There were simply too many enemies.
Saying that Water 7 was surrounded by layers of enemies was an understatement.
There are thousands of pirate ships floating densely on the sea, covering the Water 7 like a dark cloud.
Most of them came to try their luck, hoping that they could become the chosen ones, but only to end up as food for Sea Kings.
Although there are many outstanding people with a bounty of over 100 million and made a name in Paradise, they are far from being troublesome.
What really made Kuro feel overwhelmed was the report from Van Augur, who was in charge of reconnaissance.
Those pirates from the New World were the real trouble.
The New World was different from Paradise and the four seas. It was the real concentration camp of monsters, where the four emperors gathered, and there were countless powerful people under them.
And now, those monsters, like sharks sensing blood, were heading for Water 7.
… … …
At night, Sanji stood at the dock, fighting with Zoro and Van Augur against the incoming pirates.
The sound of battle echoed through the harbor as countless pirates stormed the shore, braving the other side's cannon fire.
With grim faces, they charged forward, but they were no match for the three of them, and after a few exchanges, they were thoroughly defeated.
But this was only the beginning.
The first wave of pirates retreated, and more pirates filed in. The dense artillery fire exploded in the night sky, and the flames almost ignited the whole harbor.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
... ... ....
Amid the sound of gunfire, Sanji took a deep puff of the cigarette in his mouth, and when his eyes fell on the familiar flag with the "66" number in the distance, he looked quite complicated.
Van Augur followed Sanji's line of sight, narrowed his eyes slightly, and his expression gradually became solemn.
As a sniper, Van Augur has superior vision compared to ordinary people.
Even at night, even without relying on Observation Haki, Van Augur can still see the tall, middle-aged man standing on the deck in the distance and several young figures following him.
"Vinsmoke Judge, a big man in the North Blue, who once dominated the entire North Blue."
"This time, a troublesome guy really came."
Van Augur's eyes fell on Sanji: "Speaking of which, those guys are like you, Sanji, with curly eyebrows."
"I have nothing to do with those bastards!"
Sanji's face suddenly turned cold; he threw away the cigarette butt in his mouth with one hand and then rushed towards the pirates in the distance as if venting and knocked over dozens of people in an instant.
"Didn't that just say everything?!"
Van Augur's eyelids drooped, and he couldn't help but sigh.
He realized that Sanji had never talked about his family, and even every time he talked about the North Blue, Sanji was silent.
"I see now..."
Van Augur sighed, holding the rifle in his hand tighter, and one bullet after another was loaded into the ammunition compartment. During this process, his eyes became colder and colder.
Among Gawain's crew, if we're talking about bloodlust, Kuro was definitely at the top, but right after him was Van Augur.
And Van Augur's bloodlust is fundamentally different from Kuro's.
It's not bloodthirstiness, but indifference, indifference to life, and the kind of indifference that can kill all opponents in front of him without wavering.
He doesn't care who the opponent is; as long as he or his companions feel threatened, the enemy must be eliminated.
Click!
The bullet was loaded, and the trigger was pulled, making the muzzle spew fire.
The bullet traveled nearly ten kilometers, accurately shooting at the figure standing on the deck in the distance.
Swish!
At this moment, Vinsmoke Judge raised his hand and accurately caught the incoming bullet.
He gently exerted force on his fingertips and then deformed the bullet and threw it aside casually.
"Excellent sniping ability, whether it is the range, accuracy, or mobility, it is first-class. When did Water 7 have such a person?!"
Vinsmoke Judge narrowed his eyes slightly, and he looked at the harbor in the distance.
Even if he used Observation Haki, he still couldn't locate the person who had taken the shot.
"Should we take action? Father, if this guy is here, we will probably be targeted as soon as we show up."
Vinsmoke Ichiji pushed his glasses on his nose, with a bit of surprise in his tone: "And if I'm not mistaken, the blond marine should be..."
"No need."
Vinsmoke Judge said indifferently, with unspeakable contempt in his eyes: "It's just a failure anyway."
"It doesn't matter."
"What we want is the final victory. If we intervene in the battlefield too early, even with our strength, we will just be a living target."
He had already discovered Sanji's whereabouts, but from beginning to end, he never looked Sanji straight in the eye.
The Vinsmoke Family relied on the Lineage factor transformation technology he mastered to gain a foothold and even used it to unify the North Blue for a time, although this time was only sixty-six days.
Several of his children have undergone Lineage factor transformation, and they are born with physical abilities far beyond ordinary people, as well as special abilities similar to Devil Fruits.
To obtain all this, the only sacrifice is some unnecessary emotions.
Even in Judge's opinion, this is not even a shortcoming.
Pity, humility, sympathy... For a perfect warrior, these emotions that make people hesitate have no meaning.
Judge have always believed this and done so, but there are always exceptions.
On this point, Judge's wife, Sora, holds a completely different view from him.
Sora can't stand this behavior, and even in order to resist, she doesn't hesitate to take drugs that damage her body, so Sanji, a failure, is born.
Sanji doesn't have a strong body, but he has more delicate emotions than his other brothers.
"If it weren't for that idiot, Sora wouldn't have..."
Judge's voice gradually fell, but the coldness in his eyes did not diminish at all.
"Humph!"
After a cold snort, Judge retracted his gaze. He only felt a burst of irritation in his heart.
Just as he was about to return to the ship's cabin.
At this moment, Niji, who had been silent, spoke up: "Father, didn't you say before that we can no longer unify the North Blue with our own strength?"
"To go further and gain enough strength, we have to form an alliance with a big force."
"According to the intel we received, Big Mom's fleet was attacked by some force several days ago and was completely destroyed."
"They're no longer concerned with the struggle for dominance. No, at this point, it's extremely difficult for the Big Mom Pirates to even protect its current territory."
"It is better to give timely assistance than to add icing on the cake."
"They need allies, and Germa 66 has the strength they need."
"If we want to achieve a stable alliance, there is no better way than marriage."
Judge paused; he slowly turned around and looked at his second son, only to see a face that was somewhat similar to Sanji's but with blue hair instead of the usual blond.
Niji looked indifferent, and even when he said this, his expression did not change at all.
Even though the one he regarded as a tool for marriage at this moment was his younger brother.
No!
That rubbish is not!
The one who bears the name of Vinsmoke should be a warrior like him, who is calm, powerful, and fearless!
"Very good."
A smile appeared on the corner of Judge's mouth, and he nodded slightly: "You are better than I thought."