Ichiji and his two brothers cracked their noses and jaws back into place after Sanji Meow kicks had twisted them, trying their best to fix their crooked mouths and lopsided faces.
As soon as they were somewhat presentable, they started making a racket again, eager to continue fighting Sanji Meow.
If Reiju hadn't been holding them back, they would've charged forward immediately.
Stripped of "weak" emotions like fear, sadness, and sympathy by Judge, they simply didn't have the concept of "hesitation" after being defeated.
Of course, if they truly faced a life-threatening situation, they'd still back down when necessary. The Germa brothers didn't know fear, but that didn't make them idiots.
In fact, this alone showed the difference between Judge, the scientist, and the truly powerful individuals of the pirate world.
In this world, where strength becomes increasingly influenced by willpower after reaching a certain level, Ichiji and his brothers—having had parts of their emotions erased—had essentially cut themselves off from the possibility of rising any higher.
In other words, while they could use technology to quickly become strong, forget about reaching the level of the Yonko or Admirals even getting to the average level of a Warlord of the Sea was unlikely...
Unless Judge technological prowess reached the same level as Vegapunk and he had the funding to match, even giving Ichiji and the others powerful Devil Fruits would only push their ceiling to around Doflamingo level—and even then, they'd be lacking Conqueror Haki.
So, while Judge might be brilliant in science, in other areas, he could only be described as foolish—or simply… out of his depth.
Sherwin silently mocked Judge, who was still hiding and observing from the shadows, as his hand quietly moved to the hilt of his Longsword...
Because Reiju could no longer hold back her hot-tempered younger brothers, the three iron-headed brats once again charged at Sherwin and the others.
It was obvious that although Sanji Meow had won decisively before, he hadn't made these guys feel any real danger.
After all, what would be life-threatening injuries to ordinary people were, for Ichiji and his brothers, something they could mostly shake off just by stretching their arms or pressing their legs back into place.
So, to make these iron-headed brats settle down, Sherwin would have to get serious.
After all, as cyborgs, even if they broke an arm or a leg, Germa technology could "repair" them quickly… right?Sherwin had already decided to strike hard,
but he still adjusted his aim slightly higher with each swing—he wasn't planning on carrying the charge of "attacking the royalty of a World Government-affiliated kingdom" just yet… though he had already committed regicide once back in the South Blue.
Monster Hunter Style: Cataclysm Break – Nine Lives Flash!Activating Link Time, Sherwin unleashed nine strikes in an instant.
Nine flying slashes wove together into a massive sword net, descending upon the charging Germa brothers.
Yet Ichiji and his brothers had no thought of dodging or defending. Their instinctive response had always been to meet attacks head-on first—that was the confidence born from Germa modification technology, which gave them bodies far beyond those of ordinary humans.
"Chromatic Burst!"
Of course, having just been beaten black and blue by Sanji Meow, the three brothers didn't dare underestimate Sherwin,
the "captain." They immediately used a combo technique reserved only for fighting truly formidable opponents, attempting to withstand the massive sword net Sherwin had unleashed.
Unfortunately for them, the Germa brothers, still in their growth stage, were no match for Sherwin even with their combo technique. The massive sword net sliced through them almost without resistance.
What surprised Sherwin slightly was that he had originally intended to sever one or two of their limbs to see how their insides differed from ordinary humans, but in the end, they managed to endure it.
Although the slashes had come close to completely cutting off their arms or legs, they still had a tiny bit left attached, so it couldn't be called a clean severing.
Looks like Germa 66 modified soldiers had stronger defenses than he'd expected.
Sherwin raised his brows in mild surprise. Given his current level of control over his strength, there shouldn't have been any mistakes like this.
The reason for this outcome lay in the fact that when Sherwin used Observation Haki to sense these cyborgs auras, the deviation was far greater than with ordinary humans.
Also, it turned out Germa modified humans… still had red blood.
