The Thousand Sunny surged forward, pulled by the massive sea bull, Momoo, who was straining with every ounce of its strength. Nearby, the submarine pushed its engines to full horsepower to keep pace. For several days, the Straw Hats had been relentlessly chasing the snail-drawn fleet of the Germa Kingdom.
Vinsmoke Judge, the king of Germa, had proven to be a coward. As soon as he learned that Reiju had failed to stop the Straw Hat crew, he had ordered his mobile kingdom to flee. The giant snails that carried the nation were exhausted, dragging entire castles through the waves, yet they were still remarkably fast—faster than the standard sails of the Sunny.
However, the Straw Hats had adapted. Realizing they needed more speed to close the gap, they utilized Momoo to tow the ship. Since the Sunny was relatively small, the sea bull's strength allowed them to more than double their speed. Navigating the North Blue was a simple task for Nami, whose skills were far beyond the requirements of these waters. Finally, on the afternoon of the third day, the Sunny caught up with the massive mobile fortress of Germa.
The scale of the kingdom was impressive. Huge, genetically enhanced snails acted as the foundation for the floating castles, allowing the Germa Kingdom to exist without any fixed territory on land. It was a novel sight for the crew, seeing an entire country attempting to run away from a single pirate ship.
Realizing they could no longer escape, the Germa fleet came to a halt. Three large snail ships moved to surround the Sunny. Standing on the prows were three men with distinctive red, blue, and green hair, styled in sharp, gravity-defying points. These were Sanji's brothers: Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji.
Ichiji scanned the Straw Hat crew, his eyes lingering with caution on Luffy and Carl, while he pointedly ignored Sanji. Finally, his gaze settled on his sister.
"Reiju, you actually surrendered to these pirates and brought them to our kingdom," Ichiji said, his voice cold and accusatory. "Have you truly betrayed our father?"
He didn't ask for an explanation; he immediately jumped to a conclusion of treason. This cold lack of empathy disgusted everyone on the Sunny.
"Whether she betrayed you or not doesn't matter," Luffy said, his voice low and dangerous. "Do you think you can escape? We came here to find you, and you're going to get beaten. No one is getting away."
As he spoke, Luffy released a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki. The pressure was immense. The clone soldiers standing on the Germa ships, despite being engineered for war, could not withstand the spiritual weight of a true king. They collapsed one after another, littering the decks. Even Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji felt the crushing oppression, their backs breaking into a cold sweat as they faced Luffy's raw power.
Sanji stepped up to Luffy's side, his expression more serious than the crew had ever seen it.
"Luffy, leave this to me," Sanji requested. "I want to settle this grievance with my own hands. It's the only way I can truly break the shackles of this family."
"Alright," Luffy replied loudly. "But Sanji, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. We're your partners!"
"Of course," Sanji said with a small nod. "I've never been polite with you guys."
In a flash of speed, Sanji vanished. Utilizing his lightning-fast movements, he reappeared instantly in front of Ichiji, sending a black leather shoe directly toward his brother's face. Ichiji reacted quickly, his hands erupting in sparks as he tried to strike back, but Sanji was faster. Sanji shifted mid-air, appearing behind Ichiji and delivering a powerful kick to his back that sent him soaring into the sky.
"You bastard! Do you think you're the only one who can use lightning?" Niji's voice roared from behind.
Niji's fist, crackling with electricity, swung toward Sanji's head. Sanji simply tilted his head, letting the blow pass through his elementalized body before counterattacking with a lightning-enhanced kick to Niji's abdomen. Niji was blasted backward, clutching his stomach.
"Trash like you shouldn't be so arrogant!" Yonji shouted, throwing a massive, sandbag-sized punch.
This time, Sanji didn't dodge. He met the fist with a direct kick. The collision created a loud boom, and Yonji felt an overwhelming force surge through his arm before his body was sent flying uncontrollably.
The entire exchange had happened in the blink of an eye, and Sanji stood dominant. The three brothers quickly used the jet boots on their raid suits to fly back, glaring at Sanji with fury.
"You are just a failure!" they spat. "Do you really think you can defeat the three of us?"
"Shut up!" Sanji roared. "You talk about failures and trash, but look at yourselves! Even a failure is a human being. You three are nothing but tools for that bastard. What right do you have to look down on anyone?"
The brothers were momentarily silenced, unable to find a rebuttal.
"Once you take off those battle suits, you're no better than ordinary people," Sanji continued, his voice full of disdain. "The sea is full of monsters, and compared to them, you're just ants. You don't even have the courage to enter the Grand Line. You hide here and dominate the North Blue, yet you have the nerve to call me a waste? Is that the self-confidence that bastard gave you?"
Sanji felt a sense of immense relief as he shouted. He had wanted to say these things since he was a child, but he hadn't possessed the strength back then to make them listen. Now, he intended to beat them until they reflected on their lives—and he would do the same to their father. He was going to liberate Reiju, and if the old man objected, Sanji was prepared to kill him.
"You certainly have become stronger, Sanji," a voice boomed.
Judge appeared from the castle, spear in hand, his face set in a mask of unprecedented seriousness. Sanji clenched his fists, suppressing the urge to rush forward and strike him down immediately.
Judge glanced warily at Luffy and Carl. He seemed relieved to see that the two powerhouses were staying back for now. When he turned his gaze back to Sanji, his eyes filled with anger.
"Sanji, you are my son," Judge said, attempting to sound reasonable. "What is wrong with me arranging a marriage for you?"
"I left this family a long time ago," Sanji snapped. "You have no right to control my life. Stop talking. I'm going to beat you until you're convinced!"
Sanji was finished with words. He knew exactly what kind of man Judge was; if he wasn't beaten into submission, he would simply continue his schemes.
"Think about the situation!" Judge yelled, trying one last time to manipulate him. "The Big Mom Pirates, the Blackbeard Pirates, and Kaido's fleet are all descending on this location, and the Marines are surrounding the North Blue! The Straw Hats are in a desperate situation, and you want to settle a petty score?"
Sanji sneered. "You don't need to worry about us. They can come whenever they like. When has the Straw Hat crew ever been afraid?"
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