Given the Hell Pirates' current status throughout the North Blue, initiating direct contact with the Vinsmoke Family would prove extraordinarily difficult through conventional diplomatic channels. The Germa Kingdom operated with the arrogant confidence of an organization that had never known defeat, making them unlikely to acknowledge upstart pirates regardless of recent reputation.
Therefore, Oboro had conceived a more direct approach to securing their attention.
Rather than waste precious time attempting futile negotiations, he would capture key members of the Vinsmoke Family itself. Such a bold move would force Judge to take the initiative in establishing contact, after all, even the most prideful king would be compelled to act when his own children faced imminent danger.
The strategy carried considerable risk, but the potential rewards justified such calculated aggression.
A week later, the Hell Pirates' flagship appeared on the horizon near a war-torn island whose smoking ruins spoke to recent and devastating conflict.
The destruction of the North Blue's largest mercenary organization had created a massive void in the regional market for military contractors. War-ravaged nations that had previously relied on professional soldiers now found themselves desperately seeking alternatives as enemy forces pressed their advantages. Many royal families, facing the complete loss of their kingdoms, had reluctantly agreed to pay Germa's astronomical fees for protection.
Naturally, the Vinsmoke Family had responded to this seller's market by dramatically raising their prices. The scarcity of viable alternatives meant they could demand whatever compensation they desired.
Therefore, the Germa Kingdom had been unusually active throughout recent months, their distinctive technology leaving unmistakable signatures across multiple battlefields.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The distant thunder of artillery fire echoed across the water as Oboro led a select group of thirteen individuals off their anchored vessel. He had deliberately chosen not to bring their entire force, this operation required precision rather than overwhelming numbers.
At the island's edge, they could hear the roar of ongoing combat carried on the salt-tinged wind. Thick smoke columns rose toward the grey sky like funeral pyres, while the acrid scent of gunpowder and burning structures painted the air with the familiar perfume of warfare.
Looking toward the coastline, the entire visible shore was carpeted with corpses and cratered by artillery impacts. Scattered flames continued burning among the debris, their orange light creating an apocalyptic atmosphere that spoke to prolonged and vicious fighting.
However, closer examination revealed telling details about the conflict's true nature. While the carnage was extensive, the degree of decay among the bodies remained relatively fresh, suggesting that despite the massive scale of destruction, the actual combat had concluded within a remarkably brief timeframe.
The evidence pointed to exactly the kind of devastating efficiency that marked Germa's military operations.
According to their intelligence reports, both Niji, the Vinsmoke Family's second son, and Yonji, the youngest brother, were currently stationed on this island along with a substantial Germa expeditionary force. The perfect opportunity for their purposes.
"The battle was certainly intense," Dom observed with professional detachment, scanning the devastated landscape with enhanced vision.
Such scenes of carnage no longer disturbed the Hell Pirates' core members. They had participated in equally brutal conflicts throughout their North Blue campaign, witnessing destruction on scales that reduced individual human suffering to statistical data.
Still, the sheer scope of this particular battlefield was impressive even by their accumulated standards.
"Your first test," Oboro announced without looking back, his voice carrying easily to the ten trainee crew members who followed in respectful formation. "Capture two members of the Vinsmoke Family."
The words hung in the salt air like a death sentence.
The ten candidates exchanged uncertain glances, their enhanced senses detecting the dangerous implications of what their captain had just commanded. These were the most promising individuals among their recent recruits, the "seeds" with the greatest potential for achieving official crew membership.
But the task ahead would test every limit of their evolved capabilities.
The Vinsmoke Family's reputation throughout the North Blue exceeded even that of the Donquixote Family in terms of pure military dominance. Several of the candidates had Sir reading the serialized adventures of Sora, Warrior of the Sea, those propaganda comics that had transformed Germa into beloved heroes throughout the region.
In all recorded history, no battle involving Germa forces had ever ended in their defeat.
Despite the supernatural enhancements they'd received from Oboro's bloodline cards, facing such legendary opponents sparked primal fears that enhanced physiology couldn't completely suppress.
Some of the candidates began unconsciously slowing their advance.
That hesitation immediately drew attention from an entirely different source of danger.
