Chapter 290: The Sea Warrior Sora Exists!

"Uh..."

Reiju froze for a moment.

Before she could react, Sanji vanished from before her eyes without a trace, and the Invisible Black battle suit in her hand disappeared along with him.

Recalling the unusually peculiar interests of Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji in certain aspects, Reiju's mouth twitched:

"That little rascal shouldn't go so far as to do something too outrageous, right?!"

She reached up to press her forehead, but ultimately could not suppress her worry and immediately chased out after him.

A few minutes later.

Dressed in his chef's attire, Sanji stood at the main entrance of the Nuzaotang.

All that met his eyes were women with slender figures and fair skin glowing with a pinkish luster, coming in and going out.

From time to time, laughter like silver bells drifted into Sanji's ears, making his heart flutter.

With such a beautiful scene before his eyes, not only Sanji but even passersby could not help but stop and watch.

"With the power of invisibility, I should be able to do that thing, right? That is the lifelong wish of my life, another dream worthy of standing alongside All Blue!"

"I must, must, must take a look inside the Nuzaotang!"

Sanji murmured in a low voice.

At this moment, his heart nearly jumped into his throat; his whole body felt hot, and his breathing gradually became heavy and coarse.

"What exactly... what exactly does it look like inside?!"

"Rising water mist, graceful figures, snow-white skin, slender..."

Hiss!

Two arrows of blood shot from Sanji's nostrils, nearly dyeing his chef's coat red.

He hurriedly reached up to cover his nostrils to barely stem the blood, then looked left and right to confirm no one noticed him before immediately activating the Invisible Black canister in his hand.

Bang!

A cloud of white smoke exploded, colorful lights flashed, attracting the gaze of countless people.

When Sanji appeared again, he had already changed into a pitch-black battle suit, with the character '3' printed on his cape.

This represented the Number Three Battle Suit under Germa 66!

Invisible Black!

In the crowd, Law, who had just delivered Zoro to the hospital and was preparing to go back for a good rest, froze on the spot upon seeing this scene.

"Is that... the Number Three Invisible Black of the evil Germa Army, the arch-enemy of the Sea Warrior Sora?!"

"No, no, no, it's an illusion, it must be an illusion!"

Law reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, thinking only that he was overworked and experiencing hallucinations.

"The Sea Warrior Sora is just a manga; how could it possibly appear in reality?!"

"Moreover, that is merely a manga children like; for a man like me who aspires to become strong, it is nothing but a childish fantasy."

Though Law said this, his legs felt as if poured with lead and refused to move; gritting his teeth, he steeled his resolve and said:

"I'll just take one look!"

Law's old face flushed red; opening his eyes again, he saw Sanji gradually disappearing into the air, yet that battle suit, that pitch-black battle suit, he would never forget!

"There's no mistake, that is definitely Invisible Black, the enemy of the Sea Warrior Sora, one of the evil warriors of Germa 66!"

"The battle robe is soft, yet it is an excellent shield, sufficient to withstand warship cannon fire; the battle boots on his feet can provide propulsion for walking in the air, and can even master flame kick techniques!"

"Besides that, there is the most important ability!"

"Invisibility!"

At this moment, Law's very soul trembled.

That feeling was like the day you were walking on the main road when Daigu suddenly appeared and returned the light he had borrowed from you back then; it was an indescribable thrill!

"Now that we have Invisible Black, surely Winch Green, Electric Shock Blue, Spark Red... and the Sea Warrior Sora and the Super Robot will all be here too, right?!"

"Where exactly is the Sea Warrior Sora who fights against evil?!"

Law looked left and right, searching the crowd for a possible figure.

After all, every time, the Sea Warrior Sora managed to stop Germa before they could accomplish their evil plans.

This time would surely be no exception!

"Keep in mind, the direction Invisible Black disappeared toward is the Nuzaotang!"

"That guy is simply too evil!"

Suddenly, an aura that made one's hair stand on end emanated from the distant Nuzaotang, almost making Law think he saw Gao Wen make a move.

"I gave you the battle suit, not for you to do this!"

"Bastard!"

The furious female voice landed.

A figure clad in a pitch-black battle suit shot out from the Nuzaotang like a cannonball, smashing through several buildings in succession before barely coming to a stop.

Law could not help but turn to look, seeing Reiju, wearing a pink battle suit with a cold expression and suppressing her fury, step out from the Nuzaotang one step at a time.

"It's Poison Pink!"

"The Sea Warrior Sora truly exists!"

Law shouted excitedly, his entire person becoming incredibly agitated due to the intense stimulation, like an old child who sees a childhood idol and still remembers that initial thrill.

