Chapter 367: Emotional Control, A Fearless Warrior  

"Hahhh~~" 

Nami placed three translated copies of the Poneglyph on the table and rubbed her forehead tiredly. 

"Pirate King." It sounded so simple, but walking this path was nothing but endless dangers and hardships! 

Just like Roman had once said— 

"If you want to be the king of all pirates, you have to be greedier than any pirate, braver than any pirate, freer than any pirate, and above all—" 

*Stronger!*

Nami understood why Luffy and Zoro insisted on fighting battles that could have been avoided. After all, "Haki" could only improve through real combat, and with Roman around, unexpected accidents could be prevented. 

"Nami, my father has agreed to meet with you. This way, please." 

"Alright. Chopper, come here for a second." 

Nearby, Franky, who was repairing "General Franky" with a few Vinsmoke engineers, glanced at the white dove on Nami's shoulder before lowering his head and continuing his work. On the sofa, Robin, who was studying a Poneglyph rubbing, reacted the same way— 

With Roman there, there was nothing to worry about. 

As for Brook sipping tea, Carrot munching on food, and Usopp adjusting plant seeds… they weren't the type to notice small details. 

However, Pedro, who was on guard while smoking, had a sharp glint in his one eye. 

The Vinsmoke family wasn't exactly known for being "kind and righteous" in the underworld. 

—————— 

"What do you want from me?" 

Facing Vinsmoke Judge, who sat on his throne, along with the three Vinsmoke brothers and Reiju standing like statues on either side, Chopper, carrying his medical bag, looked a little tense. Meanwhile, Nami, who was used to high-stakes situations, remained silent. Instead, she tapped the white dove on her shoulder, and its eyes suddenly became full of life. 

"I'm the one looking for you." 

The dove stood up. "First, I have a question. Do you—" 

"Want to become stronger?" 

"What?" 

Judge's expression remained calm, but his grip on the throne tightened slightly, betraying his inner reaction. 

"I can make you feel fear, sadness, and pain again," the dove said. 

The people in the room frowned at the statement. Their first reaction was: 

What kind of joke is this? "We are perfect warriors. Those weak emotions would only hold us back!" 

Niji scoffed, but the dove simply shook its head. 

"You're not exactly weak, but you're not strong either." 

"Oh?" Ichiji stepped forward, his body radiating killing intent. "So, are you here to challenge the Vinsmoke family?" 

Roman controlled the dove, unshaken. "Do you think any of you could win against me one-on-one? Against Luffy? Or Zoro?—I bet you wouldn't even be able to defeat Sanji." 

The room fell into silence. 

As arrogant and ruthless as they were, the Vinsmokes had a firm grip on reality. 

If they were being honest, aside from Reiju's poison ability, which might catch the Straw Hat crew off guard, the three brothers… 

And Judge, who relied on high-tech gear, was even less of a threat. 

"Your bodies and technology are already powerful. So why haven't you reached the level of true top-tier fighters?" 

The dove stretched out a wing, sweeping across the Vinsmoke family. 

"The answer is simple. You don't have Haki." 

"If we're talking about Observation Haki, you can make up for it somewhat with experience and your lack of emotions. But not having Armament Haki? That's your biggest weakness!" 

Although the Vinsmokes looked unscathed in their battle gear, the reality was different—underneath their suits, they were all injured. 

The reason? 

The Big Mom Pirates had specifically prepared armor-piercing guns. Against normal Haki users, these weapons weren't that effective. But against the Vinsmokes, who relied on genetic modifications instead of Haki, they were devastating. If the Straw Hats hadn't taken most of the pressure, the Vinsmokes might not have even lasted until reinforcements arrived. 

"Your family's genetic modifications have created incredibly tough bodies. But without Haki, becoming a dominant force in the New World is far from easy—let alone ruling the North Blue." 

The dove spoke persuasively… 

Alright, to be honest, Roman didn't like lying. Most of the time, he told the truth—just with a few subtle twists in wording. But this time, he was genuinely trying to help the Vinsmoke family. 

"You think emotions like fear and sadness make you weak, but in reality, they are what drive human progress." 

"Fear keeps people in check. It gives them a sense of boundaries, which creates order. Without the fear of pain, you wouldn't care about getting injured. Without the fear of morality, you wouldn't care about killing indiscriminately." 

