The Vinsmoke Family

Towed by snail warships, the transport ship slowly approached the Germa Kingdom's flagship, the Saint Germain.

After docking, the middle-aged man went ahead with the box to see Judge.

"I never imagined a place this huge could move across the sea."

"That castle in the middle is over a hundred meters tall, isn't it? Can that still count as a ship?"

"We'll find out whether it rocks when we go aboard..."

Watching the magnificent sight before them, Shachi and the others looked like country bumpkins entering a grand estate, their faces full of stunned disbelief at something far beyond anything they had seen.

Drake had been thinking about that box the whole time. Perplexed, he asked, "What's the gift? I remember that Devil Fruit was kept in the room."

Van shook his head with a light laugh. "You'd better not know."

Inside the box was actually Diamante's head. It had been pickled for so long that it barely remained recognizable.

Van had kept quiet only to avoid trouble and stop the youths present from letting their imaginations run wild.

Drake was still curious and was about to press further when he saw the middle-aged man return.

Not only that, but the castle gates were slowly pushed open as well, though no one stood there to welcome them.

"Mr. Van, Lord Judge invites you inside for a detailed discussion!" the middle-aged man emphasized. "Only you!"

"Only me?"

Van raised an eyebrow, a faint suspicion forming in his mind.

Judge was probably worried that Van might suddenly turn hostile, which was why he wanted to keep Drake and the others behind.

But that also showed that Judge valued Van's strength enough to genuinely consider cooperation.

"That's right!" the middle-aged man said expressionlessly. "We will send food to the ship and see to your friends' hospitality."

"You wait here for now..."

After reassuring Drake and the others, Van stepped ashore.

Led by the middle-aged man, he entered the castle and met the Vinsmoke Family.

Blond-haired Judge sat in the seat of honor. Pink-haired Reiju, red-haired Ichiji, blue-haired Niji, and green-haired Yonji sat in order along the right side.

There were five members of the family present, but Sanji, who had the same blond hair, was nowhere to be seen.

Had he already been locked up?

At that thought, memories of the related events from the original story surfaced in Van's mind.

In a sense, because his mother Sora had secretly taken the drug meant to interfere with the process, Sanji's awakening had indeed failed.

But that failure had not been entirely useless. Rather, his Lineage Factor was incomplete and had simply not manifested yet.

Like his brothers Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji, the three of them had not only awakened superhuman physiques and gained exoskeletons, but had also acquired powers such as fire control, electricity control, and monstrous strength.

Even when Sanji awakened later, however, he only gained a superhuman physique and an exoskeleton, without any special abilities.

So this was not a case of destruction followed by rebirth, nor was it some further evolution. Through training and battle, he had merely activated his incomplete Lineage Factor.

What truly allowed Sanji to humiliate Judge and the others was his martial arts and Haki—the future that was not shackled by technology or bloodlines.

"I've accepted your gift." Judge pointed to the seat on the left. "Please, sit."

"It seems Mr. Judge is satisfied with my gift. In that case, I'll get straight to the point."

"I want to cooperate with the Vinsmoke Family and deal with the Donquixote Family together in the future."

After taking his seat, Van did not waste words and directly stated his purpose.

A sharp glint flashed in Judge's eyes, but he remained composed. "What do you want?"

Van asked in return, "If I'm not mistaken, the pressure on the Germa Kingdom is growing by the day. Mr. Judge, you must be considering leaving, correct?"

"So what?" Judge neither confirmed nor denied it. "Does that have anything to do with your request?"

"Of the Four Blues, the East Blue has the best order and the weakest pirate and criminal forces. It is also the most suitable place for the Germa Kingdom to develop quietly."

"I plan to avoid the Donquixote Family for the time being and build up my strength there. So I would like to ask Mr. Judge to take me and my companions with you."

Transportation in the pirate world was inconvenient. The East, South, West, and North Blues were separated by the Red Line and the Grand Line, making travel between them extremely difficult.

Taking the route from the North Blue to the East Blue as an example, one could either cross the Red Line directly or travel against the current through the Grand Line.

First, one would have to pass through the Calm Belt into the New World, then return to Paradise through Fish-Man Island, and finally cross the Calm Belt once more to enter the East Blue.

For Van, neither of those methods was realistic at present, so he could only rely on outside help.

The Germa Kingdom happened to possess the ability to cross the Red Line, which was why he had specifically come to seek cooperation.

"Is reaching the East Blue all you need?"

Judge looked somewhat disappointed. This was merely a trivial matter, far from the cooperation he had anticipated.

With such a modest request from Van, the direct assistance he could offer Germa was certainly limited as well.

"I also want to stay in the Germa Kingdom for a while. I hope Mr. Judge can open Germa's various institutions and facilities for my companions and me to study in."

"They're all still young and growing, so their living conditions cannot be too poor."

Van's gaze swept over Reiju before he continued, "In return, I can provide extremely valuable intelligence that will give Mr. Judge a chance to improve the combat capabilities of the modified soldiers."

Improve the combat capabilities of the modified soldiers?

Judge's eyes narrowed, and he asked in a low voice, "What intelligence?"

"The timing is not right yet. Telling you now would be useless. I'm sincere about cooperating; whether you believe me is up to you."

Van picked up the wineglass on the table, gestured toward the four youngsters across from him, and drained it in one gulp.

Reiju and the other three remained expressionless, all of them like robots without the slightest response.

They could not disobey their father Judge's orders. That was the price of their successful modifications.

Of the four, only Reiju had retained normal human emotions. Yet at only eleven years old, she had already learned to read the room and conceal her true feelings in front of outsiders.

As for Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji, the three of them had extremely vile personalities and only behaved themselves in Judge's presence.

"Chavik, prepare a castle and arrange accommodations for Mr. Van and his companions."

"From now on, they are honored guests of Germa. Do your best to meet any of their needs."

After weighing the matter for a long time, Judge ultimately agreed to Van's request.

That bit of convenience was nothing to him. Even if there were no tangible return, he would not lose anything.

"Yes, Lord Judge!"

The middle-aged man standing nearby bowed respectfully, then turned and left the reception hall.

"Mr. Judge has made a wise choice." Van smiled. "I can guarantee that within a few years, Germa will regain its former glory."

To rule the North Blue once more was Judge's current dream and obsession.

Van's words were like a dose of medicine injected straight into his heart, stirring him deeply.

"To a fruitful partnership!"

Judge smiled and raised his glass toward Van in a toast.

The clone maid behind Van immediately stepped forward to pour the wine. When he raised his glass, Reiju and the other three stood up as well.

"To a fruitful partnership!"

After the brief reception, Van reunited with Drake and the others under Chavik's guidance.

When they learned that they would be staying here for some time and heading to the East Blue, no one objected, though they still felt somewhat uneasy.

Crossing the Red Line sounded far too absurd to be believable.