Chapter 258: Battle!

"If it weren't for the existence of that waste, Sorah wouldn't have..."

Judge's voice gradually fell, yet the coldness in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

"Hmph!"

After a cold snort, Judge withdrew his gaze; he only felt a surge of irritation in his heart. Fortunately, out of sight, out of mind, he pressed the button and prepared to return to the cabin.

But at that very moment.

Niji, who had remained silent until now, spoke up:

"My lord, didn't you say before that with our strength alone, we can no longer unify the North Blue?"

"To advance further and obtain sufficient power, we can only form an alliance with a major power."

"According to the intelligence we obtained earlier, Big Mom's Whole Cake Fleet was attacked by some force a few days ago and utterly destroyed."

"At this moment, they have no mind to participate in the struggle for hegemony; no, at this point, how Whole Cake Island can even protect its existing territory is an extremely difficult matter."

"Helping in a time of need is far better than adding flowers to brocade."

"They need allies, and Germa 66 possesses the power they require."

"To achieve a stable alliance, there is no better means than marriage."

Judge's footsteps halted; he slowly turned to look at his second son, seeing only a face five-tenths similar to Sanji's, but with hair blue and different from Sanji's.

Niji's expression was calm; even while speaking these words, the expression on his face did not change in the slightest.

Even though the one he now viewed as a tool for marriage was his own younger brother.

No!

That waste is not!

The one bearing the Vinsmoke name should be a warrior like Niji: calm, powerful, and fearless!

"Very good."

A smile curled Judge's lips as he nodded slightly:

"You are even more outstanding than I imagined."

"Indeed."

"If marriage is required, suitable candidates must be considered. You several are excellent warriors I have carefully cultivated."

"Each is Germa 66's most perfect Beautiful Masterpiece; using you for marriage would be a loss."

"But that waste is different..."

"Heh."

Judge chuckled lightly, the contempt and mockery in his eyes barely concealable:

"This can be counted as his final value."

He turned his head to look at the distant port, his specially crafted war spear lightly tapping the deck.

Tap!

The crisp sound spread out.

A group of modified soldiers suddenly gripped the weapons in their hands, instantly assuming combat stances.

They were soldiers produced in bulk by Germa using cloning technology; their loyalty to the Vinsmokes had long been written into their brains by Judge, becoming an existence like a thought stamp.

This is precisely why Germa could hold its ground in the New World, a sea where monsters gather.

"In that case, Reiju..."

Judge turned his head to look at Reiju standing beside him, his tone carrying a hint of chilling coldness:

"Bring him back and make up for your mistake back then."

"Understood, Father."

A woman in a pink battle suit, tall and with a bewitching face, spoke calmly.

The expression on her face did not change in the slightest, as if what they were discussing was merely a stranger, yet the hand beneath her sleeve was tightly clenched, her fingers even turning white from the pressure.

Among Judge's children, not only Sanji was different; this woman, namely Vinsmoke Reiju, was also different.

She also possessed the emotions of a normal human, but to survive in this family, she had to hide all her emotions, becoming a perfect... Beautiful Masterpiece!

"Mm."

Judge nodded, then looked at the three beside him, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji, and said:

"The three of you together; you must bring Sanji back with the least commotion possible."

"Now is not the time for us to intervene in Water 7; even Whole Cake's fleet has been crushed, and the waters here are deeper than I anticipated."

"Yes, my lord!"

The three brothers responded, then leaped off the ship; the combat boots beneath their feet spewed airflow, propelling their bodies as they raced across the sea surface toward the distant port.

Their flying posture and the three's distinctive outfits drew exclamations of shock from the surrounding pirates.

"That's Winch Green, Electric Blue, Spark Red... Germa 66, the serial manga has come true? Where is the Sea Warrior Sorah?!"

Someone thought he was hallucinating and rubbed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, those three figures had already gone far away, and he doubted himself, saying:

"Did I not wake up properly?!"

"Bai Chi!"

A man resembling a captain nearby spat, and when he looked at the departing figures, his eyes held only unspeakable dread:

"Those are the Vinsmokes who once ruled the North Blue, those who treat war as a commodity, a nation with no territory yet recognized by the World Government due to their immense power!"

"Even such great figures cannot sit still?!"

In the midst of these words.

This captain gradually sobered up from his initial frenzy.

He felt the urge to retreat.

After all, as more and more pirates arrived, growing stronger by the moment, their chances of success dwindled.

But when he turned around, he discovered that there was no longer any navigable channel on the sea behind them.

