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In the grand and opulent palace hall, the Vinsmoke family was gathered together—a rare occurrence (though Sanji was absent).
At the top of the hall, seated alone on the throne, was Vinsmoke Judge.
Below him, in the center of the hall, his four children sat around a large round table in order of seniority. The atmosphere was peculiar, to say the least.
If not for the tantalizing aroma wafting from the sumptuous dishes spread across the table—enough to make anyone salivate—it would be hard to believe this was a family dinner.
"This time, you all did well," Judge said from his seat, making no move to begin eating just yet. His tone carried a hint of satisfaction. "The king and nobles of the Fierlan Kingdom have grown greedy, exploiting their people recklessly and sparking rebellion... However, this uprising has turned out to be beneficial for Germa. It provided us with a substantial amount of development funds."
"The justification behind war doesn't matter. As long as one side is willing to pay, we ensure they win."
The unpleasantness that had occurred earlier in the afternoon had already been conveniently forgotten by Niji.
After all, there was no denying the harsh truth: neither he nor Yonji stood a chance against Ichiji. If Judge hadn't intervened in time, they might not even be sitting here enjoying this meal right now.
The blame lay solely on their weakness—a cruel but undeniable reality.
"Wouldn't it be better to eliminate both sides?" Yonji mumbled through a mouthful of food. "We'd earn even more money that way, wouldn't we?"
Despite having been battered earlier, both Niji and Yonji were now completely unscathed, their monstrous constitutions earning silent admiration once again.
Though their strength left much to be desired, their resilience and recovery abilities were nothing short of remarkable. Of course, this also owed much to Germa's advanced scientific medical technology.
"Think before you speak," Ichiji shot back at Yonji with a dismissive glance. "Do you think the World Government exists just for show? If Germa were to commit such an act, it would incite panic among other nations. We'd be ostracized, possibly facing collective protests, and could even be expelled from the ranks of the World Government's allied countries."
"And if Germa were labeled as pirates or criminals, we might very well attract the direct wrath of the Marines..."
"To put it bluntly, with Germa's current strength, we are far from being able to stand up to such a behemoth. We could face devastating retaliation—possibly even annihilation! Remember, the Marines stationed in the New World are on an entirely different level compared to those scattered across the Four Blues."
"..."
Both Niji and Yonji fell silent. Over the years, under Ichiji's influence, they had come to deeply understand the overwhelming power of the Marines. They weren't so arrogant as to believe Germa could currently go toe-to-toe with the Marine Headquarters under the World Government.
Even Judge, seated at the head of the table, wore a somber expression.
For years, he had tirelessly strived toward the goal of restoring Germa 66 to its former glory as the dominant force in the North Blue. No one understood the futility of their situation better than him.
If not for the looming presence of the World Government, Germa 66—with its current capabilities—wouldn't even lack true territory.
It was a despair-inducing sense of helplessness!
At the very least, Germa 66 had yet to reach its intended potential.
"Let's change the subject to something less heavy..."
Reiju raised her glass of red wine, taking a delicate sip before smiling. "Come to think of it, I'm curious—just how strong are you now, Ichiji?"
The tense atmosphere lightened somewhat. Not only Niji and Yonji but even Judge couldn't help but turn their attention to Ichiji, curiosity evident in their eyes.
For the past three years, none of them had seen Ichiji fight at full strength.
The most notable instance had occurred a year ago, when Germa embarked on a campaign into the first half of the Grand Line. In a certain stretch of sea, they clashed with a supernova pirate crew led by a captain whose bounty exceeded 193 million Berries.
One strike.
Just one strike, and the supernova—whose bounty neared 200 million—had his heart pierced clean through!
It was obvious to anyone paying attention that Ichiji hadn't even used Armament Haki, let alone unleashed his full power.
And that was a year ago.
"The admirals of the Marine Headquarters represent the pinnacle of the Marines' combat strength," Ichiji began, glancing at Reiju and Judge, who were listening intently. He set down his utensils and paused thoughtfully.
"There's no point comparing myself to vice-admirals—they're irrelevant. Each admiral is a true 'monster.' Until I've faced one directly, I can't say for sure how powerful those 'monsters' truly are."
He furrowed his brow, remaining silent for a moment before continuing.
"Still... I believe there's still some distance between us."
His conclusion was vague, lacking specifics.
Even though Ichiji had been born with scientifically enhanced physical attributes—strength, endurance, and resilience far surpassing ordinary humans—his starting point was undeniably higher than that of most other warriors.
Over the years, he had endured unimaginably brutal training regimens and fought countless perilous battles. Ordinary pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million Berries were utterly powerless against him.
Yet, he wasn't naive enough to think he could now stand toe-to-toe with an admiral without fear.
Among the three Marine admirals, whether it was Akainu's magma powers, Aokiji's ice abilities, or Kizaru's light-speed attacks, their Devil Fruit abilities ranked among the absolute top-tier of natural-system fruits.
One had to admit: some Devil Fruit users possessed overwhelming innate advantages, almost as if they were blessed by fate itself.