Chapter 259: Unrivaled

First, a wild wind swept across the beach, tearing apart everything it touched.

From rocks to pirate ships, and finally to Yonji's body.

Hiss!

Blood sprayed from Yonji's body.

The intense pain failed to make Yonji flinch; only the chill spreading through his body confirmed he had been hit by his opponent's attack.

In the next instant, Yonji's body went limp, fresh blood gushing out along his chest.

"Who is it?!"

Yonji instinctively halted his steps.

He looked around, yet his vision could only catch a blurred figure.

The opponent's speed far exceeded that of the Germa combat suits!

By the time Yonji made this judgment, a hand had already landed on his shoulder.

He instinctively tried to struggle but could not budge even an inch.

Damn it!

I am Winch Green!

The one with the greatest brute strength and hand-to-hand combat skills among the Germa battle coats!

"If that guy really gets angry, I'll be quite troubled too~"

A voice carrying a tone of lazy helplessness rang out beside Yonji's ear.

At that moment, he also saw the newcomer's appearance clearly.

The newcomer wore a tailored suit, his hair combed neatly, and a pair of metal-framed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose.

Yonji had seen such an appearance on countless scholars.

Yet even though it was his first time seeing the man before him, and they had not exchanged a single word, Yonji could judge by intuition alone that this man was absolutely no scholar.

The dense killing intent emanating from his entire body, so thick it was almost visible to the naked eye, could only be accumulated at the cost of countless lives.

Such an existence should not even be a Marine; he was more suited to be a pirate.

I am no match for him!

Yonji made this judgment instantly; thoughts churned in his mind as he feigned calm on his face and opened his mouth to threaten:

"For the Navy to interfere in a World Government member nation's..."

Hiss!

Yonji's eyes widened as an invisible blade of air directly pierced his defense, sweeping from bottom to top, drawing forth a shower of blood and cutting off his words.

Does this guy have no reservations whatsoever?!

Moreover...

What I am wearing is the Germa 66 battle suit; even at close range, it fears no cannonballs, and even ordinary sword masters find it hard to breach its defense.

Yet such powerful defense was no different from paper-mache in front of this man.

"This guy... is strong!"

"Far stronger than us—no, even stronger than Father!"

"Retreat!"

"Priority is the mission!"

Even though he was heavily injured in a single exchange and had already confirmed the opponent would show no mercy, the first thing Yonji cared about in his heart was still the mission entrusted by his father.

"Injured to this extent, yet the first thing he cares about is still the mission?!"

"No sadness, no fear, no mercy, no sympathy..."

"You, who exist solely for the needs of Vinsmoke Judge, are ultimately nothing but tools without self, without freedom, and without souls."

Recalling everything Gao Wen had once told him about the Vinsmoke family of the North Blue, Xiang Keluo looked at Yonji with even a trace of pity in his eyes:

"That guy was indeed not wrong."

"What Germa 66 lost back then was not just its territory, but also its people."

"The only one from this kingdom still alive today is the king himself, Vinsmoke Judge."

"However."

"All of this has nothing to do with me."

Xiang Keluo's voice gradually grew cold, and the suppressed killing intent erupted at this moment.

Yonji even saw the surging, tangible killing intent surrounding Xiang Keluo.

It was a crimson-colored aura of qi swirling around Xiang Keluo, resembling some kind of bloodthirsty monster.

Judge's modifications had stripped Yonji of the emotion of fear, so he had never known what such a feeling was like.

But now, looking at the man before him who seemed to have walked out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, Yonji felt cold for the first time in battle.

A bone-chilling cold.

Boom!

Xiang Keluo's foot slammed violently onto Yonji's head, pressing his entire body into the ground and causing him to lose consciousness on the spot.

Under the night sky.

Yonji's constantly twitching limbs made the surrounding pirates' scalps go numb.

"Hey, hey, hey..."

"He easily crushed a warrior of Germa 66; that guy is absolutely no nameless nobody!"

"If Water Seven possessed such a defensive force, how could it have been destroyed to this extent previously?!"

"What concerns me even more is his speed; appearing on the battlefield in an instant, he completely dominated the entire field."

"Monster!"

"A thoroughbred monster!"

"Even those big shots who command wind and rain could only reach this level at most, right?!"

……

On the vast sea, a storm gradually rose; the surging waves rocked pirate ship after pirate ship, just like their uneasy hearts at this moment.

