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New week. Lets Push :)
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"This power—!" Sanji exclaimed, feeling the new strength awakened within his body.
Speed, power, resilience—all drastically enhanced.
Even more significantly, his body had become tougher than steel, uniquely resilient.
"Exoskeleton." Sanji murmured, his eyes widening slightly as he recognized the power.
If Sanji could look in a mirror right now, he'd see his eyebrows' curl had reversed direction, now matching his siblings'.
Sanji was no stranger to the power of the Exoskeleton—It was the result of the genetic modifications his father, Vinsmoke Judge, performed on him and his siblings.
Using 'Lineage Factor' to modify them, granting them superhuman power.
The powers infused into their bodies were: 'Strength' (encompassing speed and power), 'Resilience' (durability and recovery), and most importantly, the 'Exoskeleton'.
His siblings—Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji—had possessed these superhuman abilities since childhood. The price was the loss of Human emotion.
Though his sister Reiju retained her emotions, she couldn't disobey their father's orders.
His mother, to ensure he could retain his human emotions, had taken a drug that affected the Exoskeleton's Lineage Factor modification—while he kept his emotions, he was born with the body of a normal human, without an Exoskeleton or superhuman powers.
While digesting Rowen's infused spiritual power, Sanji sensed it.
The Modified Lineage Factor within him hadn't vanished due to his mother's actions; it was merely dormant.
And as he assimilated Rowen's spiritual energy, the 'Strength' and 'Resilience' modifications were slowly activated—enhancing his power, speed, and durability.
And now—under extreme emotional duress—the Exoskeleton power had fully awakened!
The first thing Sanji felt upon gaining this power wasn't joy, but a subconscious panic. His brothers, under the influence of this Lineage Factor, were nothing more than emotionless monsters.
His bonds with Rowen and the crew, with Owner Zeff, with those idiot cooks... His passion for cooking, his dream of finding the All Blue—these were Sanji's most precious treasures.
If gaining this power meant losing those emotions—HE'D RATHER NOT HAVE IT.
But thankfully—his emotions remained intact. Sanji could still feel his love for cooking, his yearning for the All Blue, his father-son bond with Owner Zeff, his desire to see those idiot cooks at the Baratie again—his precious camaraderie with Luffy and the others—and his resolve to help Rowen achieve his dream, even if it cost him his life.
Since that was the case—it was a damn good thing this power had awakened!
Sanji's eyes burned with searing fire.
He had been so frustrated earlier!
So ashamed of his performance!
Luffy's power far surpassed his, sure, but even that Moss-head's strength was a tier above his! But Sanji's frustration and anger weren't just about that.
Even against the moss-head, Sanji would only strive to catch up, not feel jealous. Though they always fought, Zoro was still his precious comrade.
What enraged Sanji—was that Vice Admiral Yamakaji had managed to launch a support attack against Luffy while Sanji was fighting him, ruining Luffy's chance to quickly defeat his own opponent!
This created a flaw in the battlefield Rowen had meticulously arranged for them—and he had boasted about competing with Zoro to be Rowen's No. 1!
And because he lacked Conqueror's Haki, his rate of digesting Rowen's spiritual power was actually slower than Zoro's and Luffy's. The power gap between them would likely widen even further in the future!
At this rate—forget being Rowen's No. 1—he might not even qualify for No. 2 or No. 3!
Vivi's Sand-Sand Fruit ability was improving at a terrifying rate, and she had already awakened Armament Haki; her current strength was no less than his!
Though Sanji wouldn't feel jealous of his comrades, this feeling of inadequacy still left him frustrated.
But now—that was no longer a problem!
With his Exoskeleton awakened, his strength skyrocketed!
He had once again earned the qualification—TO COMPETE WITH THE MOSS-HEAD TO BE ROWEN'S NO. 1!
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"Losing focus, are we?"
Though Yamakaji didn't know what had happened to Black Leg, his Observation Haki sensed Sanji's momentary emotional lapse—a clear opening.
In such a fierce battle, a moment's distraction—Onigumo's earlier fate was the best example!
Yamakaji naturally wouldn't miss this chance. His Haki-infused blade slashed powerfully towards Sanji's abdomen—
Yamakaji's justice was 'gentle' justice, similar to his teacher, the former Admiral known as Zephyr 'Black Arm'. Even against an enemy like Sanji, Yamakaji aimed to incapacitate, not kill.
Capturing Sanji and imprisoning him in Impel Down was Yamakaji's strategic goal—
But—
"CLANG! BANG!"
His Haki-infused blade, the moment it struck Sanji's body, shattered into pieces!
"WHAT???" Yamakaji's usually half-closed eyes snapped wide open in shock. How could his body be this tough??
This wasn't Haki; it was Black Leg's raw physical durability! That kind of physical toughness was impossible for a normal human!
Right! Black Leg is a modified human! A member of the Vinsmoke family from Germa!
"Vinsmoke Sanji! I see! Germa 66 of the North Blue—" Yamakaji stated grimly, remembering Black Leg's earlier shout towards Akainu.
A nearby Rear Admiral tossed Yamakaji his sword.
Yamakaji infused it with even stronger Armament Haki, preparing for the next assault. The reason his sword broke was because he had intended only to incapacitate Black Leg, not kill him; his Haki wasn't at full power. But now—he couldn't hold back anymore!
He had to use his strongest Armament Haki. Otherwise, forget capturing Black Leg; he might be the one who gets defeated!
Black Leg's combat power had undergone a qualitative leap!
