Slowly, Reiju began to recount to Sanji the events that had transpired twelve years ago in the East Blue—the reason why he had not become a cyborg, their mother's story, and the strange turn of events that had befallen the Germa Kingdom.
As Sanji listened, eyes wide with shock, Reiju lightly lifted the long bangs covering her forehead, revealing a faint Lightforged Sigil.
"In the days after you left, the man who is now the Fleet Admiral—back then still a Rear Admiral at Marine Headquarters—encountered us."
"You remember what Father and the other three were like back then... calling them scum wouldn't even be an exaggeration, would it?"
She sneered.
"Originally, the Fleet Admiral only intended to deal with Father… but in the end, things turned out like this.
"All of us were baptized in the Holy Light."
"The Fleet Admiral… could really do something like that?"
Sanji took a long drag from his cigarette, recalling the "miracle" he had witnessed in Water 7—the birth of Merry.
He exhaled slowly, calming himself.
"Or rather… maybe nothing's impossible anymore."
"Exactly," Reiju said with a soft nod.
She leaned forward, propping her chin on one hand, a gentle smile curving her lips as she studied Sanji's expression carefully.
"Among the five of us, I'm the only one whose mind wasn't tampered with.
"In those early days, I often wondered..."
"With such terrifying power, the ability to reshape a person's very mind…
"Are they still really them?"
Sanji fell silent.
How could one even begin to answer such a question?
"Ichiji and the others…"
Reiju's voice grew quieter, tinged with sorrow.
"They were stripped of their humanity by science, only to have it… restored by the Holy Light."
Seeing Sanji lost in thought, Reiju continued, her voice steady but heavy:
"In that desperate situation, what choice did I have?
"Should I have stood by and watched them die?
"Or watched them grow into heartless weapons of war?"
"I couldn't think of a better way…
"At least now, they can laugh, cry, rage—live with real human hearts."
"As for Father…"
Her beautiful face hardened into an expression of chilling coldness.
"From the moment he caused Mother's death, he died in my heart."
"He's nothing but a madman obsessed with war—
"He was never fit to be our mother's husband, and he was never fit to be our father."
"Even if it was the Fleet Admiral's power that changed him,
"I would rather recognize the man he is now—Vinsmoke Judge—as my father."
"..."
Sanji slowly exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, his brows knitted tightly.
"Reiju… I… I don't know what to feel right now..."
"Now I finally understand...
"Why His Excellency the Fleet Admiral—"
He pulled out a lighter from his pocket, its casing faintly glowing with a soft golden light, but for a moment, he found himself speechless.
Reiju's words had struck him deeply, leaving him utterly at a loss.
"Sanji, you're still as kind as ever."
Reiju smiled warmly, a light of pride shining in her eyes.
"But it's exactly because you're so kind that you can't see things clearly right away."
"You haven't changed a bit."
"If you could accept all this without any hesitation..."
She smiled bittersweetly, her voice almost a whisper,
"...you wouldn't be the Sanji I know."
Softly, she continued:
"Not being able to accept it immediately—
"That's perfectly normal.
"Even the Fleet Admiral himself once regretted it."
"He openly admitted that back then, he was blinded by power and pride."
"Since that time, he's never again used that power—
"I can feel it. If there were others like us, I would have sensed them."
"But just as the Fleet Admiral said—there are none."
"Mastering his own power, and rejecting the arrogance and illusion of being a 'god'—That's the true reason for the Fleet Admiral's greatness..."
Reiju shook her head with a wry, almost admiring smile.
"I'm grateful, really… Grateful he didn't just kill Father outright."
"Back then, the Fleet Admiral already realized—
"I was different.
"I hadn't lost my humanity like the others.
"And he knew about your existence too.
"He said... you were one of the key reasons he chose to spare Father's life."
Facing Sanji, her voice grew faint:
"I don't even dare imagine what Germa would have become if the Fleet Admiral hadn't intervened..."
"Or what I myself might have become if Father had been killed that day..."
Tears welled up in Reiju's beautiful eyes.
In front of Sanji, she abandoned all pretense and let her emotions pour out.
"My life now, compared to the past, is like heaven."
"A father who loves me...
"A brother I admire...
"A nation recognized by the world...
"And the chance to use my strength to help so many others...
"If Mother were still here..."
She choked slightly,
"...she would be proud of me, wouldn't she?"
"…"
Sanji didn't know what to do.
He had always been helpless in the face of a beautiful woman's tears—and this time, the woman was not only beautiful, but also his sister, his savior.
His eyes hardened with determination.
"Reiju...
"I might never recognize that old man as my father, and I might never accept those three idiots as my brothers..."
"But you—"
"You are the one person I will never deny."
"So if you acknowledge them..."
Sanji inhaled deeply, his voice growing steady.
"Then let the past be washed away with the smoke."
"Because right now—"
"I no longer hate them, Onee-san."
For the first time in his life, perhaps,
Sanji called her that—
"Onee-san."
For a moment, both of them froze.
"Sanji..."
"I..."
They spoke at the same time, then burst into laughter.
"Ladies first,"
Sanji said gallantly, rising to pour her a fresh cup of red tea.
"My apologies—I've been so rude.
"I even forgot to offer you a proper drink."
"Hehe..."
Reiju chuckled softly.
"Father sent us here, likely because he received word from the Fleet Admiral as well," she said with a sigh.
"From the moment you set foot on Sabaody Archipelago,
"Father's been keeping a close eye on your crew."
"Our intelligence network now even surpasses that of the so-called 'industry leader'—the Big Mom Pirates~"
"So that means…"
Sanji's eyes widened slightly.
"You're here for the 'Tea Party.'"
Given the Straw Hat Pirates' open hostility toward Big Mom, and knowing that Luffy would never turn down an invitation to a challenge, it wasn't hard to piece together.
Germa must have investigated every one of his crewmates thoroughly—especially considering how many of them had ties, directly or indirectly, to the Fleet Admiral.
Even Brook had once learned swordsmanship from the man.
"More precisely,"
Reiju corrected gently, sipping her tea with a satisfied smile.
"We're here for you."
"This tea tastes wonderful, Sanji...
"Your cooking has improved even more."
"To please a beautiful lady—is the highest honor for a gentleman."
"Hehe… you sly little devil,"
Reiju teased, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
"That 'gentlemanly charm' of yours is just like the other three."
"..."
"The Tea Party..."
Reiju's smile faded, replaced by a grave seriousness.
"It's going to be extremely dangerous—after all, it's Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors."
"And the Marines will seize this rare opportunity to launch an assault against Big Mom."
"When that happens..."
She paused, voice soft.
"Whole Cake Island—and perhaps the entire Totto Land—will become a brutal battlefield."
"We, the Vinsmoke siblings, as Germa's strongest enhanced warriors, carry heavy responsibilities."
"But you Straw Hat Pirates…"
She hesitated, then said bluntly:
"To be frank, this level of warfare is beyond you."
"Thus, for the sake of our mission—and to protect you—we'll be infiltrating the Tea Party using your invitation."
Sanji was left completely dumbfounded.
—————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanPiece [remove the parentheses ( )]
Note: This fanfic has been completely translated and is available on my Patreon.