Boom—
Thanks to Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit ability, which could fully strip away and transfer the powers of other Devil Fruit users, the number of Devil Fruit users in Blackbeard's crew was remarkably high. For example, there was this tall man: dressed in a tattered pirate coat, with a dirty scarf wrapped around his messy black hair, and a pale, gaunt face. Even his sword, the sailor knife commonly used by pirates, was dull and lifeless, making him look three parts like a person, and seven parts like a ghost. The only thing that stood out were his bright eyes, which seemed to burn with fire—
'The Judge' Henry, the 7th ship captain of Blackbeard's crew.
He was one of the powerful recruits Blackbeard had taken in over the last two years. Two years ago, after robbing a Marine transport fleet, the "giant warship" Sanjuan Wolf and the "big drunk" Basker Chote were killed by the Marines in retaliation. As a result, some strong people had been promoted under Teach's leadership, giving hope for 'promotion and salary increases' to the powerful members of Blackbeard's crew.
His opponent was:
"Die!"
Charlotte Snack, wearing a wool coat, a red-and-white striped scarf, and armor on his arms, wielded a long sword. He was once one of the Sweet Commander's Four, and also a great swordsman.
Though he had lost to the 'weird monk' Urouge, whose strength grew the longer a fight dragged on, it didn't mean he was weak—he just met his match.
"Fried potato slices!"
With a swing of Snack's long sword, a blade of light cut through the air, intent on slashing through everything in its path. The overwhelming, sky-darkening sword strikes moved in a crisscross pattern, sharp enough to cut a person into thousands of pieces in an instant! In the blink of an eye, Snack enveloped Henry entirely. This sickly-looking man was clearly a fast swordsman, so Snack aimed to make him have nowhere to run.
The battle went exactly as Snack had expected. His swordsmanship was far superior to Henry's, and the man didn't seem to specialize in using Armament Haki to withstand blows. Despite his efforts to dodge, Henry was slashed and cut thousands of times, his blood splattering out from beneath his tattered pirate coat, dark red and black. However, despite all this, Henry didn't show any signs of fatigue. Instead, he coldly murmured:
"Blood is the original sin, and the sinner shall be judged…"
?! "You shall fall into hell, deep into the pit…"
Danger—
In an instant, Snack's instincts told him that an attack that could threaten his life was coming! He immediately raised his sword to block, his entire body covered with Armament Haki, hard as steel. His Observation Haki was fully alert! He was confident that even his second brother Katakuri's attacks wouldn't be able to shake his defense, but:
"Look… into my eyes!"
"Judgment!"
Snack hesitated and instinctively looked into Henry's eyes. Henry's bright eyes burned with crimson flames that grew larger in Snack's vision, as though they were crashing toward him. The flames had no heat, no light, but there was a deep red that felt like an eternal, hellish fire. Within those flames, Snack saw: death, death, death! Endless, countless deaths!
Children with their throats slit, enemies with their heads chopped off, traitors hanged, and Marines ripped apart by flying slashes, pirates shredded by dense streams of sword light… and all of them were killed by Snack himself!
"What is—?!"
The terrifying despair, the painful struggles, the coldness of death, all of it was something Snack had once mercilessly inflicted on others. He had never felt a hint of pity for any of them. But now, all those feelings came rushing back in an instant, returned to him, for him to experience, for him to feel.
It was as if he had died hundreds, thousands of times in a single moment. Who could bear such pain?
This was far more intense than the 'Moon Reading' technique, which tortured a person for 24 hours! If it were to be compared, even the eternal boss would give it a thumbs up.
"Impossible—"
Crash!
One of the Sweet Commander's Four was down again.
Unfortunately, no one knew what Snack was feeling. They only saw that Snack, who had previously been winning, suddenly softened and collapsed after making eye contact with Henry. His eyes were dull and lifeless.
"Ahh~~ What happened?!"
Chopper, standing nearby, was completely shocked. This three-meter-tall sword-wielding giant from the Charlotte family, who was one of the Sweet Commander's Four, with a bounty of 600 million, had been defeated so quickly. "Heh, so this is what pirates are like…"
Chopper was frozen in fear as Henry, the 7th ship captain of Blackbeard's crew, spoke softly, his burning judgmental flames now aimed at the terrified reindeer. Chopper, with his measly bounty of 800 Berries, couldn't understand how someone with such a massive bounty could fall so quickly.
"Look into my eyes!"
As Henry, with his judgmental flames burning in his eyes, gazed at the panicked reindeer, he smirked, seemingly already seeing Chopper's soul being consumed by his flames of judgment.
Henry was a Devil Fruit user with the Judgment-Judgment Fruit. Through his gaze, he could judge the souls of others.
Once he activated his ability, anyone who made eye contact with him would be judged. All the wrongs they had committed, all the pain they had inflicted on others, would be reflected back to them. They would reap what they had sown, feeling the consequences of their own actions!
And how many pirates didn't have blood on their hands? Even within the Marines, the higher the rank, the more lives they had taken! So when Henry used his judgment ability, it was unstoppable, a power that only grew stronger in the face of stronger opponents. But:
"Ahh~~ Eh?"
