Time didn't heal anything.
It only made things clearer.
Years passed.
The world changed.
And Germa—
Rose with it.
No longer a fallen kingdom.
No longer a shadow of the past.
It became a force.
A power that ruled the North Blue with iron certainty.
Only one name stood alongside it—
Donquixote Doflamingo and his underworld empire.
Two monsters.
Different in nature.
Equal in influence.
Within Germa—
The children of Vinsmoke Judge had fully grown.
And what they became—
Was exactly what he wanted.
On a ruined island—
Flames still burned from what had already ended.
At the center—
Vinsmoke Ichiji stood over a group of defeated soldiers.
"…that's it?"
His voice carried boredom.
One man tried to crawl away.
Ichiji lifted his hand slightly—
A burst of red energy erased him instantly.
No hesitation.
No thought.
Nearby—
Vinsmoke Niji laughed loudly, electricity crackling around his body.
"Come on! Run faster!"
A soldier sprinted desperately.
Niji vanished—
Then reappeared in front of him.
A kick.
The man was launched into the sky, body breaking mid-air.
"Too slow."
He grinned.
Wide.
Empty.
Vinsmoke Yonji grabbed two enemies at once, slamming them together like toys.
"Heh… weak."
He dropped them without care.
They gathered after.
Standing among corpses.
"Boring," Ichiji said flatly.
Niji stretched slightly.
"We should find stronger ones next time."
Yonji laughed.
"Or just destroy the island. Faster."
A pause.
Then—
They all smiled.
The same way.
Empty.
Cruel.
They didn't think about consequences.
Didn't think about people.
Didn't think at all—
Beyond destruction.
Far from them—
Two figures stood apart.
Watching.
Not joining.
Not laughing.
Vinsmoke Reiju had changed.
Not just stronger—
But radiant.
Her presence alone felt dangerous.
Beautiful.
Deadly.
Controlled.
She could wipe out an island now—
Without effort.
Without losing control.
Beside her—
Reiji.
Silent.
Still.
But heavier.
His presence felt… overwhelming.
If before he could destroy an island—
Now—
He could break it.
Not just structures.
But the land itself.
A single strike—
Could destabilize foundations.
Crack the earth.
Change the shape of the battlefield forever.
And yet—
His eyes weren't on the destruction.
They were distant.
Elsewhere.
Later—
On the ship.
Night.
Quiet.
For once.
Reiju leaned against the railing, looking at the sea.
"…do you ever think about it?"
Reiji stood beside her.
"…every day."
She glanced at him.
"…what it would feel like?"
A pause.
The wind passed between them.
"…freedom."
Reiji exhaled slowly.
"…no orders."
"…no walls," she added.
"…no him."
Silence.
But not empty.
Full.
Heavy.
Real.
Reiji leaned forward slightly.
"…I used to think I just wanted to be strong."
Reiju listened.
Carefully.
"…but that wasn't it."
His voice was calm.
But deeper than before.
"…I wanted to protect something."
A pause.
"…but I couldn't."
Sora.
The unspoken name lingered.
Reiju's eyes softened slightly.
"…you still can."
Reiji looked at her.
"…what do you mean?"
She turned fully toward him.
"For once… we can choose."
Silence.
That word—
Felt strange.
Choose.
"…we were never allowed to," he said.
"…then let's start now."
Her voice didn't shake.
Didn't hesitate.
It was certain.
Reiji stared at her for a moment.
Then—
A faint shift.
"…you've already decided."
A small smile.
"…haven't you?"
Reiju didn't deny it.
"…yes."
A pause.
"…with you."
That was enough.
Reiji looked out at the sea again.
Long.
Quiet.
Then—
"…we kill the soldiers."
Direct.
No hesitation.
"…leave the armor."
"…leave the name," Reiju added.
"…and never come back."
Silence.
Then—
Reiji nodded.
"…finally."
Elsewhere—
Another sea.
Another life.
A small restaurant rocked gently on the waves.
Warm light.
Laughter.
Noise.
Life.
Inside—
Vinsmoke Sanji moved quickly between tables.
"Oi! Table three! You're not royalty, eat what you're given!"
A cook shouted from the kitchen.
Sanji rolled his eyes.
"Shut up, old man, you burned the last batch!"
"I did NOT!"
"You absolutely did!"
Laughter erupted.
Another chef leaned over.
"Sanji, you're late on the orders."
"I'm doing YOUR job too, idiot!"
"Watch your mouth!"
"Make me!"
The chaos—
Was real.
Messy.
Loud.
Alive.
In the back—
Zeff watched quietly.
Arms crossed.
A small smirk on his face.
"…brat's getting better."
Sanji carried a plate out.
Perfectly cooked.
Carefully prepared.
He placed it in front of a customer.
"Enjoy."
Simple.
But sincere.
Later—
A quiet moment.
Sanji leaned against the wall, exhaling.
Tired.
But smiling.
A real smile.
The kind he hadn't shown in years.
His eyes shifted slightly.
Toward Zeff.
Watching him argue with another cook.
Loud.
Rough.
Annoying.
Sanji looked away.
"…old man…"
He muttered under his breath.
"…thanks."
He didn't say it out loud.
Never would.
But inside—
He meant it.
More than anything.
Back at sea—
The night grew deeper.
The Germa ship moved forward.
Unaware.
Unprepared.
Two figures stood in the shadows.
Ready.
Not as soldiers.
Not as weapons.
But as something else.
Something they had never been allowed to be.
Free.
Reiji looked at Reiju one last time.
"…no turning back."
She nodded.
"…that's the point."
A pause.
Then—
A faint smile.
"…let's go."
And for the first time in their lives—
They moved.
Not because they were ordered to.
But because they chose to.
To be continued. 🔥
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