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Short in stature but with muscles knotted like ancient roots and bursting with explosive power, Rockwell—a sturdy man whose chin bristled with a beard as sharp as steel needles—swaggered into the Germa Castle aboard the giant snails, escorted by Vinsmoke soldiers.
Compared to over a decade ago, Rockwell's appearance hadn't aged a day; he still looked mature, but his demeanor was now incredibly grounded. His aura was far more condensed. Despite his short stature, he exuded the presence of an impenetrable iron fortress.
"It seems Mr. Judge cares little for the life or death of his own children? If you don't stop them, that boy is going to be beaten to death..."
As he entered the spacious great hall, the first thing he saw was three children with different hair colors, clad in miniature Raid Suits, bullying a trembling blond boy. Rockwell was momentarily surprised, then asked with a chuckle.
He had long heard rumors that the warriors of the Vinsmoke Family were devoid of humanity, knowing only slaughter. It turned out the rumors were true.
"Hmph... The biggest slave trader in the North Blue, a man who has destroyed countless families and separated wives from husbands... Your crimes likely surpass even some of the great pirates in the New World. For a man whose heart is colder than mine to suddenly show mercy? It's laughable!" Vinsmoke Judge sneered.
"Mercy? You seem to have misunderstood. What I meant was, since you despise your son so much, why not sell him to me? ...He may be young, but he has high potential for growth!" Rockwell's face remained hard, though he feigned a genial tone.
"That is none of your concern. Where are the slaves the Vinsmoke Family requested?" Judge asked imperiously, looking down from his throne.
"My apologies for that, Mr. Judge!" Rockwell said the words, but his face showed not a shred of regret.
"I have disbanded all my family's slave-catching teams. I'm quitting the business. I came today to tell you that our partnership is cancelled... From here on out, I'm heading to the New World to pledge my allegiance to Lord Arthur, the Thunder Emperor!"
"No slaves? What kind of joke is this..." Judge's expression shifted instantly, his eyes filling with cold, murderous intent.
"You think you can just quit? I only realized today how naive you truly are, Rockwell! Once your hands are stained with sin, you can never wash them clean... Do you have any idea how many people in the North Blue want your head? If all the nations whose citizens you've enslaved united, the bounty they've placed on you in the Underworld would exceed your imagination!"
"And you think you can leave the North Blue to join Arthur? What makes you think you're qualified to serve under one of the 'Four Emperors and One Sovereign'?" Judge said, his gaze turning completely indifferent.
"Without business dealings, our years of friendship are officially over. Mr. Rockwell, the Vinsmoke Family has no choice but to capture you and claim that bounty..."
"Attack!!"
At his command, squads of Clone Soldiers, identical in face and clad in Germa Raid Suits, marched out from the shadows of the palace in perfect unison.
Dozens of them surrounded Rockwell. Swords crackling with electricity, wreathed in fire, or dripping with poison were unsheathed. A cold, emotionless aura permeated the war room.
"Capture me? For a bounty?"
Rockwell lowered his head, his tone dripping with disdain. He stood a head shorter than the encroaching soldiers, but the bulging muscles all over his body hinted at an explosive power far beyond the norm.
Compared to the man who had his dreams extinguished by a single sentence from Arthur over a decade ago, the Rockwell standing here today was a completely different beast.
"The reason I'm going to the New World to see the Thunder Emperor is precisely because I've spent these years honing myself. I only dared to say it because I'm confident now, you fool!"
Rockwell slowly raised his head, revealing a wild, arrogant grin. The politeness from earlier vanished without a trace.
"You think this trash from Germa can capture me? Ahahahahaha!"
BOOM!!
The battle inside the castle erupted in an instant!
Rockwell threw himself at the Germa legion like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep, fierce and invincible!
His Taijutsu reigned supreme in the North Blue. Every punch and kick carried immense power; even the Lineage Factor-enhanced cyborgs couldn't withstand his Haki-infused strikes.
Bones snapped, tendons tore, and blood flowed freely...
"If this is the extent of your power, then this ends here. I'll be taking your bounty..." Vinsmoke Judge raised his head arrogantly and slowly stood up from his throne.
On the wall behind him, the massive portrait symbolizing Germa's martial prowess and their conquest of the North Blue framed his tall, imposing figure, giving him an air of supreme authority.
He reached out and grabbed a high-tech spear standing nearby, watching indifferently as his genetically modified soldiers were slaughtered one by one by Rockwell.
"The Thunder Emperor isn't the only master of lightning. Science... is the root of all power!! It allows man to control wind, rain, and thunder..."
BZZZZZT!
Dazzling, intense golden electricity erupted from the tip of the spear. Snakes of lightning danced wildly, and terrifying heat condensed into a point capable of melting anything, aimed to pierce directly through Rockwell.
"Electromagnetic—Shaft!"
Vinsmoke Judge's high-level combat skills, combined with his advanced weaponry, elevated his fighting power to a whole new tier.
The surviving soldiers instinctively retreated before the sharpness of their ruler. The Vinsmoke siblings watched with pride as their father displayed his divine might.
"You dare compare yourself to Thunder Emperor with such insignificant lightning control?"
"But, this is actually perfect. If I crush the infamous 'Army of Evil'—a force even the World Government respects—surely Lord Arthur won't refuse my allegiance this time!" Rockwell looked fanatical.
He still held a grudge over Arthur's question from years ago: "What qualifications do you have to follow me?" He hadn't forgotten it. He had done everything possible to increase his strength just to stand before him again.
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"Hmm?"
Arthur, speeding through the sky as a streak of lightning, suddenly felt something on the distant sea resonating with the thunder he controlled.
Expanding his Observation Haki, the image of Germa 66's giant snail fleet appeared in his mind from dozens of nautical miles away.
"One of the Vinsmoke Family's high-tech electromagnetic weapons? It pales in comparison to Vegapunk, but he's still a talent nonetheless!" Arthur abruptly halted his flight.
He knew, of course, that before serving the World Government, Vegapunk had conducted research alongside Vinsmoke Judge. They worked together until the discovery of the "Lineage Factor"—the blueprints of life—caused the World Government to deem them a threat. The research team was disbanded, and Vegapunk was arrested.
Judge had been part of that team, and he used the Lineage Factor technology to build the current Germa Legion that terrorized the North Blue.
If Vinsmoke Judge didn't have real skill, a man as arrogant as Vegapunk would never have allowed him to join his research team in the first place.
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