Rumble, splash!
The seawater on both sides converged, creating massive waves dozens of meters high. The warship, split in two, was immediately submerged in the ocean. Hundreds of soldiers on board, including Niji, had no time to evacuate and were swept into the sea by the massive waves.
The continuously churning sea accelerated the sinking of the First Ship, causing the Chris and the remaining Third Ship to rock violently.
In the distance, several ships were anchored in various directions. There were merchant ships, pirate ships—all watching the battle in astonishment.
"Germa 66 is actually fighting the Chris Pirates!"
"Has the Germa Kingdom declared war on the Clifford Kingdom?"
"Golden Ring Aeridar, that man, has personally made a move!!"
"That slash was utterly outrageous... I can't believe the Chris Pirates' #1 and #2 combatants are both out."
"A battle of this caliber, and it's still so one-sided. Truly worthy of being a renowned Great Pirate of the New World!"
"..."
In the air, Aeridar slowly descended onto the deck of the Third Ship.
Upon seeing Aeridar, the usually arrogant, impulsive, and reckless Yonji couldn't help but gulp, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. Even with many guards protecting him, he felt no sense of security; in fact, he was starting to feel a chill of fear.
A monster capable of sinking a large warship with a single punch wouldn't be stopped by a hundred, or even a thousand, people in front of him.
Looking at the slightly youthful face of the boy before him, Aeridar noticed his strong resemblance to Sanji from the Straw Hat Pirates, except for the hairstyle. Or rather, these two were brothers, with Sanji being the third son and Yonji the fourth.
"Hehe~"
Thinking this, Aeridar chuckled lightly. It had been a while; he had almost forgotten that he was in a two-dimensional anime world.
"What are you laughing at? Are you looking down on us?!" Hearing Aeridar's laughter, Yonji's impulsive and reckless temper flared up, and he immediately demanded.
"Hmph~"
Aeridar scoffed, shaking his head. His body suddenly vanished.
"Nani?!"
Yonji was startled. Where?!
Thud!
Before Yonji could have a second thought, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, as if his intestines had been ruptured. He was sent flying backward, colliding with several people, and then slammed heavily into the wooden wall beneath the ship's bow, leaving an indentation.
In Yonji's original spot, Aeridar now stood, having replaced him in the midst of a group of guards.
Shinra Tensei!!!
Before the guards could react, three astounding impact forces erupted from Aeridar's body.
Thud!
Instantly, an invisible airwave exploded, centered on Aeridar. All the guards and soldiers within five meters were sent flying, spitting blood, clearing a wide space.
"Boring."
Aeridar pursed his lips and walked towards Judge, who had by then been helped to his feet.
"Damn it, what's he trying to do?"
"He wants to harm the Commander!"
"Protect the Commander! Kill him!"
"There are many of us! Let's go together!"
Seeing Aeridar walk towards Judge, a group of soldiers on the ship gathered in front of Judge, raising their swords and guns, charging forward.
"S-stop!"
Just as Aeridar was about to knock down this group of small fry with a single punch, a somewhat weak voice, yet audible to everyone, rang out.
"Commander?!"
The Germa 66 soldiers looked back, recognizing Judge's voice.
"Everyone, move aside."
Judge shook off his escorts and stumbled forward. He stopped less than five meters from Aeridar, already panting. He sat down cross-legged, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and then ripped off his tattered combat suit.
Fortunately, his combat suit had good defense, and his body was reinforced by genetic research technology; otherwise, he would have died long ago.
"This posture... do you want me to spare you? I said you'd die if you didn't entertain me," Aeridar raised an eyebrow, displeased. "And right now, I'm not entertained!"
The coldness in his last words sent a shiver down Judge's spine.
"The SS drug came from your scientists, didn't it?"
Though phrased as a question, Judge's tone was full of certainty.
Aeridar tilted his head, not understanding what Judge meant by that.
Judge stared at Aeridar, calmly saying, "My Germa 66 is not only a military organization but also a scientific combat unit. We possess a great deal of useful technology, and we have decent expertise in human reinforcement and genetic research."
Hearing this, Aeridar's eyes lit up. He understood Judge's meaning. The Clifford Kingdom wasn't without scientists, but the only truly skilled one he had was Dalt, which meant research progress was slow. If he had Germa 66's technological support, all their research projects could be sped up.
"The pirate code is that the victor possesses everything of the defeated, but it's not absolute. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many treasure legends and maps in the world."
Aeridar grinned savagely, immediately laying out his exorbitant demand: "I'll allow you to ransom yourself with something, but I want the 'Blueprint of Life' Lineage Factor—all the research blueprints for the Lineage Factor Theory!!!"
What is the 'Blueprint of Life' Lineage Factor?
Years ago, Vinsmoke Judge worked as a scientist alongside Dr. Vegapunk in an illegal research team called MADS. Vegapunk discovered the 'Blueprint of Life' Lineage Factor. When the World Government found out, they shut down the organization and took Vegapunk and his team, while Judge escaped.
Upon returning to the Germa Kingdom, Judge utilized the Lineage Factor Theory to lead his research team in developing 'Life Replication' (Cloning) and 'Modification' projects.
The Lineage Factor Theory is said to be close to the realm of God. Many famous technologies in the One Piece world utilize the Lineage Factor Theory.
Regarding this theory, Vegapunk used Lineage Factors to invent biological weapons (Pacifistas PX) and the technology to apply Devil Fruit abilities to objects.
Caesar used Lineage Factors to invent SAD, the raw material for artificial Devil Fruits (SMILE).
Even Dalt's SS drug and the Devil Fruit technology of the Gamas Kingdom from eight hundred years ago have strong connections to the Lineage Factor Theory.
However, they didn't know about the Lineage Factor Theory itself; they merely stumbled upon parts of its theory and application through step-by-step exploration. They didn't know it was called Lineage Factor, nor did they fully understand the theory. This is also why Judge brought up the SS drug.
"Agreed, but I demand the ransom of everyone," Judge replied without hesitation, readily agreeing.
Man is the cleaver, and I am the fish. There's a future only if I live; if I die, there's nothing. So there's nothing to hold back. Saving my life is the most important thing.
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