"Queen?" Sora frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
"Just what it sounds like," Michael shrugged. "Since you're willing to take a powerful drug with strong side effects to save your child, why not try something even more drastic? A coup d'état isn't exactly unheard of among the nations of this world, is it?"
As soon as Michael finished speaking, Sora's expression changed.
He had said it far too bluntly.
So bluntly that the maid standing beside them, Époni, went pale—her broad face turning whiter than the plastered walls.
What kind of respectable Marine encourages a coup d'état in the royal consort's chambers of a World Government member nation!? Are you out of your mind!?
This entire conversation felt so absurdly out of place!
But no matter how much Époni complained in her heart, deep down in her soul, she didn't truly reject the idea.
From an outsider's point of view, letting Vinsmoke Judge rule this country was only going to drag it further down the path of destruction.
Even a maid could see that clearly—let alone Sora, whose body had already fully recovered.
Just like her name, her eyes seemed to reflect the color of the sky: clear and deep blue, as bright and transparent as sapphires.
And now, those eyes were filled with unwavering determination.
Michael knew he had succeeded.
This mother would not hesitate to overthrow her bastard husband's regime—for the sake of her child.
"...How do you plan to do it?" Vinsmoke Sora stared straight at Michael. "Don't tell me you're going to help me carry out a coup all by yourself?"
"Am I not enough on my own? Not to look down on your Germa 66..." Michael, who usually seemed laid-back and irreverent, suddenly radiated killing intent. "But if I wanted to, I could destroy this entire country."
"No. Aside from Vinsmoke Judge, my children and those cloned soldiers are innocent."
"Fortunately, I feel the same way," Michael nodded and stood up. "So we've reached an agreement, then?"
"...What exactly do you want from the Germa Kingdom?"
"I just can't stand Vinsmoke Judge. Is that not reason enough? I admire Mr. Democracy and Mr. Science, sure—but when science goes too far, abandoning human ethics and emotions, that's when it crosses the line." Michael turned his back to her. "...By the way, where's Judge's laboratory?"
"Your goal is the method for creating the cloned soldiers?"
"No, quite the opposite," Michael turned back with a smile. "What I desire is a grand human liberation."
"And the ones to be liberated aren't just the Vinsmoke family."
"Tell me—if those clones developed a full sense of independent consciousness and truly became 'human,' would they still serve Vinsmoke Judge?"
"Now that... would be something to see."
...
"Target spotted northeast! A blue-haired woman in a Marine uniform!"
"Report to His Majesty Judge immediately!"
"Everyone else, follow me!"
The frenzied cries of the cloned soldiers echoed across the Saint Germain.
Over a dozen different appearances, representing over a dozen different clone models, swept through the streets and alleys in a coordinated encirclement.
But in a relatively concealed corner, a faint wisp of sand drifted past.
Crocodile sat atop two unconscious cloned soldiers, one long, slender leg crossed over the other like a modern-day Sharon Stone.
Though she had reverted to her blue-haired, mature woman form, her smoking habit was one she just couldn't kick.
"Hiss—ha."
After taking a deep drag from her cigar, Crocodile looked up at the sky.
"Damn it... what's taking Michael so long? Being chased around by a bunch of pushovers is starting to get on my nerves."
Though she called them "pushovers," Crocodile didn't dare act recklessly.
The cloned soldiers weren't actually weak.
They also possessed enhanced physical traits similar to exoskeletal augmentations.
And with each model optimized in different combat directions, their coordinated teamwork made them a formidable force.
Thanks to her Logia-type abilities and personal combat skills, she could probably take down several—maybe even dozens—of clone squads.
But beyond that, she'd risk getting caught off guard...
Especially with Vinsmoke Judge still lurking and eyeing her from the shadows.
Even though the man couldn't use Haki, his tech-based attacks, particularly those with electrical properties, could interfere with her Logia-form state.
"There's smoke over here! She must be here!"
"Shit." Hearing the voices approaching, Crocodile slammed her foot down hard on the clone beneath her, grinding her heel as she snarled, "Do these clones have too healthy a lifestyle or what!? Couldn't the editors give them a smoking habit!?"
"Desert Spada!"
Her arm transformed into a sand blade, then swept ferociously in the direction of the voices.
A swath of buildings several meters wide was instantly cleaved in two by the sand slash.
The structures, with the slash mark as their center, began slowly crumbling into fine dust.
Despite this display of force, the clone soldiers didn't retreat—they continued to close in.
But...
They only surrounded her. They didn't attack.
Until a cat-shaped vehicle sped toward them.
It was Vinsmoke Judge.
"You there, Marine lady! This is all a misunderstanding!"
"We're not pirates! This isn't a pirate ship!"
"I'm Vinsmoke Judge, King of the Germa Kingdom! I was sent here by Rear Admiral Michael to find you!"
Judge's voice was a mix of forced humility and relieved exasperation.
Crocodile raised an eyebrow.
Whatever Michael had done, it looked like he'd successfully conned him.
Crocodile, who already had a twisted sense of humor, immediately called out in a loud, mocking voice:
"What!? This isn't a giant pirate ship!? Do you think I'm blind?"
She pointed up at the enormous Germa Kingdom flag fluttering atop the buildings.
"A skull this big!? The whole ship is covered in them!"
"Misunderstanding! That's our national flag! The Germa Kingdom's official flag! We're a World Government member nation! We're on the same side as the Marines!"
Watching Judge scramble to explain himself, a faint flush crept across Crocodile's face.
So this is what it feels like to throw your weight around?
This is the joy of being a Marine?
It's... kind of awesome?
For the first time, Crocodile felt that becoming a woman and being forced to join the Marines... might not be such a bad thing after all!