Countless pirate ships drifted upon the ocean, silently gazing at the distant Seven Water Capital.

At this moment, any move made by a pirate would be instantly swallowed up by these peers.

In other words.

Swept along by the tide of events, they no longer had any chance to turn back.

……

Within the harbor.

Back-to-back, Sanji and Zoro caught their breath for a brief moment before charging once again at the pirates surrounding them.

Under Van Augur's cover, the two hardly needed to worry about being picked off by snipers among the pirates.

The moment an opponent stuck their head out, they would instantly fall to Van Augur's precise shots.

His marksmanship, capable of blowing someone's head off from several kilometers or even ten kilometers away, once made people wonder if Van Augur was a Devil Fruit user.

In the midst of a war, the role played by such an existence was nothing short of absurd.

Whoosh!

Zoro swung his blade, whipping up a gale that scattered the attacking pirates.

Yet in the next instant, his eyes narrowed slightly, for four figures clad in strange attire were skimming across the sea surface toward them.

Their speed was extremely fast, and the aura radiating from their bodies was far beyond what ordinary pirates could compare to.

Zoro even saw with his own eyes Van Augur's bullet strike Niji.

But the bullet, powerful enough to tear apart an ordinary person's body, had absolutely no effect on Niji.

Although the shockwave attached to the bullet flipped Niji over, he stood up again the very next instant and charged unshakably toward the harbor.

"That is..."

"Moss-head, retreat!"

Sanji shouted loudly, keeping his head lowered.

Under the moonlight.

Zoro could not make out Sanji's expression, yet he keenly sensed the strange atmosphere surrounding them:

"You..."

"This is my opponent!"

"Heh..."

The corner of Zoro's mouth curled up as he slowly placed one of his swords in his mouth, muttering indistinctly:

"How could I let you show off all by yourself?!"

"Charge!"

As soon as the words landed.

Zoro stomped heavily on the ground, his three swift blades tearing through the air as he abruptly rushed to kill the three approaching figures in the distance.

He did not know what kind of relationship or past existed between those few and Sanji; he only knew that he was inexplicably furious right now and needed to cut down a few people to vent his anger!

During this period.

Zoro, Sanji, and the others had not slackened in the slightest; compared to when they left Alabasta previously, their strength had increased several notches, firmly stepping into the Bai Yin rank.

As their cultivation deepened, the potential of their Gold-rank talents gradually began to materialize.

Their growth speed had even surpassed that of Xiang Keluo, Ah Jin, and Roubo Luqi, who were also of Gold rank, leaving them a full step behind.

It could almost be said.

That them surpassing the top three main forces of Gao Wen's group was merely a matter of time.

Even now, the two of them, having entered the Bai Yin rank, possessed combat power equivalent to a Marine Rear Admiral, roughly comparable to the period just after entering the Sabaody Archipelago in the original story.

Placed within Paradise, their bounties could easily exceed one hundred million, making them fully qualified to serve as the leaders of a pirate crew.

Zoro gripped his three long blades tightly, allowing the airflow to rush around him.

In his line of sight, there was only that blue-haired figure in the distance wielding a strange light sword.

His blade edge, like an ox horn, thrust forward...

"Three Sword Style - Onigiri - Brave Claw!"

"Sword of Light Speed!"

Clang!

Lei Guang's long sword clashed head-on with the long blade in Zoro's hand mid-air, emitting a deafening explosion that made one's ears ring, while the stray sword qi tore open the earth beneath Zoro's feet.

Yet it forcibly halted Niji's high-speed charge; he lifted his head to look at the opponent before him, his gaze filled with undisguised astonishment:

"That waste actually has a companion like you?!"

"Simply absurd!"

"Waste?!"

Zoro raised an eyebrow, looking at the face before him which resembled Sanji's, as well as his curled eyebrow, and immediately understood:

"To evaluate your own brother in such a manner?!"

"No wonder that guy never mentioned his family to us."

Niji's expression was cold; when mentioning Sanji, he even carried a hint of contempt:

"He is a failed product of the Vinsmoke family, so naturally, we should deal with him; even the Marines do not have the authority to interfere in the internal affairs of a member nation!"

Zoro looked down at the military uniform he had worn earlier to disguise his identity, then carelessly tore open his upper garment with one hand, revealing his muscular upper body:

"I'm not a Marine anymore."

"Although I don't get along very well with that cook, if you evaluate my companions like this right in front of me, it will be hard for me to explain to the captain unless you leave something behind today."

"Captain?!"

Niji froze.

This was not a title that should appear in the mouth of a Marine.

