Chapter 1031: The Same Dilemma, A Choice Once More

Chapter 1031: Chapter 1031: The Same Dilemma, A Choice Once More

Panic!

A feeling known as "panic" surged within Judge’s heart. He had witnessed that man’s terrifying strength firsthand. Whether it was impenetrable steel-like skin or cutting-edge technological battle suits, nothing could withstand a single blow from him. Germa’s prized technology stood no chance against such overwhelming power, especially when the technology at the enemy’s disposal was every bit as advanced as their own.

If he hadn’t believed that the Yonko, Big Mom, had ruled the New World for years and thus possessed superior strength, Judge would never have dared, nor would he have considered, becoming an enemy of that man.

When the sky falls, the tall ones take the blow; but if the tall ones collapse, then those of us who are shorter will be the first to be crushed into nothingness.

"The battle isn’t over yet; no one can predict the final outcome. Perhaps Big Mom was simply caught off guard by her own arrogance and was temporarily pushed onto the back foot. She should be able to turn the tide of battle very soon!" Judge sat upon his throne, muttering to himself, as if trying to console his own trembling resolve.

"Maybe so, but I doubt we’ll be around to see it, hahahaha—" Yonji shrugged, laughing with a reckless, hollow indifference.

"..."

Judge opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but found no words to say.

Even if Big Mom were to somehow defeat that man in the end, what would it matter? Given that man’s abilities, if he were determined to survive, Big Mom could never kill him.

More importantly, who knows how long a battle between these two monsters would last? Germa couldn’t afford to wait. They likely wouldn’t even survive until tomorrow. If the tide wasn’t turned today, then today would mark the end of the Kingdom of Germa.

"Oliver, Doflamingo, Tesoro, Abel, the clown Buggy... they have too many monsters on their side. Gild Tesoro alone is enough to tie down the majority of our Germa forces. Doflamingo is effortlessly stalling Daifuku by himself. We don’t have the slightest chance of winning!" Ichiji analyzed, his voice ice-cold.

The Vinsmoke family had clashed with Tesoro twice. The first time, due to a lack of knowledge regarding his abilities and strength, they had been soundly defeated; if not for Daifuku’s support, every member of the Vinsmoke family except for Reiju would have ended up as prisoners.

The second time was yesterday. The three brothers had joined forces, utilizing the aerial mobility of their technological boots to barely hold their ground against Tesoro in a dogfight. Yet, even then, the core strength of the Vinsmoke family remained pinned down by him, and the Germa 66 fleet had been forced into a passive defensive state against the Chris Pirates’ new-model battleships.

"Oliver only swung his blade once and critically wounded Pekoms in his ’Sulong’ form." Niji grinned, recalling the stunning flash of steel from last night, adding with a hint of awe, "He truly is a Great Swordsman. That was one sharp strike!"

One had to remember that Pekoms was a massive pirate with a bounty of 330 million berries, an Animal-type Devil Fruit user of the Turtle-Turtle Fruit, whose combat power skyrocketed in his ’Sulong’ state. No one had expected Oliver, from two or three hundred meters away, to land a single flying slash that crippled Pekoms, forced him out of his transformation, and knocked him into the sea.

Then there were the Steel Devil Abel, Dice, the Paperman Ward, the Fish-Man shipwright Nando, and the others, each more powerful than the last. Nearly all the officers of the Big Mom Pirates had been slaughtered by them.

"Unless Big Mom defeats Golden Ring Aeridar right now and comes to assist, perhaps we could still win. Otherwise, the situation at sea is irreversible. Today may well be Germa’s final day." Ichiji stated, his face emotionless as he calmly discussed the impending doom of their kingdom.

"I observed the situation at Unzan Port through my binoculars; the battlefield has shifted to the port!" Reiju stated flatly, before lifting a glass of red wine from the round table and taking a sip.

Reiju’s words hit like a thunderclap, exploding directly in Judge’s mind and leaving him frozen in shock.

The battlefield shifting to the port meant only one thing: the Big Mom Pirates on land had been routed and were retreating. If they were winning, the fighting would still be taking place within the city or even deeper inland.

"Hahahaha..."

Suddenly, Yonji clutched his head and burst into manic laughter. "What a pathetic sight, the Big Mom Pirates! And they call themselves a Yonko crew! Katakuri, Smoothie, Perospero, Oven... all these arrogant bastards. I wonder how many of them are dead already? Hahahaha—"

"They’re probably all just about dead, and then it will be our turn. It’s the first time I’ve realized that when facing true monsters, our battle suits aren’t all that special, hehehe..." Niji joined in, his laughter devoid of mirth.

"Should we let Sanji out? Maybe he could provide us with one last bit of entertainment before the end, hahahaha—" Yonji roared with laughter.

Judge’s face darkened as he looked at his laughing sons. He snapped, "What is wrong with the two of you? Think of a way for us to escape!"

At that moment, Reiju looked at her family and said quietly, "If we defect from the Big Mom Pirates and concentrate our remaining ships to strike at a weak point in the Chris Pirates’ encirclement, we might still be able to break through. After all, their fleet size is limited."

Hearing this, Judge’s eyes lit up. He quickly said, "A good plan! The Chris Pirates still have many standard sailing battleships; with Germa’s firepower, we can definitely force a breakthrough!"

"That would look truly pathetic, Father. At this point, the fall of Germa is nearly impossible to salvage. If we offend the Chris Pirates and then betray the Big Mom Pirates, we might as well just fight until we die!" Ichiji chuckled, tilting his head to look at Judge.

After this battle, whether the Big Mom Pirates or the Chris Pirates won, neither would be completely wiped out. But if Germa retreated now, their reputation in the New World would be destroyed, becoming even more notorious than the ’Army of Evil.’ No matter who won, the Big Mom Pirates would view Germa as a mortal enemy, and the Chris Pirates certainly wouldn’t spare them either.

Judge’s expression grew even grimmer. He knew Ichiji was right. Though the New World respected strength above all, the reputation of a traitor was a stench that would never wash off, unless one managed to achieve what Blackbeard had and seize the throne of a Yonko.

But his dreams remained unfulfilled, and now the Kingdom of Germa, with its legacy of so many years, was about to be obliterated. This was a reality Judge found utterly impossible to accept.

"Then... we surrender!"

Reiju looked deep into Judge’s eyes and whispered, "We offer up all of Germa’s technology, along with myself, a woman who still holds some value. That gives us our final bargaining chip."

BOOM!

Suddenly, the castle wall exploded outward, showering the hall with debris as a violent shockwave swept in, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.

"It’s no use. The Chris Pirates have begun their assault!"

Through the massive hole in the wall, Reiju saw the distant flashes of cannon fire erupting from the enemy pirate ships.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM...

In an instant, a ceaseless barrage of thunderous roars echoed as countless cannonballs slammed into the area surrounding Germa’s flagship. The violently churning sea caused their fortress-like snail-shell ship to rock uncontrollably.

"Father, do we capture or release the man from the Mirror World? Make your choice!" Reiju turned her head, staring intently at Judge on the throne.

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