Vinsmoke Judge looked toward Kuzan, who had activated his ability.
According to Germa's intelligence, this youngest candidate Admiral of Marine Headquarters possessed the ability to freeze the sea.
The activation of a Devil Fruit ability came from physical stamina. Freezing such a vast area was simply monster-like.
But clearly, if this monster was not defeated, then Germa, which had already fallen into the World Government's ambush, was destined to be unable to escape.
"Bang!"
The air was trampled. At this moment, the weapon in Vinsmoke's hand combined into a cone-shaped spear, lightning flashing across it as he charged straight toward Kuzan.
Kuzan, who had just stood up, looked at him without the slightest intention of dodging.
It was not arrogance. Rather, an attack of this level did not pose a threat to him.
Cold air took shape in his hand, ice forming into a sharp point. With a wave of his hand, he stabbed toward the other party.
"Pfft!"
Blood fell. Three modified Germa soldiers blocked in front of Kuzan, their hearts pierced by ice spears, yet they did not care at all.
The next moment, the sharp spear flashing with lightning cut through the modified soldiers' necks in one strike, instantly shattering Kuzan's head.
"There's no point of force."
"Bang!"
The black-tech shoes released airflow in reverse, and Vinsmoke Judge pulled back.
As for Kuzan, whose head had just been pierced through, the shattered ice water gathered together again.
Kuzan supported his neck with one hand and twisted it, looking at the other party. "That really is some incredible technology. That lightning made your speed explosively faster. I almost got my head blown off."
Rowan, standing nearby, smiled disdainfully.
What kind of joke was this? A candidate Admiral, one of the Marine's highest combat powers, could be killed by an attack of this level?
So because he had joined the Revolutionary Army, had he started learning from Borsalino while slacking off and pretending to work?
Vinsmoke Judge, who had pulled back, now also understood the gap between himself and Kuzan.
He was not a fool.
After MADS was captured by the World Government, Vegapunk was absorbed into their ranks, while he managed to escape. In North Blue, using lineage factor technology, he caused the major incident of killing the four kings of North Blue.
And under those circumstances, he had still managed to negotiate with the World Government, obtain immunity, and finally become one of the affiliated nations.
A person like this was good at judging the situation. Aside from his initial indecisiveness, he should have already seen the gap by now.
Sure enough, the moment Kuzan took a step forward, Vinsmoke Judge raised the great spear in his hand.
"We surrender!"
The moment his voice fell, all the modified humans present stopped.
Even if bullets pierced through their heads, they showed no intention of resisting.
This scene made Kuzan frown. "They don't fear death, completely obey orders, and have no fear at all..."
Rowan added from the side, "And the cost of producing them is much lower than the resources needed for a Marine soldier. In terms of time, it only takes five years."
Kuzan fell silent.
He suddenly understood why Rowan did not want this man. Someone who toyed with life, something like this fundamentally did not align with the bottom line of their home.
At this moment, Spandine, who had previously been left in a very sorry state by Rowan, walked out laughing loudly after tidying his hairstyle twice.
"Wouldn't it have been better if you had done this earlier?"
Spandine waved his hand, and the CP agents directly placed handcuffs on everyone from Vinsmoke.
Among them, Reiju and the other four active children were also treated specially and completely restrained.
"So it ends just like this? I haven't even had enough fun fighting."
"Father said to surrender, so we can only obey orders. Hahaha!"
"Just now, how many of you did I kill? Let's compare!"
The three children with different hair colors spoke words filled with bloodshed, yet there was not the slightest trace of fear in their eyes.
It was as if even if they were tied up and killed the next moment, they would not be afraid at all.
Only one girl was frowning at this moment, looking toward Sanji, who had been cuffed with simple handcuffs nearby.
In Reiju's heart, she wanted to protect Sanji, because this was a life their mother had protected even at the cost of her own health.
At this moment, only after Vinsmoke Judge had been completely bound did Spandine dare to approach arrogantly.
"Bastard!"
Spandine kicked him, but the next moment, he found that his foot felt as if it had kicked an iron plate.
"Pain, pain, pain!"
After hopping around while holding his foot for a long time, Spandine finally recovered and stepped on Judge's head.
"Wouldn't it have been better if you had surrendered earlier? It's not like we want your life. Serving the World Government is much better than your snail kingdom."
Vinsmoke Judge did not resist. The moment he surrendered, he already knew the outcome.
