Recruit Luffy at the start and build the strongest navy.

Chapter 319 "Three Heroes Battle Lü Bu"!

"It seems there's still a considerable gap between them and the Four Emperors!"

Sanji spoke calmly, then moved his feet, causing the air to explode violently as he stepped on it, and his figure instantly disappeared from the spot.

In a few flashes, they arrived beside Luffy and Zoro.

Then he turned to Luffy beside him and said:

"Stop testing me, Luffy!"

"This guy is one of the Four Emperors, one of the strongest beings on the sea. He's not an opponent we can easily defeat! We have to get serious and use our full strength!"

Then Sanji turned his gaze to Zoro, opened his mouth as if to say something, hesitated, and then spoke softly:

"Forget about what you said; after all, even if you were serious, it wouldn't really make any difference!"

Without giving Zoro a chance to argue, Sanji suddenly soared into the sky, stopping nearly a hundred meters above Luffy and Zoro.

"drink!!"

Sanji let out a low shout, and then his body suddenly spun around in the air, as if he had become a high-speed spinning top.

The resulting strong wind spread outwards in concentric circles.

Zoro, who was below, curled his lip in disdain upon seeing this.

"Ha, that perverted kappa is spinning around in circles again. Every time he fights, he just spins around like an idiot. It's embarrassing!"

"Haha, Sanji is definitely stronger after spinning around!"

Luffy smiled and spoke up from the side.

At that moment, as if to verify Luffy's words, a terrifying shockwave suddenly exploded from the sky, forming ripples that spread outwards.

boom--

"Um?!"

Luffy and Zoro both let out a soft exclamation and looked upwards.

What came into view was a ball of deep blue flame, floating in the air, which inexplicably gave people a strong sense of oppression even from a distance.

!!!

Zoro and Luffy both widened their eyes and opened their mouths slightly.

In less than a second, the deep blue flame changed again, moving from a 'ball' shape towards a 'human' shape, and finally completely transforming into a 'human' form.

A soft voice came from Sanji's mouth.

"Demon God...form!!"

Sanji looked down at Zoro and Luffy, and seeing the shock in their eyes, a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

This form was something he had just developed recently, and it was the first time he had shown it to Luffy, Zoro, and the others.

He wanted to find the right moment to showcase it to them, so that the impact would be even greater.

And now is just the right time!

The effect was just as he had anticipated.

Judging from their expressions, they were completely stunned.

So, let's give them even more shocks next!!

Sanji took a step!

boom--

A huge explosion rang out, and Sanji's figure disappeared from his original spot almost as if he had teleported. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Red Earl, and then kicked him hard.

! !

Red Earl's pupils suddenly contracted as he watched Sanji's kick coming at him so close. Without thinking, he raised his sword to block.

However, the moment they made contact, the Red Earl's expression changed again, and an incredibly powerful force exploded outwards along with a terrifying heat wave.

The terrifying temperature even distorted the surrounding space.

Without the slightest hesitation, years of combat experience allowed Red Earl to immediately retreat, using the powerful force of Sanji's kick to quickly get back.

As he flew backward, a pair of dark red wings suddenly unfolded behind him.

After the wings appeared, the Red Earl's speed suddenly decreased by a visible amount.

Even so, he still had to back up several hundred meters before he could stop.

Red Earl raised his arm, revealing a patch of clothing on his forearm completely reduced to ashes, exposing charred skin—the result of the heatwave from Sanji's attack.

This is also the main reason why he withdrew without hesitation.

If it were merely sheer power, it wouldn't have caused him to act this way. The real reason lies in the extremely high temperature carried by Sanji's attack.

The moment that heat wave hit, Count Red knew he couldn't tough it out; otherwise, even if he could withstand it, it would definitely cause him considerable trouble.

Meanwhile, thanks to the powerful regenerative abilities of Zoan-type Mythical Beasts, the charred skin on Count Red's forearm was slowly healing.

This can be considered a common ability of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits. Basically, every Mythical Zoan has a strong recovery ability, and some special recovery abilities are even more exaggerated.

For example, Marco's Phoenix Fruit.

The regenerative abilities of the Five Elders, such as Saint Satan, are not included, because their regenerative abilities are not inherent to the Mythical Beast species, but are inherited from Im.

"That's interesting!!"

The Red Earl smiled wickedly, gazing at the three people not far away, his excitement and fervor more intense than ever before.

It even faintly gleamed with a bloodthirsty light.

"Looks like I underestimated you guys!"

"The Canglan Squad, not bad!"

Before he finished speaking, Count Red shot out instantly, transforming into a streak of blood-red light and rushing toward the three of them at an extremely fast speed, arriving in front of them in the blink of an eye.

A claw, a foot, a sword.

They attacked the three of them separately.

Bang bang bang!

A series of dull thuds followed as all three of them steadily withstood the attacks.

But then, an even greater power suddenly erupted from the Red Earl, blasting the three of them away.

The three flew backward for about ten meters, steadied themselves in mid-air, and then rushed out in an instant, forming a triangular pincer attack towards Count Red.

Rumbling--

In an instant, the four people clashed together, and four streaks of light flashed and collided in the sky.

A series of tremors came from the void.

Such aerial combat scenes are not easily seen; it is only because all four possessed the ability to stay airborne that they were able to create such spectacular aerial combat moments.

At this moment, the battle between Luffy and his two companions and Red Earl has reached a stalemate.

Individually, each of the three might not be a match for the Red Earl, but when they're together, it's hard to say.

Especially Sanji, who has activated his Demon God form at this moment, is actually stronger than Luffy and Zoro, and has become the main force in this battle.

The Red Earl also devoted more of his energy to him.

Excitement gleamed in the eyes of all three; it had been a long time since they had engaged in such a fierce battle.

and……

If the three of them could join forces to defeat the Red Earl, even if their fame were 'shared equally,' it would definitely boost their prestige significantly.

Most importantly, it allows me to show off in front of the other members of the Canglan Squad.

and so--

Even if they have to exert every ounce of strength, they will do everything in their power to defeat the Red Earl.

Unbeknownst to the three, in the shadows of the Red Earl Pirates' ship below, a dark figure stood, gazing intently upwards...