"You bastard… are you planning to take all of us down in one fell swoop?!"
After hearing Red's words, the Shipping King, Umit, instantly turned ashen.
The expressions of the other underworld kings were no better.
Stussy's slender waist tensed as she shifted into a stance ready to retreat at any moment. She raised her voice sharply and shouted,
"Are you certain you want to make enemies of us!?"
"You should know—even Linlin herself wouldn't dare say something like that!"
"Do you intend for the Straw Hat Pirates to declare war on the entire underworld?!"
"The entire underworld?!"
Red let out a snort of laughter. His gaze swept slowly across the underworld kings before he suddenly chuckled.
"If just the few of you can represent the entire underworld, then things would actually be much simpler."
If subduing these people truly meant conquering the entire underworld, Red didn't even dare imagine how happy he would be.
Now that the Straw Hat Pirates had more and more subordinates under their banner, he—as vice-captain—had to start making preparations for Luffy in advance.
At present, everyone under the Straw Hat banner still seemed obedient enough. But as the Straw Hat Pirates continued to grow, and as time passed, anything could change.
After all, martial strength challenges authority, and one's position determines one's thinking.
Once pirates under the Straw Hat banner gained enough fame and status, no one could guarantee that they would continue acting like the Straw Hat Pirates themselves—remaining "special pirates."
If someday someone committed an unforgivable crime in a place beyond the Straw Hat Pirates' supervision, all while acting in their name…
That would be unacceptable—not only for Luffy, but for the rest of the crew as well.
To avoid a future where he might be forced to personally execute one of their own subordinates, Red had to prepare ahead of time.
And the best way to resolve chaos was simple: provide enough work to keep everyone completely occupied, leaving them no time to entertain any reckless thoughts.
This principle applied in any world.
Coincidentally, the industries of the underworld were not only highly profitable, but the work itself was relatively simple. The only real requirement was a powerful backer.
And the Straw Hat Pirates were precisely the greatest backer of all.
Moreover, even if some truly despicable individuals were to emerge under the Straw Hat banner in the future, Red believed they wouldn't possibly be worse than the current underworld kings.
Anyone who could attend Big Mom's tea party had fought their way up from the darkest depths of the world.
"Stop wasting time with them!"
Already impatient, Nami shot straight into the air. With a wave of both hands, she simultaneously summoned a sphere of crackling lightning and a transparent ring swirling with violent wind and snow.
Brilliant light shone behind her, dazzling to the eye.
At this moment, Nami's posture looked almost identical to Big Mom's stance when she had attacked Luffy earlier.
Who knew—perhaps she had drawn some inspiration from the Yonko.
Before the underworld kings below could even react, Nami hurled the raging blizzard downward, aiming directly at the Loan Shark King—Du Feld!
Whooo—!
A bone-chilling gale roared forth, instantly lifting Du Feld's bulky body into the air and blowing him upward.
Nami waved her hand again, and two violent tornadoes wrapped around Du Feld and her own feet respectively.
"This guy's mine!"
"Just wait for my good news—I'll make him confess everything, even the color of the underwear he's wearing today!"
Wearing a confident smile during her first real combat using the Disaster-Disaster Fruit, Nami immediately dragged the storm-bound Du Feld toward the distant horizon, flying straight into the sky.
"…That might be a bit too much information."
Watching Nami's departing figure, Red smacked his lips, wondering whether Brook's soul powers had developed some new effect recently—otherwise how had even Nami started saying things like that?
As Nami took the initiative, the rest of the Straw Hat crew followed suit, leaping forward to find their own opponents.
Usopp grinned widely and spoke up,
"Then let me deal with this Hide-and-Seek Master!"
Before anyone else could object, Usopp waved one hand. A jet-black vine shot out from his wrist, instantly binding Giberson.
Before the drunken, deranged old man could even react, a massive butterfly covered in flame-like patterns suddenly appeared behind Usopp.
It was none other than the insect sacred beast Usopp had cultivated most successfully—
Volcarona!
Emerging from Usopp's internal storage as if it had practiced countless times before, Volcarona extended its slender antennae and hooked them onto a specially reserved pull-ring on Usopp's cloak.
With a powerful flap of its wings, it released a wave of scorching air, effortlessly lifting Usopp and the bound Giberson off the ground and carrying them high into the sky.
"Pretty fast, huh?!"
Seeing this, Franky's lips curled into a grin. He followed suit, swinging his arm forward.
The massive metal fist shot out instantly, along with the sturdy alloy chains hidden within Franky's body.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!
The specially forged iron fist wrapped around Umit's body several times before suddenly tightening, locking him firmly in place.
"Gotcha!"
As Franky completed the capture, a violent blast of air erupted from beneath his feet.
With no time for any buffering or adjustment, Franky—his body packed with Pokémon Evolution Stones—shot into the sky like a rocket, dragging Umit away from the battlefield.
For some reason, watching Franky at this moment, the image that surfaced in Red's mind wasn't the "budget warrior" route he had planned…
Instead, it reminded him of a classic anime character from his childhood—
Astro Boy with an iron body!!!
"So similar… it's way too similar!"
Red couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Could it be that failing to replicate a budget warrior had instead resulted in creating an underwear-wearing Astro Boy in the pirate world?!
"Well, everything else is fine—but if Franky, who already loves wearing speedos, develops a habit of going shirtless on top of that, then the Going Merry might actually need to put up a 'No Improperly Dressed Individuals Allowed' sign."
"Looks like there aren't many opponents left for me~"
At that moment, Robin let out a soft chuckle. Her eyes narrowed slightly, radiating a charm that was both alluring and dangerous.
"In that case…"
Her gaze shifted directly to Stussy, who had just been forced back by Red. At the same time, faint ripples of psychic power spread across Robin's body.
Before she could finish her sentence, Robin vanished from the spot—
Teleport.
And along with her, the previously panicked Stussy disappeared as well.
At this point…
Only one underworld king remained on the field—
The Big-Hand Undertaker, Drug Peclo, whose true face was hidden beneath a mask.
This man was the administrator of the underworld's assassination sector. Even the other underworld kings found him extremely repulsive.
Most underworld powers, to some extent, still abided by certain rules.
But this man?
If he disliked someone, he could directly issue an assassination contract through the killer organizations.
Although assassination contracts in the underworld lacked the authority of World Government bounty posters, the rewards they offered were often several times higher.
Bounty posters still needed to follow some form of logic to convince the public.
Assassination contracts, on the other hand, required none.
Human hatred was endless.
"An underworld assassination organization?"
Red raised an eyebrow slightly.
He had no intention of establishing any kind of assassination group.
This kind of work, done purely for money, was inevitably soaked in darkness and capital manipulation—completely contrary to the Straw Hat Pirates' ideals.
And his companions would never allow such an organization to exist.
So—
"Let's just destroy it outright."
With his mind made up, Red turned his gaze toward the remaining partner without an opponent and narrowed his eyes.
"Chopper, this masked guy is yours."
Although Chopper had spent the past three months focused on his studies and hadn't trained at full intensity, that didn't mean his strength hadn't improved.
Training personally alongside Franky and Usopp, Chopper had not only learned mechanical construction and sniping techniques, but—thanks to the long time spent with them—had also obtained combat tools and weapons more suited to himself.
The current Chopper was still far from being truly all-round and would need a long time to grow further.
But if he went all out, it wasn't impossible for him to handle an opponent at the level of a Seven Warlord.
And with Red overseeing the battle, there was no need to worry about any accidents.
"Huh?! Me—fighting this guy?!"
Perhaps because his companions weren't in danger and he didn't need to risk his life stepping forward, combined with the fact that every person around him seemed more monstrous than he was…
Over time, little Chopper had inadvertently inherited Usopp's lack of confidence.
Fortunately, unlike Usopp's former cowardice, Chopper's lack of confidence was merely surface-level modesty.
After a brief moment of surprise, he stepped forward without hesitation.