A chill ran down every spine as the assembled trainees sensed malevolent presence behind them. Turning slightly, they glimpsed Yurivich's towering form beneath his characteristic black cloak, six meters of barely contained violence studying them with emotionless pupils that promised swift and brutal consequences for cowardice.
He carried his massive sword with casual confidence while his transformed features radiated the kind of predatory menace that made rational thought difficult.
"Go," Yurivich commanded in a voice like grinding tombstones.
The single word carried absolute authority, this was not a request or suggestion, but an imperial decree from someone whose patience had already reached its limits.
Understanding their position completely, the ten candidates could only continue forward toward whatever fate awaited them on the blood-soaked battlefield ahead.
Becoming a true member of the Hell Pirates demanded more than simple loyalty or enhanced capabilities. It required the willingness to face impossible odds without flinching.
After proceeding for some time through the devastated terrain, the group finally reached a vantage point overlooking the active combat zone.
From their elevated position, they could observe a formation of obviously elite soldiers conducting systematic "cleanup" operations against scattered enemy survivors. These Germa troops moved with the mechanical precision that marked professional military units, their advanced equipment and coordinated tactics making short work of any remaining resistance.
But what truly captured their attention were two streaks of colored light, one brilliant blue, the other vibrant green, that flashed through the enemy ranks like deadly shooting stars.
The blue luminescence moved with supernatural speed, weaving between enemy formations faster than the human eye could properly track. Dom, despite his own enhanced reflexes and combat experience, found himself struggling to follow the trajectory.
"Germa..." Dom muttered with grim recognition. "The technological kingdom of the North Blue... this is the true power of science."
Meanwhile, the green light periodically touched down to deliver devastating ground attacks. When it struck, the resulting explosions carved massive craters into the earth while sending shockwaves and debris flying dozens of meters in every direction.
Yingge and the other candidates watched these displays with growing unease. The casual devastation being unleashed defied their understanding of what individual combatants should be capable of achieving.
Were those things still human?
"We'll wait until they finish their cleanup operations," Oboro observed with predatory amusement, settling into a comfortable position to observe the ongoing slaughter. "Then we'll make our approach."
The Germa forces completed their systematic extermination with ruthless efficiency.
In less than an hour, no living enemies remained on the entire battlefield except for their own personnel. The speed and thoroughness of their victory spoke to capabilities that transcended conventional military doctrine.
"Hey, Niji," called Yonji, his distinctive green slicked-back hair catching the afternoon light as he kicked aside a bisected corpse that blocked his path. "Looks like we've got rats watching us."
The youngest Vinsmoke brother opened his mouth in a predatory grin, his enhanced vision detecting the distant observers with casual ease.
Both brothers had been aware of the approaching group since their arrival, but the strangers had seemed content to simply watch rather than interfere with Germa operations. Such behavior was typical of scavengers hoping to profit from the aftermath of professional conflicts.
"The Hell Pirates," Niji replied coldly, his characteristic blue bangs shadowing features that radiated aristocratic disdain.
Despite the considerable distance separating the two groups, far beyond the range of ordinary human vision, both Vinsmoke brothers could clearly identify their uninvited audience. The genetic modifications that enhanced their combat capabilities included dramatically improved sensory perception.
The black clothing bearing distinctive skull-and-throne patterns was unmistakable.
"Could they be reinforcements hired by the enemy?" Yonji clenched his fists with obvious excitement, relishing the prospect of additional combat. "This might actually be interesting for once."
"Merely trash that isn't worth our attention," Niji dismissed with characteristic arrogance. "We'll simply eliminate them along with everything else."
Both brothers' iconic curled eyebrows twitched with anticipation.
The Hell Pirates had indeed earned considerable notoriety throughout the North Blue, though their reputation remained primarily criminal rather than military. While they did occasionally profit from regional conflicts, they remained fundamentally different from Germa's professional war machine.
Strictly speaking, they represented competitors in the lucrative market for violence.
"Let's go," Niji declared, his white cloak billowing dramatically as he launched himself skyward.
The rocket boosters integrated into his combat suit roared to life, carrying him toward the distant observers with supernatural speed. Yonji followed immediately, his own technological enhancements propelling him through the air like a guided missile.
