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Chapter 69: Greetings
North Blue, Philbay Island, late at night.
The sky glowed red with blood and flames.
Bang, bang, bang! Rumble! The roar of guns fiercely resounded through the streets as hundreds of Marines attacked a mafia family's stronghold. Thick smoke billowed forth, barriers stood firm, and successive artillery blasts created shocking gaps, sending rocks flying.
"Damn Marines! Where did they get their weapons from?" a mafia member in a black suit shouted as he climbed out from under a collapsed wall, his face bloodied, eyes red with anger.
The Snooker family, one of Philbey Island's premier mafia forces, controlled over half the underground industries within hundreds of nautical miles. Their business ventures included illicit activities such as wine production, smuggling, gambling, and evading customs.
In their realm, they had free rein, making money daily, boasting hundreds of members, and an arsenal that included muskets and explosives. Even small to medium-sized pirate groups dared not provoke the Snookers.
But in an instant, everything turned to chaos.
Their prosperous, beautiful, and hedonistic life was shattered in an explosion's roar.
York Snooker was jerked awake by the blast, with countless attacks whizzing past his ears, the sounds indistinguishable amidst the din. The family's bastion, armory, courtyards, meeting halls, and commercial chambers—all were trembling, from the earth to the buildings to the very air.
The Snookers could scarcely react to the relentless and indiscriminate bombardment, and they found themselves buried under ruins by the overpowering firepower.
York Snooker's ears buzzed, then went numb. He watched aghast as the well-trained North Blue Marines, armed to the teeth, methodically advanced on their residence, demolishing everything, filling his heart with terror.
They wielded high-temperature flamethrowers and stun guns spitting blue electricity; portable machine guns and even—York was shocked to see—a line of Marines, each with a rocket launcher hoisted on their shoulders! These were cutting-edge weapons he had never seen before.
Boom! A portable missile exploded overhead, obliterating the domed church building, reducing it to rubble amidst a cacophony of noise and collapsing stone.
A tremendous shadow loomed over York Snooker from above, and despair filled his eyes. Moments before being crushed by the cascade of boulders, he spotted a scruffy Marine in clogs, hands in his pockets, stepping out from the crowd and...
He lifted an entire building with ease! Boom! The building soared high before crashing down, reducing the Snooker family's residence to ruins in a cloud of dust and debris.
Through the thick black smoke, Kake stared at his hands in bewilderment.
When had he become so powerful? He only wanted to try, never expecting to fling a building with his bare hands!
"Major Kake is incredible!"
"Germa's technological weapons are nothing compared to Major Kake's strength!"
"He's truly formidable! An elite from headquarters indeed!"
The North Blue Marines cheered, looking at Kake with amazement.
Kake, feeling elated by the Marines' cheers, chuckled and placed his hands on his hips.
"Of course! I am a genius!"
He then glanced at a Marine's repeating machine gun with contempt.
"Guns... such a primitive and crude method of fighting."
At the same time, on another island in the North Blue, a similar scene unfolded. The Marine Force, a covert element of a Mafia family, was taking action. A mustached mafia leader cursed angrily, "Marine! Damn Marines! You're leaving us no way out!" As he spoke, he gripped a huge shield made of fine steel in both hands and charged into the oncoming Marines like a bull, sending powerful forces that knocked them all to the ground.
"Hahaha! Have you seen my power?" the mafia boss laughed. But his laughter was cut short the next second.
He heard a crisp sound, like that of a sword. Turning toward the noise, he saw a tall figure with black hair emerging slowly from the raging flames. The sound of high heels clicked on the ground in a sweet yet chilling rhythm. The person was a woman, with a beauty mole at the corner of her mouth, her long black hair tied up, and her curvy body clad in a short pink skirt. Behind her, the pristine white Marine cloak swayed as if dancing amidst the flames. She held a long, slender sword that glittered a bright gold, reflecting the leaping flames. She was clearly a formidable woman. Under normal circumstances, the mafia leader probably would attempt to take her to bed and conquer her. But not now.
A slender cut appeared on his giant metal shield, spreading to his arms and throat. Lines of blood slowly became visible. "What a fast sword," he hissed. The shield and man split into two and crashed to the ground!
Gion stood before him, sliding her sword back into its sheath with a cold expression. "In the name of justice, the death penalty!" she declared. Marines rushed in past her. Shouts and wailing echoed from all directions as Gion stood still, deep in thought. "I've become a lot stronger," she murmured. She realized that the special training over the past ten days had boosted her strength by at least 30%. It was only because she had always been up against a monster-like guy that she hadn't noticed her improvement. But her reflection lasted only a few seconds before Gion clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "Not enough... not enough."
Elsewhere, in an expensive private luxury mansion in the North Blue on the British Isles, the leader of the infamous Rockefeller Mafia family resided. In a luxurious bedroom, Gemansa, the head of the Rockefeller family, awoke suddenly. Without hesitation, he pulled out the pistol from under his pillow and fired several shots at a shadow without a second glance.
The bullets clinked against a sword, and sparks flew, revealing a stern face under a military cap. Gemansa's pupils contracted. "It's you!" His mistress, recoiling in terror, pulled the quilt around her tightly.
The figure of Flying Squirrel emerged from the darkness, blood dripping from his saber. "You broke the rules," he stated expressionlessly. "So... Rogers Darren, Supreme Commander of the North Blue, with regards to you." A cold light flashed in the darkness, followed by the splash of blood staining the Chinese tent red. In the next second, the woman's terrified screams filled the mansion.