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"Long live Germa..."

"Have a great time, everyone from Germa!!!"

...

The streets, once filled with joyful singing and dancing, gradually quieted down as the members of Germa entered the palace. The lingering crowd reluctantly dispersed in groups of three or five under the guidance of the royal army.

Germa’s few hundred troops were stationed directly in the palace square, and King Angus IX naturally arranged for personnel to attend to them.

Only Ichiji and Niji, accompanied by King Angus IX and the ministers, entered the banquet hall.

Outside the palace, on the rooftop of a three-story building shrouded in darkness under the night sky...

"Zzzzrrr~~~ That guy Vinsmoke Ichiji has changed so much... It’s been five years since we last saw him, right?"

Watching as Vinsmoke Ichiji and Vinsmoke Niji entered the palace under King Angus IX’s warm invitation, a towering, plump black figure couldn’t help but unzip his zipper-like mouth and whisper to a shorter figure beside him: "Garpula, are you sure we should continue investigating Germa?"

"Shut up! Owl…"

Garpula, whose expression shifted uneasily, habitually stroked his mustache: "That damn brat is still as detestable as ever…"

Clearly, Garpula knew Vinsmoke Ichiji.

In truth, he wasn’t short—his height even exceeded that of an average person—but standing next to the massive, over three-meter-tall shadow, he could only be considered “short.”

"Iyo-i~~~ These kinds of things~~~ We’d better be careful~~~"

Behind them stood another figure, just as tall as Owl, with a mane of fluffy lion hair, holding a long iron staff. His tone was peculiar, like a kabuki performer: "If that guy finds out we’re investigating Germa~~~ and gets angry~~~ Iyo-i~~~ it’ll be terrifying~~~"

Remembering their first encounter on Enies Lobby, when they faced a mere eleven-year-old boy who was already terrifyingly strong—his physical prowess and strength rivaling even those who had undergone rigorous training—Garpula couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Feeling restless, he muttered under his breath: "It’s all because of that idiot Spandam. Our mission to investigate whether the Revolutionary Army was involved in this rebellion was already complete, and we were about to return to Enies Lobby. But then that fool suddenly got the bright idea to have us investigate Germa as well…"

His tone revealed no respect for Spandam, the leader of CP9, and instead carried hints of frustration and resignation.

But orders were orders. When those at the top gave commands, those below had no choice but to obey—even if it meant running themselves ragged.

"Germa 66 is an army loyal only to the Vinsmoke family. Over the years, Cipher Pol has tried countless times to infiltrate them but has only managed to lose some of their best spies in the process!"

"That idiot Spandam… Sending just the three of us, who specialize in assassination, is too dangerous. And Ichiji already knows who we are."

"Zzzzrrr~~~ There’s nothing we can do about it. Germa 66 has been far too active worldwide these past two years. The influence of the 'Evil Army' keeps expanding, and the advanced technology they’ve developed has even caught the World Government’s eye—they’re desperate to get their hands on it…"

"That’s obvious~~~"

"After all, they were the ancient organization that controlled the entire North Blue through military force three hundred years ago. Even the behemoth that is the World Government can’t help but be wary~~~"

Lion Wivet tapped his staff, the iron rings at the tip clinking softly. In an excruciatingly slow drawl, he said, "As the saying goes, even a rotten ship has three pounds of nails… Owl~~~"

"Shut your mouth! Is this the time to praise the enemy?" Garpula, already agitated and unsure where to start, nearly jumped in frustration.

Five years ago, he was confident he could overpower Vinsmoke Ichiji when fully unleashed. But now? Who knows how far that little monster has grown?

Over the past two or three years, they’d frequently heard rumors about him—"Germa’s Monster," "Demon Spear," and other titles that suggested he was anything but benevolent.

And let’s not forget, the scientific combat unit known as the "Evil Army" was on a completely different level from ordinary kingdom armies—it wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

If something went wrong, there’d be no chance of a clean escape.

Damn that idiot Spandam! Two years ago, he sent Rob Lucci—the strongest member of CP9—to Water Seven to steal the blueprints for the ancient weapon "Pluton." The deadline for that mission was set for five years—who even knows if that thing exists?

And now, here they were, tasked with investigating Germa’s technological intelligence. If only they had the authority to refuse Spandam’s orders, Garpula would have turned down this mission without hesitation.

"Now that Vinsmoke Ichiji and Vinsmoke Niji have entered the palace for the banquet, though many of Germa’s forces remain aboard the Warship, they’ve been fighting all day and must be exhausted. This means the ship’s vigilance should be relatively lax, making it the perfect opportunity to…"

"Enemy? Heh…"

The sudden voice, laced with an ominous undertone, made Garpula and his companions freeze.

"Who’s there?"

"Eh? Zzzzrrr~~~ Ichiji, is that you!"

"Damn it, are we exposed?"

Their highly trained instincts kicked in, and they all turned around immediately, their eyes filled with caution as they stared at the figure that had appeared on the water tank several meters away.

Even in the dark, they recognized the silhouette.

Their pupils contracted sharply, and a chill ran down their spines!

"So, in your eyes, I’m the enemy, Garpula…" Ichiji’s lips curled into a smile, his expression eerie in the dim light.

Beneath his black goggles, his dangerous gaze scrutinized Garpula and the others.

"Gulp! He’s so strong!!"

"Even facing Lucci didn’t give me this kind of pressure…"

Lion Wivet and the others, despite their rigorous training, felt immense pressure at this moment, as if confronting some terrifying monster. Cold sweat dripped down their foreheads.

"A-ah, no, of course not…"

Garpula’s forehead broke out in cold sweat, his mustache twitching nervously as he waved his hands frantically: "Listen, Ichiji, this is all that idiot Spandam’s order! We didn’t want to come, but…" Internally, he cursed: "Damn it, shouldn’t this guy be inside the palace attending the victory banquet? Why is he here?"

"Speaking of which, it’s been five years since we last met…"

Ichiji chuckled, his tone laced with mockery: "I wonder if your Rokushiki has improved at all, Garpula…"

"Soru—"

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Ichiji vanished from his original position in the blink of an eye.

"So fast!!"

In Garpula’s rapidly paling face, filled with fear, Ichiji appeared before him in an instant. Without hesitation, he raised his right leg and swung it mercilessly toward Garpula’s face!

…