The judge with "Three Heads" read through the case file and promptly delivered the verdict:
"Capital offense!"
"Not guilty!"
"Compromise between the two: death penalty, executed immediately!"
"Pfft!" Navy Captain Finbudi, seated on the jury and awaiting the result, spat a mouthful of tea onto the CP9 agent beside him—the one with the zipper mouth, who had just asked for a 50-million-Berry bribe from the Randoluff Theater. Finbudi ignored the apology and stared in horror at the judge.
He had deliberately attached a note regarding Buggy the Clown's situation—highlighting that he was a Devil Fruit user and typically such criminals are imprisoned, not executed. The note was placed clearly on the first page of the dossier. Did the judge not read it? How did this end in a death sentence? Execute now?
Finbudi was stunned. He was only a captain, never having dealt with something so severe. He wanted to object, but his mind went blank.
Buggy the Clown was equally shocked. Devil Fruit users were usually imprisoned or studied, not executed. He tried to activate his Bara Bara no Mi powers to escape, but the Sea Prism Stone (Kairoseki) cuffs sapped his energy completely.
The judge's three heads twitched again—possibly irritated by the queue-jumping chaos in Buggy's case, or perhaps maddened by their relentless 007-style workload.
After sentencing Buggy, the judge turned toward Mr. 5.
Despite appearing mentally unstable, the judge had an impeccable memory. He instantly recognized Mr. 5's identity and shouted, "This guy's on the wanted list too—10 million Berry! Verdict: death sentence!"
Mr. 5 dropped his usual aloof demeanor and hastily protested, "Wait! I work for Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai! I'm under World Government exemption—"
Before he could finish, the three-headed judge cut him off:
"Capital offense!"
"Not guilty!"
"Compromise: death sentence, immediate execution!"
In the waiting room, Vivi nearly burst out laughing. When Randoluff was on trial earlier, she'd thought the judge was a fool. Now, from another angle, he almost seemed... adorable?
Thud. Thud. Thud. The sound of heavy footsteps filled the chamber. Eleven muscular men, wielding massive iron hammers, marched in—the jury enforcers. The lead juror eyed Mr. 5's height and chose him as the first target. He raised the hammer and brought it down with full force.
No Haki. No Tekkai (Iron Body). No enhanced muscles. Just brute force. Mr. 5 was going to die from a hammer the size of a boulder.
No time to explain his Shichibukai immunity, Mr. 5 leapt aside. Infuriated, he flicked a booger at the jurors.
The Bomb-Bomb Fruit (Bomu Bomu no Mi) gave him the power to make any part of his body explosive—including snot and even his breath.
BOOM! The lead juror was blasted several meters away.
The three-headed judge grew ecstatic, shrieking, "Death penalty! Death penalty! Immediate execution!"
The remaining ten jurors charged, hammers swinging.
With no other choice, Mr. 5 fought back—flicking explosive mucus here, launching kicks at Judiciary Island soldiers there. His physical combat skills were average at best, no Haki, minimal technique. But thanks to his Devil Fruit's destructive nature, he managed to hold off all ten.
The courtroom, once solemn and formal, quickly turned into a warzone engulfed in flames.
Captain "Iron Fist" (Tekken) stood frozen, completely shocked.
The zipper-mouthed CP9 agent tried to react, but the smoke and debris impaired his vision—he couldn't even locate the target.
"Let's get out of here!" Vivi shouted through the smoke. The inferno lit up the room, walls crumbled, glass shattered. She ducked low and motioned for the troupe to follow her out.
The theater troupe, normally obedient and law-abiding, were still fretting about Randoluff's pending verdict.
"It's fine! They said the trial would continue another day. Leaving now is totally legal—GO! This place is collapsing!"
Vivi discreetly picked up a large stone and hurled it at Lieutenant Colonel Gobana, who had been knocked out in the explosion.
Xiu Xiu, her puppy, had been training in the Little Garden and gained strength. While not giant-level, she was much stronger than a regular person now. The stone hit Gobana squarely, and the impact was fatal.
Vivi tossed the rock in Mr. 5's direction, making the scene look like he was responsible. The resulting explosion destroyed any remaining evidence. When officials came later, it would appear Lieutenant Colonel Gobana had been killed by Mr. 5.
"Move, move!" she shouted after dispatching the witness, rallying the troupe to flee.
The main exit was inaccessible—whether it was the explosion or Mr. 5's bombs, the court building, the waiting room, and a neighboring structure were all collapsing.
Two supposedly "weak" women—Vivi and Belo Betty—smashed down a wall, and the troupe spilled out, disheveled but alive.
"Faster! Go, go, go!" Vivi stood at the exit, counting heads while shouting encouragement.
"Fifteen... Sixteen... Thirty-one—wait, why are there thirty-two now?"
Belo Betty frowned. "What, you forget I'm part of the troupe?"
"Oh..." Vivi brushed it off. Thirty-two sounded about right. But then she paused, looked again, and counted—now it was thirty-three.
"Hold on. Who just popped in?"
"Is it your duck?" Belo Betty asked.
"Quack! Quack!" came a chirp from the crowd. Vivi turned to see Karoo, her Super Spot-Billed Duck. He stood confidently, wings crossed in an "X," clearly signaling that he was the real duck.
Then who was the other one?
Suspicious, Vivi strode through the group, examining each face. Everyone was covered in soot, but their features were still recognizable.
And then she saw him—hunched over, waddling, mimicking a duck's croak with exaggerated effort.
"Quack! Quack—!" It was Buggy the Clown. At some point, his Sea Prism Stone cuffs had been removed. Now he shuffled among them with a ridiculous grin, occasionally putting his hands around his mouth and cheering, "Quack!"
A dark vein bulged on Vivi's forehead. She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him out of the crowd. Once they were at a safe distance, she hissed in a low voice:
"Hey, Red Nose."
Buggy was still happily croaking: "Quack, quack..."
Suddenly he snapped out of it, face turning red with fury.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING RED NOSE?!"