How can I become the Pirate King if you don’t work hard?.

Chapter 260 Wang Zhi
Kro did not respond; he glanced around.

soon.

The three Ichi brothers, who had already lost consciousness, appeared in Kuro's line of sight, while Reiju, the only one who was still able to move, was also controlled by Zoro.

Including Judge, who was seriously injured by Kro himself, the ruling class of Germa 66 was almost entirely controlled by Gawain's group.

Now you dare to negotiate with me?

"It seems you're a little out of the loop."

Kro looked at Judge with a mocking expression, making no attempt to hide his ridicule.

"What's the meaning?!"

Judge's heart skipped a beat, and a hint of displeasure appeared on his face.

Although Germa has no territory, this does not prevent it from existing as a country, which is recognized by the World Government, and the Vinsmoke are the royal family of this country.

Even the Navy is not allowed to directly attack the royal families of the World Government's member states without authorization from the World Government.

This is an ironclad rule written into the laws of world governments.

"You need to know your place!"

"Sea soldier!"

"If the World Government finds out what you're doing—!"

"You have no right to negotiate with me!"

Kro shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips, and looked at Judge with the same gaze he would give a clown.

"I'll give you two choices."

"First, you leave with Germa and your affiliated pirates, and I will return those puppets to you."

"Secondly, Germa will be wiped out at sea tonight."

call--!
The sea breeze howled, stirring up dust from the earth.

For a moment, Judge forgot even the pain in his body; his brain seemed to freeze.

Germa roamed the North Blue, and Judge, as their leader, naturally had many dealings with the Navy.

Every time the navy learned of his identity as the king of a constituent country, they turned a blind eye to his actions. Even if they couldn't stand it, they would only issue verbal warnings and there was never a large-scale conflict.

The Navy is nothing but the dogs of the World Government!
This understanding was already ingrained in the instincts of people like Judge, so much so that even now, despite his defeat, he still maintained that superior attitude.

But things have turned out differently than he expected.

"I……"

"three!"

Clooney lost his patience, held up three fingers, then bent his ring finger:

"two!"

"one--!"

"I accept!"

Judge shouted, fearing that at any moment, Kro would attack Germa directly.

At this moment, Judge felt his mind was incredibly clear, a level of clarity he had never experienced before in his life.

In the brief exchange just now, what impressed him most was not how sharp Kro's slashes were, but the speed that was invisible to the naked eye, no, not only that, but also that his Observation Haki could not detect.

With such speed and a blade sharp enough to cut through seastone, it would only take Kro a few minutes to completely pierce through Germa's warships.

Having lost the ability to resist, Ichiji, Niji, and the others could only wait to die.

This means that the man in front of them, at this very moment, has the power to decide the fate of Germa.

What world government-recognized nations, what laws restricting naval operations—they're all bullshit in the face of absolute power!
Ichi and his team are my hope, Germa's hope, and they cannot be lost here.

The fleet behind me is the cornerstone of our nation's restoration, and it too cannot perish at sea here.

in a moment.

Judge had already made up his mind:

"I choose one."

"I accept your terms."

"Ha~"

Kro slowly lowered his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips:
"In this respect, you are far inferior to those puppets over there."

"At least they won't be afraid, won't be swayed by personal emotions, and won't waste so much time on questions with clear options."

Gaji's face flushed red and then turned pale.

Tonight's experience almost reminded him of the time when Germa was defeated and lost the North Sea.

Both were crushed by absolute power, and both were utterly powerless.

The anger in his heart was almost burning him up, but facing Kro at this moment, he could only try his best to suppress it completely.

Impulsiveness can lead to death.

Judge knew this, and he was even less willing to die such a pathetic death, so he could only live on in an even more pathetic way.

"Can I take Ichi and the others with me now?!"

"Of course not."

Kro shook his head:

"Once the events in Water Seven are over, I will make them leave."

"Are you kidding me?!"

Gaji clenched his teeth, his voice barely containing his anger:

"Now countless powerful figures are hiding in the shadows, including monsters like Golden Lion, Big Mom, and Wang Zhi who once fought Roger."

"Even with your power, you can't save Water Seven. Keeping them alive until then is tantamount to killing them. I can't agree to such a deal!"

"Hey……"

Kro sighed, and when he looked up again, his killing intent surged out like a tidal wave. The surrounding air blew his clothes up, making him look even more terrifying.

