Germa Kingdom

Three days later, the transport ship discovered a remote island.

They seemed to have mistaken Van's group for pirates. As soon as the ship docked, more than a dozen villagers rushed over with weapons.

What they held were not ordinary firearms, but submachine guns considered high-end even in the North Blue. They even had grenades hanging from their waists.

"Leave this place immediately, or don't blame us for getting rough!"

The middle-aged man at the front shouted while the others raised their weapons and aimed them at Van's group.

"Watch out!"

Qiangbalu's expression changed. Like a hen protecting her chicks, he forcibly shielded Law and the other youths behind him.

"Looks like we found a lead. This place must be connected to the Germa Kingdom."

Van raised his hand and unfolded Operation Room, enveloping both the ship and the dock.

The next second, he appeared on shore as if he had teleported, startling every villager.

However, they had weapons. Even though their legs were trembling, not a single one of them ran away.

The middle-aged man swallowed and forced himself to remain calm. "Y-you... who are you?"

"Don't be nervous. I only want to ask a few questions." Van smiled. "You didn't buy these weapons yourselves, did you?"

"What are you trying to do?" The middle-aged man's expression shifted slightly. "I'm warning you, this place is protected by the Germa Kingdom. It's not somewhere pirates can run wild."

He thought Van wanted to rob them, unaware that information about the Germa Kingdom was exactly what Van wanted.

"Then notify the Germa people."

With a curl of Van's finger, all the villagers were disarmed. Their guns and grenades were transferred behind him.

Just as the villagers stood at a loss, unable to advance or retreat, an old man arrived outside Operation Room.

"I am the village chief here. If you need anything, you may as well say it directly."

"However, I must also remind you that this island is indeed under the protection of the Germa Kingdom."

"Any pirates who attacked the village in the past were either driven away by us or eliminated by Germa's army. There have been no exceptions."

As he spoke, the old man entered Operation Room, passed through the villagers, and stopped before Van.

"Do you provide supplies to the Germa Kingdom in exchange for their protection?"

Van paid no attention to the village chief's threat, because he knew perfectly well that the Germa Kingdom was no decent bunch.

This kingdom of war had no fixed territory. It had always sustained war with war, developing itself by plundering the resources of others.

The only reason they would protect this island was that its villagers paid protection money. Some of their actions might not have been voluntary.

"How do you know about that?" The village chief was greatly surprised. "Are you from one of the nearby islands?"

"No." Van shook his head. "I have business with the Germa Kingdom. Help me contact them."

"This..." The village chief hesitated. "Can you tell me what it concerns?"

"My name is Van, the Van who has a grudge against the Donquixote Family."

"Just tell them that. Don't worry about being implicated."

After saying that, Van turned and returned to the ship. The weapons on the ground promptly reappeared at the villagers' feet.

"That's strange. No one here actually recognizes the captain."

"We haven't even seen a News Coo these past two days. Maybe this place is too remote, so they don't care much about the outside world."

"I thought there would be a town here where we could buy some things. Looks like we won't get to spend any money."

"I wonder what the Germa Kingdom is like..."

Qiangbalu and the others discussed quietly, quickly shifting the topic to Germa.

Many people in the North Blue did not know enough about this mysterious nation that had once dominated the sea. They had always regarded it as an evil legend.

Before seeing it with their own eyes, they could not say much about it.

Time passed quickly. Near noon, a massive fleet suddenly appeared beyond the island.

The flagship at the front was practically a moving city-state, carried by ten gigantic sea snails. Gothic castles stood atop it, and black flags bearing the number "66" flew from their towers.

Dozens of secondary warships surrounded the flagship in a wedge formation. They too used sea snails as their vessels, and their hulls bore conspicuous "66" emblems.

More than a hundred clone soldiers stood on each warship's deck. Their advanced firearms gleamed with an icy blue light, and not one of them spoke.

The entire fleet advanced in perfect order. Only the crashing waves and scraping metal intertwined, carrying the deathly silence and killing intent of a war machine.

"Is this the legendary evil army, Germa 66?"

On the transport ship, Drake and the others stared wide-eyed, their expressions completely out of control.

Even Van, who had prepared himself mentally, could not help being shocked by the sight before him.

It had to be said that across the entire pirate world, there were very few nations capable of standing against Germa.

Unfortunately, this world lacked no monsters capable of destroying a nation alone. Germa's success came from technology, and technology likewise locked down its limits.

The snail fleet quickly surrounded the transport ship. With cannons all around them, Drake and the others grew tense, their faces turning somewhat pale.

"Don't be afraid! At worst, jump into the sea. I'll settle the score for you."

Not only was Van unafraid of the warships opening fire, he even made a joke.

There was no one in the Germa Kingdom who could truly fight him. He could take the enemy general's head from the midst of ten thousand troops.

His earlier attack on the Donquixote Family's stronghold had been meant to prove his strength and value, thereby facilitating their coming cooperation.

He had already shown enough sincerity and given them face. If the Germa Kingdom refused a toast, then they would have no choice but to drink a forfeit.

Baby-5 and I are Devil Fruit users!

Drake badly wanted to complain, but one snail warship had broken away from the main fleet and arrived before the transport ship.

A bespectacled middle-aged man stood at its bow. He looked around before turning his gaze toward Van.

"Mr. Van, Lord Judge invites you to the castle for a meeting."

The Germa Kingdom's image in the outside world was rather bizarre, giving people the impression that all its citizens were clone soldiers. In truth, that was not the case.

It had originally been an ordinary nation. Though it had risen and fallen many times, it still had ordinary nobles and commoners today.

Most nobles simply idled away their lives. Only the rare few who did not give up could assist the Vinsmoke Family in governing the nation and wield authority corresponding to their positions.

Commoners, meanwhile, worked in scientific research, trade, manufacturing, and other fields. Though they worked like beasts of burden, their material lives were quite prosperous.

The reason for this situation, so different from other nations, was that Vinsmoke Judge possessed an extremely strong desire for control and advanced scientific technology.

He controlled everything in Germa and did not allow anyone to go against his will. Its citizens had little freedom.

At the same time, he created a clone army and plundered resources and wealth from the outside through hired wars, providing his citizens with living conditions far beyond those of other nations.

Together, these factors created a Germa Kingdom like a walled city. In the chaotic and dangerous pirate world, it was something of an anomaly.

"Fine!"

Van activated his ability, retrieving a wooden box from the storage room in the lower hold and tossing it onto the snail warship.

"This is a gift for our meeting. I believe Mr. Judge will like it."