One Piece: A Warlord's Path

Chapter 951: Chapter 951: Each with Their Own Plans, Harboring Hidden Motives

Inside the central keep of Unzan Port.

After a long wait, Vinsmoke Judge finally welcomed the arrival of Aeridar. The two sides commenced their negotiation in an seemingly highly amicable atmosphere.

Predictably, Judge declared that he had rejected Big Mom’s proposal to continue their marriage alliance. He claimed that because this decision had deeply offended her, he now sought a mutual defense pact with Aeridar to jointly withstand the Charlotte Family.

To prove his sincerity, Judge went so far as to volunteer the Germa 66 legion to serve on the front lines, directly clashing with the Big Mom Pirates.

Faced with Germa’s entry and the earnestness Judge displayed, Aeridar did not refuse. He readily accepted the request, establishing a formal alliance that encompassed mutual defense, intelligence sharing, and various strategic partnerships.

Consequently, the dozens of giant snail paddle-ships of the Germa Kingdom dropped anchor adjacent to Unzan Port. Combined, they formed a massive terrestrial fortress, a floating metropolis upon the sea, presenting a truly spectacular sight.

The populace of Unzan Port was thrown into a state of shocked clamor upon witnessing the arrival of the infamous ’Army of Evil.’ This clear deployment meant the Germa Kingdom was gambling its entire future on the Chris Pirates, choosing to make an enemy of the Yonko, Big Mom.

Due to the impending war with the Big Mom Pirates, Aeridar had temporarily closed down the Palace Entertainment City and locked down the territorial waters surrounding the Clifford Kingdom to prevent the infiltration of enemy spies.

However, as a unique global neutral zone, the Clifford Kingdom still hosted a vast number of royal nobles, wealthy merchants, and influential aristocrats who could not leave at a moment’s notice. In particular, many factions with deep-running ties to the Chris Pirates chose to remain within the kingdom’s borders.

As a result, news of the Germa Kingdom aligning with the Chris Pirates rapidly spread across the globe, instantly causing a massive stir.

Down at the harbor, Aeridar watched Judge’s departing figure and the sprawling landmass of the Germa Kingdom floating on the water. The warm, bright smile on his face gradually faded into nothingness.

Standing right behind him were Millie, Backan, Zephyr, Ain, Enrod, and Galan.

After a long silence, Aeridar’s expression turned as cold as still water. "Millie," he spoke up, "what’s hidden inside Judge’s heart isn’t pleasant, is it?"

Backan looked perplexed, asking in confusion, "Captain, does Judge have some other objective?"

At the same time, Zephyr, Enrod, and the others shifted their gazes toward Millie, their eyes filled with silent questions.

"Oh, yes. It’s a deeply rooted malice," Millie confirmed with a nod. A radiant smile blossomed on her beautiful face, yet a piercing, formidable chill flashed through her eyes. "It seems almost nothing that fellow said contains a single shred of truth!"

Hearing Millie’s verification, the realization that Judge had come with ill intent struck everyone. They turned their gazes toward the Germa Kingdom, their eyes hardening with icy resolve.

Instantly enraged, Backan gripped the handle of the massive wheel-axe slung across his back, roaring, "Let me go hack that bastard to pieces!"

"I always suspected something was off. I felt their intentions weren’t that pure, and it turns out my gut was right," Zephyr let out a low chuckle, scratching the stubble on his chin.

Being the oldest and most seasoned among them, his instincts had flared during the negotiations, though he had lacked the concrete proof to back them up.

"Captain, leave this to us. I guarantee that after today, the Germa Kingdom will be nothing but history!" Enrod sneered savagely, his hand resting on the hilt of his long blade as a suffocating wave of killing intent erupted from his body.

Enrod was highly confident. Even without counting his White Mane Pirates, the Chris Pirates had assembled seventeen subordinate crews right here at Unzan Port. Combined with Backan’s Fourth Division, a portion of Zephyr’s ’Z’ Division, and a royal army numbering up to a hundred thousand men, they commanded over sixty vessels of various sizes. They did not fear Germa’s military strength in the slightest.

"If Judge harbors hostility toward us, it implies he has already aligned himself with the Big Mom Pirates. I believe we can use this to our advantage," Ain remarked from a distance, her clear, detached voice cutting through the tension as she stared at the floating kingdom.

