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The screams of war on the island—a conflict where the Vinsmoke Family was systematically crushing a North Blue kingdom—fell into a sudden, eerie silence.
In an instant, the identical Germa 66 clone soldiers pivoted, training their weapons on a new target. Every one of them looked as if they were facing the end of the world.
"The Thunder Emperor??"
Vinsmoke Judge watched Arthur descend slowly from the sky. His initial confusion vanished, replaced by a look of sheer, pale-faced horror. He recognized the figure instantly; this was a man whose mere reputation was enough to paralyze the average person with fear.
Arthur the Thunder Emperor!
Shouldn't he be back in the Thunder God Sea? Why isn't he handling his internal affairs? Why isn't he enjoying his reign in the New World? What is he doing in the North Blue??
Judge forced himself to remain calm, his expression grave. In a fraction of a second, he ran through everything he had done recently, searching for a slight. He was certain he had never crossed paths with a man of this caliber.
"The Vinsmoke Family has never offended the Thunder God Pirates, to my knowledge! Is the Thunder Emperor looking to intervene in this war...?"
Judge could only assume the kingdom he was attacking had some secret tie to Arthur. Why else would the Thunder Emperor suddenly appear just as Germa was finalizing its conquest?
Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji emerged from the piles of corpses. The small children stood behind their father's towering frame, four pairs of eyes rudely sizing up the man who shook the world.
Then there was poor Sanji. Unable to withstand the cold, he was shivering violently. His white shirt was stained with blood, and he looked utterly pathetic in the middle of the carnage. His eyes were brimming with tears, clearly repulsed by the gore.
He possessed emotions—far richer emotions than a normal person. But because of this, Vinsmoke Judge viewed him as a failed experiment and allowed his siblings to torment him.
"Offended me?" Arthur tilted his head back, his arrogant expression almost breaking into a smirk.
The Germa military might be a formidable force in the four blues, but against the Thunder God Pirates, they were nothing. Even if they had offended him, Arthur wouldn't have bothered to handle it personally. He certainly wouldn't have flown all the way from the New World for something so trivial.
Judge was flatteringly overestimating his own importance.
"Too much talking leads to an early grave..." Arthur glanced briefly at the young, unrefined Sanji before looking back at Judge. "Tell me. Which way to Minion Island?"
"Minion Island?"
Judge breathed a secret sigh of relief—at least Arthur wasn't here for the war—but that was quickly followed by a sting of indignation.
The Germa 66 legion had once conquered the entire North Blue in just 66 days. When had they ever been treated with such blatant dismissal? Even the World Government acknowledged their power, going so far as to let them manipulate Marine bounties.
But facing the Thunder Emperor—a man who didn't care for logic or politics—Judge had to swallow his pride. Their "glory" was a thing of the past. He pointed toward the horizon.
"Sail in a straight line in that direction for three days. You'll reach Swallow Island. Minion Island is right next to it."
"I see."
Having secured his route, Arthur's mood noticeably improved. He took one last look at the five siblings with their curly eyebrows, his gaze lingering for a fraction of a second on Sanji.
"A kid with real potential... a pity."
The super-soldiers Germa created through Lineage Factors were strong, but Arthur knew that a true powerhouse was never "manufactured." Of course, Kaido's physique was so absurd it was possible he was a product of similar research, but that was an outlier. Sanji had a spark, but as long as he was locked in the Vinsmoke cage, it would never catch fire.
WHOOSH!!
Without further explanation, Arthur shot back up into the clouds, streaking toward Swallow Island at a speed that defied belief.
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The day of the Op-Op Fruit transaction was drawing near.
As the underground broker, the Donquixote Family was naturally on the move. Furthermore, as a former Celestial Dragon, Doflamingo knew the fruit's true potential better than almost anyone.
However...
On the Great Flamingo Ship, the elites of the Donquixote Family were gathered in the cabin. Doflamingo gripped a newspaper so tightly the veins in his hand were bulging.
The headline "Return of the Thunder Emperor" stared back at him.
This was a disaster for Doflamingo. He wanted the Op-Op Fruit for himself to realize his dream of eternal life.
"The Thunder Emperor... this is a massive problem! That madman once said..." Doflamingo's lips curled into what looked like a grin, but inside, he was reeling with alarm.
He would never forget Arthur's warning: I am claiming the Op-Op Fruit. Anyone else who touches it dies.
Doflamingo didn't think for a second that Arthur was joking. A lunatic like that meant exactly what he said. There was no room for negotiation.
When Arthur had disappeared a year ago, Doflamingo had been quietly thrilled. The current Four Emperors of the New World were men he could deal with: Kaido wanted Zoan fruits, Big Mom wanted exotic sweets, and Whitebeard didn't care about politics. But Arthur? No one knew what he wanted. And even when he did express a desire, Doflamingo usually couldn't afford the price.
The news of Arthur's return was like a bucket of ice water over his head.
"Doffy, what do we do? Are we still going to steal the fruit?"
"Young Master, we need a decision. Our spies say the Thunder Emperor has already left his territory..."
"BE QUIET!"
The constant questioning from his family members was pushing Doflamingo to his limit. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was struggling with a fierce internal conflict.
"If we can get it, we kill every witness. If we can't, we hand the intel over to the Thunder God Pirates!"
"Arthur wants the fruit, likely to have a doctor perform the Ageless Surgery on him. Once that's done, the doctor dies... we just have to wait for the fruit to respawn!" Doflamingo reasoned, making a difficult choice.
He had no idea that Arthur's plan wasn't to find a doctor—it was to eat the fruit himself.
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Dozens of nautical miles away from Minion Island, a Marine warship was sailing at top speed.
"Bwahahahahaha! Tsuru-chan, relax... the Op-Op Fruit isn't going to grow legs and run away!" Garp laughed heartily, slamming his massive hand onto Vice Admiral Tsuru's shoulder. Anyone else would have been flattened by the blow.
"Keep your hands to yourself!" Tsuru snapped, her face twitching with annoyance. "This transaction is not going to be simple."
The Navy's intelligence network was vast, and combined with Cipher Pol's reports, they knew Arthur had left the New World and was currently in the North Blue. The World Government's top brass was obsessed with the Op-Op Fruit.
So far, the deal was still under control. The Barrels Pirates were eager to trade, even though the Government had no intention of actually paying the five billion Berries.
But if Arthur showed up... Tsuru cast a wary glance at Garp, trying to suppress the growing sense of dread in her heart.
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