"Sanji…"
Watching as his three proudest "creations" were sent flying with effortless ease, Judge's eyes instantly filled with a complex mix of shock and disbelief.
Beside him, Reiju parted her lips slightly, yet in the end, not a single word came out.
As a member of the Vinsmoke Family, she truly wished Sanji could reconcile with their father and lead Germa 66 to even greater heights.
But as the one who had played the biggest role in helping Sanji escape the Vinsmoke Family, Reiju knew better than anyone just how deeply Sanji despised everything related to Vinsmoke.
If not for Sanji's overly gentle nature, that disgust might have long since fermented into boundless hatred—and with the Straw Hat Pirates' fame behind him, Germa 66 might already have faced merciless retaliation.
Sanji… really hasn't changed at all,Reiju sighed inwardly, a trace of sadness surfacing in her heart.
Yet as a member of the Vinsmoke Family, she had no choice at this moment.
What Reiju never expected, however, was this—
Just as she had braced herself to share Judge's fate and bear the full brunt of Sanji's wrath, her ever-arrogant, self-important father suddenly admitted fault:
"I have to admit it… I misjudged you, Sanji!"
"Huh?!"
Judge's abrupt change in tone stunned everyone present.
Even Red hadn't expected the iron-fisted Judge from the anime to actually acknowledge his own mistake.
But the words that followed only solidified Judge's image in Red's mind.
"Facts have proven it—you are my most outstanding creation!"
"The power you've displayed now is more than enough to prove the success of my experiment!"
"Come back, Sanji!"
"Return to the Vinsmoke Family and dedicate everything to the revival of Germa 66!"
"With your perfection added to our ranks, we'll soon unify the North Blue and restore Germa 66's former glory!!!"
As his excitement peaked, Judge spread his arms wide, as if trying to embrace the entire world.
"..."
"..."
The moment Judge's words fell, the area around the round table plunged into absolute silence.
Everyone stared at him in utter disbelief.
Even Reiju—who had followed Judge for decades—never imagined her father could be this shameless.
Had he completely forgotten who it was that tormented Sanji back then, forcing him to flee Germa 66 at the risk of his life?
How could he even say something like that?!
Or perhaps… shamelessness itself was Judge's true secret to success.
"Hah…"
After a long pause, Sanji removed the cigarette from his lips, slowly exhaled a thin stream of smoke, then looked up again—as if seeing Judge for the very first time.
"You really opened my eyes, Vinsmoke Judge."
"I'm genuinely curious…"
"How did someone as scummy as you ever make Mom fall for you back then?!"
With a sharp snap, Sanji broke the cigarette in his fingers, letting the burning butt fall onto the back of his hand.
The flickering flame was like it had touched some terrifyingly combustible fuel, racing across Sanji's body in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, a towering giant of blazing crimson flames enveloped him.
Yet seeing Sanji in this battle-ready form, Judge showed no fear at all. Instead, he spoke with smug pride, as though taking credit:
"I know you're angry about the past, Sanji."
"But there's one thing you can't deny."
"Everything you've achieved today comes entirely from my power!!!"
"Your ability to control and create flames, your talent far beyond ordinary humans, even your current form—"
"All of it was awakened by the Lineage Factor I implanted in you!!!"
"That's why you are my greatest masterpiece!!!"
"Don't describe me with such disgusting words!!!"
Hearing that, Sanji—now a living inferno—felt his stomach churn with revulsion.
The next instant, the flaming giant around him morphed, transforming into a raging fire dragon wreathed in blazing power.
"ROAR—!"
Having already learned the proper awakening of dragon attributes from Zoro, Sanji chose this moment to unleash his ultimate form.
Dominant dragon might.Scorching flames.Overwhelming speed—
The power of dragon, fire, and combat attributes surged together, converging into Sanji's right leg.
Today, he would use this powerful leg to shatter Judge's pitiful dream completely.
