"Intruder detected! Intruder detected!"
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
The alarm in the Germa Kingdom blared at once, echoing throughout the entire kingdom.
The giant Den Den Mushi repeated the warning over and over.
Vinsmoke Judge was in his laboratory. He immediately turned to the monitors and saw three figures at the front entrance to his castle.
The Clone Soldiers rushing toward them kept collapsing to the ground without landing a single hit.
"Who do these fools think they are, coming right to our doorstep? Are they worthless mercenaries hired by another kingdom?"
Vinsmoke Judge remained utterly calm.
He coolly removed his gloves, then took off his lab coat. Picking up his cape with one hand, he headed outside.
All these years, he had thought there were no fools left in the North Blue stupid enough to provoke Germa 66. It seemed they hadn't killed enough people lately, and too many had started underestimating them!
"Father, leave this to me!"
Vinsmoke Ichiji appeared just as his father left the laboratory and spoke with a slight bow.
"Very well. Let's see what reckless fool dares to provoke Germa 66."
Vinsmoke Judge nodded.
Being stuck in the laboratory with no leads had left him irritated.
Now that he had a show to enjoy, he planned to see for himself what kind of person would dare challenge him in the North Blue.
"You two can just watch from the sidelines. There's no need to join in."
"There isn't much to learn from fighting these people. This is the only group that fights this way."
Uchiha Tamaharu instructed the two minors.
Clone Soldiers kept appearing around them, but the moment they came close, they collapsed to the ground.
Uchiha Tamaharu had controlled them with his ocular powers, knocking them unconscious.
They were Clone Soldiers, not mechanical ones. Since they had minds, they couldn't resist the Sharingan's power.
"Yes!"
Izumi answered loudly.
Itachi's reply was much quieter.
He noticed that all the soldiers looked alike. Even their muscles, hair, and facial features were remarkably similar.
They were practically identical brothers.
"Ka-chunk, ka-chunk!"
The castle gates creaked as their mechanisms turned, slowly swinging open.
A group of identical Clone Soldiers emerged. Behind them stood Uchiha Tamaharu's target, Vinsmoke Judge!
They were all tall, nearly three meters in height—about as tall as a Marine Admiral.
"Three nobodies think they can challenge Germa 66?"
"This time, we'll thoroughly wipe out the force behind them and remind everyone in the North Blue who rules these waters!"
Vinsmoke Ichiji spoke in a chilling voice.
Then, as soon as he finished speaking, he vanished and reappeared in front of Uchiha Tamaharu.
He turned to the side and raised his leg, intending to kick down the man he'd dismissed as insignificant. He didn't plan to kill him outright; he needed a live prisoner to interrogate about who was behind this.
"Smack!"
But a skeletal arm of Susanoo burst from Uchiha Tamaharu and grabbed Ichiji, squeezing him in its palm.
Vinsmoke Ichiji hadn't even realized what had happened.
He tried to break free, only to find the hand gripping him immensely strong. Even his enhanced body couldn't escape its grasp.
"Clone Soldiers, kill him!"
Furious, Vinsmoke Ichiji roared the order.
He commanded the Clone Soldiers to take down the enemy before them.
But he immediately froze. The Clone Soldiers, who usually obeyed orders the instant they heard them, were standing motionless like wooden posts. It was as if he'd ordered them to stay right where they were.
Vinsmoke Judge looked astonished.
The Clone Soldiers were his pride and joy. They could be raised in just five years to match the combat strength of twenty-year-old adult soldiers.
They obeyed any order from the royal family without hesitation.
Of course, his own commands outranked theirs. If he had taken control of the soldiers, his son's orders wouldn't have worked.
But he hadn't said a word.
"Using force the moment a guest arrives to call on you. You really are a nasty piece of work."
Uchiha Tamaharu looked at Vinsmoke Judge and spoke coldly.
Someone who lorded it over the North Blue could hardly be a good person. Uchiha Tamaharu wasn't surprised.
"Clone Soldiers, kill him!"
Vinsmoke Judge gave the order himself.
He paid no attention to Uchiha Tamaharu's words; he didn't care about the man at all.
What worried him was that something had gone wrong with his Clone Soldiers.
But they remained motionless.
"Clone Soldiers, go back and rest."
Uchiha Tamaharu gave another order.
At his command, the Clone Soldiers turned without hesitation and jogged back into the castle, heading for their quarters.
"Impossible!"
"What's going on?"
"Why are my Clone Soldiers obeying you?"
"Is it a Devil Fruit?"
"No. There's no fruit like that in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. And I don't see any strings. The soldiers are acting as if they heard an order."
"There are Devil Fruits that control instincts, but my orders should take priority over the others. They ought to be able to resist their instincts!"
Vinsmoke Judge stared in shock, muttering as he tried to work it out.
If the Clone Soldiers had been knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki, he wouldn't have been surprised at all.
Right now, he felt like someone from a world of magic who'd just seen a machine gun. Everything he believed to be common knowledge had been turned on its head.
Even he, one of the world's top scientists, had encountered something he didn't understand?
And it had happened to his proudest creation of all.
"Father, no matter how he did it, we can just defeat him and force him to talk!"
Vinsmoke Ichiji called out to his father.
He was starting to regret not putting on his Raid Suit. Now he couldn't break free.
"Right!"
"Niji, Yonji, come out! Join us and capture this man alive!"
Vinsmoke Judge snapped out of his daze and called for his two sons to help him deal with the unknown enemy.
He was fascinated by what was happening. He felt that if he could understand it, he might be able to improve the Clone Soldiers even further.
He might even be able to control ordinary people!
Soon, Niji and Yonji appeared.
"Transform! That enemy is strange and powerful, so don't let your guard down!"
"Let's attack together!"
Vinsmoke Judge instructed his two sons.
Niji and Yonji obeyed their father without hesitation. They took out their canisters and began transforming.
At that moment, Uchiha Tamaharu released Vinsmoke Ichiji, making everyone present pause in surprise.
But Vinsmoke Ichiji didn't hesitate. He immediately began transforming as well.
A group of punks appeared right in front of Uchiha Tamaharu.
"That transforming device really is exciting!"
Uchiha Tamaharu watched intently through his Sharingan.
He even offered his opinion aloud.
After all, who wouldn't want a Raid Suit of their own?
Itachi was just the same. Watching the transformation, he felt an inexplicable urge well up inside him.
Only Izumi focused seriously on observing the situation with her Sharingan, determined not to hold the Clan Leader back.
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