Dimensional Chat Group: Speed-o'-Light

"If you want to restore your kingdom, you must disband your army. There's no need to argue. Protecting yourself doesn't require a military far beyond the average level. Look at the Germa Kingdom—back then they were powerful enough, yet weren't they still destroyed?"

Kizaru's tone was firm, leaving Judge no room to explain.

Back when he was pursuing Reiju, Kizaru had deliberately studied Germa's history. What he found made him shake his head—an entire history of Germa was essentially the blood-soaked tragedy of surrounding nations.

From before its founding to after its fall, Germa never stopped waging wars of aggression. In the end, several powerful North Blue nations, unable to tolerate them any longer, joined forces and crushed the kingdom.

Even as an exiled regime, Germa's remnants refused to repent. They formed the war-mercenary force known as Germa 66, spreading their infamy from the North Blue to the entire world, truly earning a reputation that stank far and wide.

So it was no surprise that when Kizaru demanded they disband their army, Judge did not immediately agree, even though the temptation of restoring his kingdom was right before him.

Deep down, he knew—without overwhelming force to deter all enemies, those who once destroyed Germa, those ruined by Germa, and the nations harmed by Germa 66 would surely unite against them the moment they returned.

Back when Germa 66 had no fixed base, no one knew where they would strike next, making retaliation difficult. But if Judge restored the kingdom, then it would be like "a monk can escape, but the temple cannot." Revenge would become far easier.

"What's the point of restoring a kingdom like that? Do you want me to see Germa destroyed a second time under my rule?!"

Judge slammed the table angrily, raising his voice in protest. But compared to the high-ranking Marines or the cunning officials of the World Government, his acting wasn't even second-rate.

He was angry, yes, but not too much. Even with Kizaru's harsh terms, nothing truly crossed his bottom line. After all, Germa's strength didn't just lie in its clone soldiers—Judge and his three sons alone could crush most nations' armies.

His 'anger' was more of a performance, an attempt to bargain for the new Germa Kingdom, to keep Kizaru from placing too many shackles on them.

"Then you can choose not to come to me for help."

Seeing through Judge's act, Kizaru spoke calmly. He knew Judge would never let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—that was why he could ignore the theatrics so completely.

No matter how well Judge performed, as long as he didn't walk away, it meant Kizaru's conditions were within his limits.

"…Even if I disband the army, what about the clone soldiers I've already created? I can't possibly execute them all, right?"

Judge fell silent, then finally spoke with apparent "reluctance."

In just a few lines, his acting had suddenly improved, as if he'd achieved enlightenment. If Kizaru hadn't seen countless true actors before—and hadn't already known exactly what kind of man Vinsmoke Judge was—he might almost have mistaken him for a commander genuinely fighting for his men's rights.

"Then let them all join the Marines… hmm?"

Kizaru answered offhandedly, not even bothering to look at him. But the moment he said it, his eyes narrowed slightly. He raised his head to see Judge, who was pretending to be unwilling, but whose eyes could no longer hide his excitement.

This man's clumsy performance had almost made Kizaru underestimate him. In truth, for the new Germa Kingdom, no matter how strong their clone army was, it could never truly guarantee their survival.

For Germa's enemies, the stronger the clone army, the more determined they would be to completely eradicate the Vinsmoke family. Even if they couldn't defeat them alone, they could easily find allies—Germa 66 wasn't the world's only mercenary force.

But if those clone soldiers all became Marines, who would believe that Judge had disbanded his army only because Kizaru forced him to?

Judge would almost certainly spread the story of Germa's "special relationship" with the Marines. Plus, with Reiju deliberately left at Kizaru's side, even Germa's bitterest enemies would hesitate to act rashly against them.

"Then let the clone soldiers join the Marines! For so many years, they've fought and died for Germa—I can't abandon them. Once they join the Marines, as long as they aren't stripped of their status as Germa's soldiers, it'll be as if they're still defending the kingdom!"

Judge, unaware that his scheme had already been seen through, grew impatient and quickly added on.

Compared to Germa 66's infamy, the Marines—especially after the Summit War—were truly awe-inspiring.

As long as he could borrow that name, Judge was confident he could safeguard the reborn Germa Kingdom.

"Of course, that's your choice. But the Marines will never recognize them as soldiers of Germa."