One step forward lay an opponent as powerful as a monster; one step back lay countless peers baring their fangs and claws, sharpening their knives, ready to devour them completely.

They felt as if they were being roasted over a fire; for a moment, the pirate ships that had been bombarding the port all came to a halt.

For a moment.

In the middle of the sea, warships carried by giant snails stood out conspicuously.

These snail ships, bearing entire castles upon their backs, were the signature warships of Germa 66.

They could dock with one another, piecing together a massive fortress comparable to an island, serving as both fleet and homeland.

Yet at this moment, Vinsmoke Judge, standing on the deck of a snail ship, wore a gloomy expression; his hand gripping the battle spear had turned white from excessive force:

"Trash!"

"All of you are trash!"

The scene before him far exceeded Judge's expectations.

The fighting weapons he had painstakingly cultivated for nearly twenty years, even indirectly causing the death of his wife Sora in the process, had ultimately yielded results only at this level?!

Crushed by some unknown fellow as if crushing an ant?!

Hiss—!

Judge closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and gradually suppressed the turmoil within his heart.

"No."

"Ichiji and the others are my most perfect creations, the highest masterpieces of the Vinsmoke family; how could they be limited to merely this level?!"

"It is time."

"The time they have had to grow, the battles they have experienced, are ultimately far too few."

"Given enough time, it is not impossible for them to reach the stature of an Emperor in the future."

"They cannot be lost here."

With this thought.

Judge had already made his decision.

He grabbed his battle spear, leaped up from the deck, and shot toward the distance like a rocket, his speed far exceeding that of Ichiji and the others!

Gazing at that somewhat arrogant figure in the port, Judge felt as if he were about to burn up.

No one can step on Germa's spine again!

No one!

……

The dock.

After Xiang Keluo subdued Ichiji and Yonji, he flashed forward, kicking Niji—who was retreating with Sanji—sending him flying into the sea.

He turned his head, preparing to deal with Reiju who was fleeing backward, but his footsteps suddenly halted.

Boom!

A battle spear struck before Xiang Keluo like lightning, plunging deep into the ground; the surging Lei Guang completely melted the surface rock, causing it to glow a fiery red.

Hot air rushed against his face, yet Xiang Keluo paid it no mind; he slowly raised his head to see a tall figure speeding along the seaside.

Like a meteor, the figure kicked heavily toward him.

"Ho~"

"Finally, someone decent has arrived~"

Xiang Keluo licked his lips and countered with a kick technique of his own!

Bang!

The two collided head-on, emitting a dull thud.

Judge pressed forward at high speed, his immense force pushing Xiang Keluo's body sliding backward, plowing deep furrows into the earth that extended all the way to the rear of the port.

Boom!

A building collapsed, and dust filled the air.

The battlefield fell silent for a moment, yet the pirates watching from all around widened their eyes involuntarily.

"Vinsmoke Judge, who once unified the North Sea and is known as the Garuda, has made his move, instantly suppressing that Marine!"

"What a pity."

"That fellow is quite strong among the Marines, but facing a big shot like this, he is ultimately no match."

He shook his head, and the greed that had wavered slightly due to Xiang Keluo's presence surged up once more:

"But this is our chance!"

"Exactly!"

"The more chaotic it gets, the greater our chances of success!"

……

Accompanied by heavy breathing, these pirates moved into action once again.

They charged ashore under the fire of the defense army, engaging in fierce gunfire with the guards led by Franky.

One side fought for their greed, the other to protect the comrades behind them, unleashing the bloodiest slaughter within the port.

Splashing blood, severed limbs, rising flames, people driven mad…

For a moment, the entire port was like hell.

In the distance.

Reiju, fleeing for her life, stopped her steps. She looked back at the battlefield between Germa and Xiang Keluo, glanced at Niji and the others who had lost consciousness, and then ceased paying them any mind.

Instead, she turned back and walked toward Sanji, who had already lost consciousness.

She bent down and, just as she had every time Sanji was bullied by Niji and the others, gently stroked Sanji's face while applying medicine to him.

"You have a very good family now~"

Clack!

A long blade pressed against Reiju's shoulder. Zoro's voice, brimming with chilling killing intent, came from behind Reiju:

"No matter who you are, no matter what your purpose, if you dare lay a hand on the curly-brow, I will definitely cut you down."

Among Gao Wen's group, Zoro and Sanji bickered the most and clashed the most, yet they also understood and cherished each other the most.

