"Tch, those bastards from Germa 66 really don't hold back," Crow muttered through gritted teeth behind his bird-beak mask aboard the Wind Granma.
A medic from the Revolutionary Army was treating his wounds.
Originally, Kuma had offered to extract Crow's injuries and absorb them himself.
But over the years, Crow had witnessed countless times how Kuma would extract severe injuries or illnesses from civilians and bear them himself.
So he firmly refused Kuma's help.
These wounds weren't life-threatening—there was no need for Kuma to shoulder more pain.
Every time he remembered the agony that even made Kuma scream and roar in pain, Crow's resolve grew stronger.
He couldn't let his comrades sacrifice for him one-sidedly.
Soon, the wound on his shoulder was stitched up and bandaged before the medic left.
Crow tested his movement gently.
As long as he didn't exert himself too much, it wouldn't be a problem.
With that, he stood up and headed out of the cabin.
On the deck stood the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon and Bartholomew Kuma.
"Leader, Kuma, thank you both for coming to our rescue."
"That's not important," Dragon shook his head. "What matters is that you and your men are safe."
"Me? I'm fine. If it weren't for that sneak attack from Germa 66, I wouldn't even have this shoulder wound!" Crow grumbled before continuing, "But putting that aside, the strength of Germa 66 as a whole... is nothing to scoff at."
Crow was a pragmatic man.
His assessment of an enemy's strength was always objective—after all, underestimating foes meant gambling with his comrades' lives.
"I can see that," Dragon nodded before asking, "The king of Germa 66... is Vinsmoke Judge, right?"
"Right. How did you know, Leader?"
"I... have some history with him."
As Dragon spoke, he recalled his days as a Marine when he had encountered MADS and met Vegapunk.
Back then, among those working alongside Vegapunk was a man named Vinsmoke Judge.
Anyone capable of collaborating with Vegapunk in a research facility undoubtedly possessed formidable scientific expertise.
"Setting Germa 66 aside for now, what's the situation with the other nations?"
"Well... the North Blue is complicated right now," Crow frowned. "You know I'm originally from the North Blue. That's why you sent me back to gather intel."
"Exactly."
"But the situation in the North Blue has completely changed now." Crow took out a map of the North Blue from his coat.
"Look, the four strongest nations marked here have already been targeted by Germa 66's decapitation strikes. Their kings were assassinated and the countries have plunged into complete chaos. Logically, this should be the perfect opportunity for us to intervene and liberate these nations..."
"But I've discovered that the civil unrest in these four countries was all instigated—and the ones stirring up the wars are all clones created by Germa 66."
"In other words, Germa 66 is now likely to become our direct adversary."
"Our goal is to liberate the North Blue, while they seek to conquer it. In a way, the Revolutionary Army and Germa are direct competitors."
Dragon nodded.
Germa 66 might be the greatest obstacle the Revolutionary Army has ever faced.
Perhaps Germa 66 lacks many top-tier fighters, but their numbers of clone soldiers are simply overwhelming—making it nearly impossible to eliminate them all at once.
Moreover, Germa 66 also holds the status of a World Government-affiliated nation.
If Vinsmoke Judge is pushed to the brink, he might trade his technology with the World Government, potentially drawing in a massive naval siege.
"We'll need to carefully reconsider our liberation plans for the North Blue nations."
"I agree." Kuma, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up.
"We really should take our time with this. If all else fails, we can always consult Olvia on how to handle it. It's been a while since we last saw her anyway."
Crow wasn't surprised by Dragon's decision.
Though Dragon appeared cold and detached, he deeply valued every life in the Revolutionary Army.
This was precisely why they were willing to follow him at all costs.
"Alright, now that we've discussed Germa 66, let's talk about that Devil Fruit you found."
"Oh, hold on, Leader." Crow quickly went below deck, retrieved the Devil Fruit from his room, and returned to the deck.
"Here it is."
A pitch-black fruit rested in his palm.
It looked like a smooth but pockmarked lump of coal.
"This is it. Vinsmoke Judge had his eyes on this fruit too—that's why he ambushed me!"
"Kuma, can you tell what kind of fruit this is?" Dragon studied it for a moment before asking.
"I'm not very familiar with Devil Fruit, but it's definitely not a Zoan-type." Kuma shook his head.
"We could ask Olvia when we return. Given her vast knowledge, she might recognize it."
"That might be our only option." Dragon had no better ideas. "Since you're the one who found this Devil Fruit, it's entirely up to you how to handle it once its abilities are identified."
"Of course, I'm hoping it turns out to be a fruit with decent powers." Crow subconsciously glanced at his wound, his lips twisting with clear frustration.
"If I were stronger, I wouldn't have been wounded in a cheap ambush by someone like Vinsmoke Judge!"
By now, they had long since left the North Blue and were nearing their headquarters, Baltigo.
Yet as he gazed into the distance, Kuma couldn't help but frown.
"There seems to be signs of a battle over Baldigo!" Kuma extended his hand, pointing toward Baldigo's direction.
"Look, those are flames released by Ginny!"
"Hmm, I see it."
Dragon's lips twitched slightly.
He didn't need Kuma to point it out—he could already see it.
After all, the dozens-of-meters-tall fire tornado was impossible to miss.
But...
"No need to rush. It's not an enemy." Dragon raised his arm to stop Kuma, who was about to teleport himself back to Baltigo immediately.
"Don't you see those white flames in the air?"
"White flames?" Kuma suddenly understood. "Has the Chief of Staff returned?"
"Must be him. Probably testing whether Ginny has improved after not seeing her for a while." Dragon shook his head.
"If it were a real enemy attack, Ginny would have done everything to notify us before fighting, especially since you could return to support at any time."
As the Wind Granma docked back at Baltigo, the towering fire tornado was completely dispersed by the white flames.
The group soon arrived at the southeastern corner where the fight had taken place.
The ground was riddled with scorched craters, as if it had been bombarded relentlessly.
"Hey, you're back."
Michael turned around to face his comrades in the Revolutionary Army.
Meanwhile, Ginny was completely exhausted, hung by Michael from the eaves of a building...
His true nature revealed.
"And I even called you 'Michael Aniki'! How dare you hang me up to humiliate me!"
"Let me down! I'm gonna punch you into next week!"
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