"Only by understanding sadness can people fight to protect what they hold dear and create miracles. If you lose the ability to feel sadness, you won't care about the death of others. And without experiencing sorrow, you won't have the drive to push beyond your limits." 

"A life without fear or sadness becomes unrestrained. Someone like that would indulge recklessly, destroying others and, in the end, destroying themselves." 

"Just like when you were cornered before—you didn't even struggle to survive. You just stood there, smiling, waiting for death."

"You're not truly 'fearless heroes.' You just don't understand what fear is." 

"With that kind of mindset, how could you possibly awaken the deepest fire in a human's soul? How could you turn your will into a force that changes reality? The moment you abandoned your emotions, you lost your chance to reach the peak of true strength." 

As the Vinsmoke family stood frozen by his words, Roman threw out his offer once again. 

"But our crew's doctor, Chopper, can bring your emotions back. Whether you have the guts to accept it—that's up to you!" 

Roman was almost certain— 

"What do you want?" 

After a few seconds, Vinsmoke Judge, a towering man nearly three meters tall with a helmet and flowing golden hair, spoke slowly. Having just been betrayed by the Big Mom Pirates, he wasn't about to believe in something as ridiculous as a 'free lunch.' 

"When Sanji needs help, your Vinsmoke family will fight for him with everything you've got." 

?! "No need to look at me like that. In most situations, helping Sanji means helping us, the Straw Hat Crew." 

"Deal." 

After weighing the pros and cons, Vinsmoke Judge agreed without hesitation. After all, Germa was built for war—fighting was what they did. If this could really make his four children stronger... 

Besides, after everything that happened at the wedding, he was starting to wonder if stripping his children of their emotions had truly been the best decision. 

"Good. Chopper." 

The little reindeer peeked out from behind Nami, looking nervous. It wasn't surprising—everyone in the Vinsmoke family had an icy, lifeless expression, making Chopper feel overwhelmed. 

Except— 

"I'll go first." 

Vinsmoke Reiju stepped forward confidently. For the Vinsmokes, 'human experiments' were nothing new. 

"No, no, start with Yonji first." 

Reiju had always had emotions—she had just hidden them well. If she was the test subject, it wouldn't really prove the Straw Hat Crew's abilities. 

"Ahem, should I step out for this?" 

Nami, who had been standing in the background the whole time, raised her hand. But the white dove flapped its wings. 

"No need. Trust Chopper. Fixing something as simple as lost emotions won't require anything drastic." 

It was the same old truth: if science wasn't enough, then Devil Fruits would do the job. With his Hormone powers, Chopper could easily adjust their modified bodies and trigger emotions. 

Without that ability, it would be nearly impossible—these were precision-engineered cyborgs, and even Chopper, a medical genius, wouldn't dare mess with the hormones controlling their emotions. 

"AHHHH—!" 

A scream echoed as Vinsmoke Yonji, usually arrogant and reckless, collapsed to his knees. His whole body trembled, cold sweat dripping down his face. 

It was a sensation he had never felt before. His heart pounded wildly, uncontrollably. A strange shiver ran from his feet to his head, again and again. The fourth son of the Vinsmokes couldn't even stand. 

"...That's it?" 

Vinsmoke Niji frowned. As the cold-blooded and most thoroughly modified of the brothers, what was happening to Yonji reminded him of the weaklings he had crushed on the battlefield. 

It disgusted him. 

And worse—he felt fear. 

The thought of himself becoming so 'weak' made him want to destroy something— 

"Niji, stand down." 

But the moment Vinsmoke Judge spoke, Niji, unable to defy his father's orders, had no choice but to suppress the strange feeling inside him. 

"This is fear." 

The white dove landed on Yonji's trembling body. 

"When humans first saw wildfires raging through the forest—did they not fear?" 

"When the first humans stepped out of the jungle onto the endless plains—did they not fear?" 

"When they built the first canoe and set sail into the vast ocean—did they not fear?"

"But humans overcame fear, conquered fear—that's how we went from monkeys to people. Haki is the power given to those who face fear head-on without backing down. Only those with that courage can earn this gift from deep within their spirit!" 

(End of Chapter) 

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