Chapitre 117: Chapter 117: Gang Up? Isn’t That What You Taught Me?
"Kuke, let Sengoku get a taste of what it's like to be outnumbered," Kuke commanded, unwilling to let Sengoku rest.
Time wasn't something they could afford to waste.
"Understood," Gion nodded, her gaze fixed steadily on Sengoku without a hint of hesitation.
From the moment she left the Navy to follow Kuke, Gion had already accepted the idea that the Navy, compared to Kuke, meant nothing.
She remembered the day, a hundred days prior, when Kuke stood here alone, facing four Navy admirals in an ambush. Although Sengoku hadn't participated directly, he had been the mastermind behind the plan. Gion had been waiting for this day ever since.
"It's not only the Navy that has numbers on their side," Stussy added as thunder and lightning crackled over her body.
Shakky took a calm drag on her cigarette, saying thoughtfully, "Never thought I'd live to see the day where I'd be involved in the ambush—and maybe even the death—of a Fleet Admiral."
She couldn't help but reflect. Once a senior member of the Rocks Pirates, Shakky had believed she'd seen the peak of the world's battles and held a natural superiority over the current era. Even the Emperors of the Sea seemed lesser to her when compared to the Rocks Pirates of old. After all, Whitebeard and the others now feared as Emperors had once been part of the crew.
But assassinating a Fleet Admiral? Even the Rocks Pirates had never dared attempt that.
The three women unleashed a massive surge of energy, causing a bead of cold sweat to run down Sengoku's forehead as he faced them, feeling their terrifying power more acutely than ever.
Inwardly, he cursed the intelligence division of the World Government.
Wasn't the intel supposed to say that, aside from Kuke and Gion, the Sun and Moon Pirates had no other strong fighters?
He looked at Stussy, who had once been a member of CP0, now standing against him. How could the Gorosei let someone this powerful be swayed by the enemy? Sengoku wondered if they were fools.
He shifted his gaze to Shakky, wondering where this powerful young woman had come from. He had never even heard of her before.
Gion, cloaked in fiery phoenix flames, raised her blade, leaving a dazzling trail as she swung. In response, Sengoku, in his giant Buddha form, struck out with one massive hand, creating a shockwave that met Gion's burning slash. The impact distorted the air around them, leaving faint cracks in the atmosphere.
Gradually, Sengoku's shockwave began to weaken, a result of his severe injuries.
"Thunder God form!" Stussy shouted, transforming into a towering figure of lightning, her massive fist crackling with thunder as it exploded forward.
Desperately, Sengoku threw up another shockwave with his other hand to block the thunderous blow.
Shakky appeared above him, in her vampire form, and stomped down on the head of his Buddha form.
Sengoku's head spun, dazed by the impact, and he was forced to retreat.
In moments, he was on the defensive.
Battling while outnumbered was the most difficult fight of all at sea. The Emperors of the Sea and the Admirals were acknowledged as being of roughly equal strength, though many believed the Emperors held a slight edge.
But even the strongest Emperor would struggle against two Admirals alone.
For Sengoku, even with Gion's group being three against one, he might have been able to hold his own—if he hadn't already been gravely wounded. The scale was tipping against him.
"Boom!" Gion, Stussy, and Shakky launched relentless attacks, forcing Sengoku to stagger backward, barely able to keep up.
Everyone watching was dumbfounded.
Their initial ambush on Sengoku and his forces had been so fast that most hadn't seen it clearly. Now, there was no mistaking the fight before them.
"They're… this strong? Gion, the Queen of Pleasure, even that unfamiliar young woman—they're all monsters! Where did Kuke find so many powerful allies?"
"It's not just Kuke who's strong—the whole Sun and Moon Pirates are terrifying."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, actually losing—sure, it's three against one, but they aren't even the leaders of the Sun and Moon Pirates. Kuke hasn't even made a move yet."
"How strong is the Sun and Moon Pirates?"
"And Hancock and the others haven't even joined in. Rumor has it there are over a dozen members of the Sun and Moon Pirates. Could they be the strongest crew in the world?"
"Guess I was wrong—I thought the Sun and Moon Pirates were just Kuke's harem. Not even close; they're definitely not just pretty faces."
"Who said they can't be both strong and his harem?"
"Fair point, I'm jealous now."
For the first time, the world was realizing just how powerful the Sun and Moon Pirates truly were.
All around, the most influential figures were stunned.
"Even without Kuke, Sengoku is losing?" Whitebeard was taken aback, watching his old rival being overwhelmed by Kuke's crew. He glanced at his own crew, his face twitching. Could they accomplish this without him?
Probably not.
Meanwhile, Shanks scratched his head, feeling a pang of dread. "Things are looking bad. It used to be just Kuke we had to worry about. Now it's his whole crew."
Shanks admitted to himself that he was a bit envious. Ever since meeting Kuke, he had found himself constantly overshadowed. The one thing he had always prided himself on was his strong crew, whom he had spent years gathering and training, establishing the Red-Haired Pirates as a nearly invincible crew.
But now…
"Boss, maybe you should go down there and apologize to Kuke yourself," one of his crewmates suggested.
"Yeah, if he doesn't forgive you, don't come back. Don't drag us into this mess."
"Who's going to volunteer to push him?"
"Let's go find Jabba and talk to him."
His crewmates eyed Shanks mischievously, sending a chill down his spine.
"Enough," Ben Beckman intervened, saving Shanks. Grateful, Shanks gave him a nod.
"Whether or not we throw him overboard, we'll vote on it later," Ben said, causing Shanks's expression to freeze.
Then, focusing back on the battle, Ben Beckman spoke gravely. "Gion is stronger than we anticipated. Stussy wields the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and that vampire girl must be a Mythical Zoan user. The Sun and Moon Pirates could very well be…the strongest crew on the seas."
The implications hung heavy in the air.
This battle—whether or not Kuke succeeded in killing Sengoku—might mark the start of a new era.
"The era of Kuke," Shanks murmured, rising slowly, his eyes brimming with determination.
"Not necessarily," he said resolutely.
…
"Just how powerful are they?" Sengoku's heart pounded as he fought. What disturbed him most was that Kuke hadn't even joined in yet.
If Kuke decided to fight, Sengoku wasn't sure he could withstand it.
This couldn't go on.
Fending off the relentless attacks, he looked over at Kuke and challenged him. "Hmph, ganging up like this—where's the honor? If you've got any courage, let's fight one-on-one, to the death."
Sengoku's tone suggested an unwavering resolve to face Kuke in a final duel. It was his only hope; anything was better than facing the entire Sun and Moon Pirates.
"Heh," Kuke scoffed. "Isn't the Navy the master of using numbers to their advantage? A hundred days ago, you sent four Admirals to gang up on me. Don't worry, today I'll only use four people on you—just as you taught me."
Sengoku felt his last bit of hope crumble.
He was now tasting his own medicine.
________________________________
P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 144+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
_________________________
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone