"Dr. Leon, please answer the question directly!" the Vice Admiral pressed, his voice tight with urgency.
"I'm sorry," Leon replied calmly. "This project is classified at the highest possible level. I cannot disclose the details."
A collective sigh of frustration went through the room.
"However," Leon continued, his gaze sweeping over the assembled leaders, "I can guarantee that if the Marines are to achieve true, lasting supremacy, we must accelerate research and development of this new weapon system."
He paused.
"Of course, you can refuse. This is a decision that requires the unanimous approval of everyone in this room."
The executives fell silent, the weight of his words settling over them.
They all understood the unspoken truth.
If they continued to rely solely on the Seraphim, their eventual defeat was not a matter of if, but when.
"Dr. Leon," a younger Vice Admiral finally said, "we will seriously consider your proposal. But is there any data, any information at all about this new weapon that you can share with us?"
Leon smiled and shook his head.
"I'm sorry. The design drawings only exist in my head. To be honest, at this moment, the weapon is still just a concept."
"A concept?!"
The words exploded in their minds.
A wave of shock and anger washed over the room.
"Are you insane?!" one officer exclaimed. "Dr. Leon, you can't be serious! You want us to abandon our most vital project for something that doesn't even exist yet? This could doom the entire Marine organization!"
"He's right! Even for a genius like you, there are limits! What if this weapon can't be developed in time? What if it's not powerful enough to stop the pirates? We'll be left with nothing!"
The room devolved into a chorus of panicked dissuasion.
But Leon remained unfazed.
"Don't worry," he said, his voice cutting through the noise.
When he spoke, his expression had become deadly serious.
"Since I dared to say this here, it is because I am one-thousand percent certain of our success."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"Everyone I will personally lead my team into this new field of research. Success or failure, it will be a valuable experience. I only hope that I can live up to your trust and secure a glorious future for the Marines."
His words, though short, hit the silent conference hall like a heavy bomb.
The whispers started immediately.
"He's too arrogant. Does he really think he alone can accomplish this?"
"He's forgetting the reality of our situation! Our advantage with the Seraphim is already shrinking. We can't afford to divert resources now!"
Leon listened to the dissent, his expression as calm as ever.
He knew what they thought of him.
He didn't care.
"Everyone," he said, his voice firm. "This plan is vital. Please, I need your cooperation."
The executives looked at each other, their faces filled with hesitation and doubt.
Just as the argument was about to erupt again, their attention was drawn to the massive projection screen displaying the live battlefield.
....
The situation had changed.
The hundreds of Seraphim that had been in pursuit had finally arrived.
An overwhelming, world-ending storm of laser fire descended upon Blackbeard and Jack, and the battlefield was plunged into chaos.
"Damn it!" Blackbeard snarled, looking up at the sky filled with flashing lights.
"These Marine bastards actually came!"
"With this many of them," Jack growled, "even with our advantage, winning will be extremely difficult."
They both knew the truth.
Each one of those Seraphim was an elite fighter.
To face hundreds of them at once was suicide.
Even with Blackbeard's ability to tear the battlefield apart and Jack's top-tier recovery, they would be foolish to fight head-on.
"But even so," Blackbeard said, his eyes narrowing, "it's not impossible."
"Oh? How?" Jack asked.
"We can use foreign objects to solve the problem," Blackbeard said, a cunning, cruel smile spreading across his face.
"Foreign objects?" Jack repeated, a look of confusion on his face.
"Hmph," Blackbeard nodded. "You know there are mysterious and powerful creatures that dwell in the depths of this world, don't you, Jack?"
"Yes," Jack grunted. "I've heard the stories, though I've never seen one with my own eyes."
"The stories are true," Blackbeard continued. "And some of them possess combat power comparable to the strongest pirates."
Jack just grunted again, clearly unconvinced.
But just as he was about to dismiss Blackbeard's words, the sea below them began to churn violently.
A terrifying aura surged from the depths, sweeping over the battlefield.
"What... what's happening?!" Jack exclaimed, his expression changing to one of alarm.
Blackbeard, however, looked as if he had been expecting it.
"You may not know this, Jack," he said calmly, "but the true lords of this sea have always been the creatures that live within it."
As he spoke, a colossal wave erupted, and a giant Sea King, shaped like a monstrous octopus, emerged from the water.
Its massive body blotted out the sun, and its dozens of writhing tentacles, each one shining with a creepy, cold light, cast the battlefield in shadow.
A brilliant blue crystal pulsed with a faint, eerie light on its chest.
"A Sea King... a Kraken!" Jack stammered, his lips trembling as he stared at the beast.
But Blackbeard wasn't scared.
He smiled.
"Zehahahaha! What are you waiting for?!" he roared at the monster. "Rocks does not want to see these nasty Marines stepping into his territory! Go and kill those stupid Seraphs!"
Hearing the name "Rocks," the Kraken's giant, intelligent eyes became much clearer.
The colossal beast, whose body was larger than a fleet of warships, couldn't help but tremble with a deep, instinctual fear.
It immediately obeyed, surging through the water toward the Seraphim at an incredible speed.
.....
In the Marine command center, the sudden appearance of the monster caused a new wave of panic.
"Where did that thing come from?!" Vice Admiral Stainless exclaimed.
"We have to stop it from reaching the Marine territories!" Vice Admiral Momonga said, his face grim.
"The consequences would be unimaginable!"
But it was too late.
The Kraken was already on the attack.
With a deep, resonating roar, the sea around it began to boil as countless jets of water shot from its tentacles, aimed at the Seraphim army.
The streams of water were fired with such force that they created sonic booms, a seemingly clumsy attack that combined both overwhelming speed and power.
Even the Seraphim would not risk taking a direct hit.
The silver tide of machines scattered, nimbly avoiding the assault.
The monster was powerful.
But in the next moment, several of the armored Seraphim locked onto the Kraken below.
Their Living Armor flowed and morphed, forming powerful gauntlets over their hands.
The width and power of their laser beams instantly doubled.
A volley of thick, devastating beams of light tore through the air, streaking toward the giant octopus.
The Kraken roared and opened its bloody maw, spewing a stream of thick, purple ink.
BOOM!
The deafening explosion from the collision of light and ink filled the sky with a thick, purple, poisonous mist.
The toxin was unbelievably potent.
The moment it touched the sea, the clear blue water turned a sickly purple, and everything within it began to decay.
Several Seraphim were accidentally splattered with the ink.
A piercing, hissing sound filled the air as the poison began to eat through their defenses.
Even their indestructible Living Armor began to corrode under the attack.
....
On the edge of the battlefield, Blackbeard saw the toxic mist spreading and immediately turned to flee.
He knew that as a living creature, a single touch of that poison would spell his end.
But even as he ran, he couldn't help but turn his head to watch the titanic struggle between the machines and the monster.
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