"Then let me put it another way."

"Either I kill you all now, or you take a gamble and see if those puppets have any chance of surviving."

Judge opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to refuse, but couldn't say anything.

"You'd better pray that we can hold onto Water Seven."

The sound hadn't even landed yet.

Kuro vanished into thin air, disappearing like a gust of wind across the battlefield. Along with him, the three Ichi brothers and Reiju also disappeared.

boom!
boom!
boom!
……

The pirates around them continued their relentless attacks, shouts of battle filled the air, and cannon fire rained down.

Judge stood in the port for a long time before finally having no choice but to activate his battle suit, leap up, and embark on his return journey.

It was only at this moment that he realized he had no choice from the very beginning.

boom!
Judge slammed heavily onto the deck of the snail ship, his eyes already bloodshot.

"navy!"

"navy!"

"navy!"

Three angry roars erupted from Judge's mouth. At this moment, he was like a wounded lion, wanting to fight back but no matter what he did, he was no match for the hunter's guns.

No.

Compared to his opponents, he was no lion at all.

It's not some Garuda, the strange bird that feeds on dragons; that nickname sounds more like a joke now.

He turned his head and looked back at the port in the distance, which was almost ablaze, barely managing to suppress the anger in his heart.

"Ichi and the others are Germa's most perfect creations; they cannot afford to fail!"

"No matter how strong that guy is, he can't be stronger than Grandma, Wang Zhi, or Golden Lion. It's only a matter of time before Water Seven falls."

"If he can coerce me once, he can do it again. Even when Water Seven is short of manpower, he might still make me join the war."

"We can't let this continue!"

"Can……"

Recalling Kro's overwhelming power, Judge felt a wave of powerlessness wash over him.

Not only were Ichiji and his two companions easily destroyed, but even their own battle suits and weapons were also easily destroyed. Such power might not be able to contend with Big Mom and Shiki, but it was definitely not something they could match.

"In that case..."

As he pondered, a resolute glint appeared in Judge's eyes. He slowly took out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and dialed a number. Soon...

An old, hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Germany brats?!"

"what."

Judge responded, but his gaze remained fixed on the distant port, his pupils reflecting the rising cannon fire and a resolute fire burning within them.

It almost set his soul ablaze!

“Wang Zhi, I agree to your request. Germa can provide you with sufficient troops, and can even share technologies beyond bloodline modification with you.”

"But I need you to help me rescue a few people from Water Seven. With your abilities, it shouldn't be difficult for you to do that."

"Oh~"

On the other end of the phone, a man named Wang Zhi sighed, but his voice betrayed a lack of confidence:
"If this had happened a few days ago, this request would have been fine, but now it would probably be difficult."

"Don't be too greedy!"

Judge assumed the other party was trying to raise the price, and his pent-up anger was completely ignited at that moment:

“I have already made huge concessions. The price you offered is the lowest among the sellers. I’m not even sure if I can break even.”

"That's not the problem."

Wang Zhi shook his head, recalling the battle just now, and a look of lingering fear appeared on his face:
“There is a monster in Water Seven whose strength is comparable to mine in my youth. I suffered a minor loss at his hands and now I have no choice but to retreat for the time being.”

"That guy is stronger than you?"

The image of Kro's cold face flashed through Judge's mind, and he subconsciously felt that Wang Zhi was lying.

He had lived through the era of Wang Zhi and knew all too well just how powerful these monsters, capable of emerging from among millions, truly were.

Is Kroos strong?!
Very strong!

It's no exaggeration to say that if Kuro had sided with Judge, Germa's unification of the North Blue would definitely not be just a slogan now.

But even between someone as strong as Kro and Wang Zhi, there is still an insurmountable gap.

"This is impossible."

Gaji categorically denied:

“I just fought him. He’s strong, but he’s no match for you.”

"Perhaps we're not even talking about the same person. That guy is a Mythical Zoan type ability user. He's very fast and his slashes are extremely powerful."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. After several seconds of silence, Wang Zhi's weak voice finally came through. It was clear that he put "minor loss" in quotation marks.

"That's a coincidence."

Judge was so angry he laughed:

"What I encountered here was also a Mythical Beast-type ability, its speed was terrifying, and the power of its slashes was..."

Judge looked down at the spear that had broken in two in his hand, and his lips twitched slightly.