The World Government was determined to obtain him. With that candidate Admiral who had the freezing ability here, Germa did not even have a chance to escape.
That infiltrating agent had been discovered too late.
"Don't you already have Vegapunk from MADS? Why do you still need me to serve you?"
Spandine crouched down and patted his face with his hand.
"As a dog, you don't need to know these things. But people like us also have the benefits of being dogs. You'll find that being a dog is much simpler than being a human."
After saying that, Spandine stood up. With a wave of his hand, the World Government agents began fully taking over Germa's giant snails.
"Thanks, brother."
Spandine reached out and wrapped an arm around Rowan's shoulder.
If not for Rowan just now, he might really have died.
Nearly dying on such an easy mission also made him understand that from now on, whenever he went on missions, he had to guarantee his own safety.
Rowan smiled. "Once you get promoted, we'll still have to find ways to make money. If you die, who am I supposed to ask for help?"
Spandine smiled very happily. This kind of work was exactly to his taste.
"Sir, one child ran away."
"Hm?"
Spandine turned his head, and his expression instantly changed. "Do I need to teach you? Aside from Vinsmoke Judge, whether the others are brought back or not has no meaning. Kill him!"
"Understood."
Just as the CP9 agent was about to leave, Rowan reached out and stopped him.
"You came all this way and didn't do anything. Your report won't look good when you go back."
In only two seconds, Spandine understood the meaning behind Rowan's words.
The North Blue operation was because the World Government needed a researcher who had studied lineage factors, while the Marines acted together as supporting combat power.
Once the mission was completed, the operation report would be written by him. How to make one person disappear from the record, and how to highlight another person's performance, were his old specialties.
Clearly, this brother of his also wanted to go one step further.
"Then I'll leave it to you. It doesn't matter whether you catch him or not. He's just a child. Go and come back quickly. Tonight, I'll take you to a good place in North Blue to have some fun."
Rowan waved his hand, asked the CP9 guy a couple of questions, then directly walked toward the distant ice layer.
As for Kuzan, who had already returned to the warship, under the perception of Observation Haki, his ability was still being maintained.
Run, run, run!
At this moment, Sanji's handcuffs had already been opened. That was his sister's help.
But because she had also performed outstandingly and was being watched closely, his sister had not escaped with him amid the chaos. So now, he was the only one left.
He had to save his mother.
Sanji climbed onto the giant snail, his tiny figure carefully crawling through the pipes.
He knew very well that his advantage was his small size. If he was discovered, he would be killed.
Very soon, in a courtyard on one of the giant snails, Sanji saw Sora lying on a sickbed.
There was no one in the room now. Ebony, who had been taking care of her, had also been captured while going out to gather information, and the World Government agents were still busy taking inventory.
"Mom."
Sanji, who was only two years old, could not control his emotions and burst into tears.
Sora, lying on the bed, also knew the current situation. After picking Sanji up and comforting him, her eyes remained fixed on the window.
But after crying for only a short while, Sanji grabbed his mother's hand.
"We have to leave here quickly, Mom. Otherwise, later..."
Before he could finish, Sora gently shook her head.
All of Germa's giant snails had been frozen. At this moment, even if they lowered a small boat, they would not be able to leave the frozen area.
And Judge had already surrendered. The World Government agents would soon discover this place.
"Sanji, no matter what happens, you must live well, understand?"
"We have to leave quickly. We can escape, Mom!"
Just as his words fell, the room door was kicked open.
Rowan looked at the mother and son. "Yo? I didn't expect there to be a beauty hidden here."
Sora immediately hid Sanji in her arms, her gaze meeting Rowan's.
"Vinsmoke has already surrendered. What you need is Germa's technology, what you need is Judge's knowledge, isn't it?"
Clearly, this great mother had already thought of how to negotiate and protect herself and her children the moment Vinsmoke Judge surrendered.
Sure enough, there was not the slightest retreat in Sora's gaze.
"I am Vinsmoke Sora, and also Judge's wife. This child is also Judge's son. You..."
"Madam."
Before she could finish, Rowan directly interrupted her.
"The World Government will give him what he wants. And in Vinsmoke Judge's heart, you people don't carry much weight either, do you?"
"For a so-called evil army whose goal is to rule North Blue, in that man's eyes, this child is just trash, right?"
"Madam... you don't want your child to be killed because he was abandoned, do you?"
