The North Blue is known among the Four Seas as the sea area with the strongest overall power and the most brutal environment, where the general strength of pirates is universally higher than in the other seas.
In such a ruthless competitive environment, weak pirates have no place to survive.
The famous current Marine Admirals Akainu and Kizaru, as well as Marine Headquarters Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Tsuru, all hailed from the North Blue. The celebrity effect has made the North Blue's reputation far surpass that of the other seas.
Since the execution of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, the entire world's pirates have been driven to madness by the promise of 'ONE PIECE,' surging wildly into the Grand Line.
The situation in the North Blue is especially intense. For years, pirate forces, both overtly and covertly, have been striving to expand and accumulate strength, hoping to stand out once they set foot on the Grand Line.
Everyone's eyes are focused on the legendary 'Great Treasure'—ONE PIECE—spoken of by the Pirate King!
It was against this backdrop that Leno and his crew flew over Reverse Mountain and officially entered the North Blue area.
Upon entering the North Blue, they immediately encountered several pirate crews heading to the Grand Line. Seeing Leno's steel ship, they all showed greedy expressions.
However, when they noticed the dazzling red adventurer flag on the ship, the fear in their hearts instantly suppressed their desire, and they steered clear from a distance.
After all, the fearsome reputation of 'Thunder God' had cemented his unassailable status through a series of world-shaking events.
Naturally, in this 'barren and treacherous' region, many slightly powerful yet arrogant individuals were born.
Having survived brutal battles, emerging from numerous pirate crews, and developing an 'egoistic' spirit, they looked down on everyone, even the 'Thunder God.'
Just as they were leading their pirate fleets, ready to teach this 'Thunder God' the rules of the North Blue, massive slashes quickly swept past their ships.
A chain of explosions thundered across the waves. The dream-chasing pirates who had just escaped death countless times were blown apart and swallowed by the sea in an instant.
The other pirate crews, who had wisely kept their distance, broke out in a cold sweat upon seeing this, then turned to their own captains with worship.
"Captain is brilliant~ Long live the Captain!"
"Thank goodness we didn't provoke that monster."
"Yeah, thank goodness we listened to the Captain, or we'd be feeding the fish now."
After cheering, these pirate crews quickly sped away toward the Grand Line.
At the bow of the Gale, Kuina sheathed her sword and turned back to the deck: "Didn't they say the pirates here are very strong?"
"Hey Kuina, I wanted to have some fun, but now they're all gone"
Yamato stared eagerly at the few trouble-making pirate crews. Her Kanabo was ready for a full-scale massacre, but Kuina took them all out in a few moves.
Slightly annoyed, Yamato turned back to the beach umbrella and plopped down across from Robin.
"Hmm? Robin, what book have you been reading?"
Everyone: "(°ー°〃)!!!!!!"
"Yamato is interested in a book?!!!"
Chopper, who was drying herbs, Nami, who was checking the navigation route, and Carmen, who was making tea, all looked at Yamato with horrified expressions, as if they had witnessed something terrifying.
The deck was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Yamato tilted her head, asking oddly, "What's with everyone's gazes?"
"N-Nothing..." The few of them awkwardly resumed their tasks.
Robin, across from her, smiled and handed the book to Yamato:
"'Warrior of the Seas: Sora' tells the story of the Marine Hero 'Sora' and his companions battling Germa 66 repeatedly until they finally achieved a complete victory over them."
"A Marine Hero? Interesting, haha..." Yamato held the book with both hands, very interested in the battle scenes described.
"Unbelievable..."
"Yamato is actually..."
"The world truly is vast…"
Nami, Chopper, and the others appeared to be busy with their own tasks, but their attention was actually fixed on Yamato. After all, Yamato in this state was a once-in-a-millennium sight.
"Pfft~"
Nojiko couldn't help but chuckle at their exaggerated expressions.
Those guys were something else. Yamato was just a bit more active than usual; was there really a need to react like that?
The strange silence on the deck didn't last long. With a "Boom," a cannonball suddenly exploded against the side of the ship.
Yamato's eyes instantly lit up. She tossed the book aside, grabbed her Kanabo, and ran: "Nobody steal this one! I'm taking this one! Hahaha..."
Not until Yamato leaped onto the enemy pirate ship did Nami and Chopper finally relax. That was too scary. Was that really Yamato just now?
Then, just as the chaos settled, Leno emerged from the cabin—refreshed and composed—alongside a flushed, dreamy-eyed Hancock. They both walked out after their "exciting" exercise…
Leno casually picked up the book that had piqued Yamato's interest, and his expression turned intriguing: "Germa 66? That's interesting. I can take this opportunity to meet this 'war madman Judge'."
Robin, seeing the state of Leno and Hancock, gave him an annoyed glare.
"Can't you show some restraint in the middle of the day? What? Does our great captain now have time to pay attention to these folk tales?"
Faced with Robin's direct critique, Hancock was uncharacteristically embarrassed, lowering her head and leaning against Leno without saying a word.
Even with his usual thick skin, Leno coughed awkwardly and tried to change the subject.
"You really think this book is just a made-up story?"
"Isn't it?" Robin was a bit surprised. She had just found a book about the North Blue because she was bored.
She had thought it was just a simple story, but judging by Leno's attitude, there seemed to be a hidden truth.
"Not entirely. At least the Germa 66 Kingdom truly exists. Speaking of which, the origin of the name Germa 66 is much more interesting."
Leno remembered something and couldn't help but laugh. Seeing everyone looking at him, Leno finally spoke.
"Many years ago, the head of the Vinsmoke Family, Vinsmoke Judge, used scientific means to create a large number of clone soldiers, successively wiping out several nations."
"He then established the Germa Kingdom. This Vinsmoke Judge had enormous ambitions; he sought to incorporate the entire North Blue into his Germa Kingdom."
"As he continuously expanded his kingdom's territory, the World Government finally couldn't sit still, so they sent Kizaru, who was a Vice Admiral at the time, to deal with it."
"Germa's clone soldiers were no match for Kizaru and were quickly defeated, and the Germa Kingdom was nearly destroyed."
"And the time it took for Germa to establish a nation until it was almost wiped out was exactly 66 days. That's how the name Germa 66 Kingdom originated."
After listening to Leno's account, Robin and the others all felt it was incredible. Wiping out multiple nations in 66 days—the power of this Germa was truly terrifying.
"Awesome~ Clone soldiers!!!"
"Clones... are they that terrifying? To wipe out so many countries in such a short time."