Only Gawain, with wings on his back and wearing red armor, stood in the harbor like a god, watching everything on the sea indifferently.
At this moment, the pirates who had once considered the Water 7 as their prey clearly understood who the real hunter was.
At least, until that man fell, no one could take the Water 7 from him.
Further away, a line of snail ships, floating like islands on the water, didn't even budge despite the rising sea waves.
But standing on the deck of the snail boat, looking at Gawain in the distance, Judge's hand holding the broken spear was shaking constantly.
"This guy... is definitely qualified to wrestle with the four emperors. When did such a person appear in the Marines?!"
"Impossible!"
"Even if the admiral of the Marines took action personally, it would be at most this level. This kind of person is definitely not an unknown person..."
"No!"
Judge's breath was choked, and Kuro's face appeared in front of him again.
The undisguised sarcasm towards the affiliated country of the World Government and the ferocious murderous intent in Kuro's eyes all indicate the same thing.
"He can't be a Marine!"
"Young and handsome face, fighting power comparable to that of a Marines admiral..."
A name slowly appeared in Judge's mind: "White Knight Gawain!"
"Retreat!"
"Quick!"
This time Judge really gave the order to retreat.
Pirates and Marines are different.
The Marines will take his identity as the king of an affiliated country of the World Government into consideration, but pirates will not, not even the Warlord who has been recruited by the World Government.
The relationship between these pirates who enjoy the privileges of the Warlord and the World Government is mutually beneficial.
As long as the benefits are big enough, breaking the contract is as easy as eating and drinking for them.
This is also why the matter of the blueprint of the Pluton of the Water 7 made such a big fuss, but the World Government left the powerful fighting power of the Warlord unused.
After all, these people act only for their own interests, and no one can predict whether they are here to snatch the blueprint of the Pluton or to help.
"That waste really latched onto a big player."
Judge broke out in a cold sweat, especially after he recalled his attitude towards Sanji.
Although Kuro didn't say it explicitly, Sanji's importance to him was no less than that of his importance to Ichiji and others.
Once they remembered… wait!
This may be my chance, a chance for Germa 66 to reconquer the North Blue!
As long as this man can help, the Germa 66 will be invincible in the North Blue!
That rubbish... No, Sanji has Vinsmoke blood in his body, after all. Even if he doesn't recognize him as his father, he can't deny Sora!
Judge was extremely excited, but he calmed down as he turned around.
The more excited someone gets, the more they lose rationality and the more likely they are to make decisions that go against their own interests.
Judge looked back at the harbor of the Water 7.
The pirate ships wandering around had already left, and there was nothing there.
Only the wreckage of countless pirate ships rose and fell with the sea, which made people's scalps numb.
Originally, this battle was no suspense in Judge's eyes.
But now, with the appearance of Gawain, he has almost turned the tide of the battle by himself.
Even powerful figures like Ochoku, who ruled Hachinosu Island for decades, suffered a great loss at the hands of Gawain.
Such power is not inferior to that of the emperor of the sea.
But with this level alone, can Water 7 be defended!?
Judge didn't know the answer to this.
What he knew was that, based on the information he had obtained on the surface, there were many big figures like Big Mom and Ochoku among the pirates who came to the Water 7, and there were countless other powerful figures.
Such combat power is enough to attack the Marine Headquarters.
Gawain alone can only delay the situation for a while.
Moreover, even if the subsequent Marines arrive, it is still unknown whether they will stand on the same front as White Knight Gawain.
After weighing the pros and cons, Judge shook his head helplessly. He longed to restore his country, but he knew how to weigh the pros and cons.
It was a question whether Gawain could survive the chaos that followed.
"What a pity."
After a sigh, Judge raised his head.
The Water 7 was getting smaller and smaller in his sight until it finally disappeared into the horizon.
"Judge-sama!"
Adjutant Moss exclaimed and stumbled out of the cabin, his expression full of panic: "The Marines have taken action!"
"The spy we left on the waterway has detected the Marines's movements."
"A fleet of more than 30 marine warships set out for the Water 7 half a month ago."
"Even if it is blocked by a large area of glaciers on the way, causing the sailing speed to slow down, it will only take four or five days for the Marines fleet to reach the Water 7."
Judge's pupils shrank.
He has a much better strategic vision than Moss and naturally sees much more information than the latter.
"It seems that the battle for the Pluton blueprint is coming to an end."
"You mean the Marines will completely wipe out the surrounding pirates?!"
"No!"
Judge's eyes were like torches: "With the spread of the news that the Marines are about to arrive, the big forces hidden around the Water 7, whether it is Golden Lion, Ochoku, or others, will not be able to sit still."
"The most rational and safest way is to directly capture the Water 7 before the Marines arrive and quickly retreat after obtaining the Pluton blueprint."
"After all, whether I'm willing to admit it or not, the Marines are the most powerful force in this sea. This time, the mess is so big, and the one who leads the action must be an admiral."
"And the current three admirals of the Marines..."
Judge swallowed his saliva, his face turning extremely solemn: "The overwhelming powerful combat power is secondary; the most important thing is that the three of them are Logia Devil Fruit users and have the power to influence the situation by themselves."
"Logia Devil Fruit users..."
Moss murmured with fear in his eyes.
He naturally knew what an admiral with Logia fruit ability represented.
"Let's retreat."
Judge looked at the sea and ordered: "The next battle is no longer something we can intervene in."
"Then Ichiji and the others..."
"Then it all depends on their luck!"
Judge paused while clenching his fists tightly under his sleeves.
After leaving a hurried word, he quickly walked into the cabin.
Moss wanted to follow him in, but unexpectedly, the next second, Judge's hoarse roar and the sound of things being smashed came from the cabin.
... … ...
At the Water 7, in the harbor.
The pirates around completely retreated, and the sea was empty.
Only the disgusting smell of blood was blown away by the sea breeze and flowed into the entire city.
Whoosh!
Gawain sheathed his sword and looked around. After confirming that the surrounding pirates had left, he did not stay any longer and disappeared on the spot in a flash.
In the distant building, Reiju's mind was still reverberating with the scene of Gawain cutting everything with one slash.
The earth-shattering explosion still made her ears ring.
Her lips slightly opened, the shock in her heart could no longer be described in words, and she stammered: "He, he, he... Who is he?"
"Admiral? Emperor of the sea?!"