"Sa… Saiyan?"
Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji repeated the unfamiliar word, their faces blank with confusion. Takero looked at their clueless expressions, and the disdain on his face only deepened. After his battle a month ago, his own bloodline had evolved. While it still couldn't compare to the pure royal lineage of someone like Vegeta, it was more than enough to create an impassable gulf between him and ordinary warriors. His words weren't just a boast; he was stating a fact.
"You dare to compare your mortal bloodline to that of a god?" Takero said, folding his arms and looking down on the three brothers with something close to pity.
Although they didn't understand what a Saiyan was, they could feel the immense pride and power radiating from Takero's words—a power that came from deep within his very being. An overwhelming emotion called "despair" washed over them.
"Damn… it…" Ichiji gritted his teeth, slamming a fist on the ground in frustration. "Does this mean… just because of our bloodline… we're destined to never surpass him in this life?!"
"This isn't fair!" Niji roared in anger.
From a young age, their father had drilled into them the belief that bloodline determined everything. But now, their own proud, "superior" lineage had been dismissed as worthless in front of something far greater. The collapse of this core belief was driving them mad.
As Ichiji and Niji sank into despair, Yonji, the green-haired brother who often seemed the most simple-minded, suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He slapped his thigh, a look of pure genius and sudden understanding spreading across his face.
"I've got it! I have a brilliant idea!" he shouted excitedly to his brothers.
"What idea?"
"It's simple!" Yonji's face was beaming. "Since the three of us can't beat that guy because of our bloodline… then we'll just have our 'younger brother' defeat him for us!"
"Younger brother?" Ichiji and Niji paused, then shot a disdainful look at the blond figure standing nearby.
"Are you talking about that failure Sanji?" Ichiji sneered. "Don't be ridiculous. That loser can't even activate his own raid suit. He's not even fit to shine our shoes!"
"Yeah, I-I can't do it!" Sanji added quickly, shaking his head in a panic. "I don't want to fight Big Brother Takero! That's… that's terrifying!"
But Yonji just shook his head, a smug smile on his face. "Of course I'm not talking about Sanji," he said, then lowered his voice to share his master plan. "Think about it. That guy's bloodline is incredibly powerful, right? So… we'll just have him and Mama have another kid!"
He continued, his eyes gleaming. "That way, our 'new younger brother' will have the same powerful Saiyan bloodline as him! And since that guy is always training or fighting, he won't have time to raise a kid! We can teach our new brother ourselves! We'll make him hate Takero from the time he's born! When he grows up, he'll be the one to defeat him and take back everything that belongs to the Vinsmoke family!"
There was a moment of silence. Ichiji and Niji stared at Yonji, stunned. Then, a dazzling light of understanding burst from their eyes, as if they had just discovered a new world.
"Yonji! You… you're a genius!" Ichiji said with genuine admiration.
"That's right! This plan… it's perfect!" Niji added excitedly.
Nearby, Reiju listened to her idiotic brothers' "grand blueprint" and covered her face with her hand, letting out a long, helpless sigh. "…You're all a bunch of hopeless idiots."
As for Takero, he was completely dumbfounded. He was standing right there, and these kids were openly discussing a plan to have him father a child with their mother, only to turn that child against him. 'This line of thinking… is certainly unique,' he thought.
He was too lazy to correct their insane logic. He had his own plans for their mother, Sora, but now wasn't the time. To keep the boys from causing any more trouble with their nonsense, he decided to give them a new project.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat, interrupting their celebration. "Actually, you don't need to go to all that trouble." He spoke slowly, as if offering them profound guidance. "It's not entirely impossible for you to defeat me. You just have to train in the Turtle School style."
"Turtle School?" The three brothers looked at him with disdain.
"You mean that worthless martial art?" Ichiji sneered. "We just saw it. Those guards who learned it were no match for us at all!"
"That's right," Takero said with a tempting smile. "You're absolutely right. But… did you know that just one month ago, those same guards were ordinary people who could barely hold a weapon steady?" He paused for effect. "And now, they can trade blows with you, even after your bloodline has fully awakened."
"!!!"
The disdain on the brothers' faces froze instantly. They looked over at the guards they had just defeated with disbelief. If what he said was true… then this "Turtle School" was an incredible training method, capable of turning the weak into the strong.
"Lord Takero!" Ichiji couldn't hold back his excitement. "Are you sure? If we learn this, can we really… defeat you?"
"Of course," Takero said, his face perfectly straight, even though he knew it was impossible. He just needed to give these energetic kids something to do. Besides, the Turtle School style emphasized control of Ki and mental discipline. Maybe it would even improve their violent personalities.
Hearing his confirmation, the three brothers lit up with excitement. The idea of defeating Takero themselves was far more appealing than waiting years for a hypothetical "new brother" to do it for them.
"Alright! We'll learn it!" they said in unison, their eyes burning with a new fire.
"We will defeat you!"
"Very good. Good luck with that," Takero nodded, satisfied. 'Kids are so easy to fool.'
He then turned his gaze to Reiju, Sanji, Robin, and Monet, who had joined the group at some point. "The rest of you, too," he announced. "I want all of you to learn it. That way, you'll at least have a way to protect yourselves when I'm not around."
With everything arranged, Takero nodded once more and turned to go find Tesoro.
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