Kizaru, who quickly came up with a good idea, fully cooperated with Judge's little "performance." The more they talked, the more "in tune" they seemed—just short of swearing brotherhood on the spot, with Judge calling him "son-in-law" and Kizaru calling him "father-in-law."

Judge, convinced he had succeeded, was overwhelmed with excitement. The long-cherished dream of the Vinsmoke family, passed down for generations, finally seemed within reach in his lifetime.

Once their nation was restored, he would no longer be the half-baked mercenary leader he was now, but the great Judge I.

But what Judge, secretly rejoicing, could never imagine was that the Navy Headquarters—so dazzling in the eyes of the world right now—would soon become an unfathomable pit.

All the benefits he was reaping under the Navy's name would, before long, be demanded back many times over.

If Kizaru actually managed to overthrow the World Government, then fine. But if not, Germa 66 would most likely be branded accomplices of a Navy rebellion, hunted to death by the Five Elders.

"…Since you're talking about restoring your nation, you can't keep doing your old line of work anymore. If you still have mercenary contracts on hand, you'd better wrap them up quickly. The Navy won't accept a bunch of hired guns as allies."

Kizaru "kindly" reminded him. Since Judge had shown tact by offering to leave Reiju behind, Kizaru didn't have the heart to drag his "dear father-in-law" straight into a deathtrap.

Meanwhile, as Kizaru and Judge "plotted" inside the office, across the hall in the reception room, Nami and Reiju—rivals but not exactly love rivals—were locked in a fierce battle of glares, each regarding the other as a fox spirit.

Nami had it better. She already knew what kind of man Kizaru was, and had long grown numb to the stream of women showing up around him.

If it weren't for Reiju's overwhelming "main wife" aura, Nami wouldn't actually mind comparing notes with another "mistress" on how to deal with a certain playboy.

Even someone as proud as Hancock, Nami could get along with fairly well—at the very least, Hancock didn't openly reject her.

But facing Reiju now, Nami instinctively sensed that this woman was not the same kind of creature as herself, and the "little thief cat" bristled at once.

Reiju, on the other hand, had grown up with little contact with men. Distance had made the heart grow fonder, and over the years she had endlessly idealized Kizaru in her mind: handsome, dashing, gentle, considerate, romantic, and most importantly, powerful enough to give a sense of absolute safety.

Especially when compared to Judge—whose mind was filled only with restoring the kingdom, treating even wife and children as tools—cold and ruthless Ichiji, violent and lecherous Niji, and "insensible, utterly rotten" Yonji… Kizaru seemed the perfect man.

But reality never matches fantasy. Once Reiju came to know Kizaru better, she suddenly felt her dream shatter.

Her "prince charming" turned out to be a frivolous womanizer, and she was just one among many girls he had toyed with.

And yet, apart from his unshakable womanizing, Kizaru's other strengths were undeniable. Even Reiju, with all her pride, had to admit she had fallen for this incorrigible scoundrel.

This time, she had finally worked up the courage to seek him out—only to find him absent, and instead had to endure the constant needling of another woman at his side.

Another girl might have grown disheartened, even turned love into hate. But Reiju wasn't the type to give up easily.

Nami's hostility only ignited Reiju's competitive spirit. She was determined to fight this fox spirit to the end!

"…Hey, are Navy women all this terrifying?"

Sitting nearby, Yonji shrank his neck as he muttered quietly to a Headquarters major, watching the two women's glares nearly spark into flames.

Compared to Ichiji and Niji, Yonji—the youngest—was mentally far more immature.

To Reiju, Yonji was already a hopeless scoundrel. But to Yonji, it was Reiju—the sister who constantly bullied him—who was the real "bad woman."

Fear was not something he often knew, but when facing Reiju, he couldn't help but feel guilty and timid.

And now, his "terrifying" sister had actually found a girl who could match her glare for glare!

"…Probably."

The Marine headquarters major tried to defend the Navy's reputation, but the first female Marine that came to his mind was Vice Admiral Tsuru, then Vice Admiral Gion, Vice Admiral Vivian, and finally Rear Admiral Black Cage.

After silently counting them over, the major couldn't bring himself to lie against his conscience, nor could he openly take the lead in tarnishing the Navy's image. He could only mumble a vague response.

"Too scary… I'd better keep my distance from the Navy from now on!"

Smelling the tension in the air, Yonji couldn't help but shake his head, making what he considered to be a very wise decision.

Click!

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