Galan furrowed his brow, crossing his arms as he rumbled, "Ain-san is right. I believe the Captain should maintain the status quo and act completely oblivious. We can orchestrate a counter-plot, a trap within a trap. If executed correctly, we might heavily cripple the Big Mom Pirates or anyone else secretly scheming against us!"

"I suggest Millie-san remain here in secret. We can exploit the fact that they are unaware of her wide-range perception abilities to monitor the Germa Kingdom’s every move," Ain added, glancing at the dark-complexioned Galan before turning back to the group. "This way, we can adapt our operational strategies the moment they make a move."

Galan pondered for a moment before expanding on the idea. "The Captain and Enel-sama should remain fully prepared to reinforce this location at a moment’s notice. Furthermore, we should relocate Alvis Island to the skies directly above or near Unzan Port. Should the Big Mom Pirates or any other faction launch a massive surprise attack, we can drop reinforcements directly from above, preventing the Captain and Enel-sama from being unexpectedly pinned down elsewhere."

Both Ain and Galan possessed brilliant tactical minds. In a matter of moments, they had formulated a comprehensive counter-strategy, seamlessly accounting for unforeseen variables, such as Aeridar and Enel being tied down away from the battlefield.

"Excellent plan. As for the finer details, I’ll have Arlan and Dimitri iron them out with you," Aeridar nodded in thorough satisfaction, a confident smile returning to his face. "I will have and the doctors coordinate with you. The moment war breaks out, the ’Dragonian’ legion will paradrop immediately. Even if Big Mom herself shows up, you will be able to hold the line while fighting a tactical retreat!"

On the other side, Vinsmoke Judge and his eldest daughter, Reiju, stepped back onto the interconnected vessels of the Germa Kingdom.

"Father, are you certain you want to proceed with this?" Reiju asked, lifting her gaze to look at Judge’s silhouette. Her otherwise expressionless face betrayed a hint of gravity.

Judge’s forward steps halted abruptly. With his back turned toward Reiju, he stood completely still without turning around.

"It is already too late to turn back," Judge replied after a long pause, his voice low and solemn. "Since we have been caught between these two giants, our only option is to demonstrate our value to extract the greatest possible returns. The Vinsmoke Family’s dream of ruling the North Blue may very well become a reality once more through my hands!"

The Germa Kingdom was trapped between two behemoths. Given that they were bound to oppose one side eventually, it made perfect sense to leverage their worth for maximum gain. If they could assist Big Mom in devouring the Chris Pirates, his dream of conquering the North Blue would undoubtedly be realized.

After all, that was a promise Aeridar, as a Seven Warlords member and lord of a global neutral zone, could never grant him.

"However, that man will not easily grant us his trust," Reiju countered after a brief silence, her expression tightening further. "If God Enel is intentionally monitoring us from nearby, our every action will be exposed to his gaze, given that monster’s absurdly vast Observation Haki range."

Hearing Reiju’s concerns, Judge finally turned around, a calculated smile gracing his features. "Have no fear. I have reliable intelligence confirming that God Enel remains stationed within Nakor, keeping watch over their own capital."

"Furthermore, did we not construct the electromagnetic scramblers specifically to counter Enel’s eavesdropping?"

Because of Enel’s reckless nature, his abilities had long been exposed to the world. His formidable Observation Haki, capable of effortlessly eavesdropping on an entire island, struck terror into the hearts of many.

However, Enel’s Haki relied on the electromagnetic waves generated by his Rumble-Rumble Fruit to broadcast outward, which was the secret behind its immense coverage.

As a scientist, Judge had exploited this exact mechanism to develop a machine capable of disrupting electromagnetic waves. They only needed to activate the scrambler whenever they discussed critical matters to completely shield themselves from Enel’s surveillance.

During daily routines, as long as they didn’t let anything slip, they could freely allow themselves to be monitored without revealing a thing.

"Even so, I still feel an underlying sense of unease. I can only hope I am overthinking this," Reiju conceded, her expression softening slightly, though her beautiful eyes remained clouded with worry.

Hoo...

Judge exhaled a long breath, his voice turning absolute. "The arrow has left the bow; we can only ride it to the end."

"The North Blue... With the might of the Charlotte Family backing us, the Vinsmoke Family will unquestionably rule those seas once more!"