"Gorilla-mister!! I have something I want to ask you!"
The shout came after Krieg had finished his physical audit. He was walking toward his assigned quarters, engaged in a polite, post-meal conversation with Judge.
The one calling out was Sanji, the fourth son of the Vinsmoke quintuplets.
Krieg looked at the blond boy and felt a pang of historical irony. In the original timeline, Sanji would eventually be declared a "failure" as a modified human, imprisoned in a Cage with an iron mask, and left to rot until he escaped during Germa's invasion of the East Blue.
From there, he'd board the Orbit, be rescued by "Red-Leg" Zeff, and eventually join Luffy's crew after defending the Baratie against... well, against Krieg himself.
Back then, "Don Krieg" was the Pirate Admiral of the East Blue, a man who relied on a fleet of fifty ships and underhanded tricks.
Now, Krieg was a Marine powerhouse, and the boy who was destined to kick his teeth in was currently tugging on his sleeve with wide, curious eyes.
"What is it, young man? What do you want to know?" Krieg asked, dropping to one knee to meet the boy's gaze.
"...Hey, Gorilla-mister. How do you fly? You aren't an ability user, right?"
"Hmm. Explaining it is one thing, but showing you is better. Is there an open space nearby?"
"Yeah! This way!!"
Krieg followed the boy, chuckling as Sanji pulled him along. On the way, they bumped into Reiju, the eldest sister.
"Oh, Sanji... and the gentleman from earlier. What an unusual pair," she noted, her eyes shifting between them.
Sanji quickly explained the situation, his excitement bubbling over.
"I see," Reiju said with a small smile. "I was curious about your aerial movement as well. Do you mind if I join you, sir?"
"Listen, young lady, young man... I have a name, you know. It's Krieg. Not 'Gorilla-mister' or 'Old man.'"
"Well, I have a name too. It's Reiju," she countered smoothly. "And I'm Sanji," the boy added.
"Fair enough. I'll call you by your names, and you call me Krieg. Deal?"
The two children nodded with satisfied expressions and led him to a wide balcony overlooking the kingdom's sea-snails.
The Secrets of the Six Powers
"Alright, Krieg-mister. Is this space big enough?" Sanji asked. "Are you going to show us the trick to flying now?" Reiju added, her tactical mind already focused.
"Watch closely," Krieg said. He tensed his legs and kicked the air with explosive force, leaping upward. He performed a short demonstration of Geppo (Moonwalk), hovering mid-air before landing gracefully.
"You both saw it, right? This is one of the martial arts of the Marines called 'Rokushiki' (Six Powers). To master it, you need superhuman leg strength."
"Ro-ku-shiki?" Sanji tilted his head.
"Specifically, there are three leg-based techniques. Geppo allows you to kick the air to fly. Soru (Shave) allows for high-speed movement. And then there's Rankyaku (Storm Leg)."
"Storm Leg?"
"It's a technique that uses a high-speed kick to create a vacuum blade—a shockwave. Like this."
Krieg vanished in a blur of Soru, reappearing across the balcony. He whipped his right leg upward in a crescent arc. Z-PAN! A sharp, pressurized blade of air sliced through a decorative stone pillar as if it were butter.
"Ah... oops. My bad."
"I'll tell Father it was an accident," Reiju said, her eyes wide as she examined the clean cut.
"Whoa! Krieg-mister! It didn't just break; it was sliced perfectly!" Sanji exclaimed, running over to touch the stone.
"As I said, these require immense physical conditioning. At your current age, your bones and muscles probably can't handle the kickback. There are no shortcuts in martial arts, Sanji. Even I had to build this up step by step."
Krieg reached into his pouch and handed them each a piece of candy. "Dream big, you two. I look forward to seeing the day you can pull off moves like that."
The Gifts of the Garuda
The next morning, after a lavish royal breakfast, Krieg met Judge at the training grounds. Several pieces of high-tech equipment were laid out on a table.
"I can't give you a Raid Suit—the memory-alloy armor is restricted," Judge said, crossing his arms. "But I've put together a selection of specialized gear."
"Raid Suits?" Krieg asked, playing along.
"A combat suit made of shape-memory alloy. It enhances defense, agility, grants flight, and is fireproof. Only I possess one currently, though I am developing versions for my children. Instead, I've prepared these."
Judge pointed to a pair of heavy-duty boots.
"Raid Boots. These are the standard equipment for Germa's elite. They feature acceleration boosters in the heels and levitation devices in the soles."
"Flight, huh? I can already do that with my own strength," Krieg noted.
"The difference," Judge countered, "is efficiency. Your Geppo requires constant kicking to stay aloft. These boots use air-repulsion technology; you can hover without effort. Plus, the heel boosters can exponentially increase the destructive power of your kicks."
"I'll take them. What's next?"
"This Shielding Cape. It looks like simple cloth, but it's a multilayered composite material. It's incredibly durable and can be used as a handheld shield against high-caliber rounds. Though, given your skin, you probably don't need it."
"Actually, Judge, I disagree," Krieg said firmly. "There's no such thing as 'too much' protection. Even if my body can deflect bullets, wearing armor is simply logical.
A warrior should have as many layers of defense and as many weapons as possible. I fight with my bare hands, but I also carry clubs and hidden gadgets. Combat is about having the most options."
Judge blinked, seemingly struck by Krieg's pragmatic philosophy. "I see... I'll keep that perspective in mind.
Finally, the centerpiece: an Electromagnetic Spear. It's a spare of my own weapon. It can channel and manipulate electromagnetic currents to deliver shocking slashes."
Judge's tone turned cold. "But tell me, Krieg... can you swear that this technology will not be leaked to the Marines?"
"You mean as a general standard?"
"Precisely. If you use these personally, I don't care. But if you intend to hand these designs over to the Marine R&D department for mass production... I will have to eliminate you here and now."
The air grew heavy with Judge's killing intent.
"Understood," Krieg said calmly. "I will not distribute this technology to the Marine Corps. These will remain my personal equipment. Does that satisfy you?"
The tension evaporated. "Very well. They are yours. Do you have any questions?"
"None. But I feel bad taking all this just for playing with your kids. I've brought some spare equipment from my own ship as a trade. Follow me."
Krieg led Judge back to the Charlotte Ange, where he presented several pieces of his own high-end Marine weaponry—including his specialized armor plating and experimental gas canisters—as a "gift" in return.
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