As expected of the crew chosen by that man, Sky Sovereign Rowen.
Every single one of them was a monster!
Even the usually good-natured Yamakaji cursed inwardly.
That feeling of being on the verge of victory, only for your opponent to suddenly level up due to their bloodline—even a good-natured man like Yamakaji found it incredibly frustrating.
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"DON'T CALL ME VINSMOKE! I AM 'BLACK LEG' SANJI OF THE STRAW HAT PIRATES! THE NUMBER 1 OF THE FIFTH EMPEROR—SKY SOVEREIGN ROWEN!!!" Sanji snarled, his eyes cold.
His earlier admission was solely for Rowen's sake! For Rowen, he could temporarily shoulder that past burden! That was Sanji's resolve!
But that family—Sanji utterly despised them, and feared them deep within his heart. Feared becoming an emotionless monster like them. And the best way to conquer fear—was to face it head-on!
"Diable Jambe—! Joue Shoot——! Épaule——! Cốtlette——!" Sanji's speed became astonishing as he launched a series of fierce attacks towards Yamakaji.
"IF YOU DIE—SO BE IT! BLACK LEG!"
Yamakaji roared, understanding now was not the time for his so-called 'Gentle Justice'. If he too was defeated, the situation on this battlefield would become truly dire!
Unlike Zephyr's principle of never killing, his own 'gentle justice' was different.
He—WAS READY TO KILL.
Yamakaji unleashed his full Armament Haki and Six Powers, fiercely countering Sanji's attacks.
Sanji's previous strength was only Rear Admiral level. With the Exoskeleton awakened, he had just reached the Pale Gold tier—Vice Admiral level.
Because his base physique and Haki hadn't reached the level he possessed when fighting Queen in the original story, his awakened Exoskeleton's strength was also inferior to that future state.
The Exoskeleton's power amplified Sanji's own strength; it was a multiplier.
Even after Awakening, Sanji could still train and further enhance his body's modifications. Modification was just modification. What ultimately determined power ceiling—was the individual themselves.
Physique, Haki—those were the true keys to strength!
....
For now, Sanji and Yamakaji were evenly matched. Many of the Rear Admirals and Commodores exclaimed in shock!
Black Leg Sanji, bounty only 50 million Beri, previously unremarkable in the Straw Hat crew—had undergone a qualitative transformation in the middle of a battle??
He could now fight evenly with Vice Admiral Yamakaji?!
This strength was not what a 50 million Beri pirate should possess!
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And not just Black Leg Sanji...
Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy was completely overwhelming Vice Admiral Momonga!
Momonga now needed the coordination of several Rear Admirals just to contend with Straw Hat—And Pirate Hunter Zoro, teaming up with Desert Princess Vivi, had defeated Vice Admiral Onigumo!
The Straw Hat Pirates—was this terrifying??
Even without Rowen, the current Straw Hat crew was a terrifying force on the seas in its own right! A standard Buster Call force would struggle immensely to take down the Straw Hats even without Rowen!
Add Sky Sovereign Rowen himself...
This... This was practically the standard configuration of a true Emperor's crew!
Though Sky Sovereign Rowen was hailed as the Fifth Emperor, that was mostly out of respect for his individual strength. A man with his battle record—even the Four Emperors themselves couldn't say he was unworthy.
But that was just individual strength!
An Emperor's crew represented military might—not just the Emperor himself!
But the Straw Hats' strength—had been consistently underestimated.
The world thought the Straw Hats were a crew sheltered under Rowen's protection. THAT Rowen was the scary one, not the crew.
Their high bounties were due to Rowen's presence.
But now, after engaging them in all-out war—they finally realized how catastrophically wrong that assumption was!
Straw Hat Monkey D. Luffy. His current combat power was no less than an Emperor's Vice-Captain. Even a top-tier Vice Admiral like Momonga couldn't handle him one-on-one!
Cat Burglar Nami, with that strange climate weapon, could unleash a portion of Rowen's Rumble-Rumble Fruit power. If a normal Vice Admiral got hit, they'd be severely injured!
Sniper Usopp was no simpleton either. The special ammunition he fired contained Rowen's Flare-Flare Fruit power—extremely potent.
Plus Devil Child Nico Robin, who had also mastered Armament Haki—and Rowen's pet, who could transform into a monster, another Devil Fruit user.
Without a doubt—this was a fully fledged Emperor Crew.
Could it be that in the future, the Straw Hat Pirates, once dismissed as a crew under Rowen's protection—could grow to become a formidable pirate crew rivaling even the Red Hair Pirates??!
The Red Hair Pirates' forces were actually smaller than the other three Emperor crews; they had fewer commanders.
But the combat strength of their commanders was extremely horrifying. Hailed as an 'impenetrable' pirate crew, renowned for the high average bounties of their commanders!
The current Straw Hat crew—already resembled the Red Hair Pirates!
NO... not just resembled!
With Sky Sovereign Rowen at the helm, aside from the number of commanders, this was practically ANOTHER Red Hair Pirates.
An impenetrable pirate crew!
And they hadn't even reached Sabaody yet!
What if, one day, the Straw Hat Pirates were to surpass even the Red Hair Pirates? Thinking of this scary future, many of the Marine elites swallowed hard.
Surpassing the Red Hair Pirates, renowned for the high average bounties of their commanders... Wouldn't that make them the Strongest Pirate Crew??
In their minds, an image of a taboo name within Marine HQ and the World Government emerged—
The Pirate King's crew. A super pirate crew possessing more than one Emperor-level powerhouse!
The Roger Pirates...
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