Sora's gaze instantly froze.
Rowan also walked over and reached out to rub Sanji's head as he poked out.
"Such a cute child. If he died because he was abandoned by his father, anyone would pity him, wouldn't they?"
Sora glared at Rowan. "What exactly do you want? No matter what, I am still Judge's wife. You..."
"No, very soon, you won't be."
Rowan's smile was somewhat wicked.
"That man has not mentioned a single word about you until now. It seems that whether it is you or this child, both of you have already lost your value to him, haven't you?"
Value...
Sora's gaze gradually lost focus.
Because she knew that her body truly no longer had any value.
And this child, whom she had protected at the cost of her own life, had also lost his value after failing to possess the same talent as Yonji and the others.
"No matter what, please protect Sanji's life."
Rowan smiled. "Of course, beautiful lady."
Very naturally, Rowan brought the mother and son out of the castle. Along the way, CP agents bowed to Rowan, but directly ignored the mother and son behind him.
"Mom... this person..."
Sora placed her hand on Sanji's head.
"He will help us. Don't worry, Sanji."
Sanji nodded, holding Sora's hand as he followed Rowan off the ship.
On the ice, all of Germa's people had already been imprisoned on the World Government's warship. Spandine was boredly trimming his nails.
When he saw Rowan, his gaze was immediately drawn to Sora.
Her blond hair, her slightly sickly appearance, and the aura of Germa's princess consort made that frail beauty rise to another level.
"Good stuff!"
Spandine stepped forward in two strides, bumped shoulders with Rowan, and asked, "Where did you find her? Are there any more?"
Rowan raised his head proudly. "Germa's princess consort. How many do you think there could be? There's only this one. She's mine."
"Lucky you."
Spandine sighed and patted Rowan's shoulder. "I'll report these two as dead. With the son here, she'll be easier to control. But there's still a candidate Admiral on the Marine side. How about I lend you a ship to go back?"
The two looked at each other and smiled obscenely.
"Then I'll trouble you. That Marine guy is pretty troublesome. Get me a ship, and I'll return separately from that candidate Admiral."
"Mm... The excuse can be escorting an extremely vicious criminal. We'll report it together when the time comes."
"Extremely vicious. Not bad. You really understand me."
Afterward, Sora and Sanji were taken onto a warship. The World Government agents on board directly turned a blind eye to the two of them, as if they did not exist at all.
Rowan also explained things to Kuzan, stating the reason why they would return to Headquarters separately.
"You didn't really take a fancy to Germa's princess consort, did you? I'm telling you, that would be making a mistake."
"There are rules in the ideological program. Don't think I don't know. If you make a mistake, the next time I see Sir, I'll definitely tie you up and bring you back."
Looking at Kuzan, who spoke with such conviction, Rowan scratched his head.
This guy had changed a little too much. Now his mind was completely on rules and regulations, and every time he opened his mouth, it was about how things were at home.
What a headache.
"I'll go to Dressrosa and give them a chance to leave. Don't worry, I haven't reached the point of liking someone's mother."
Waving his hand, Rowan directly went to the World Government warship.
Originally, he had not planned to save this brat Sanji, but when he thought of this kid's nightmare start from birth, he still spoke up.
Sora did not have much life left.
And before the Op-Op Fruit appeared, perhaps only the Heal-Heal Fruit in Dressrosa could pull her life back.
He would give them a new path. What they did, and what the future became, would all depend on Sanji himself.
As for Reiju and Yonji, as successful cases of modification, they would not be killed.
More likely, they would become defensive forces for Punk Hazard, and that island's laboratory would become Vinsmoke Judge's new place to continue researching lineage factors and technological power.
That drug that could cause new lives to lose their emotions and obey orders, and the power that allowed newborns to grow into steel-bodied beings with exoskeletons, also had to be destroyed.
But now was not the right time.
Kuzan was a future Marine Admiral, and he himself was also a future backbone of the Marines.
Using this operation to make a move would not be worth the loss. Both he and Kuzan would also attract suspicion from above.
After thinking for a moment, Rowan beckoned, then had the CP agents bring two more women over.
A sick woman and a child would not be able to survive. They still needed people to support them.
Thus, Ebony, who had previously been captured, and Reiju were also brought over.
It was just that the way Spandine looked at him became even more obscene, as if they shared an unspoken understanding.
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