Without eating a Rumble Ball, his body instantly began to swell and expand.
In the next moment, he transformed into a physique similar to Jinbe's, adopting the opening stance commonly used in Fish-Man Karate as he stood before Drug Peclo.
"Then… I'll be your opponent."
The battle erupted without any warning.
Perhaps because Chopper's normal form didn't even appear on bounty posters, Drug Peclo visibly relaxed when he saw his opponent.
In the next instant, he swung the massive scythe in his hands and charged straight at Chopper.
Yet both Drug Peclo and Chopper seemed to deliberately avoid the main arena. Fighting as they retreated, the two gradually disappeared from Red's line of sight.
Anyone who could become an underworld king was no ordinary person.
Including those who had already been taken away by the Straw Hat Pirates—many of them had gone along partly of their own volition.
In their eyes, Red—who could easily defeat Sweet Commanders—was already a powerhouse not much weaker than Big Mom herself.
They wanted nothing more than to stay as far away from him as possible.
The Straw Hats' actions had simply given them a convenient way out.
As long as they could defeat these "ordinary" Straw Hat members, they believed they could secretly escape from the outskirts of Whole Cake Island.
It was practically the best possible outcome under the circumstances.
Thus, despite their outward panic when being taken away by Usopp, Franky, and the others, who knew how secretly delighted they were inside?
However…
Would things really turn out the way they imagined?
Red's expression remained calm.
Seeing through the underworld kings' thoughts, he simply smiled and said nothing.
Then his gaze shifted to the only person left standing on the battlefield—
Vinsmoke Judge.
Sanji's biological father.
Although the Vinsmoke Family and the Germa 66 Kingdom had long operated in the North Blue and rarely entered the New World, whether in terms of strength, scale, or the methods they controlled…
They were more than worthy of the title "underworld king."
"Seriously… you're leaving me with such a huge mess?"
Sanji lit a cigarette and calmly walked toward Judge.
He raised his head slightly, the cigarette held between his lips, and spoke softly,
"Then, old man…"
"Your opponent is me."
With Brook's current strength, he still wasn't capable of facing a powerhouse like Judge. So even though Sanji wasn't eager to confront him, this battle could only be taken by Sanji himself.
"Father!!!"
Sudden shouts rang out from below the main arena.
In the next moment, members of the Vinsmoke Family—having lost their Raid Suits—leapt up beside Judge using their superhuman physiques.
Even without the suits' enhancements, their raw strength was still comparable to that of Marine vice admirals.
On the open seas, they would indeed be considered a formidable force.
Unfortunately…
What they were facing today was the Straw Hat Pirates' cook—Sanji, who had been forced by Zoro to advance at an explosive pace.
Whoosh—!!!
A black blur flashed across the battlefield.
Before Sanji's brothers like Ichiji could even steady themselves, a terrifying gale suddenly swept over them.
A faint dragon's roar echoed in Judge's and the others' minds.
It was as if a massive dragon, spewing scorching magma across its body, had appeared before them.
In an instant, Judge's pupils shrank violently, and a trace of fear flashed through his eyes.
Before his brain could even begin to process what had happened, the three brothers who had just reached the main arena were blasted away by the dragon's roar, turning into three streaks of differently colored light that smashed straight toward the outskirts of Whole Cake Island.
They were only vice admiral level, after all.
If they had been wearing their Raid Suits, they might have forced Sanji to waste a bit of time.
But now…
They weren't even qualified to serve as Sanji's punching bags.
Because from beginning to end, Sanji had only ever had one truly worthy punching bag—
The green-haired Roronoa Zoro.
Whooo—!
The gale howled, blurring Judge's vision.
Sanji's figure trembled slightly—but when Judge focused again, Sanji was already standing firmly in place, as if he had never moved at all.
"All right."
Sanji rolled up the pristine white sleeves of his suit and loosened his tie, his expression filled with impatience.
"I'm on a tight schedule…"
"So let's settle this once and for all—right here."
(End of Chapter)