Negotiating Terms

Chapter 61: Negotiating Terms

"This is the attack style of the newly appointed Shichibukai? Quite troublesome," Reiju dodged the surging waves and floated in the air, shouting, "Yonji, how long are you going to play around?"

In the sea, Yonji's jet shoes propelled him into the air with two streams of water, and he grumbled angrily, "I'll definitely take him apart!!" 

When had he ever suffered such humiliation? He was Germa 66's highest-grade masterpiece, a war machine that always dominated in battles. When had he ever been treated like this?

"Is that illusion also confusing you?"

"That was an accident! I absolutely won't be deceived by that illusion a second time! Just behave yourself, Reiju! I will kill this guy!" Yonji finished speaking and suddenly flew away with his jet shoes.

"Fire Release: Flaming Hail!"

A tiny fireball formed from Rodney's mouth, swiftly flying towards its target.

"Daring to show off with such a petty trick?"

Yonji didn't dodge; he prepared to catch the fireball with his hand. 

Boom! 

The highly compressed chakra exploded the moment Yonji touched it. B-rank ninjutsu had quite an impressive power. He was sent flying once again and crashed into the water.

Reiju: "…"

Where was the lesson she promised to give him? Despite the damage, Yonji didn't seem too badly hurt, but it wasn't a light injury either.

"I've never seen someone as stubborn as him. The power of Flaming Hail is stronger than a cannonball, and this guy just took it head-on. His head must be made of iron," Rodney clapped.

"Captain, is he dead?"

"He's not. If he were, that woman wouldn't be so composed." 

Reiju surrounded herself with pink toxic mist. As a toxic user, she could absorb strong toxins even without a Devil Fruit power and use them. So, Magellan, you'd better keep your distance…

"Tch, toxins?" 

That was Rodney's current weakness; he had no resistance to poisons. Sister Slug was skilled at healing but not detoxifying.

"Then, Hiding in Mist Technique!" 

Rodney exhaled white smoke, and immediately a thin fog covered the sea's surface, enveloping them. Though it was just a thin layer, a group of water clones emerged, creating an area shrouded in mist.

"This guy…" 

Without hesitation, Reiju flew over and then, facing away from the fog, used the propulsion from her jet shoes to create a powerful wave, breaking through the mist. However, the ship's whereabouts had vanished.

"How troublesome. Why hasn't Yonji come up yet?" Reiju frowned. Even if he was injured, Yonji shouldn't have taken so long underwater. Could it be…

She had a bad feeling about it. In the sea, Rodney's dozen-plus shadow clones, their skin red, constrained Yonji, preventing him from ascending rapidly to the surface. Despite his monstrous strength, they held him back, and when he reached his breath-holding limit, suffocating him into shock was an easy task with Boil Release.

Above the sea, Rodney carried the "unconscious" Yonji out of the mist, smiling, "Were you looking for this guy?"

"Yonji? He actually lost to you? He's Father's masterpiece…"

"Masterpiece?" 

Rodney scratched his ear, saying, "A person with no lingering emotions like him can be considered an unfinished product, right? Vinsmoke Judge's only masterpiece is you, isn't it?" With the power of a modified human, yet still capable of emotions, a living, breathing person.

As for Judge's sons, except for Sanji, the other three brothers lost many emotions, becoming fearless fighting machines—when people lose their sense of fear.

Reiju understood emotions between people, though not as intensely as Sanji did. However, she still felt more than Yonji and the others. She had emotions too.

"…"

"Ah, what's wrong? Is this the life you want, being bound like a puppet, only released when needed, and kept in a designated place when not? Do you not know happiness and freedom, Vinsmoke Reiju? Think about your only beloved brother, living his life every day, chasing his dreams. Don't you aspire to that kind of life too?"

Reiju bit her lower lip. Rodney's words were indeed tempting. She really wanted to meet her only recognized brother, and she too wanted to pursue her own life. But… But… she was Germa 66's Poison Pink; she was born to obey her father's commands!

She took a deep breath and exhaled calmly, "Mr. Rodney, please return my useless brother to me. You can consider the matter with Wesker a mission failure."

Yonji held a high position in the Vinsmoke family, even higher than Reiju in Judge's eyes, and held strategic significance. Reiju had to ensure his safety.

"Oh, you mean this trash?" 

Rodney laughed and turned into water. 

"Take him back! Let him go back and train for a couple more years. Oh, I almost forgot, if you want to increase the power of a modified human, you'll need to modify them again, right? How much strength can your idiot father give you guys this time? Hahaha!" He burst into laughter, turning into a puddle.

Reiju gritted her teeth, caught "Yonji," and suddenly, he opened his eyes, revealing a pair of crimson eyes just like Rodney's. A familiar memory surged in Yonji's mind.

A gentle golden-haired woman embraced him and a young, equally gentle boy, singing a lullaby as they fell asleep…

"Mom, Sanji…"

Surprisingly, the genjutsu worked. "Yonji's" hand struck Reiju's neck, causing her to fall asleep within the dream that had been woven for her.

Even if he was a modified human, did he still have a vulnerable heart?

"Yonji" lifted Reiju and walked towards the ship. Rodney's real body, Robin, and the guy named Wesker were on board.

Splash! 

The shadow clone, holding the suffocating Yonji, dispersed upon reaching the ship. Robin asked, "Captain, why did you bring them back?" Her gaze swept over Yonji and Reiju, finally stopping on Reiju, with a meaningful look.

"Don't think too much, I'm just interested in the combat suits they wear." 

Germa 66's technology was top-notch, especially in biotechnology. The shape-memory armor on their bodies possessed impressive defensive capabilities.

"How do we take them off?" 

He searched for the mechanism on Yonji to remove the shape-memory armor.

"It's not there." 

Surprisingly, Reiju had already freed herself from the genjutsu, making Rodney wonder if she had voluntarily fallen into it.

Calmly standing, Rodney smiled, "Miss Reiju, it's surprising how fast you woke up." 

Reiju drew her weapon, "If the mission fails, my father won't spare you." She said softly, "Ichiji and Niji are different from us."

"Without Den Den Mushi, how will you contact your father? If you die on a mission and have no communication, do you think you would accept such a death? Let me send this useless brother of yours away first."

He took Yonji, and steel wires flew out, firmly binding everywhere but his head.

Like a mummy, Yonji was hung at the back of the ship, submerged in the sea.

After all, he was a modified human; he couldn't die, but he might swell from soaking.