"Wait. May I say something, Mr. Thunder Swordsman? Just one thing."
Vinsmoke Judge looked rattled and instinctively took two steps forward.
Click! Dozens of guns instantly swung toward Judge's head. If he dared take one more step, the Donquixote Family gunmen would fire.
Werther, already on his feet, hesitated before sitting back down.
"I'm a reasonable man. You get three sentences."
Judge was at a loss for words, but inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Mr. Werther."
"One." Werther raised a finger.
Judge opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but in the end he did not dare say another word.
Of all the moments in Judge's life, this might have been the most nerve-racking.
One wrong sentence would cost him his life, and the two children who had accompanied him to Dressrosa would die here too.
"Thunder Swordsman, you're going too far! We all sail these seas. Joining forces with someone powerful, or trying to win their favor, is perfectly normal. We've shown more than enough sincerity. Isn't that enough?
"We've offered the work of a lifetime just to stay alive, but I absolutely will not let you trample on our dignity like this!"
The sudden outburst came from Reiju, the pink-haired beauty.
She had said only a few simple things, yet her breathing was ragged afterward, as though speaking them had taken every ounce of strength she had.
"Vinsmoke Reiju, as a member of a family of killers, you should know how this sea works. The strong take everything, and the weak cling to life. Unfortunately for you, I'm stronger right now."
Werther regarded Reiju with a faint smile.
Reiju glared right back, looking as though she had nothing left to lose.
The room fell into a standoff. Beside her, cold sweat covered the foreheads of