"A spear with a hardness comparable to sea stone couldn't even stop that guy for a second."

"what?!"

Wang Zhi looked completely bewildered, but when he realized what was happening, his voice was already tinged with anger:

"Since you've been watching my fight, you don't need to act like this. Let's just forget about the deal!"

"beep--!"

The call was hung up.

Judge stared blankly at the Den Den Mushi receiver in his hand, then turned to look at the port of Water Seven.

Then a figure entirely crimson appeared, rushing from the other side of Water Seven and crashing into the harbor.

"That posture and ominous aura... another Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit user?!"

"and many more."

"Is Wang Zhi talking about the same person as me, or are there two equally powerful men with similar fighting styles in Water Seven right now?!"

Gaji suddenly remembered what Wang Zhi had just said.

He had dealt with Wang Zhi for many years, and the latter was one of Germa's important buyers, so he was naturally aware of Wang Zhi's character.

It's a small loss, but if nothing unexpected happens, he'll most likely be so badly beaten that his mentality collapses.

"withdraw!"

"Let's withdraw!"

……

In the port.

As Gawain landed, Krok had already sprung out from the building next to him.

At first glance, Kro noticed Gawain's tattered clothes, which were clearly marks left by a slash.

Although it didn't break through Gawain's defenses, leaving only a few white scratches, it still made him look extremely disheveled.

But Kro knew this was an extremely dangerous sign.

"Has a strong opponent appeared on Akin's side who can fight you?!"

"That's it."

Gawain spoke calmly, one hand resting on the long sword at his waist, while glancing at the approaching sea in the distance, explaining:
"Ah Jin ran into an old guy."

"Because of my age, my swordsmanship, domineering aura, and physical strength have all begun to decline, but my abilities are becoming more and more difficult to master, as slippery as an eel."

"Paramecia-type Devil Fruit - Teleport Fruit, which allows you to instantly appear anywhere within a kilometer and can also teleport humans, but it consumes more stamina accordingly."

Kro raised an eyebrow.

Such an ability needs no further description; its abnormal nature is already apparent.

But Gawain's presence here already speaks volumes about the outcome of the battle.

Gao Wen continued:
"No matter how fast you run, if someone predicts your teleportation landing point, you can only wait to die."

"Your kind of Observation Haki that allows you to foresee the future? Then he deserves his bad luck."

A slight smile played on Gawain's lips as he slowly drew his Kanze Masamune and said calmly:
"Leave this place to me, you guys get out of here."

Kro nodded and then told Gawain about the battle situation here and the agreement he had reached with Judge.

Gao Wen naturally had no objection to this.

After all, taking down a major power and getting several Germa suits for free, aside from Van Augur suffering a minor injury, it's practically a complete victory.

Zoro, noticing the commotion, immediately picked up the unconscious Sanji and headed towards the rear.

Reiju glanced at the retreating defense forces in the distance, and was momentarily puzzled:

"The tide of battle has just turned, and now is the time to expand our advantage and even crush the pirates in one fell swoop. Why retreat?"

Zoro glanced at her, recalling Reiju's earlier attitude towards Sanji, and spoke up to remind her:

"The battle that follows is beyond our control; even if we stay here and observe, we risk being caught in the crossfire."

"If you don't want to die, come with me!"

Reiju couldn't help but swallow hard, glancing at Gawain from afar.

Instantly, one could feel the terrifying aura emanating from Gawain, which pressed down like a mountain, making it hard to breathe.

"That guy... is even stronger than that guy named Kro?!"

"Kro couldn't withstand a single move from him."

"real or fake?!"

Reiju wanted to ask more questions.

Zoro had no time to worry about that. He hoisted Sanji onto his shoulder and sprinted away at full speed, as if he would encounter some monster if he hesitated even a step too long.

Seeing this, Reiju gritted her teeth, activated her combat boots, and instantly accelerated to catch up with Zoro's figure.

on the way.

Reiju couldn't help but turn around, only to see countless pirates surging into the port like a tide.

They brandished their knives and guns, charging towards the figure standing in the harbor, roars filled with greedy desire echoing from the dark mass of people.

"Although we don't know why the defense forces withdrew, as long as we take this guy down, the Hades blueprints will be ours!"

"That's right!"

"He's all alone, and even the monsters of the navy are no match for us!"

"He could be drowned by the spit of just one person!"

(End of this chapter)