"I can't believe he actually wants me..."
Reiju stood frozen, shocked by what Sora had just said. Her expression turned guarded, eyes locked sharply onto him.
"You want me?" she asked. "Why?"
From the Den Den Mushi, Judge's voice came through, laced with suspicion.
To this, Sora responded with a calm smile, already having prepared his answer.
"Consider it a political alliance," he said. "If Reiju stays with me, then you won't have to worry about me acting against Germa. And I won't have to worry about Germa betraying me."
Judge paused to consider, then nodded. "Alright. That works."
Sora's strength, and the secrets he possessed, made him a worthy match for Reiju in Judge's eyes.
Once the two had finalized their agreement, Sora handed the Den Den Mushi to Reiju. "Your father wants to speak with you."
Reiju clenched her fists tightly as she took the receiver. "Hello, Father."
"Reiju, stay with him for now. Do whatever he asks of you."
"I understand."
"Then bring him to me."
Click.
Without waiting for a reply, Judge hung up.
"Happy now?" Reiju glared at Sora before walking off to compose herself.
Hearing that Reiju was boarding the ship, both Anna and Shalria were delighted. Another person to share Sora's attention was welcome news.
As for Reiju's displeasure, Sora didn't seem to care. He deftly removed the special collar and seastone cuffs from her wrists, then sent Anna and Shalria to prepare food.
Watching the two girls limp away, Sora finally returned to the captain's quarters to rest. He didn't wake up until two hours later when Shalria gently called out to him.
"Master, it's time to eat."
Still irritated from being woken up, Sora growled, "Eat what…"
With a cranky glare, he grabbed Shalria by the collar, pulling her into his chest.
—
In the dining room, Anna noticed Shalria taking a long time and went to check. Upon hearing strange noises from within, she quickly turned red and returned.
"Isn't Sora coming to eat?" Reiju asked, now calmer.
Anna sat down at the table and muttered, "He's already eating."
—
North Blue.
Near an unnamed island, Sora steered the Divine Slave ship toward the shore. Nearby, Judge was also approaching in a Germa snail ship. Under Yonji's direction, Germa's main fleet regrouped with their vanguard.
Both sides docked at opposite ends of the island and met in the center. Sora came alone—and so did Judge.
"You really are the Godslayer," Judge confirmed as he looked at Sora.
He tossed a large bag at Sora's feet. "These are the combat suits you asked for, along with technical data. Reiju knows how to use and modify them. As for the rest, you'll get it after I confirm the blueprints of Pluton."
Sora glanced into the bag and nodded in satisfaction. Then he tossed Judge a slip of paper.
He didn't really care about the cyborg data—what mattered now was the next step.
"Water 7. Franky?"
Judge raised an eyebrow at the name on the paper.
"He's the apprentice of Tom, the greatest shipwright of Water 7. Pluton's blueprints are with him," Sora explained, picking up the bag and preparing to leave.
Now that he had the suits and Reiju, he had no reason to stick around. As for the Pluton blueprints, he figured giving them to Judge was better than letting the World Government get their hands on them—or destroying them.
At least with Judge, Sora could "pluck the fruit" whenever he wanted.
"Take this." Judge tossed a box at him. "A custom Den Den Mushi and Germa's eternal pose. Use it to contact us later."
"Got it. I'm taking Reiju now."
Bag in hand, Sora gave a casual wave.
Just as he was about to board the Divine Slave, Judge called out, "Take good care of her."
"Will do," Sora replied without looking back.
A moment later, the ship's sails unfurled, and they set off at full speed toward Reverse Mountain.
Watching the vessel disappear into the distance, Judge burned the slip of paper and returned to Germa 66.
"Next stop, Water 7."
—
Aboard the Divine Slave.
On deck, Sora studied the container and manual for the combat suits intently. Behind him, Anna and Shalria were enduring harsh physical training.
The combat suits, without genetic modification, didn't offer extraordinary power boosts. They lacked Reiju's poison, Ichiji's flames, Niji's electricity, and Sanji's invisibility. Still, the basic defense, transformation effects, and flight capability remained intact.
For Sora, flight alone made it all worth it.
Seeing him stare at the equipment for so long, Reiju finally couldn't stand it.
"These are unfinished," she said. "They have to be adjusted for each person."
"Unfinished?" Sora's mood instantly turned dark.
That bastard Judge dared to hand him incomplete gear?
Did he not realize that angering Sora would bring consequences—especially for his daughter?
Furious, Sora threw the container aside and turned to head back for payback.
"Careful!" Reiju shouted, snatching the container mid-air. "This stuff's expensive."
Irritated, she continued, "Everyone's body and skills are different. These are all semi-finished—custom builds. That metal is rare and extremely costly. If you break one, it's basically gone for good."
Sora paused, realizing he may have wrongly blamed Judge. His pride took a hit.
No wonder Judge said Reiju could operate and craft them—it all made sense now.
But having just embarrassed himself, Sora was now looking for a way to regain some face.
"Reiju, would you like to join my crew?" he asked, walking up to her. "Become one of my officers?"
Reiju, already mentally prepared, bit her lip and nodded. "I do."
『Ding! Reiju has joined the crew. Please assign her a role.』
"Combat specialist."
Without wasting a moment, Sora picked her up and carried her toward the captain's cabin.
Startled, Reiju gasped, "W-What are you doing?"
"Heh. If this is a political marriage, what do you think I'm doing?"
Her face instantly turned bright red, the blush spreading all the way to her ears, perfectly blending with her pink hair.
"I-I'm not ready..." she murmured.
"But I am," he replied.
Reiju: "..."