One Piece: A Warlord's Path

Chapter 914: Chapter 914: The Living Sacrifice

Hours later.

Aeridar sat on the sofa, his gaze fixed on a sophisticated red case resting atop the coffee table. The lid was propped open, revealing a strange, yellowish-white fruit nestled inside. It resembled a large cherry, but its surface was covered in the distinctive karakusa swirls of a Devil Fruit.

The door creaked open, and Gilbert Arlan walked in with a faint smirk.

"Are they gone?" Aeridar asked tonelessly, casting a brief glance toward him.

"Yeah. Just sent them off," Arlan replied. He sat down on the opposite sofa without ceremony, eyeing the Devil Fruit. He chuckled. "I never would’ve guessed Black Leg Sanji was Judge’s son. Truly unexpected. Though, it was strange, when they met, they looked more like mortal enemies than family."

Arlan leaned back, looking puzzled. "Sanji flatly denied having a father. He told us he’d rather we kill him than let Judge take him back. I don’t get it. Why would Judge trade a high-quality Devil Fruit just to get back a son who hates his guts?"

"The Paramecia-type Glue-Glue Fruit is a fair trade for Black Leg," Aeridar said calmly, his eyes never leaving the fruit. "We still have Nico Robin in our hands. Given Straw Hat Luffy’s personality, he’ll come walking into his death soon enough. As for Judge’s motive... Pudding mentioned before she left for Totto Land that Big Mom is planning a political marriage with a certain power. I suspect that’s why Judge wanted him."

While Aeridar already knew Judge’s true intentions, he couldn’t reveal his foresight. Fortunately, Pudding had dropped a hint the day before her departure.

"A marriage alliance? No wonder Big Mom summoned Pudding back to Totto Land in such a hurry!" Arlan’s expression darkened. "Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji are the core strength of Germa 66, the peak of Germa Kingdom’s technological prowess. Judge would never let them marry into the Big Mom Pirates and become subordinates. So, he’s using the black sheep, Sanji, as the sacrificial pawn for the dowry."

"But all of Judge’s children are supposed to be the highest products of Germa science," Arlan mused. "Does that mean Black Leg Sanji was a failure?"

Arlan’s casual guess, ironically, hit the mark perfectly.

"Who knows?" Aeridar shrugged. "According to what Dorot Otto and Cavendish reported after clashing with him at Punk Hazard, Sanji is incredibly strong. His bounty doesn’t match his actual combat ability at all. From what I can see, he’s at least on par with Ichiji, Niji, Yonji, and Reiju."

"How strange," Arlan muttered, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Don’t overthink it. If Big Mom really intends to use Pudding for this marriage, the invitation will arrive soon enough." Aeridar leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes, looking perfectly at ease.

"But what about our experiments?" Arlan asked, his voice low and urgent. "If Pudding gets married, can she still come back to help us? What if she leaks our research data?"

He continued, "More importantly, an alliance between the Big Mom Pirates and Germa 66 will see their power skyrocket. Even if Pudding doesn’t want to betray us, if Big Mom forces her, it could cause immense trouble."

The Memo-Memo Fruit ability was vital. Relations between the Big Mom Pirates and the Chris Pirates were currently stable, and Pudding had assisted the Chris Pirates with several classified human experiments.

If it weren’t for his wariness of Big Mom, Aeridar would have considered detaining Pudding by force, or even killing her to seize the fruit for themselves. However, unlike Big Mom, who despised Pudding’s third eye, Aeridar and his crew treated her with genuine respect. They didn’t discriminate against her Three-Eye Tribe heritage.

Over the past two years, Pudding had often spent more time at Clifford than in Totto Land. She wouldn’t intentionally betray them. But if the alliance with Germa succeeded, Big Mom would undoubtedly covet Germa’s technology and, by extension, the core technology of the Chris Pirates.

If Pudding were caught in the middle, forced by Big Mom to extract secrets... it would be a disaster.

Vroom—

Suddenly, Aeridar’s eyes snapped open. A violent surge of pressure erupted from him, causing the very air in the room to tremble.

"Pudding’s ability is too important. I will not allow Big Mom to use her as a political tool."

"If necessary... we go to war."

...

In the waters off the Clifford Kingdom, a strange vessel was sailing.

The ship was carried by a colossal sea snail, its back supporting a massive, castle-like structure. The sails were emblazoned with a bold, black ’66’.

Standing on the third-floor balcony of the castle, Sanji, looking sharp in a black suit, dangled a cigarette from his lips. He watched the hundreds of soldiers training in the plaza below, exhaling a plume of white smoke.

Tap, tap, tap...

The sound of approaching footsteps came from behind. Judge walked up to Sanji’s side, looking down at the plaza with pride. "The soldiers of Germa... even after all these years, they’re still impressive, aren’t they?"

"Boring. They’re far worse than the Chris Pirates," Sanji retorted. Though a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, he maintained a look of disdain. The soldiers below were powerful, agile, and their movements were clinical and efficient. Since he had set out to sea, only the crew of the Chris Pirates had shown discipline comparable to these Germa troops.

"Hahaha! Perhaps!" Judge didn’t take offense. Instead, he laughed. "But you really are cold. Facing the father you haven’t seen in years, don’t you have anything to say as a son?"

"Don’t call yourself that! How many times do I have to say it?" Sanji turned, his voice a low growl of fury. "I’ve severed all blood ties with you! Even if I have a father, it certainly isn’t you!"

Judge stopped laughing. He turned to look at Sanji with absolute certainty. "No. My blood still flows in your veins. Conquering the North Blue has always been Germa’s dream, but the World Government will never allow us to do it alone."

"But if we align with Big Mom, then conquering the North Blue becomes a tangible, realistic... goal!"

As he spoke, a fire ignited in Judge’s eyes. To see Germa rule the North Blue once more was his life’s ambition. With the strength of a Yonko, that dream was within his grasp.

"Conquering the North Blue... how grand. Perfectly fitting for an evil organization like yours," Sanji said, blowing out a ring of smoke.

"Unfortunately, to borrow Big Mom’s power, a blood bond must be formed. It’s just a marriage, but I didn’t want to hand over my precious sons to that madwoman."

Judge’s expression turned cold and stern as he locked eyes with Sanji.

"Then I remembered... I still had one ’disposable’ son. I originally wanted to discuss this with you more formally, seeing as you are an item I traded a Devil Fruit to get back from those lunatics."

"But now, it seems there’s no need for discussion. You will obediently become the living sacrifice."

"For the glory of the Germa Kingdom, and for the Vinsmoke Family, offer yourself up!"

"Vinsmoke Sanji!"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!