Chopper's face turned pale with fear, then—
"Even if you say that, I'm not happy at all, you jerks~~"
???
Watching Chopper squirm in embarrassment, not only were the Charlotte family members, who had just dragged the unconscious Snack to the back, completely stunned, but even Judge Henry's eyes widened in shock—
It made no sense. Most pirates were ruthless killers who took pleasure in tormenting civilians. But the Straw Hat Crew… their fights could almost be called acts of heroism.
And Chopper, though he had fought before, was first and foremost a doctor.
In Alabasta, he treated thousands of wounded desert warriors. In Skypiea, he healed the rebels fighting against Enel. Later, in Water 7, Fish-Man Island… he cured the gigantified children in Punk Hazard and saved countless lives in Dressrosa.
"You're a pirate, so why the hell are you saving people?!"
Henry, usually cold and composed, couldn't help but shout. This was insane! A pirate like this… no, even by normal standards, he was a rare kind-hearted fool.
"I'm a doctor! What else would I be doing if not saving lives?!"
Chopper was furious! He grabbed a Rumble Ball and popped it into his mouth.
Did these people not understand how sacred a doctor's duty was—
"OOOOHHH~~"
In an instant, he transformed into his massive Monster Point form.
His entire body grew to over ten meters tall, with enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, and endurance. His huge frame moved with surprising agility, and when he swung his enormous fist, the air itself howled under the pressure.
"Sakura Heavy Punch!"
BOOM!!
Without his biggest advantage, Henry had no chance against Chopper in Monster Point. It only took a few moves before he was sent flying by a devastating punch, his already sharp features growing even darker with anger.
"Sargins, you handle this damn gorilla—"
?
"I'm not a gorilla!"
"Wait… are you… looking down… on gorillas?!"
As Henry retreated, a massive warrior charged forward.
His entire body radiated a wild, primal energy. His bare upper body was covered in tribal-like patterns, making him look like a fearsome warrior from an ancient civilization.
As he roared like a beast, his three-meter-tall frame suddenly began to grow uncontrollably. Thick fur rapidly spread across his body, and an overwhelming surge of Haki burst out like a raging storm. His hair stood on end, crackling with energy, and his eyes turned blood-red.
"Sargins… is angry!!"
In the blink of an eye, he had transformed from a man into a massive, fifty-meter-tall black ape.
His mountainous body, bulging muscles, and glowing red eyes made him look like an unstoppable force of nature. The dark fur covering his body rippled violently in the sea breeze, and when he slammed his fist down, it felt like the entire island might shatter.
**Zoan-Type: Monkey Fruit – Ancient Model – Super Primate Ape Form**
Sargins, the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates' 8th ship.
He was once the ruler of a remote island in the New World, living a free and primitive life. After being defeated and captured by Blackbeard, he quickly became addicted to the pleasures of "civilization"—food, drinks, and entertainment. Now, he was a loyal follower of Teach.
"Ape Rampage!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
Sargins had no fighting technique, but he didn't need any.
With his enormous size, he could unleash devastating, supersonic blows in an instant. The sheer force and destruction of his attacks were enough to make anyone tremble.
Even the strongest members of the Charlotte family instinctively retreated. Yet, despite pulling back, they were still battered by the shockwaves alone, their Haki-covered faces stinging from the impact.
As for Chopper—
"Chopper?!"
Even in his Monster Point form, the massive reindeer had to brace himself with his arms, but he was still sent flying into a crater a hundred meters deep!
His ten-meter frame was nothing compared to the towering giant before him—it was like a child facing an adult.
Meanwhile, Sargins, in his fully awakened Zoan form, beat his chest with deafening force. Rings of white shockwaves and air pressure rippled outward, shaking everything around him.
"You… little ape, weak!"
"I… big ape, unstoppable!"
… "Damn it, this is my fault!"
Once a battle turned into all-out war, the Straw Hat Crew's biggest weakness became obvious—they simply didn't have enough people.
The Charlotte family members had been weakened after being imprisoned, and even though Roman had healed them somewhat, they were still far from full strength.
Now, surrounded by the elite forces of the Blackbeard Pirates, they were barely holding on through sheer willpower.
If Roman were here, he'd surely have a way out of this mess…
As the Straw Hat Crew and their allies struggled against the overwhelming enemy forces, even Luffy—who had been held back for so long—felt his frustration boiling over.
"Luffy, stay focused!"
Jinbe, now fully covered in Armament Haki, gave up using his water-based fighting style and shouted to snap Luffy out of his distraction. He then met Teach's punch head-on!
Having had a good relationship with the Whitebeard Pirates in the past, Jinbe was very familiar with the power of the Quake-Quake Fruit. That knowledge allowed him to barely hold his ground.
"Just hang in there! As long as Nami and the others—"
*Whoosh!*
*Boom!*
A deafening crash shook the battlefield as a ship came flying in from the distance, slamming into the ground and carving a deep trench as it skidded to a stop. Everyone on the battlefield turned to look.
Now that was an entrance...
The Thousand Sunny!
(End of chapter)
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