The casual bickering of the Straw Hat crew was a sight everyone had grown used to, even Reiju. However, Judge and his sons watched in disbelief. It was their first time seeing a crew interact this way; Luffy, who could be a terrifying force of Haki, now acted like a noisy, spirited child. It was hard for them to reconcile this behavior with the reputation of a Yonko who made the entire world tremble. Yet, as defeated men, they were in no position to judge.
With the family grievance settled, the crew had to focus on the immediate crisis: the incoming Big Mom and Blackbeard Pirates, while also remaining wary of the stalking Marines. The Straw Hats' situation was far from optimistic.
"Luffy, we—" Carl began, but he was cut off.
"Zehahaha! Straw Hat, I've found you!" A familiar, booming voice echoed from above.
The crew looked up to see a terrifying sight in the sky. Massive ships were floating among the clouds, some flying the three-skull flag of the Blackbeard Pirates and others bearing the pink-haired, red-lipped emblem of the Big Mom Pirates. Both Yonko groups had arrived simultaneously, likely accelerated by Blackbeard's use of the Float-Float Fruit abilities.
"Blackbeard Pirates, Big Mom Pirates... you've arrived at the perfect time," Luffy said, cracking his knuckles with excitement. "We just finished up here, and I was worried I wouldn't get a chance to move!"
The rest of the crew prepared for battle, their expressions turning serious, though none showed a hint of fear. Even the sea bull, Momoo, let out a threatening roar. For the animal's safety, Law used his Shambles ability to swap Momoo into the ship's fish tank, ensuring the beast wouldn't be lost if they had to make a sudden escape in the open sea.
Judge watched the two royal fleets occupying the sky, frozen in indecision. Big Mom had arrived too late for his original plan, and Germa had already been defeated by Sanji. Though the Straw Hats were outnumbered, Judge hesitated to pick a side, knowing that a wrong choice would lead to his absolute destruction.
"Well, well! Isn't this Judge, the King of Germa?" Big Mom cackled from her ship. "You've been beaten quite badly!" She grinned down at him. "Originally, I planned to annex the Straw Hats through marriage and seize Germa's technology in the process. That plan failed, but it doesn't matter. Once the Straw Hats are eliminated, your Germa Kingdom will no longer need to exist. Your technology will flourish within my crew instead!"
The Vinsmokes were stunned by her bluntness. Judge broke into tears of realization. "You mean... you only agreed to the marriage to steal our technology? It's not true!"
Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji were furious at the betrayal, shouting that they would never forgive the Big Mom Pirates. The Big Mom crew responded with mocking laughter, looking down on them as if they were already dead. The Straw Hats remained silent; they knew that "seeking skin from a tiger" was a suicidal endeavor. The so-called overlords of the North Blue were nothing more than ants to a Yonko. Judge had foolishly thought his technology made him an equal, while Big Mom only saw him as a source for a stronger army.
Wiping away his tears, Judge stood tall and addressed his people. "Ichiji! Niji! Yonji! And all clone soldiers! Germa faces extinction! As the overlords of the North Blue, we will not be trampled! We will fight these Yonko to the death! Even if we are wiped out, we will bite off a piece of their flesh!"
"OH!" his sons and the clone army roared in unison.
Judge then turned to Luffy with a sincere plea. "Captain Straw Hat, we were wrong before. Your situation is grim—allow Germa to assist you against our common enemies!"
Luffy didn't even glance at him. "What you do is your business. It has nothing to do with the Straw Hats," he replied simply.
Judge laughed, undeterred. "The Captain is right. Germa is simply taking its own revenge!"
Sanji muttered something about them finally showing some spirit, though he remained indifferent to their survival. The Straw Hats stayed on standby, watching as the enemy fleet slowly descended for a naval battle. Without land as a support, Blackbeard held a significant advantage with air supremacy, reminiscent of how Shiki once suppressed the Roger Pirates.
"Luffy, they have too many people. That's not good for our friends," Carl said with a grin.
"You're right. Let's thin them out," Luffy agreed. He unleashed a massive burst of Conqueror's Haki.
Big Mom laughed and released her own Haki to meet his. The collision sounded like a thunderclap, and purple-black lightning rippled across the sky. Scores of low-level combatants on the Big Mom ships collapsed instantly.
"Not enough," Carl said, standing beside Luffy. He released his own Conqueror's Haki, layering it onto Luffy's to push back Big Mom's aura. Even more pirates fell unconscious.
"Zehahaha! You two brats think you can bully her?" Blackbeard laughed, releasing his own Conqueror's Haki to relieve the pressure on Big Mom. The conflict between the four top-tier powerhouses was so intense that the sea began to churn and the air itself felt turbulent.
"It seems you are the ones bullying the few, Blackbeard!" Zoro snorted. He unleashed his own Haki, and though it was not as overwhelming as the others, it provided enough support to Luffy and Carl to suppress the enemy's momentum.
Seeing the tide shift, Katakuri also released his Haki to bolster his mother's side. The six separate currents of Conqueror's Haki clashed violently, turning the entire sea area into a chaotic vortex of willpower.
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