He would absolutely not allow Sanji to be taken away in such a manner.

That would be not only an insult to Sanji, but an insult to Gao Wen's group as well.

Reiju did not turn around; she merely pinched Sanji's cheek on her own, a smile curling at the corner of her lips as she said:

"Father is not easily dealt with. Even with that man's strength, he is by no means his match. Are you truly prepared?!"

"Are you willing to stake your lives to stand with Sanji?!"

"You will die."

Zoro did not waver. The corner of his mouth split open in a grotesque and sinister grin:

"How could a man bow to power!"

"Besides."

"How could you possibly know just how strong Xiang Keluo is? That level doesn't even count as a warm-up for him."

"Moreover, even if Xiang Keluo can't handle it, there's the Captain."

"The Captain?!"

Reiju was slightly stunned, but she shook her head with a bitter laugh, her mind swirling only with Germa's immense power.

The first human Germa modified was none other than himself.

A formidable physique, paired with the strongest battle suit, gave birth to a monster capable of conquering the North Blue.

"You don't understand... Father..."

Boom!

A roaring sound exploded from the center of a distant building, and immediately a tall figure was blasted flying out from within.

Long, golden hair like a waterfall, a powerful physique...

Who else could it be but Germa?!

"No way?!"

"Father!"

Reiju's face was filled with shock.

She knew Germa was not invincible, but in her estimation, only facing a figure as great as a Yonko would Germa have the possibility of defeat.

Yet what lay before her at this very moment was Germa being blasted flying directly by the opponent.

With her eyesight, she could even see the peeling flesh on Germa's body, the flowing blood, and the indescribable panic in the latter's eyes!

"Hmph."

The corner of Zoro's mouth curled slightly:

"To fight us, you must at least send an Admiral or a Yonko-level figure."

"The North Blue..."

"Is too insignificant!"

Reiju opened her mouth, but for a moment she could not speak.

Boom!

Germa barely stabilized his stance. Only when he looked down did he realize that the battle spear in his hand had already snapped in two.

"This is an alloy with hardness comparable to Seastone!"

"A Devil Fruit user?!"

Germa looked up toward the distance.

The dust and smoke slowly dispersed.

A slender figure, hands in pockets, slowly walked out from within. A long, blade-tipped tail swayed restlessly behind him.

A mere flick of it could disturb the air around, forming wave after wave of wind that blew the dust away.

"Paramecia type?"

"No."

"It's a Zoan type! Definitely a Zoan type! A Zoan type rarer even than the Logia type!"

"How could such a monster exist in this place!"

In just a single glance, Germa understood.

The man before him was a powerhouse capable of dominating a region.

If he were a pirate, there was even the possibility he would be valued by the World Government and selected as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea; he was absolutely not someone Germa could contend with.

He took a deep breath:

"Marines!"

"You truly intend to strike at the King of a World Government member nation?!"

"World Government? Member nation?!"

A sneer curled Xiang Keluo's lips.

He recalled the fool in the East Blue who had died by his hand.

Stelly.

Yes.

That was the name.

He had spoken the very same words as Judge before he died.

"Only pirates die in Water 7!"

A biting killing intent rose, pricking Judge's skin until it stung.

The utter recklessness in Xiang Keluo's words made Judge tremble with fear.

He truly dared!

In this life-or-death moment, Judge could not care about anything else:

"Give Sanji to me."

"I can leave Water 7, or even mobilize my influence to make some pirates leave Water 7 as well."

"By then, the pressure you face will surely ease."

Swish!

The tail swaying behind Xiang Keluo suddenly stopped; his gaze fixed on Judge, and the killing intent was gradually covered by reason.

Roars of battle shook the surroundings; Franky and the others were still fighting a bitter war.

Kaku led Bally and Kaku, among others, to resist the attacking pirates on the rear battlefield, and for the moment could not spare a hand to support this side.

But facing enemies surging like a tide, the strong in the Defense Force could hold out, yet the commoners below would find it hard to survive.

Moreover, as time passed, the remaining food reserves of Water 7 grew ever scarcer.

Out of reason, Xiang Keluo should accept Judge's proposal, but out of emotion, he could not tolerate anyone attacking his companions and escaping unscathed.

In such a moment, what would Gao Wen do...

In an instant.

Xiang Keluo had the answer in his heart.

(End of this chapter)