong raised his foot and stomped down.
SCREEEECH, Metal shrieked. His foot crushed through all three machines, the ground trembling beneath the impact.
Kong turned, laughing boldly:
"Their destructive power could indeed capture pirates worth hundreds of millions. But they're too stupid, no teamwork at all! Bring out ten more. Attack together!"
The researchers winced at the loss, three Pacifista scrapped in less than a minute. But they dared not disobey.
"Units Four through Fourteen, attack!"
BZZZT!
Ten more Pacifista stepped forward, their red mechanical eyes glowing as they began their charge.
Tsuru frowned from her seat.
"Strange… why didn't the Gorōsei need to give the order this time?"
Something about those crimson electronic eyes filled her with an ominous foreboding.
Yet when she glanced at the Gorōsei beside her, they watched the scene with keen interest.
Suppressing her unease, she sighed inwardly.
"Perhaps I'm just overthinking."
Pacifista had always possessed rudimentary battlefield judgment. Even the prototype PX-1 had that feature.
Still… something about this felt different.
(End of chapter)
This novel is finished, and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395