Chapter 84: Entrance Challenge

"These ships should all be here for the Vinsmoke family's engagement ceremony."

As time passed, more and more ships started to appear on the sea. However, instead of attacking each other, they were all moving in the same direction.

Some ships looked pristine, while others bore the scars of battle. There were even ships like the Donquixote Ship, dragging along other vessels that had seen the ravages of war.

"On the sea, anyone could be the hunter or the prey."

Rosinante stood on the deck, gazing around. Those who could attend this "ceremony" were all powerful forces in their own right.

But some ships were dragging pirate ships, and others were being dragged by pirate ships. This world's chaos and cruelty were evident.

"Heh heh heh, some people are willing to give us ships and money. Can't ask for more than that."

Torrebor chuckled happily, towing two pirate ships behind the Donquixote Ship!

On this trip alone, they had earned 100 million berries. Clearly, plundering was indeed the quickest way to wealth.

"Don't get complacent," even though most ordinary pirates were no match for the Donquixote Family, Rosinante wasn't as optimistic. "If we encounter someone as strong as the White Dragon Pirates, everything we have could become someone else's spoils."

"Dof doff doff, that's why we need to become even stronger."

At the helm, Doflamingo was in a good mood. "Strong enough to plunder the whole world!"

"You boys..."

Elegant Jora leaned against the railing, using a telescope to look ahead. "Something's up. We should be arriving—"

Jora's words made everyone look ahead. Soon enough, a "castle" came into view.

"This is... the Vinsmoke Family?"

"I never expected that there would be a 'fortress' built on the sea."

As the distance closed, numerous rocky structures collectively formed a massive "fortress."

It looked as though someone had used a multitude of ships to connect and construct a platform, then built an impregnable kingdom atop it.

"That's right, this is Germa 66, led by the Vinsmoke Family."

Rosinante pointed to the massive and sturdy fortress before them.

"This fortress is composed of an astonishing number of 'snail ships.' When they're separated, they form the vast fleet of Germa 66. And once they come together, it becomes the territory of the Vinsmoke Family—"

The Saint Charlos!

From the name alone, one could discern the Vinsmoke Family's ambition.

"This is actually a fleet..."

Even Jora was looking with delight. Inside the gigantic "maritime fortress" ahead, there were trees, streets, fortresses, even a massive castle, and the black cross "66" flag fluttering above.

Like the capital of a nation!

If it were on land, it wouldn't be much to speak of.

But constructing such a massive fortress at sea was truly awe-inspiring.

As the Donquixote Ship drew nearer to the maritime fortress, they could even see colorful flags fluttering on the roofs, multicolored balloons hanging from trees, and various decorations like flowers on the eaves and lampposts.

These elements softened the fortress's austere atmosphere, adding a touch of festivity.

"Dof doff doff, all the 'powerhouses' of the North Blue have gathered here..."

Ships continuously converged on the fortress from all directions, and even the Donquixote Ship was just one of many.

The extent of their influence caused Doflamingo to reveal an expression of "they could be replaced."

But as the Donquixote Ship slowly approached the maritime fortress, the people on deck furrowed their brows.

"Hey, hey, what are those guys doing, all gathered there?"

Torrebor pointed at the crowded pirate group on the deck of the Vinsmoke Family's fortress, unsure of their purpose.

"Let's go and take a look."

The ship beneath their feet docked next to the maritime fortress, and immediately, a man in a black suit and sunglasses with the letters '66' embroidered on his chest approached.

"Kindly show your invitation, guests."

When Doflamingo gestured towards the "record pointer" on his wrist, the man nodded and added casually:

"Only one guest can enter with one invitation. Please understand."

"Huh?"

"Doff doff doff, what if we all want to go in?"

Doflamingo took a step forward. He didn't need to use Haki; the imposing presence of the family leader, along with his battle-hardened aura, surged toward the man.

"If you want to bring in multiple individuals, then—"

Despite Doflamingo's overwhelming presence, the man in the black suit remained unfazed. He turned slightly and gestured toward the crowd nearby:

"You'll need to pass the challenge here if you want to bring in more than one person."

Oh?

As Rosinante and the others turned to look, a sudden explosion rang out from the crowd.

Boom!

"What's this..."

"Someone used explosives, 'Blast Ore'!"

The sound of the explosion was all too familiar, given that the Donquixote Family possessed many such explosive devices.

As Diamente mentioned "Blast Ore," the expression of the black-suited man beside him remained emotionless, but a hint of disdain flashed in his heart.

"Just some low-quality 'Blast Ore.'"

Rosinante corrected offhandedly. The crowd in front of them quickly dispersed, revealing a heavily charred but still standing robust man.

In his hand, he held the pirate captain by his feet, whom he had just strangled.

"'Challenge' has no restrictions on methods, but it does have a time limit."

The charred man was well-built and robust, despite having had a high explosive attached to his face. It had blown away a chunk of skin from his chest, exposing pink and charred muscle fibers, yet he didn't even furrow his brow.

It was his hand that held the pirate captain's neck, and his face was already turning from red to purple. He flailed his limbs wildly, but he couldn't budge the charred man's grip.

"Exceed one minute, continue struggling, and you'll be disrespecting the Vinsmoke Family."

Dead!

After he finished speaking, the charred man squeezed his fingers tight, and with a crunch, the pirate captain's neck twisted at an exaggerated angle, his limbs went limp, and he was clearly dead.

