"Hiss... those bastards from Germa 66 really didn't hold back."
On the ship, the raven-masked Karasu let out a sharp hiss of pain.
A Revolutionary Army medic was currently treating the wounds on his body.
Originally, Kuma intended to simply expel Karasu's injuries and take them on himself.
But over the years, Karasu had witnessed countless times how Kuma would draw out the pain and wounds of seriously injured or ill civilians and bear them himself.
So he firmly refused Kuma's help.
These injuries weren't life-threatening. There was no need to make Kuma shoulder more pain.
Every time he recalled the agony that could even make Kuma scream and roar, Karasu only grew more resolute in his decision.
He couldn't let his comrades suffer for his sake.
Very soon, the wounds on his shoulder were fully stitched, medicine applied, and bandages wrapped before the medic quietly left.
Karasu gently rotated his shoulder. As long as he didn't move too violently, it wouldn't affect him much.
Only then did he stand up and head out of the cabin.
At that moment, the Revolutionary Army's leader, Monkey D. Dragon, and Bartholomew Kuma were standing out on the deck.
"Leader, Kuma, thanks for coming to rescue us."
"That's not important," Dragon shook his head. "As long as you and your men are safe."
"Safe, huh? If I hadn't been ambushed by that guy from Germa 66, I wouldn't even have this wound on my shoulder!" Karasu snorted twice before continuing, "But seriously, the strength of Germa 66 as a whole... should not be underestimated."
Karasu was always a pragmatic man. When it came to evaluating the strength of the enemy, he remained objective—after all, underestimating the enemy meant gambling with his comrades' lives.
"I could tell," Dragon nodded, then asked, "The king of Germa 66... that's Vinsmoke Judge, right?"
"That's right. How do you know that, Leader?"
"I have some history with him..."
As Dragon spoke, he recalled his days in the Navy, when he had been involved with MADS and met Vegapunk.
At that time, one of the men working alongside Vegapunk was none other than Vinsmoke Judge.
Anyone who could work in the same lab as Vegapunk couldn't be lacking in technological prowess.
"Let's set Germa 66 aside for now. What's the situation with the other nations?"
"Hmm... the current state of the North Blue is complicated," Karasu frowned. "As you know, Leader, I'm originally from the North Blue, which is why you reassigned me there to gather intel."
"That's right."
"But now, the power structure in the North Blue has completely changed." Karasu took out a map from his coat. "Look—on this map, the four strongest nations have already been hit with decapitation strikes by Germa 66. Their kings were assassinated, and the countries have plunged into chaos. Logically, this should be the perfect time for us to intervene and liberate them..."
"But I discovered that the internal conflicts in these countries were all incited—and the instigators were Germa 66's cloned soldiers."
"In other words, Germa 66 and the Revolutionary Army are probably on a direct collision course."
"Our goal is to liberate the North Blue. Their goal is to conquer it. In a way, we're direct competitors."
Dragon nodded.
Germa 66 might be the biggest obstacle the Revolutionary Army had ever faced.
They might not have a lot of top-tier fighters, but the number of cloned soldiers was enormous—it would be nearly impossible to eliminate them all in one sweep.
Moreover, Germa 66 was technically still a member nation under the World Government. If Judge were pushed to the edge, he might make a deal with the World Government using his technology, which could lead to a massive Navy crackdown.
"We'll need to take a long-term approach for the liberation plan in the North Blue."
"I agree," said Kuma, who had been quietly listening from the side.
"Yeah, we should take our time. Worst case, we can consult with the Chief of Staff and see what he suggests. We haven't seen him in a while anyway."
Karasu wasn't surprised that Dragon would make that choice. Although Dragon seemed cold and indifferent, he cared deeply about the life of every Revolutionary soldier.
That was exactly why they followed him without hesitation.
"Alright, we've finished talking about Germa 66. Now let's discuss the Devil Fruit you found."
"Oh, just a moment, Leader." Karasu quickly returned to the cabin, retrieved the Devil Fruit from his room, and brought it back to the deck. "Here it is."
A pitch-black fruit lay in his palm.
It looked like a piece of coal—smooth on the surface but full of pits and indentations.
"This is the one. That bastard Vinsmoke Judge had his eyes on it too. That's why he ambushed me!"
"Kuma, can you tell what kind of fruit this is?" Dragon examined it for a moment and asked.
"I don't know much about Devil Fruit appearances, but I'm certain it's not a Zoan-type," Kuma shook his head. "We could ask Chief Strategist Olvia. With her vast knowledge, she might recognize it."
"That's our best bet." Dragon didn't have a better idea either. "Anyway, since you're the one who found it, once we identify its power, it's up to you to decide what to do with it."
"Of course I hope it's a powerful one." Karasu instinctively glanced at his wounded shoulder, his lips twitching with frustration. "If I were stronger, I wouldn't have been ambushed and wounded by someone like Vinsmoke Judge!"
By now, they had already left the North Blue and were not far from their headquarters—Baltigo.
Kuma, gazing into the distance, suddenly frowned.
"There seems to be a battle going on over Baltigo!" Kuma extended his arm and pointed. "Look, that's the fire Ginny released!"
"Yeah, I see it."
Dragon's mouth twitched slightly.
Even without Kuma pointing it out, he had already noticed.
After all, a towering fire whirlwind several dozen meters high was impossible to miss.
But...
"No need to worry. It's not an enemy." Dragon reached out and stopped Kuma, who was preparing to bounce himself back to Baltigo. "Didn't you see those white flames in the sky?"
"White flames?" Kuma suddenly realized. "The Chief of Staff is back?"
"That's definitely him. Probably checking on Ginny's progress after being away for a while," Dragon shook his head. "If this were a real attack, Ginny would've found a way to notify us before fighting. After all, you'd be able to return immediately to support her."
As the ship returned to Baltigo, the towering flame tornado was cleanly sliced apart by the white flames.
Everyone headed toward the southeast corner where the battle had occurred. The ground was pitted with fiery craters, looking as though it had been bombarded relentlessly.
"Yo, you're all back."
Michael turned to face his Revolutionary comrades.
At the same time, Ginny was already exhausted and left hanging from the eaves of a house by Michael...
Her true nature laid bare.
"I can't believe I called you Michael-san! And you go and hang me up like this just to humiliate me!"
"Put me down! I swear I'm gonna knock you into next week!"
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