97 Battle with Germa

Chapter 97: Battle with Germa

Red Tree Number 13

The group that had already returned, including Leiju, was taken aback when they saw Rodney running towards them with Niji in his hands. Reiju asked, "Niji? Captain, why did you bring him here?"

Indeed, Reiju recognized Niji by the Germa battle suit he was wearing, as his face was now unrecognizable, covered in blood and bruises. It was impossible to tell what he looked like before, mainly because Rodney had been rubbing his face on the ground repeatedly.

If that person saw his masterpiece reduced to this state, he would probably go insane, right?

Thinking of this, she couldn't help feeling a bit excited.

"It seems he's severely injured, and activating this state is highly damaging to your body." Rayleigh appeared and frowned as he saw Rodney activating the Eight Gates again.

Rodney, however, chuckled indifferently, deactivating the Eight Gates mode. He said, "You're right, old man. This mode indeed causes significant damage to my body, but as long as I don't maintain it for too long, it's fine. As long as I finish this quickly, my injuries won't catch up to me."

He kicked Niji, who looked like a dead dog, and said, "Hey, hey, hey, are you dead? If you're okay, make a sound." 

There was no response, clearly, Niji had been knocked unconscious by the sparks and lightning throughout the battle, and his modified body couldn't withstand such damage.

"Oh, it looks like he's unconscious. But he won't die; the resilience of modified humans is just this stubborn, huh?" Rodney said, pressing his foot on Niji's head. Unfortunately, he was unconscious; otherwise, he would have certainly fought back regardless of his injuries, going all out against Rodney.

"Captain, what are you planning to do with Niji?" Reiju asked.

"Well, he's your brother, so how about beating him half to death and then letting him go?"

"No, Captain, it's up to you how to deal with him. I only have one brother, Sanji. They don't count as my brothers." Reiju refused to acknowledge people like Niji who were so heartless that they didn't even care about their mother's death as her brothers. They didn't have the qualification to be her brothers, or even to be considered human.

"Alright, same old rules, give me the money and Devil Fruit. Perfect, Leicester needs a Devil Fruit for self-defense."

Giving Leicester a Devil Fruit was a good idea; otherwise, it would be slow for him to train, as he didn't have a system for him to protect himself effectively.

For rapid progress on the sea, Devil Fruits were an excellent choice. As long as it wasn't a garbage fruit, with focused development, it could be useful when encountering strong enemies in the New World.

It was possible to extort Germa; Niji's role would definitely be significant, and this time they knew it wasn't just Niji alone; all three Germa brothers were here; they just needed to capture them.

This wasn't a difficult task; they only needed some help.

"Mr. Rayleigh, please take care of my crewmates, and if I have any accidents later, please lend me a hand. I'll share some of the money I get from Germa with you."

"No problem." 

Hearing that there was money to be made, Rayleigh readily agreed. Besides making money, there was another important reason—he wanted to see how Rodney fought in a real battle. Training and actual combat were different; when facing himself, Rodney had no killing intent.

In the distance, two figures, one red and one green, followed the marks on the ground and caught up. They said, "Rodney, hand Niji over! And Reiju, father commands you to come home. It's father's order!"

"Hmph! I don't care about that family; whoever wants to go back can go back. I'm fed up with that cold-blooded and heartless man!" Reiju replied, feeling as if a heavy stone had been lifted off her heart, unexpectedly relieved, a feeling she hadn't experienced since her childhood with her mother.

She loved this feeling.

"So, you've betrayed Father, betrayed Germa, right? Indeed, Reiju, you're an incomplete creation, just like Sanji. That guy should never have been born, and you should be the same."

They wouldn't hold back when it came to betrayal. But what surprised them was that Reiju, who had always been obedient, would betray them. Could it be that Father's research had problems?

Ichiji's cold and heartless words pricked at Reiju's heart, not because of what was said about her but because of how Ichiji spoke about Sanji as if he were some insignificant item.

Even though she knew their feelings were shallow, hearing such words still made her uncomfortable. Her feelings for them were deeper than theirs, but still less than an ordinary person's. 

She felt anger, just like when they bullied Sanji, when Judge forcibly dragged him away from their mother's grave, or when he was locked in a dungeon, the same anger she felt back then.

"What right do you have to speak of Sanji? He's working hard to live! Trying his best to keep up with us! You never treated him as our family! As our brother! A gentle brother like him, as kind as our mother, you drove him away from home! He's a prince, yet you forced him to live like a commoner! You're not worthy of being called family! Not even worthy of being called human! You're less than someone like me, a 'defective product'!"

Ichiji's face remained cold, "Have you gone crazy too? Indeed, a defective product like you should be eliminated, just like that waste Sanji."

He released flames from his palm, and the jets on his feet accelerated him forward. Leaving behind a trail of red, Rodney blocked Reiju, his palms crackling with lightning, blocking Iji's punch.

"Not bad, you're indeed Germa's best creation, stronger than your two brothers," Rodney said. "Reiju, Robin, I'll leave the green guy to you. Work together, and leave this one to me! Vinsmoke Ichiji. Familiar with these eyes? The Uchiha Clan's bloodline limit. Oh, and now you're a mercenary, right? Kirei would cry if he knew."

"Boring! The ramblings of a lunatic!" Ichiji responded with a punch directly.

"Hey hey, so boring! You don't even understand voice actor references; it takes away so much fun." Rodney shook his head, feeling sad that they didn't get his jokes. Not understanding his sense of humor made it so dull; entertaining oneself was boring.

Merlin: Don't mix up voice actors and characters, guys!

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique"

A massive fireball was sent as a feint, and Iji's punch shattered it, sparks flying as he stepped on a mudflow. Rodney executed his Earth Release again - Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!

Combined Ninjutsu: Earth Dragon Flame Flow!

"Troublesome!" Ichiji punched the incoming fireball and avoided flying up, fearing Rodney might use a powerful move like Muhyo Country to knock him back down; he found that move quite troublesome.

"Rise! Earth Release: Earth Spearr!"

Several stone spikes suddenly emerged from the ground and attacked Iji's waist and abdomen. Although the power was significant, the sharp tips of the Earth Spear broke upon colliding with the Germa battle suit and Iji's body, not effectively injuring him.

"Boil Release: Unrivalled Strength!"

A fist carrying high temperatures hit Iji's face, sending him flying.

Hiss!

Steam adhered to his face, inflicting a secondary injury.

Iji flew backward, and Rodney clapped his hands, creating four walls of earth, enclosing Iji inside.

"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"

Standing on the wall of earth, Rodney exhaled pale yellow mist into the semi-enclosed space below.

It was another application of Boil Rlease, not just releasing scalding steam, but also corrosive acid mist. The acidity of the mist could be adjusted freely, with the strongest level being able to corrode the base form of Susano'o.

However, it had to be used in an enclosed environment; if released in an open area, it would easily be dispersed by the wind, reducing the mist's acidity and rendering it ineffective.

Clapping his hands again, Rodney sealed the area completely, creating a three-dimensional space.