Dozens of snail ships, also called war houses, assembled together to form a "country" with the palace of the Germa royal family at its center.

To welcome Luffy and his crew, Judge had cleared the square outside the palace early, allowing soldiers to train there. A space large enough for the Stormbreaker to dock was reserved.

The time agreed upon by both parties was drawing near, and the elite members of the evil army Germa 66 were already neatly lined up in two rows under the direction of Judge's children. Drummers, buglers, and gong players stood at the ready—everything prepared with the highest standard of pomp and ceremony.

Everything was in perfect order, except for the arrival of Luffy and his crew.

Standing at the front of the welcoming crowd, Judge held an old newspaper, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

Reiju, who had noticed her father's strange behavior some time ago, finished arranging the soldiers' positions and then walked gracefully to her father's side.

"Are you reading that newspaper again? Do you feel regretful when you see your son, whom you once disdained, has grown up to become the right-hand man of an admiral?"

Judge glanced at his eldest daughter from the corner of his eye and sneered disdainfully.

"Why do you like to joke around? You should know that you four are my only children. That guy is a failure at best."

Hearing her father's disparagement of Sanji, Reiju couldn't help but lower her head, letting her bangs cover her gloomy expression.

Judge didn't notice any of this. He simply watched as his other three children, having finished their preparations, gathered around him. He picked up the newspaper and waved it at them, a cold grin spreading across his face.

"However, although he was a failure, he has unexpectedly created good value. Today, Germa has the strength to unify the North Sea. If he could connect a failed product with the grandson of a Marine hero and the new admiral of the Marines..." He paused. "I don't mind restoring his Vinsmoke surname as compensation for his loyalty to the family."

Hearing this, the Vinsmoke family's eldest son Ichiji, second son Niji, and fourth son Yonji couldn't help but laugh out loud, mocking Sanji, the failure, for finally having some use.

They all assumed that Sanji had followed Luffy back to the North Sea specifically to gain his father's recognition and restore his status as a prince.

Only Reiju didn't react at all. She was secretly annoyed in her heart.

Sanji, why did you come back, you idiot! It was so hard for you to leave—wouldn't it be better to forget about this place and never see it again?!

After mocking Sanji, Ichiji turned the topic to Luffy.

"To have trash like Sanji as his subordinate, it seems this new admiral must be a useless guy. If you ask me, why are we welcoming him with such fanfare? Just trick him and send him on his way as soon as possible."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Niji and Yonji, finding nothing wrong with this assessment, nodded in agreement.

The smile on Judge's face quickly disappeared, replaced by a serious expression as he looked at his three brainless sons.

"Shut up, all three of you!"

Hearing their father's scolding, the trio immediately fell silent and stared at Judge.

Even Reiju was surprised that her father would criticize his favorite creations, and she looked at him in confusion.

Under the gaze of his children, Judge crossed his arms with a solemn expression and slowly explained:

"I don't care what other people think of him, but there is one thing I want you to remember. No matter what, do not underestimate someone recognized at the highest levels of the World Government. Especially one who can kill the Emperor Kaido alone. Although he is the youngest among the four admirals, he is the only one who has a record of killing an Emperor single-handedly. I suspect his strength has even surpassed that of the other three admirals. Even in the entire Marines, his power is enough to rank among the top three."

"Hiss~~"

The sound of someone sucking in a cold breath came from Reiju.

Her three younger brothers had been genetically modified before birth. They had no emotions such as fear or terror, and they only obeyed their father's orders unconditionally.

But Reiju was different. Although she had also undergone modification, she still retained normal human emotions. When she heard her father's assessment of Luffy's strength, she couldn't help but feel afraid.

If she remembered correctly, the new admiral wasn't even as old as her younger brothers. To possess such strength at such a young age—he was even more of a monster than the cyborgs themselves!