In a certain sea expansion of the New World, a seafaring kingdom formed by dozens of colossal ships floated upon the ocean. This was the unique, country without a fixed landmass, the Germa Kingdom!
Its citizens and soldiers made up the military force that struck terror into the hearts of the world: Germa 66. The absolute pinnacle of this nation and its military's rule was the Vinsmoke Family.
It was a nation of science spanning generations, backed by a formidable foundation of cutting-edge technology!
Inside the largest castle of the kingdom, Vinsmoke Ichiji walked briskly into the grand hall, his expression grim as he held a newspaper in his hand.
"Father, you had better take a look at this!"
Ichiji walked up to Judge, who was seated upon the throne, and handed over the newspaper published by the World Economy Newspaper.
"What happened..."
Judge set down the thick book in his hand, casually taking the newspaper from Ichiji. Before he could even finish his question, his eyes locked onto a photograph that took up over half the front page.
"Is this... Whole Cake Island?"
Instantly, Judge's eyes widened, his pupils contracting violently as he stared in sheer disbelief at the image. It showed a town reduced to a wasteland of smoldering ruins, where the shattered remains of dessert-shaped buildings could still faintly be discerned.
"Father, the Big Mom Pirates and the Chris Pirates have gone to war. What should we do?" Ichiji asked in a heavy voice. "Do we still proceed with the political marriage?"
"This..."
Judge stared intently at the detailed report on the newspaper, finding himself utterly conflicted by Ichiji's question.
Continuing the political marriage with the Charlotte Family now meant the Germa Kingdom would be actively choosing a side. They would be standing with the Big Mom Pirates, which meant turning the Chris Pirates into their enemy.
The moment Judge recalled the terrifying power of that man, a wave of instinctual dread washed over him. While they might not necessarily face that man directly, he absolutely did not want to cross him.
Yet, while he had no desire to provoke the Chris Pirates, he was equally unwilling to alienate the Big Mom Pirates. This was especially true since he still planned to leverage Charlotte Linlin's might to reclaim the Vinsmoke Family's historic glory, back when the Germa Kingdom ruled the entire North Blue!
At that moment, Reiju, Niji, Yonji, and Sanji entered the grand hall one after another. It was clear they had all received the same news.
"Tell me your thoughts. What do we do next?" Judge asked his gathered children, lowering the newspaper with a dark countenance.
However, Judge's question only threw Ichiji, Reiju, and the others into deep contemplation. None of them could come up with an immediate solution to the crisis.
"Heh, how pathetic!"
Suddenly, a mocking voice shattered the silence of the grand hall.
Judge's face went cold as he looked over to see Sanji lighting a cigarette with an expression of pure disdain.
Sanji exhaled a plume of smoke and continued in a scoffing tone, "You people actually think you can stick your noses into a war between the Chris Pirates and a Yonko? Did you think it would be as easy as your historic 'Four Nation Conquest' back in the day?"
Though Sanji had never personally witnessed the true might of the Big Mom Pirates, he had seen what the Chris Pirates were capable of. Germa's technology was perhaps the only thing that could loosely compete with the scientific prowess of the Chris Pirates.
But when it came to raw, military power, even ten Germas combined wouldn't necessarily stand a chance against a titan like the Chris Pirates.
Hearing Sanji's mockery, Judge flew into a rage. But just as he was about to bark a furious reprimand, Reiju suddenly spoke up, her voice cool and steady. "He's right. Sanji is absolutely right!"
"Hmm?"
Judge, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji all turned to look at Reiju in surprise.
"Ha, what a joke! Since when does the opinion of a failure like Sanji carry any weight?" Yonji sneered, being the first to openly express his contempt.
"Shut up, Yonji!" Ichiji barked, waving his hand to silence his younger brother before turning his gaze forward. "Reiju, let's hear your thoughts."
"How interesting! Fascinating!" Niji's lips curled into a smirk as he scanned Sanji from head to toe.
"Stop looking at me with those disgusting eyes, you bastard!" Sanji muttered, his brow furrowing in deep annoyance as he glared back at Niji.
Ignoring the friction between Niji and Sanji, Reiju's beautiful face remained icy as she said softly, "What Sanji just said makes perfect sense. Germa simply does not possess the strength to meddle between the Chris Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates. Picking a side blindly carries far too much risk!"