A special verbal tic?!

But it didn't matter; aside from Sanji, the only high-end combat power Water Seven had revealed was this guy and the sniper hidden in the shadows over there.

As long as he tangled with this guy, the three of them on Ichiji's side could easily subdue Sanji!

With a decision made in his heart, Niji caused electric currents to surge around his body like thunder; the lightning longsword in his hand instantly twisted like a lightning snake, entangling with Zoro's three fast blades.

Blade light and electric currents flashed.

The momentum was massive, instantly clearing out a large area surrounding them.

On the other side.

Ichiji, Yonji, and Reiju joined forces to attack Sanji.

Sparks, poisonous smoke, and overwhelming brute force raged across the battlefield, instantly suppressing Sanji.

Even with Van Augur's sniper support, facing three opponents of equal rank simultaneously, Sanji could only barely hold on by using Observation Haki to perceive their movements.

"Still resisting?!"

"Sanji!"

Ichiji raised his hand, releasing a flash of light that grazed Sanji's face and detonated a pirate ship behind him.

Flames shot into the sky, and a wild wind swept across the ground.

The long hair on Sanji's head was blown about; feeling the heat rushing toward his face, his expression turned to disgust at that moment.

To him, the name Vinsmoke was no different from a nightmare.

That place which had nurtured his bloodline had only a father who viewed his children as tools, and brothers who bullied him at will...

It could be said that apart from his mother, he had never felt a shred of warmth in Vinsmoke.

That was not his home.

The Baratie and the Gao Wen Pirates were.

Ichiji's contemptuous voice entered Sanji's ears once again:

"Even if you don't think for yourself, you should think for that green algae head over there."

"Yonji, you and Niji join forces and take out that green algae head over there!"

Sanji's pupils contracted, and the cigarette butt on his lips fell at that moment:

"You dare!"

Boom!

A heavy fist landed on Sanji's chest, sending his entire body flying; he crashed through a pirate ship before finally falling powerlessly.

After doing all this, Yonji shook his hand, a mocking smile curling the corner of his mouth:

"It's been so long, yet you still haven't improved a bit; you're just as easy to trick as back then."

"Indeed, what Father said was correct; the blood of Vinsmoke flowing in your veins is the greatest stain."

Sanji struggled to his feet, but couldn't help coughing up a large mouthful of blood.

"Cough—!"

He only felt a wave of dizziness before his eyes, his legs went soft, and he immediately collapsed powerlessly; at that moment, Reiju's voice came to his ears:

"With so much anesthetic, it should be taking effect about now; have a good sleep, and everything will be fine when you wake up."

Just as her voice landed, Sanji lost consciousness.

"Retreat!"

Ichiji hoisted Sanji onto his shoulder, leaped into the air, and sped away toward the distance, with Reiju and Yonji following closely behind.

"Oh no!"

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Seeing this, Van Augur fired three consecutive shots in an attempt to stop Reiju's actions, but Yonji forcibly blocked them all with his own body.

Yonji's battle suit was named Winch Green, the set in the Germa series that emphasized physical ability the most; in terms of pure strength and defense, it was even superior to Judge's battle suit!

"Damn it!"

Van Augur grew extremely anxious in his heart and couldn't help but let out a roar.

The famous gun Thousand Land, which had once been invincible, saw its limits for the first time here.

Relying solely on the killing power of firearms might still work in the East Blue and Paradise, but when truly facing the monsters of the New World with their endless inhuman physiques and mastery of Haki, it ultimately proved somewhat inadequate.

"Zoro, hurry!"

Just as the voice landed, Van Augur's pupils contracted.

His position had been exposed.

And for a sniper, voluntarily exposing one's position was no different from seeking death.

Boom!

The very next instant, Van Augur's footing was targeted by concentrated fire from the Germa fleet.

Several cannonballs hit with precision, and bursts of fire lotuses bloomed.

Even though Van Augur dodged in advance, he was still caught by the blast's shockwave; though he did not lose consciousness, he missed the critical moment.

Zoro, farther away, was directly entangled by Niji and could not break free.

"Damn it!"

Zoro grew extremely anxious in his heart, suddenly pouring more force into his long blade, yet he could still only suppress his opponent and found it difficult to secure a quick victory.

In swordsmanship alone, he far surpassed Niji, but the other's elusive speed almost made him feel as if he were dreaming back to the Martial Arts Tournament, once again facing Xiang Keluo.

"Curly Brow!"

And then Zoro truly saw Xiang Keluo.

(End of Chapter)