"Captain!"

"Damn, the Vinsmoke Family is really something..."

The surrounding pirates ranted, but they kept retreating.

Their captain had a bounty of 10 million berries, making him a "powerhouse"! Yet he had been killed by the opponent like snapping a chicken's neck. What could they, mere "ordinary people," do against that?

"Run!"

The pirates scattered, rushing to their ships and escaping, not even caring about their captain.

Having survived a blast to the face from the Blast Ore, the charred man casually tossed the corpse in his hand outward, flying several dozen meters before splashing into the sea. Then he turned to Rosinante and the others.

"Are you all also up for a 'challenge'?"

Without waiting for Rosinante and the others to respond, he directly stated the rules.

"I'll stay here without evading or running away."

"You're free to attack me in any way you want, and you have one minute."

"As long as you make me take a step back, you can bring in one more person."

Interesting.

Rosinante could understand the opponent's actions. After all, only powerful people could attend the Vinsmoke Family's royal engagement ceremony; it wasn't for a bunch of underlings. If they wanted to bring more people in, they had to demonstrate their strength.

"A test of strength?"

With a sharp voice, Pica stepped forward.

"Let me handle this."

Rosinante and Doflamingo had no objections to Pica's participation.

In terms of pure strength, the current Donquixote Family had no one stronger than Pica.

"Ah—"

Amidst a piercing roar, Pica, whose already robust figure suddenly expanded a bit, stepped forward fiercely, causing the ground to split under his feet.

At the same time, Pica's fist, as thick as a rock pillar, was raised and charged like a giant pile driver!

He swung his fist towards the opponent, although it didn't create a sonic boom, the power it contained was not to be underestimated.

Boom!

As expected, the opponent neither dodged nor blocked, instead he crossed his arms in front of him, allowing Pica's strike, which was far stronger than a siege hammer, to land.

Everyone on the scene felt a violent tremor in the ground, and their feet were hit by intense vibrations. The floor beneath the charred man's feet exploded, sending debris flying, and he was forcibly "smashed" half a head shorter.

"Well, in that case, consider me taking a step back."

The sturdy rock ground cracked open into a bathtub-sized pit. Although the charred man's feet sank deep into the pit, he technically "didn't take a step back." However, he had been pushed back a dozen centimeters by Pica's powerful blow.

So strong?!

Pica's full-force punch was something no one in the Donquixote Family except for Vergo would choose to physically withstand, not even Rosinante.

Yet the opponent had managed to block Pica's attack, and that was while being injured.

Troublesome...

Doflamingo furrowed his brow, ready to step in personally.

"Let me handle this,"

However, Rosinante stepped forward first.

"He's just a small fry 'gatekeeper.'"

?!

The arrogant words caused the man, still covered in charred marks, to darken his expression. Although he was just a senior clone captain, his inherent sense of honor wouldn't let him ignore such words.

"Guests, please proceed."

Pulling his legs out of the pit, the man stepped forward, adopting a horse stance with his arms held in front of him. He had clearly become serious and was intent on teaching a lesson to the youth in front of him.

"Very well,"

Rosinante dashed forward. While his punch didn't have the ground-shattering impact of Pica's landing, it carried a whistling gale as it hurtled towards the opponent!

The punch was swift and brought along immense impact.

But what was even more terrifying was—

In the eyes of the charred man, a black-red aura suddenly pressed down on him, like a roaring dragon and an angry deity!

Conqueror's Haki???

Under the onslaught of Conqueror's Haki, although the charred man didn't faint, his heart raced wildly. Almost instinctively, he threw a punch back at Rosinante amid his rapid heartbeat!

"Drink—"

In the next moment, the opponent's thunderous Conqueror's Haki abruptly retracted, and all the sounds around him vanished without a trace. The extreme silence even affected the charred man's mind, causing a momentary daze before his body toppled forward.

Smack,

Dodging this punch, Rosinante's hands were already gripping the opponent's arms, unsettling the charred man's mind.

In trouble!

The opponent was attempting a grappling technique—

But it was already too late; the outcome of close-quarters combat was determined in an instant. Since Rosinante had caught hold of the opponent's arm, he wouldn't provide an opportunity to catch his breath.

"Up!"

Gripping the opponent's arm, Rosinante abruptly twisted. This time, it wasn't just Rosinante's strength alone; there was also the inertia of the charred man's forward motion. This steel-like man was lifted off the ground, spun like a whirlwind twice, and then Rosinante released his grip:

Boom—

Amidst a continuous dull thud, the charred man was thrown outward, leaving a long mark on the ground until he crashed into a sturdy building, finally coming to a halt.

"So, can we proceed now?"

Rosinante clapped his hands and looked at the building shrouded in dust. Though he had used "artful strength," it was an undeniable fact that he had pushed the opponent back dozens of meters.

"Yes,"

Emerging from the collapsed building, the charred man also regained his senses.

The young man's words earlier had intentionally provoked him, then the Conqueror's Haki had provoked his instinctive attack. Following that, Rosinante had leveraged grappling techniques to throw him dozens of meters away.

As a captain accustomed to battles on the battlefield, the charred man didn't think that the opponent had "won unfairly." Instead, he genuinely admired the tactic.

In warfare, there were many tricks.

"Please—"

As he stepped aside, the Donquixote Family members confidently entered the fortress before them.

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(End of this chapter)