-Real World: G-5 Marine Base-
In the heavily fortified detention facility that housed the Marine's most valuable prisoner, Caesar Clown watched the Sky Screen's display with emotions that bordered on physical illness. Jealousy, rage, and professional frustration warred in his expression as he witnessed his former colleague's technological achievements being broadcast to the entire world.
Vinsmoke Judge, he thought with venomous resentment, his gas-powered body literally steaming with suppressed fury. That bastard always acted like he was the superior scientist, and now he's proving it to everyone.
The seastone handcuffs around his wrists prevented him from accessing his Gasu Gasu no Mi (Gas-Gas Fruit) powers, leaving him helpless to do anything but watch as Judge's combat suit technology received the kind of global recognition that Caesar had always craved for his own work.
The sky screen had shown that he achieve that technological breakthrough with his pseudo-Admiral fishmen, Caesar brooded with growing bitterness, but now it showing off transformation systems that make his SMILE fruits look primitive by comparison.
The aesthetic appeal of the FAIZ armor system was particularly galling to someone whose own creations prioritized function over form. Caesar's artificial Devil Fruits were effective but crude, creating partial transformations that often left users permanently disfigured. Judge's technology, by contrast, provided complete enhancement while maintaining visual appeal that would attract users rather than repel them.
"Let me guess—you're having complicated feelings about your old research partner," Admiral Borsalino observed with his characteristic lazy drawl, not bothering to look up from the scientific reports he was reviewing.
The Admiral of the Science Corps had been assigned to oversee Caesar's imprisonment and interrogation, a duty he approached with the same casual indifference he brought to most responsibilities. But despite his relaxed demeanor, Kizaru's scientific background made him uniquely qualified to extract useful information from reluctant prisoners.
"Would Vinsmoke Judge be a reliable asset for Marine technological development?" Kizaru continued, his tone suggesting mild curiosity rather than urgent strategic planning. "Your professional assessment would be... illuminating."
Caesar's expression twisted with conflicted emotions. His personal hatred for Judge warred with his scientific integrity and his desire to remain valuable to his captors. Providing accurate intelligence about his former colleague's capabilities might help the Marines, but it would also acknowledge Judge's superior achievements.
We're both the same kind of people, Caesar finally admitted with bitter honesty. Willing to sacrifice everything—including the people we claim to care about—in pursuit of scientific advancement. We're both perverts who worship knowledge over humanity.
He studied the Sky Screen more carefully, his professional expertise focusing on the technical details that casual observers might miss. "Those photon integrated into the armor... the power source must be internal, probably drawing from the user's enhanced physiology. Most Marines wouldn't be able to handle that kind of system."
His analysis grew more detailed as scientific curiosity overcame personal resentment. "Judge's children have been genetically modified since birth with specific bloodline factors that allow them to interface with the transformation technology. If an unmodified person tried to use one of those belts, the side effects would probably be fatal."
Cruel but elegant, Caesar thought with grudging professional appreciation. Create a technology so advanced that only your own family can safely operate it. That's the kind of monopolistic thinking that builds scientific empires.
"The technology has significant limitations for mass production," he concluded. "It would be difficult to implement across Marine ranks without extensive biological modification of personnel. Many soldiers would die during the adaptation process."
Admiral Kizaru processed this information with the same casual interest he showed for weather reports. "Then we'll wait and see how events develop," he decided, already drafting mental notes for his assessment report to Marine Headquarters.
Another scientific breakthrough that's too dangerous for practical implementation, Kizaru reflected with typical pessimism. Just like everything else we discover these days. The world's becoming too complicated for simple solutions.
-Broadcast: Dressrosa Underground-
The battle lines had been drawn with mathematical precision: two against two, gender against gender, in what appeared to be a fair division of combat responsibilities. But the introduction of advanced Germa Kingdom technology had fundamentally altered the tactical balance in ways that made "fairness" a meaningless concept.
Kamen Rider FAIZ moved with mechanical precision that spoke to perfect integration between human reflexes and technological enhancement. Every step generated enough force to crack the frozen ground beneath his feet, while his armored form radiated heat that made the surrounding air shimmer with thermal distortion.
Speed and strength enhancement beyond anything natural physiology could achieve, Robin observed from her demonic form as she prepared to engage Monet. The power multiplication is exponential rather than linear.
Trebol, meanwhile, found himself completely outclassed by an opponent whose capabilities had transcended normal human limitations. The Beta Beta no Mi (Stick-Stick Fruit) user had built his entire combat style around controlling battlefield conditions through adhesive manipulation, but faced with someone whose physical enhancement allowed them to simply ignore environmental constraints, his strategic approach was useless.
The first exchange confirmed what everyone had already suspected. Sanji's armored fist, moving with over ten tons of force behind it, connected with Trebol's mucus-protected torso and sent the executive flying backward across the underground chamber.
Just one punch, Trebol thought with growing horror as blood filled his mouth. He barely seemed to put any effort into it, and I'm already suffering internal organ damage.
"How much power does that belt provide?" he gasped, spitting crimson onto the snow-covered ground. "No wonder Charlotte Linlin wants to form an alliance with the Germa Kingdom. This technological power is terrifying."
The admission was both tactical assessment and psychological warfare—an attempt to plant seeds of doubt about the political consequences of opposing such advanced military technology. But before he could continue his analysis, another mouthful of blood interrupted his speech.
Several ribs broken, possible internal bleeding, definite organ bruising, Trebol diagnosed with clinical detachment. He's holding back significantly, or I'd already be dead.
