Sanji Leaves

After finalizing the plan, life became much simpler.

Following Van's arrangements, Drake and the others trained and studied day after day, their days filled to the brim.

Judge did not come to disturb them, as though he had forgotten about them, but none of the conveniences he provided were reduced.

Half a month passed quickly. All of the Germa Kingdom's snail ships returned, and the entire nation began relocating.

When the fleet reached the vicinity of the Red Line, Judge sent a nationwide broadcast announcing that they were heading for the East Blue.

From top to bottom, everyone in the Germa Kingdom began making their final preparations. Van and the others also had no choice but to stop training and secure themselves inside the castle.

The snail ships were about to climb the Red Line. When that happened, the castle floor would be parallel to the cliff face, and one careless move could send them falling.

"I really want to go outside and take a look."

"I heard someone once climbed the Red Line with their bare hands. I wonder how the snail ships climb it."

"Are you talking about that fish-man hero who caused havoc in the Holy Land and freed slaves two years ago?"

"His name seemed to be Fisher Tiger. He's the captain of the Sun Pirates now. The Marines have put a lot of effort into catching him, but they still haven't managed it..."

Hearing her companions mention Fisher Tiger and call him a hero, Blue Moon smiled happily.

Tiger was the pride of Fish-Man Island, and her father had even been Tiger's companion.

He would die soon enough!

Van gently shook his head and did not reveal that cruel outcome.

Just then, the castle jolted violently and began to tilt. It did not stabilize again until it had turned ninety degrees.

If one lay atop the Red Line, one could see that the modified snail ships had many sucker-like bionic devices on their undersides, allowing them to cling firmly to the cliff face.

Those bionic devices exerted force in turns, slowly hauling the heavy ships upward.

To ordinary ships, the Red Line was an insurmountable natural barrier, but to the snail ships, it was little different from level ground.

In less than half a day, the castle returned to normal, meaning the fleet had successfully reached the top of the Red Line.

What was outside?

Drake and the others eagerly unfastened themselves and rushed out of the castle without even saying hello.

Yet when they looked out, they saw only an endless stretch of red earth, crisscrossed by ravines and rolling hills.

There were no people, no animals, and even the vegetation was pitifully sparse.

This land had been abandoned for a long time. Perhaps only the areas near the Holy Land of Mary Geoise could be considered normal.

Greatly disappointed, everyone turned around and saw that Van had somehow returned to the top floor of the castle and was watching them through the window.

"Now that you've seen enough, it'll be like this for the next half month or so. Go back to training."

Compared to the climb, the journey ahead was the real ordeal.

The Red Line was extremely wide, while the snail ships moved slowly on land. It would take some time before they reached the East Blue.

"Lord Van, should I train too?"

Blue Moon's sudden question caught Van off guard. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Do you feel like you don't fit in?"

"As long as I can stay by Lord Van's side, I'm happy."

Blue Moon shook her head and continued, "But seeing everyone work so hard, I'm worried I'll become a burden, especially after I take human form in the future."

"Merfolk have their own training methods. Did you learn any before?" Van added, "If you did, I can find a way to provide you with a suitable training environment."

Blue Moon lowered her head awkwardly and mumbled, "Life on Fish-Man Island has been fairly peaceful these past years. It seems no one really had any desire to train."

Merfolk were different from fish-men. They did not possess any notable physical advantages, nor had any particularly powerful individuals emerged among them.

There was no need to grow stronger. Even male merfolk rarely trained, much less female merfolk, every one of them as beautiful as a flower.

Van sighed and asked, "Then do you want to train?"

"I..." Blue Moon hesitated for a moment. "I want to be like my companions too. I want to be able to help Lord Van in the future."

"What if the price is being separated from me for a while?" Van asked seriously. "Would you still train?"

The very act of asking that question already revealed his inclination.

Blue Moon understood what he meant and immediately replied in a firm voice, "I would!"

"Since you have that determination, I won't oppose it."

Van nodded, but then his tone changed. "However, now isn't the right time. I'll arrange it for you after a while."

"How long do I have to wait?" Blue Moon sounded somewhat nervous. "And how long will we be separated?"

"You'll find out later."

Van only had a rough idea in mind and could not determine what the future held, so he could not give her an answer yet.

"Mm." Blue Moon suddenly blushed and asked softly, "I've never been this high up before. Can Lord Van keep me company today?"

"Is your throat uncomfortable? My medical skills have improved greatly, so this is the perfect time to examine you."

With a perfectly serious expression, Van unfolded his operating room and brought Blue Moon into the bathroom.

The snail fleet traveled day and night across the Red Line, taking a full twenty days before they once again felt the cold wind carrying the scent of the sea.

When the fleet landed steadily on the waters of the East Blue, Drake and the others could not help cheering in celebration of this feat.

However, this was only a minor matter to the Germa Kingdom. The fleet seemed to have had a destination in mind all along and continued onward through the waves.

It was not until the evening two days later that Judge sent Chavik over. After explaining the situation, he made a request.

The Germa Kingdom was going to attack the Kogia Kingdom in the East Blue tomorrow, and he hoped Van could help.

"I'll be there on time."

Van did not refuse, because he knew Judge could no longer wait.

With Germa's military strength, as long as the World Government and the Marines did not interfere, they could run rampant through the East Blue. They had no need for anyone else's help.

Judge's goal was simply to force him to make his stance on the alliance clear, or to reveal that piece of information in advance.

"Big Brother Van, are we really going to take part in a war between nations?"

As soon as Chavik left, Drake voiced the doubt in his heart. It was also what everyone else was concerned about.

"Tomorrow, I'll just show up and make an appearance. You all train as usual." Van waved them away. "Go back and sleep."

War carried risks. He would not let Drake and the others take part yet.

He was not going because he was being forced to. He wanted to see Sanji and find out whether he could trigger a Fate Event.

Early the next morning, the fleet arrived at the Kogia Kingdom's harbor, and battle immediately erupted.

Overwhelming technological weaponry, coupled with fearless and endlessly replenished clone soldiers, shattered the harbor defenders in a single clash.

Judge remained behind on the flagship while Reiju and the other three led teams deeper into the island to carry out the cleanup operation.

Taking advantage of the fleet's dispersal, Reiju secretly slipped into the castle where Sanji was imprisoned and freed her pitiful younger brother.

Her actions did not escape Judge's notice, but he did not stop her. He merely told Sanji not to use "Vinsmoke" as his surname in the future, then let him go.

"What a loving father and son... Why didn't that trigger a Fate Event?"

Van frowned deeply, unable to stop himself from suspecting that the system had become completely cold-hearted and only wanted him to spend points to create Fate Events.