The Brat

"Once upon a time, there was a powerful country..." Sig suddenly said out of the blue, silently using his knife and fork, ignoring a piece of steak flying past him.

"Hmm?" Gage looked over when he heard the mention of powerful nations.

"The prince wasted food, and then he perished," Sig said, seemingly to himself.

Gage was furious upon hearing this, as he was always very sensitive to the idea of "the fall of a country."

And... it's obvious this guy's just being sarcastic, isn't it?

"Father! What is this Fish-Man saying?"

"Do the Fish-Man Race live a very frugal life?"

"Then you should eat more..."

The three brats continued to mock him, but Sig remained unmoved.

Sig is now trying his best to maintain his Fish-Man form, even when he's sleeping, he tries not to revert to his transformation.

It wasn't out of caution, but rather to reinforce the impression that "this guy is Fish-Man" in Gage, and also as a form of training.

Gage said irritably, "Shut up! How many times have I told you? You need to have proper table manners!"

"Yes..." Ichiji, Niji, Yonji all bowed their heads in response.

Gage doesn't usually emphasize etiquette that much, or rather... his understanding of royal demeanor isn't about etiquette, but rather about having an "overbearing" Haki that commands everything!

Therefore, in his opinion, Sanji was the worst guy, because he actually cooked, which was simply unacceptable.

However, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji all cowered at the sight of their father's anger. They did not know fear, yet their Lineage Factor had been instilled with the command to "obey Gage."

"Especially you! Sanji!" Gage vented at Sanji.

"Eh? Oh... I'm sorry, Father," Sanji said softly.

At this moment, Yonji seized the opportunity to say, "Father, after dinner, will you come to see our progress?"

Sanji shuddered when he heard that he was to be "tested".

Gage nodded and said, "Well, that's fine... Sig, you should come and take a look too."

Firstly, it was to prove to Sig the results of Germa's Lineage Factor modification; secondly... Gage wasn't worried that Sig would leak anything, as he already considered it his for the taking!

"I'd be delighted, thank you for the invitation." Sig naturally wouldn't refuse.

After dinner at the training ground, Sig witnessed the strength of these young cyborgs— Reiju was only ten years old, Ichiji, Niji, Yonji were only seven, yet they had already shown initial signs of combat prowess.

Their arm strength is enough to bend an iron pipe as thick as a forearm, and their speed matches their strength. Their physical defense is particularly outstanding, in addition to their individual "superpowers"...

Although he was no match for Sig in a one-on-one fight, Sig estimated that if the four of them, or even three of them, attacked him together, they could cause him some trouble.

As for Sanji?

Hmm, seems... a little more resilient than the average person?

Anyway, he just got beaten up. Sig suspected that his ability to withstand beatings was more "trained" than a talent.

After that, Gage ignored Sanji —he neither comforted nor criticized Yonji, who had taken the opportunity to beat him up. The reason he didn't scold Sanji too much was because "there were outsiders present"!

Gage praised Reiju and her three younger brothers like a loving father, ignoring Sanji to the side.

After praising his daughter and sons, Gage said to Sig, "How about it? Are you looking forward to it? Once we decipher the secret of the Lineage Factor, you and they will all become stronger!"

"I'm really looking forward to it." Sig seemed oblivious to Gage's malice towards him.

"Their abilities are interesting, aren't they? Any ideas?" Gage asked, feigning ignorance.

"The fruit from before?" Sig suddenly realized, as if he had just thought of it.

"That's right, why don't you give it a try?" Gage tempted Sig again.

Now Sig was completely certain that this guy was definitely trying to take advantage of the situation to do something to him.

"Wait a minute... Accepting the whispers of other fruits will make me forget the voice of the 'Op-Op Fruit,' and we will no longer be able to access the Op-Op Fruit." Sig emphasized "we," as if he were truly standing with Gage.

"Alright, whatever you say." Gage thought it made some sense, so he wasn't in a hurry. He then turned to Reiju, Ichiji, and the others and said, "Reiju, Ichiji, take Sig to your usual training place... You can use it too." The last part was addressed to Sig.

Gage then acted as if he trusted Sig very much, and simply turned and left.

However, Zieg Sig that this was also a test.

Moreover, Germa's territory is actually teeming with clone soldiers and hidden Den Den Mushi (supervisors' Den Den Mushi) everywhere, making it impossible for him to escape or do anything behind Gage's back.

Led by a few kids, we arrived at their training area...

It's extremely luxurious, with all sorts of impressive-sounding instruments that not only allow for scientific training but also accurately measure one's cultivation progress.

In contrast, the conditions under which Sig usually practices "Fish-Man Karate"—hanging himself in a wooden cage in the seawater—are hardly even considered slums.

"Fish-Man, are you strong?" The green-haired Yonji looked at Sig with a smug expression.

"No, very weak," Sig said honestly.

"Huh? How could Father invite someone so weak to be a guest? Before..." Yonji seemed to be trying to give an example, such as the person Gage had invited before.

However, Reiju stopped her at this moment, saying, "Yonji!"

Yonji realized what was happening, and listlessly shut up, revealing no further information.

"Those low-ranking soldiers are no match for us. Father is too strong... How about you come and spar with us?" Ichiji said arrogantly.

Sig looked thoughtful.

Niji immediately said, "You're an adult, you wouldn't be afraid, would you?"

Seeing that Ichiji had taken the lead, Reiju noticed that her three younger brothers had also become interested. Although she felt that it wasn't very good to treat a guest this way, she didn't say anything.

Compared to the other three "emotionless Robot," Reiju's emotions were not completely erased, but she became more self-serving. For example, although she sympathized with Sanji, she did not want to be targeted by her three younger brothers because of this "sympathy," so she usually did not show it.

"It's not that I'm afraid... but is it a one-on-one fight?" Sig asked to confirm.

Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, Yonji:...

Is this something an adult should say to a child?

"Pfft." Sanji burst out laughing at Sig's appearance.

"It's a one-on-one fight...you take on all four of us!" Ichiji said, his eyes already fixed on Sig, flashing intense sparks as if to launch a sneak attack.

Meanwhile, Niji and Yonji had already started moving. Reiju hesitated for a moment, then did little more than play a supporting role, retreating while spewing poison mist. As for Sanji...

He just stood there helplessly—his foolish third brother wasn't among the "four" Ichiji mentioned...