Desperation drove innovation. "Sticky Launcher!" Trebol activated his Devil Fruit ability with renewed intensity, spraying adhesive material in all directions like some kind of organic artillery system.
The mucus had properties that went far beyond simple stickiness—it was specifically formulated to be flammable, corrosive, and nearly impossible to remove once it made contact with a target. Trebol had spent years perfecting the chemical composition to create what amounted to weaponized super-glue.
Let's see how your fancy armor handles being immobilized, he thought with desperate hope as the adhesive projectiles struck their target.
But Kamen Rider FAIZ made no attempt to dodge or deflect the incoming attacks. The armored figure simply stood in place, allowing the mucus to coat his technological enhancement while radiating an aura of casual indifference.
He's playing with me, Trebol realized with growing dread. This is entertainment for him, not actual combat.
The psychological impact was devastating. Being treated as a source of amusement rather than a legitimate threat struck at the core of Trebol's identity as one of Doflamingo's most trusted executives.
"Slime Chain!" He launched his signature restraint technique, the same attack that had successfully immobilized Chopper's Monster Point form earlier in the battle.
Thick tendrils of weaponized mucus shot toward the apparently helpless FAIZ, moving with enough force and precision to drag down opponents several times larger than normal humans. The technique had never failed to secure battlefield control when properly executed.
But instead of struggling against the adhesive restraints, Kamen Rider FAIZ reached out and grabbed the slime chain with deliberate confidence.
"Disgusting," Sanji's voice carried clearly through his armor's communication system, electronic filtering adding an otherworldly quality to his words. "But if you want to play tug-of-war, I'm happy to accommodate you."
The strength contest that followed was over before it truly began. Trebol found himself yanked forward with such tremendous force that his feet left the ground entirely, his body flying through the air toward his opponent like a projectile launched from a catapult.
The punch that greeted his arrival carried enough kinetic energy to reshape his facial structure permanently. Bone cracked audibly as Sanji's armored fist connected with Trebol's jaw, the impact sending him tumbling backward across the battlefield while blood traced a crimson arc through the frigid air.
His face is completely ruined, Robin noted with clinical detachment as she observed the aftermath. Even calling him ugly would be insulting to genuinely ugly people at this point.
Trebol lay motionless in the bloodstained snow, his body broken and his consciousness fading as biological systems began shutting down one by one. But even as death approached, his mind drifted back to the pivotal moment that had defined his entire adult life.
The first time I met the young master, he remembered with fading clarity. Just a boy, but already carrying such magnificent potential for destruction.
The memory played out in vivid detail despite his deteriorating condition. A child with the bearing of nobility but the eyes of someone who had witnessed unimaginable cruelty. Trebol had placed a pistol and an unknown Devil Fruit in those small hands, making a bet on evil that had shaped decades of subsequent history.
I wanted Doflamingo to lead us in conquering the world, Trebol reflected as his vision began to dim. To fulfill our shared dream of revenge against a society that had rejected us. It seems like a lifetime ago now.
"Young master," he whispered to the empty air, his voice barely audible above the sound of falling snow. "I never thought this day would come. I really wanted to see you one more time."
But death would have to wait. Golden lightning began crackling across Trebol's broken body as Eren's gift activated in response to mortal danger. The power that had enhanced other Donquixote Family members now surged through the dying executive, offering one final opportunity for victory or meaningful resistance.
The power of the Jaw Titan, Trebol realized as his body began changing. I don't know if giant transformation can overcome advanced technology, but I have to try. I won't disappoint the young master by giving up.
The transformation was rapid and violent. Lightning struck down from the underground chamber's ceiling as Trebol's human form expanded and altered, muscles bulging while bone structure rearranged itself into something designed for predatory combat.
When the light faded, a twenty-meter titan stood where the dying executive had been moments before. Unlike other titan forms, this one retained clear intelligence in its eyes while sporting specialized adaptations that emphasized speed and agility over raw size.
The newly transformed Trebol roared with primal fury as he launched himself toward the motionless FAIZ, massive claws extended and jaws gaping wide enough to bite through steel. His movements carried the fluid grace of a natural predator despite his enormous size.
But Kamen Rider FAIZ remained completely calm in the face of the charging titan. With mechanical precision, Sanji attached a small device to his wrist and activated his transformation belt's secondary functions.
"Complete!" the system announced as dramatic changes began manifesting across the armor's surface.
The white chest plate automatically raised, exposing the suit's operational core in a display of technological sophistication that would have impressed even Dr. Vegapunk. Internal systems that had been running in standby mode suddenly surged to full power, generating energy output that made the air around FAIZ shimmer with thermal distortion.
Accelerated mode, Sanji recognized as familiar sensations flooded through his enhanced nervous system. Full power activation for brief periods of overwhelming superiority.
Reality itself seemed to slow around him as the armor's temporal manipulation systems engaged. Falling snowflakes hung suspended in mid-air like crystalline sculptures, their descent reduced to imperceptible increments. The charging Jaw Titan, renowned for its speed and agility, now moved with the ponderous inevitability of geological processes.
This is what happens when technology transcends natural limitations, Sanji thought with satisfaction as he prepared to end the confrontation. Power that makes even supernatural abilities look primitive by comparison.
At this moment, it seemed as if the world had stopped moving. The falling snowflakes slowly solidified in the sky. Faiz Knight exuded a terrifying heat. The Jaw Titan, which was known for its speed, attacked in slow motion frame by frame in Sanji's eyes. This was the power of technology that Trebol could never imagine.
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