Oboro maintained his relaxed posture with hands casually tucked into his pockets, a satisfied smile playing across his scarred features.
They hadn't even needed to actively seek out their targets, the Vinsmoke brothers were coming directly to them, their aggressive intentions broadcast through body language and spiritual pressure.
Such arrogance would make the upcoming demonstration even more educational.
"Here they come!" one of the trainee crew members called out with obvious tension.
Oboro stepped backward to provide adequate space for the ten candidates, while Yurivich, Dolan, and Dom also retreated to observer positions. This confrontation belonged entirely to the prospective crew members, their performance would determine whether they deserved promotion or replacement.
"Show us what you're capable of," Dolan called out with theatrical encouragement, though his eyes held predatory calculation as they swept over the assembled candidates.
When his gaze lingered on Yingge, the swordsman with androgynous features, hints of resentment flickered across his expression. The elegant warrior had consistently shown him disrespect during their shared time aboard the flagship, treating his seniority as meaningless pretension rather than earned authority.
I hope that pretty boy dies here, Dolan thought with vicious satisfaction.
The sound of approaching aircraft grew louder until two brilliant streaks, one blue, one green, descended from the grey sky to land with theatrical precision.
Niji touched down first, his technological armor gleaming while electrical discharges danced around his enhanced form. Yonji landed behind him with ground-shaking impact, his massive frame radiating the kind of casual violence that marked apex predators.
The contrasting personalities of the brothers was immediately apparent, Niji's cold, calculating demeanor versus Yonji's arrogant enthusiasm for destruction.
"Trash," Niji's voice carried arctic disdain as he studied the assembled Hell Pirates with obvious contempt. "This battlefield belongs to Germa. Not everyone has permission to spectate."
His words carried the absolute authority of someone who had never encountered meaningful opposition to his will.
"Go!"
Without waiting for additional provocation, one of the trainee crew members shouted the attack command.
The ten candidates moved with synchronized precision, their enhanced capabilities allowing them to execute complex tactical maneuvers that ordinary pirates could never attempt. They scattered in predetermined patterns designed to surround and overwhelm their targets through coordinated assault from multiple vectors.
However, their carefully planned strategy encountered an immediate and devastating reality check.
Before the first attacker could even complete his positioning movement, Niji's form blazed with electrical energy as he appeared above the running pirate like divine retribution. The blue-haired Vinsmoke brother wielded a crackling sword of concentrated lightning that hummed with barely contained power.
The targeted crew member's pupils dilated with shock as recognition of his impossible situation struck him. At such supernatural speeds, human reflexes, even enhanced ones, proved utterly inadequate for meaningful response.
Niji brought his lightning blade down with surgical precision.
The desperate pirate raised both arms in a defensive gesture, hoping that his evolved physiology and enhanced durability would provide sufficient protection against the incoming attack. His transformed blood carried supernatural healing properties that had allowed him to survive wounds that would kill ordinary humans.
But such advantages meant nothing against Germa's advanced technological weaponry.
The elemental energy sword sliced through enhanced flesh and bone as if they were tissue paper. Both defensive arms were severed instantly, while the follow-through carved his torso in half with clinical efficiency.
Instantaneous death.
Before his victim's bisected corpse could even hit the ground, Niji had already flashed to another position and eliminated a second target with identical brutality.
Two kills within moments of engagement.
Meanwhile, Yonji demonstrated his own devastating capabilities by intercepting another trainee crew member with explosive force. His genetically enhanced physique allowed him to deliver a single punch that drove his target deep into the rocky ground, creating a human-shaped crater while pulverizing bones and organs beyond any hope of regeneration.
In less than a few seconds, the carefully coordinated group assault had been completely dismantled through overwhelming individual superiority.
Is the gap really so insurmountable?
The seven survivors halted their advance, ice flowing through their veins as the tactical reality became undeniably clear. Their enhanced capabilities, which had made them feel invincible against ordinary opponents, meant nothing against enemies who operated on entirely different levels of power.
"A pack of rabble," Niji observed with cold amusement, noting the terror that had replaced aggression in his remaining opponents' eyes.