"If we side with the Big Mom Pirates, we wouldn't even be able to withstand a fraction of the Chris Pirates' wrath. If just one of their high-ranking executives, the Slayer Oliver, the Blue-Haired Gilbert Arlan, the God Enel, or Black Arm Zephyr, were to show up with a few division commanders or combatants, we would barely be able to hold them off!"
Reiju's words echoed through the vast, empty castle hall, leaving Judge utterly speechless and unable to offer a counterargument.
Even Ichiji, who was cold-blooded and viewed human life as mere trash; Niji, who was ruthless and fiercely arrogant; and Yonji, who was wildly boastful and impulsive, all of them dropped their expressions the moment those four names were uttered. Their faces were completely replaced by sheer gravity.
Having collaborated with the Chris Pirates for years and undertaken numerous joint mercenary operations, they knew the terrifying capabilities of those high-ranking executives all too well.
To say nothing of Black Arm Zephyr, the former Marine Admiral and former Chief Instructor of the Marines, Judge had been deeply aware of that man's legendary prestige decades ago.
Then there was the Slayer, Oliver. He was the foremost combat power of the Chris Pirates, a master swordsman and a slaughter-crazed monster. Even Shiryu of the Rain, the notoriously bloodthirsty killer who had emerged from Impel Down to join the Blackbeard Pirates, paled in comparison to him.
At least in the minds of Ichiji and his brothers, the only person alive who could definitively best Oliver in swordsmanship was Hawk-Eyes Mihawk.
As for the Blue-Haired Gilbert Arlan, he was rumored to be the weakest among the Chris Pirates' high-ranking executives. Yet, during a joint mercenary mission, Arlan had personally taken the field after a long hiatus, giving Ichiji and the others a front-row seat to his horrifying power.
In a single day, he had systematically pulverized five of an enemy nation's massive fortress islands, practically conquering the entire country single-handedly. The display had left Ichiji and his brothers profoundly shaken.
Finally, there was the God Enel. In the minds of Germa, this man was a complete lunatic who claimed to be a 'God.' He was a madman who had actively challenged every single Yonko, including Whitebeard himself, and somehow managed to escape with his life every single time.
The mere thought of making enemies out of these monsters caused an instinctual wave of resistance to rise within Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji, even though their genetic modifications had stripped away most of their human emotions, leaving them incapable of feeling fear even in the face of death.
After a few tense seconds of silence, Judge's brow furrowed tightly. He reached into his cloak, pulled out a small, bird-shaped Den Den Mushi, and dialed a number.
Pere pere pere...
Before long, after a few rings, the line clicked open.
"Hehe~ Judge! I take it you're calling to ask about the situation on Whole Cake Island as well!"
"Cut the crap, Morgans. Give me the inside scoop!" Judge demanded bluntly, completely bypassing any polite pleasantries.
Indeed, the voice on the other end of the line belonged to the president of the World Economy Newspaper and one of the Emperors of the Underworld, "Big News" Morgans.
"Hehehe~ Oh, I know exactly what you're planning. A political marriage with the Charlotte Family... It looks like you're sitting on quite a hot seat right about now!" Morgans chuckled slyly.
As an Underworld Emperor, Morgans had naturally received an invitation to Charlotte Linlin's Tea Party. Having caught wind of certain internal secrets, he couldn't help but gloat the moment he saw Judge calling.
"Morgans, cut the nonsense!" Judge's tone was incredibly sharp, knowing full well that the journalist was taking pleasure in his misfortune.
"Alright, alright! I'll tell you!"
Sitting in his office on Newspaper Island, Morgans crossed his legs and replied casually, "Though I don't know every single detail myself, I do know it has everything to do with the girl your son is supposed to marry!"
"Are you talking about... Charlotte Pudding?!" Judge asked hesitantly. "Don't tell me Aeridar took a liking to Pudding? They went to war over a woman?"
Hearing the name Charlotte Pudding, not only did Ichiji, Reiju, and the others lean in closer, but even Sanji, despite his deeply annoyed expression, pricked up his ears to listen intently.
"Hehehe~ You really are a comedian, Judge. With Aeridar's status, what kind of woman couldn't he have?" Morgans fired back mockingly, his tone dripping with disdain. "Besides, Aeridar's official queen is that woman from Amazon Lily, the number one beauty in the entire world!"
"Cough, cough, cough…"
His face flushing a deep crimson, Judge hastily cleared his throat to cut Morgans off, steering the gossiping bird right back to the matter at hand.