If the other party were not a villain, he would have rushed up right then to ask for an autograph!

As for adults... haven't adults ever been children? Does wanting to become strong conflict with my liking the Sea Warrior Sora?!

In the distance.

Reiju glanced at Law, remembering only that he was some commander from the Gao Wen Pirates.

But noticing the way Law looked at her, as if gazing upon an idol, she immediately understood what was going on.

It couldn't be helped.

As the North Blue's sole designated villain group, whether Germa 66 was strong or not was secondary; their popularity was absolutely top-tier, each member outstanding in their own right.

This was even more true for Reiju, the only female among them.

After all, in the North Blue World Economic Journal's manga character popularity rankings, Poison Pink had been a dominant presence for years!

However.

At this moment, Reiju had no mood to pay attention to her fans; she lifted her head to look at Sanji in the distance.

For the first time, she felt that Sanji was no different in essence from those three little bastards; they were all pure-bred perverts, and Sanji was even more insane in this regard than the other three.

No.

Have you ever seen anyone who, upon receiving a battle suit that enhances their strength, instead of immediately studying how to use it, heads straight for the Nuzaotang?!

Even perverts need to have limits, you damn idiot!

I acted impulsively; I shouldn't have directly handed the Invisible Black's battle suit to this brat.

Reiju now felt nothing but regret, deep regret, but since the wood was already made into a boat, she could only choose to make amends afterward.

Crack! Crack!

Reiju cracked her knuckles and walked step by step toward Sanji amidst the ruins.

Without a word, she grabbed Sanji by the foot, dragged him into an empty corner, and immediately unleashed a thorough beating on him!

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Reiju's fist landed on Sanji again and again; the violent force smashed Sanji into the ground, causing tiny cracks to spread outward in all directions, while even the nearby walls began to show faint but obvious fissures.

"Where is your resolve? Where is the persistence you showed just now? Where is your respect for women?!"

"Answer me, you damn idiot!"

"Look me in the eyes!"

Faced with Reiju's interrogation, Sanji, whose face had long since turned into a pig's head, stammered and stuttered, unable to get a single clear sentence out for a long time, until he finally managed to squeeze out:

"Sumimasen!" (I'm sorry!)

"Hontou ni sumimasen!" (I'm really sorry!)

Reiju stood up with a darkened face, looking down from above, and was just about to continue her lesson when the corner of her eye caught sight of Law standing dumbfounded in place, clutching a long sword, wearing an expression of weakness, pity, and helplessness.

She took a deep breath, raised her hand to smooth the hair beside her ear, and put on her signature business smile:

"If you're here for an autograph, you might have to wait a little while~"

A shiver ran through Law's entire body, making his speech slightly slurred, but he had already recognized them.

Poison Pink was Reiju, the captive of Gao Wen, while Invisible Black, beaten into a pig's head, was Sanji; the two were siblings, and although Sanji was unwilling to mention it, everyone already knew he hailed from the North Blue.

So does this North Blue refer to Germa of the North Blue?!

Then...

"Does the Sea Warrior Sora actually exist?!"

Reiju subconsciously nodded, then immediately shook her head:

"The Sea Warrior Sora naturally does not exist; you must distinguish between manga and reality~!"

"..."

The corner of Law's mouth twitched.

Your words might carry some credibility if you changed clothes, but you're wearing the Germa Poison Pink battle suit while telling me that the Sea Warrior Sora, who repeatedly crushed Germa's conspiracies time and again, doesn't exist?!

I have read many books; you cannot fool me!

At this moment, Law had already reached a conclusion.

The family Sanji belonged to was none other than Germa 66, which had once attempted to unify the North Blue but was repeatedly thwarted by the Sea Warrior Sora.

With this, it made perfect sense why Sanji appeared in the East Blue yet never spoke a word about his past.

After all, this very plot point existed in the Sea Warrior Sora storyline: after Invisible Black was defeated by Sora, he was abandoned by Vinsmoke due to losing his power.

Although he eventually regained his strength and fighting spirit, he became a character wandering outside the bounds of justice and evil, acting according to his own will!

It all fits! Everything fits perfectly!

Law gasped sharply; the more he pondered, the more convinced he became that his speculation was correct.

However.

Since Sanji was now a companion, and since Sanji was unwilling to bring it up voluntarily, Law would not expose Sanji's scars.

Still, looking at Sanji, who had been beaten nearly out of shape, Law ultimately felt a degree of pity in his heart and advised tactfully:

"If you keep hitting him, someone will die."

