Chapter 63: You Won't Unleash Its Power That Way

Germa Kingdom.

Training ground.

All unrelated personnel had been cleared out. Clone soldiers from Germa 66 stood in formation, forming a human wall around the training ground—silent and still like cold statues.

Led by Daren, the senior officers of the North Blue Marines stood at the center, watching as Germa soldiers carried in heavy, sealed crates one after another.

"As per our agreement, this is the first batch of military tech weapons you requested,"

Vinsmoke Judge said flatly, giving Daren a glance.

"They're just samples, but their performance is already stable. Once you approve them, mass production can begin at any time.

That said, I should warn you—high-tech weapons don't come cheap."

Daren lit a cigar, smiled, and waved casually.

"Money's not an issue. Open them up."

Judge gestured to the clone soldiers. They stepped forward briskly, tearing the seals and opening the crates.

Daren and the others leaned in to take a look.

Inside, all kinds of advanced weapons were laid horizontally, cushioned by dry straw.

Judge casually picked up one—a sleek, cannon-like weapon. Unlike standard artillery, this one had a long, narrow barrel with a metal cylinder attached to the end.

"This is a flamethrower. It shoots flames at around 300 degrees Celsius, with an effective range of thirty meters. It can spray continuously for fifteen minutes. Once the fuel's spent, it needs to be refilled."

He glanced at Daren.

"Want a demonstration?"

Daren made a gesture of invitation.

Judge gave a cold command.

"Step forward!"

A clone soldier wearing sunglasses strode out from the formation, hands clasped behind his back, and stood like a statue at the center of the training ground.

Gion and Tokikake's pupils narrowed slightly at the sight.

This guy… is he really going to test it on his own men?

As if to confirm their fears, Judge raised the flamethrower and, from fifteen meters away, aimed it directly at the clone soldier.

A moment later, without a flicker of emotion, he pulled the trigger.

Roar!!

A blazing stream of fire shot out, instantly engulfing the clone soldier.

Under Tokikake and Gion's stunned gaze, the soldier became a living torch.

No screams. No struggle. Not even a twitch.

In less than five seconds, the burning figure collapsed.

The flames lingered, smoke rising from the charred corpse as the embers slowly faded.

The air was thick with the stench of scorched flesh and feathers.

Tokikake's face turned pale.

Gion felt a wave of nausea rise.

They'd seen war before.

But Vinsmoke Judge's brutality—using his own men to test weapons—was something entirely new.

Smoke curled in the air...

Vinsmoke Judge set down the flamethrower and turned toward the Marine Captain with a proud look on his face.

"What do you think?"

Daren frowned.

"Three hundred degrees?"

The temperature of a flame depends on the type of fuel and the density of the oxidizer (air), ranging from a few hundred to several thousand degrees.

But that's in the real world.

In the world of pirates—where the tech tree has gone wildly off-track—due to the lack of high-concentration fuel, normal flame temperatures usually range between 200 and 900 degrees.

That's also the upper limit of the Mera Mera no Mi's flames.

Lava, on the other hand, ranges between 900 and 1400 degrees, which is why the Magu Magu no Mi is considered superior to the Mera Mera no Mi.

"The firing rate is average, the range is average, and it needs to be refueled. As for power..."

Daren shook his head and turned to Vinsmoke Judge.

"You're not going to get any meaningful data like this."

"Designing and building weapons is your specialty—but killing people is something else entirely."

"For a normal human body, a bullet, a knife, or a blunt strike doesn't make much difference when it comes to taking a life."

He smiled.

"And unfortunately for you, I happen to know a lot about killing."

Vinsmoke Judge froze for a moment, then said with a hint of irritation,

"So what are you saying?"

Daren took a step forward, raised his hand, and removed the black tie from his uniform collar.

He took off his pristine white cloak of justice and stripped off the top half of his uniform, revealing a body covered in scars.

Gion and Tokikake both stared in shock.

This guy... don't tell me he's actually going to...

Momonga groaned and covered his face in disbelief.

Vinsmoke Judge stood frozen, staring blankly at the wild, violent aura radiating from the Marine Captain, completely thrown off.

Daren rolled his neck, producing a series of sharp cracks like popping beans, then grinned wickedly.

"Come on. Use me for the test."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a gust of wind swept across the training ground.

His black hair whipped in the air, and his eyes grew increasingly intense.

"Are you serious?"

Vinsmoke Judge's eye twitched as he asked.

Tokikake suddenly snapped out of it and jumped in, shouting in alarm,

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Daren, this isn't a joke! That's a 300-degree flamethrower!

If you get burned alive, the North Blue Admiral's seat will go to me—ah, wait, I didn't mean to say that!"

He hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth.

Daren suddenly looked as though he'd seen the light.

"Hm, Lieutenant Commander Tokikake makes a good point. In that case, I'll pass on the risk."

"This honorable task... should go to the genius from headquarters—Lieutenant Commander Tokikake."

As he spoke, he reached out with a large hand toward the back of Tokikake's neck.

"No, no, no!! You do it!!"

Tokikake recoiled with unprecedented speed, drenched in cold sweat.

After that little joke, Daren turned back to Vinsmoke Judge, his expression serious.

"I mean it."

And he truly did.

Daren had trained his body to withstand bullets and even small to medium-scale explosions. He could endure the shock and heat of a shell blast, so a 300-degree flamethrower wasn't exactly life-threatening.

More importantly, with his innate ability of "perception," he could accurately assess a weapon's destructive capability by experiencing its force firsthand.

After all, the fleet he envisioned wasn't meant for minor skirmishes in the North Blue.

In his plans, his military force needed to match—or surpass—the level of pirate crews in the New World.

Naturally, the weapons outfitting that fleet had to meet that same standard of power.

Seeing Daren's determination, Vinsmoke Judge no longer hesitated. He aimed and pulled the trigger.

Roar!!!

In Gion and Tokikake's tightly constricted pupils, a long tongue of flame shot from the weapon, engulfing Daren's upper body.

A wave of searing heat blasted across the training ground, stirring up a blazing wind.

Everyone present stared in stunned disbelief at the man standing firm in the heart of the crimson flames.

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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