A deafening dragon's roar echoed once more.
From the sky came Sanji's thunderous shout:
"Dragon God Wind Kick · Sea, Land, and Air—Total Chaos Stir-Fry!!!"
BOOM!!!
Blazing light erupted from Sanji's right leg like a miniature sun, pouring unimaginable heat down upon Judge. His clothes instantly charred like ignited paper, crumbling into ash-like remnants.
The searing pain twisted Judge's face into a feral grimace.
At the same time, the overwhelming pressure of Conqueror's Haki descended like the final straw, sending Judge's consciousness reeling.
"Impossible… Sanji, that useless brat—how could he possess such power?!"
"Sanji is also my experiment! His strength only proves my success!!!"
"..."
"..."
Two identical voices with completely opposite thoughts echoed simultaneously in Judge's mind, like two little figures fighting viciously inside his head.
Before either could prevail, Sanji's dragon-infused Conqueror's Haki surged straight into Judge's brain.
His already clouded mind instantly underwent changes no ordinary person could comprehend.
"WAHAHAHAHAHA… so this is your power, Sanji?!"
Facing the inferno reaching the heavens, Judge suddenly raised his head, his grin stretching wildly.
"Just as expected of my greatest masterpiece!"
"With this power, Germa 66 won't just reclaim our ancestral glory—even greater heights aren't out of reach!!!"
"Come! Let me witness your power!!!"
Judge stepped forward, not attempting to block the attack at all. Instead, he spread his arms wide like a crazed zealot yearning to merge with divine revelation.
"Have you lost your mind?! Father?!"
At that critical moment, Reiju—who had been watching Judge closely—shouted sharply.
Sensing something terribly wrong with his mental state, she stomped forward.
Even without her Raid Suit's enhancement, her enhanced physique allowed her to leap in at the very last second—just before the flames engulfed Judge—slamming into him and knocking him out of the attack's range.
But that meant the one left within Sanji's attack zone… was now her.
"Reiju?!"
Sanji froze in shock, completely unprepared for her action.
She was the only sibling who had ever treated him kindly after their mother's death. Even though he hadn't spoken a single word to her this whole time, that didn't mean she held no place in his heart.
Yet the flames he had unleashed were already like a beast released from its cage—unstoppable and impossible to rein in.
In desperation, Sanji shouted:
"Red!!!"
"Don't worry! I'm here!"
Before his voice even fully fell, a calm, reassuring reply rang out.
The next instant, a figure in a baseball cap appeared in front of Reiju.
Red casually extended an arm. Without any extra movement, the endless, violent flames slammed into an invisible curved barrier and split apart, surging past Red on both sides.
Like a dragon's breath carrying devastating dragon-attribute destruction, the flames obliterated the entire main platform—
Yet Red, and the stunned Reiju behind him, were completely untouched.
Staring at the man's back, Reiju found herself lost in thought, unaware of what she was even thinking.
Even long after the blazing inferno faded, she still hadn't fully come back to her senses.
"Y-you… who are—" Reiju began, but suddenly, a white skeletal arm entering her field of view snapped her out of it.
"Yohohoho~! Are you all right, beautiful lady?!"
Brook asked with concern.
Reiju, however, was not appreciative.
"AHH!"
Eyes wide with fright, she scooted backward on the ground in a sitting position, retreating several meters in one frantic motion.
Only then did realization dawn on her.
"Y-you… you?!"
She staggered to her feet, mouth opening and closing as if to ask something—yet in the end, she swallowed the question "Why did you save me?"
How had things turned out like this?
Just a moment ago, they were enemies…
And now, the other side had descended like divine soldiers to save her.
Was there some hidden scheme behind this?!
Reiju couldn't make sense of it.
At that moment, Sanji—having lashed out in blind fury with awakened fire power—appeared before her almost instantly.
"Thank you, Red!"