Reiju glanced back at Sanji's miserable state, issued another verbal warning, and only then did she completely cease.

She cast an annoyed look at Sanji, then joined Law in taking Sanji back to the hospital at the port center.

Half an hour later.

Creak~!

The ward door was pushed open.

Zoro, who had woken up not long ago and was currently eating frantically, looked up and saw Law and Reiju, along with a certain curly-browed individual who had been beaten into a pig's head.

"Pfft—!"

Zoro laughed until he flipped over:

"Hahahahahaha—!"

"You damn moss-head!"

Meeting his rival face-to-face, especially while in such a predicament himself, Sanji instantly flushed with anger:

"I have obtained even greater power; next time we fight, I'll knock you flying!"

"Is that so?!"

Zoro yielded not an inch, gripping the long blade by his pillow with one hand, his aura becoming sharper and more formidable than ever before!

Their gazes met, and sparks seemed to flicker invisibly in the air between them.

Seeing this, Law couldn't help but press a hand to his forehead:

"I really shouldn't have put these two clowns together."

He turned to fetch a hospital nurse to separate the pair, and only then did the noisy commotion in the ward cease.

Reiju looked at Sanji, who was wrapped up like a pig's head, finding it both amusing and heartbreaking, yet she personally applied medicine to his wounds.

Even so, the two continued to glare furiously at each other through the ward window, looking ready to come to blows at the slightest provocation, while the temperature in the air seemed to drop several degrees due to their confrontation.

Law's gaze sharpened.

Indeed, the captain's intuition had been correct.

After experiencing the encounter with Gaoshan, Zoro's aura had become far more solid, and his strength had clearly improved by an entire tier!

Even Sanji, after reclaiming his Germa battle suit, was gradually recovering his former power and becoming stronger.

I need to hurry.

I absolutely cannot be left behind by these two guys!

……

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Gao Wen sat in his room, gently wiping the blade of Guanshi Zhengzong.

Although the edge of this blade had turned pitch black, it still faintly gleamed, while the bloodthirsty will permeating its entire form hid even deeper.

As the white cloth wiped the blade clean bit by bit, Gao Wen's heart gradually calmed, filling him with a sense of total control he had never experienced before.

He lifted his head, his gaze passing through the window to rest upon the nearly completed new ship in the harbor.

This ship bore a thirty percent resemblance in appearance to the former Raven, while also carrying hints of the Sunny.

Even the figurehead had been swapped by Franky into a sunflower lion head somewhat similar to that of the Sunny.

This oddly fit well with the title "Lionheart Knight" bestowed upon Gao Wen after he took the head of the Golden Lion.

Franky had even directly used the name Gao Wen had glimpsed in the World Economic Journal to christen this ship...

The Lionheart Knight!

To this, Gao Wen naturally had no objection.

After all, leaving one's mark on a ship one personally crafted was precisely the shipwright's privilege.

Currently, there were still some minor issues on this ship being adjusted; it would require a few more days before it could truly set sail.

But without a doubt, whether in terms of hull durability or overall performance, this new ship far surpassed the former Raven, fully capable of handling the various extreme climates of the New World.

Franky had even mysteriously mixed in numerous personal touches, claiming they would bring everyone a huge surprise in the future.

At this, Gao Wen could only shake his head helplessly.

Franky had a mischievous side, but when it came to important matters, he definitely knew what was what, and would never do anything to harm the collective interest due to his own willfulness.

Thus, Gao Wen simply let him do as he pleased.

However.

With the new ship nearing completion, Gao Wen was about to embark on his journey once again.

And this time.

Gao Wen directly set his sights upon Britannias.

As the forces under his command grew larger and his people more numerous, Gao Wen also needed a stable sphere of influence, and Britannias was the perfect choice.

There, vegetation was dense, and the ley line energy could almost be called the greatest in the world, sufficient to maximize the capabilities of the Crimson Dragon.

He held no great obsession with the so-called One Piece, thus Britannias might well be the endpoint of this journey, or at least the final place where Gao Wen and his crew would settle down.

Thinking of this.

The navigation plan for the future gradually became clear; Gao Wen subconsciously stretched his waist, yet at that moment, a familiar system prompt sounded in his mind:

"Crew member Zoro's Sword Dao Will has been tempered; Sword Dao Talent advanced!"

"Potential increased."

"Gold Mid-Tier —> Gold Peak-Tier!"

……

"Crew member Sanji's lineage factor activated; gradual transformation of the physical body will commence!"

"Potential increased."

"Gold Mid-Tier —> Gold Peak-Tier!"

(End of Chapter)