With a rough guess in mind, Sherwin shifted his gaze toward the blood flowing from their wounds.
But thinking about it, that made sense. After all, their bodies were originally conceived and born by Judge wife through normal pregnancy,
and their modifications were done directly at the genetic level, rather than the kind of physical modifications like those on Franky or Queen.
Sherwin muttered to himself as he slid the Longsword back into its sheath.
After beating Ichiji and the others like this, surely Judge, the king of Germa Kingdom, should be showing up by now?
As expected, not long after, another snail ship approached from behind.
The commander of Germa 66, also a former colleague of Vegapunk, the scientist Vinsmoke Judge, was now standing at the bow of this ship, clapping his hands while laughing in a deliberately bold manner.
"Hahahahaha! You truly live up to your reputation as the bounty hunter who has pirates in the North Blue trembling and hiding. My children were no match for you at all!"
Judge was a tall, powerfully built man with a wild mane of golden hair. Judging by his figure and appearance, it was hard to imagine that he was actually a highly skilled scientist.
Sherwin studied him carefully, then smacked his lips regretfully...
Because Judge was wearing a metal helmet that covered the upper half of his face, Sherwin couldn't tell if his eyebrows were curled into the same "66" shape as his children.
Still, he could vaguely see that Judge eyebrows were much thicker than Ichiji and the others, so that "66"-shaped eyebrow style was probably not inherited, but rather a side effect of genetic modification.
Although his eyebrows were probably nothing remarkable, his two sharply upturned mustaches, flaring out to either side, were certainly distinctive.
Another rather ironic point was that only Sanji, who had been discarded early on as a "failure," inherited Judge golden hair.
All the other children, including Reiju, had hair colors that matched their battle suits—each sporting an over-the-top, flashy style.
Of course, it was more likely that Sanji inherited his mother Sora hair color and personality. And Sanji himself would surely only see it that way.
In terms of attire, Judge was dressed similarly to his children, draped in an orange cape and wearing a light gray battle suit, with a golden belt around his waist emblazoned with the number "66."
However, unlike Ichiji and the others, Judge battle suit was designed to appear less high-tech.
Instead of being a flexible, tight-fitting combat suit, it resembled a robe meant to project authority and gravitas.
Even his jet boots were a simpler model, merely featuring an extra thruster on the heel.
Clearly, rather than prioritizing his own combat strength, Judge preferred to emphasize his identity as the king of the Germa Kingdom.
This was further reflected in the rows of clone soldiers who closely followed him when he made his entrance.
These clone soldiers were tall and disciplined, but their actual strength wasn't impressive—likely only slightly stronger than ordinary marines.
They were fine for fighting civilians or low-level pirates, but against true powerhouses… well, just look at the Whole Cake Island arc in the original story.
Furthermore, these clones were always intended to be disposable. Judge wouldn't invest too many resources in them.
Aside from serving as meat shields, manual laborers, or decoration to bolster appearances, they had little other use.
"Take Ichiji and the others down for treatment."
At Judge command, the emotionless, straight-faced clone soldiers behind him immediately moved into action, carrying away the grim-faced Ichiji, as well as the still-cursing Niji and Yonji, into a building at the rear.
Then Sherwin saw Judge make a few hand signals. The once-scattered snail ships began to converge, and the buildings on their backs—previously separated—connected in a dazzling display of mechanical assembly, forming a massive castle.
"Today, it truly an honor to meet the renowned Hunter and the members of the Felyne Restaurant. Please, allow me to properly extend the hospitality of a host."
Judge beamed as he extended the invitation to Sherwin, showing no concern at all that his three sons had just been severely injured.
Yeah, like a Germa Kingdom that roams around the world can really play host to anyone…
Sherwin grumbled inwardly but forced a polite smile in return. "That would be great. My Felynes are quite interested in the legendary Germa 66."
There was no helping it—this was the kind of hypocrisy that ruled the adult world. After all, Sherwin had his eyes on Germa technology.