After checking and confirming Reiju was unharmed, Sanji immediately expressed his gratitude.
No matter her identity or gender, Reiju was never someone Sanji could attack.
Even accidental harm to a sister or a woman would have haunted him with guilt forever.
"No need to thank me~"
Red waved it off with a faint smile.
Family matters were never easy to judge.
Having watched the anime, Red knew that despite everything Judge had done, and despite Sanji rejecting the Vinsmoke blood in his veins…
A father and son were still father and son.
Their issues could only be resolved by themselves.
That was why he had created this opportunity for Sanji.
However…
Red shifted his gaze toward Judge, who had been knocked aside by Reiju.
The king of Germa 66, even after narrowly escaping the flames, showed no panic at all. Instead, he stood up and burst into manic laughter:
"WAHAHAHAHA~! Did you see that?! This is the true power of the Life Design Blueprint!!!"
"Sanji! My greatest masterpiece!"
"My experiment… was a success!!!"
"..."
"..."
"What's wrong with him…?"
Watching Judge rant about Lineage Factors one moment and Germa 66's restoration the next, the soul flames in Brook's eyes flickered with confusion.
After examining Judge with psychic power, Red shook his head and sighed.
"Honestly… I never thought the Vinsmoke Family head's will would be this fragile."
"He probably couldn't handle the shock of Sanji's overwhelming strength, causing his emotions to spiral and his mind to collapse."
"For the time being, there's likely no way to wake him up."
"WHAT?!" ×2
Sanji and Reiju cried out in unison, stunned.
"So what you're saying is…" Sanji raised a brow, looking curiously at Judge—still laughing and muttering nonsense—before sighing softly.
"I never imagined things would turn out like this."
"Mom… next time you pick a man, you should prioritize a good guy like me~"
Click.
The crisp sound of a lighter snapping shut broke the awkward silence.
Completely at a loss, Reiju turned her gaze to Sanji.
Perhaps from spending too long by Judge's side, her first instinct was actually to have Sanji return to Germa 66 and protect the kingdom now that it had lost its king.
But she knew that was impossible.
So after her lips moved a few times, she swallowed all those words back down.
Just then, Red suddenly focused his gaze on her.
"By the way, I heard that the Vinsmoke Family's plan to cooperate with the Big Mom Pirates was actually Judge's unilateral decision."
"Now that the Vinsmoke Family head has gone insane, and the three legitimate sons are missing…"
"From the looks of it, the one with the greatest authority right now… is you, Miss Reiju."
Red's eyes gleamed, his words carrying an almost magical pull on her heart.
"That means… Miss Reiju, you are now the new ruler of Germa 66!"
"So—as the first meeting after this transfer of power—would you be willing to abandon the original cooperation with Big Mom and instead work with our Straw Hat Pirates?"
"I doubt you'd want your foolish father and your missing brothers to lose all hope of ever returning, right?"
Reiju: ???
It wasn't even cold—so why did it feel like a yellow imperial robe had suddenly been draped over her shoulders?!
Though stunned by Red's abrupt turn in conversation, the sharp-witted Reiju understood his true intention within a few breaths.
The Straw Hat Pirates weren't ignorant of the fact that the Vinsmoke Family's cooperation with Big Mom hadn't even begun—it was still only in its infancy.
Red had deliberately labeled the Vinsmokes as Big Mom's partners earlier, giving them no chance to refute it, solely to let Sanji vent his anger and land that kick on Judge.
And now, with Judge driven insane—
Judging by the joy Sanji could no longer suppress at the corner of his mouth, he was clearly satisfied with this outcome.
Which meant the Straw Hat Pirates' next target was the scientific power held by the Vinsmoke Family.
What a ruthless move—pulling the rug out from under them!
Sanji got his revenge, and she—someone with emotions—was cornered into accepting the Straw Hats' outrageous demand.
Was all of this… part of your plan?
Vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Trainer Red?!
(End of Chapter)