The Cold Edge of the North Blue
The North Blue was a different beast entirely.Gone were the warm trade winds and gentle East Blue swells; here, the sea bit at the skin like tiny blades, and the air carried the faint tang of oil and steel. The horizon was often marred by the silhouettes of factory ships and the towering smokestacks of industrial kingdoms.
From the bow of Heaven's Embrace, Vegito took it all in, his Saiyan tail swishing lazily behind him.He'd dressed for the cold — though "dressed" for him meant a white coat lined with fur at the collar, its cut similar to Edward Newgate's but cleaner, sharper. Underneath, his chest was bare, because of course it was.
"North Blue…" Bell-mère muttered from beside him, tugging her own coat tighter. "Haven't been here in years. Last time I was this far north, I was a marine, chasing a smuggling ring."
"Any smuggling rings you didn't chase, Bell-mère?" Vegito smirked.
Her only reply was a glare and a muttered, "Smartass."
From further back on the deck, Nami and Nojiko huddled around Kaya, who had taken to wearing soft white scarves whenever the wind picked up. Kuina stood apart from them, arms crossed, gazing out to sea.For her, this was all still new — the rush of open water, the freedom, the ship that seemed alive with possibility.
Rumors of the Germa
They heard the first whispers in a small, ice-slicked port called Fosseholm.
The locals kept glancing toward the docks, where an imposing snail-shaped warship was anchored, its steel plating slick with frost. Soldiers in identical green uniforms patrolled the pier, their movements unnervingly synchronized.
"That's them," Bell-mère muttered. "Germa 66."
Vegito tilted his head. "Huh. Looks like a bad cosplay convention."
Bell-mère's eyes narrowed. "Those 'cosplayers' are Judge Vinsmoke's private army. Mercenaries, scientists, and killers wrapped into one. If they're here, something's up."
It didn't take long to find out what.
Over tankards of hot spiced cider in the corner of a tavern, Vegito listened as a pair of dockworkers traded news.
"…heard they've been holding the princess on their mobile kingdom. Never lets her off the damn ship," one whispered. "Pretty, too. Always smiling for the cameras, but I heard she's got poison in her veins."
"That's Reiju, right?" the other asked. "Pink hair? They say she can heal with a kiss, but… I heard she's as much a prisoner as royalty."
Vegito's grin turned sharp. Pink hair, heals with a kiss, locked away in a mechanical kingdom? Yeah, I'm gonna need to meet her.
Germa's Fortress-Ship
They tracked Germa 66's "kingdom" easily enough — a sprawling mechanical monstrosity crawling across the waves on retractable steel legs. Castle spires rose from its center, banners snapping in the wind, all of it bristling with cannons and observation snails.
Heaven's Embrace descended in sky mode, wings folding as the ship's cloaking runes shimmered. No one below noticed their approach.
"Plan?" Bell-mère asked.
Vegito cracked his knuckles. "We'll go subtle at first."
Phase One – The Troll Infiltration
Subtle, for Vegito, meant striding through Germa's outer gates in a stolen green soldier uniform that was three sizes too small for his shoulders.
"Salute," a guard barked.
Vegito saluted with the wrong hand, upside-down. "Hail… Germa?"
The guard blinked, opened his mouth, then yelped as Vegito's tail snaked out and yoinked the man's clipboard.
"Inspection order," Vegito said casually, flipping through papers. "Yep. Everything looks terrible. You're all fired."
By the time the alarms started, he was already strolling through the fortress halls, ignoring the panicked soldiers scrambling to intercept him.
First Meeting – Reiju
He found her in a gilded balcony chamber overlooking the sea.
Pink hair cascading over one shoulder. Soft, watchful eyes. A figure wrapped in a tailored royal coat trimmed with gold. She turned at his approach, her polite smile not quite reaching her eyes.
"You're… not one of Father's men."
Vegito leaned against the doorframe. "And you don't look like you belong in a cage."
Her smile faltered. "You should leave. The walls here have ears… and blades."
"Blades don't scare me." He straightened, walking toward her without hurry. "Reiju, right? I'm here to make you an offer."
The Fight – Breaking the Toys
Of course, that's when Judge showed up.
Vinsmoke Judge was every bit the overcompensating tyrant Vegito expected: towering, armored, and furious.
"Who dares trespass—"
Vegito blurred forward, seizing the man's helmet and twisting it around backward like it was a toy head. "Sorry, didn't catch that."
The room exploded into chaos. Germa soldiers poured in, firing beams from their boots, swinging electrified blades. Vegito danced through them, slapping helmets, tripping soldiers into each other, snapping rifles in half. He didn't even throw a proper punch until one soldier fired point-blank at Reiju — then he backhanded the blast into the ceiling and flicked the shooter out the nearest window.
When Judge lunged again, Vegito caught the man's spear with two fingers.
"Neat toy," he said, before crushing the shaft into splinters. "You're done."
Reiju's Choice
The battle didn't end so much as fizzle — Judge on the floor, groaning, soldiers scattered or unconscious, Vegito completely unscathed.
He turned to Reiju. "So. Freedom. You in?"
She studied him for a long moment. "…I don't know who you are. But I know I've been waiting for this moment my whole life."
"Good enough for me." He offered his hand.
Her gloved fingers slid into his. "Where are we going?"
"Anywhere you want," he said, leading her toward the open balcony. "First stop: my ship. You're gonna love it."
Heaven's Embrace – First Impressions
The moment Reiju set foot on Heaven's Embrace, her composure cracked. She stopped dead, staring at the gleaming runes, the impossible architecture, the folded wings.
"This… this isn't possible."
"Not in your world," Vegito said. "On this ship? Everything's possible."
Bell-mère and the others welcomed her warmly — even Kuina offered a nod of respect. Nami and Nojiko exchanged a glance that said yep, another one.
The Party
That night, the ship's mess hall was alive with music, laughter, and the smell of freshly cooked feasts — courtesy of Cosette, who had slipped aboard during the chaos and seemed to be in no hurry to leave.
Reiju sat at the captain's table, a glass of wine in hand, her cheeks flushed not from drink but from something rarer: genuine joy.
"This," she said softly to Vegito as the noise swelled around them, "is the first time in years I've felt… safe."
He raised his glass to hers. "Get used to it."
End of Chapter Status Update
[Crew Roster]
Vegito (Captain)
Bell-mère (Crew Mother / Fighter)
Nami (Navigator)
Nojiko (Support Fighter)
Kaya (Doctor – Heal-Heal Fruit User)
Kuina (Swordswoman)
Reiju (Combat Medic / Poison Specialist)
Next Destination: Baratie – The Floating Restaurant