Chapter 306: Chapter 306: Germa Kingdom - The Disappearing Fleet
Judge's desperate attempt to offer his daughter had nearly made Takumi and his crew burst into laughter.
Kaku, barely holding back his amusement, asked, "Our captain is only sixteen. Isn't it a bit too early to think about marriage?"
Judge, however, seemed unfazed by the age issue. "If you think he's too young for marriage right now, they could get engaged first. We can wait as long as it takes."
"Hey, hey, aren't you being a bit too pushy now?" Enel sneered. "Our captain's standards are way too high for someone like your daughter. Do you really think Takumi would be interested?"
"Um... well, if she can't be his wife, she could still be a concubine," Judge stammered, desperate. He was willing to do anything to preserve the Germa Kingdom.
Reiju, though she clearly wanted to resist, couldn't. The modifications to her genetic lineage left her incapable of defying Judge's orders.
Her two brothers, meanwhile, couldn't have cared less about what happened to their sister.
As for Takumi, he hadn't even considered the idea of marriage. Even though, if you added his previous life's age to his current body—where he'd been reincarnated into the body of a ten-year-old shipwreck survivor—he would be twenty-three, his physical body was still that of a sixteen-year-old.
Marrying at sixteen seemed absurd...
Just as Takumi was about to reject the offer, the system's notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding! You've gained the approval of Germa Kingdom's King Vinsmoke Judge. Mission progress +30%. Shadow Clone Technique level +1. Current level: Lv3.]
Shadow Clone...
Another clone! Perfect...
Takumi just hoped this third shadow clone would be a bit more normal.
Coming back to the present, Takumi noticed everyone was staring at him, waiting for his response. Without much hesitation, he declared, "I'm not interested."
Judge was stunned. "Why not? What's wrong with my daughter? Why won't you accept?"
Takumi sneered, "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to pull."
As soon as he said that, the system's notification rang out again.
[Ding! Alliance marriage rejected. Sign-in progress +30%.]
[Ding! Germa Kingdom sign-in mission complete. Congratulations, host, you have received a combat suit.]
Takumi: "..."
What now?
A combat suit?
Did he even need such a thing?
Before Takumi could question the system about the combat suit, Kizaru's distinctive voice suddenly came from behind the group.
"Oh my, it really looks like you guys have formed an alliance."
Everyone turned to look.
Kizaru, clad in his Marine coat, his left hand holding a Den Den Mushi, stood atop the deck railing. His severed right arm had been hastily bandaged, and he was staring intently at Judge.
Takumi's crew didn't react much, but Judge's face paled, torn between explaining and staying silent.
"You heard that, Sengoku," Kizaru said, chuckling. "Seems Germa is planning to marry off their daughter to Takumi."
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's stern voice came through the Den Den Mushi, "I heard. It appears Germa Kingdom will soon be removed from the list of World Government allied nations."
"That's right," Kizaru added with a smile. "Anyone associating with Takumi's crew ends up on the World Government's blacklist."
Hearing this, Judge's expression darkened further.
He had thought there might be a way out of this mess, but now, if Takumi's crew abandoned him, the World Government would turn on him. They'd brand Germa as a threat. Germa Kingdom would be finished.
"No, I—" Judge tried to salvage the situation.
Kaku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Weren't you just trying to marry your daughter to our captain? Now what, having second thoughts already? You really have no sincerity. And you think our captain would agree to a marriage with you?"
"Uh... well..." Judge found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place.
If he continued trying to ally with Takumi's crew, Germa Kingdom would be openly defying the World Government, guaranteeing that they'd be targeted. Sure, if Takumi accepted the alliance, their strength might give Germa a fighting chance. But it was obvious Takumi had no intention of forming an alliance.
On the other hand, if Judge distanced himself from Takumi's group and sought World Government protection, he doubted Kizaru alone could protect them—especially with his injuries. Once Kizaru left, Takumi's crew would surely annihilate them.
In essence, Judge had two options: have Germa Kingdom destroyed by Takumi or by the World Government...
"Alright, that's enough," Kizaru interrupted, growing tired of Judge's hesitation. He addressed Sengoku over the Den Den Mushi. "I've reported the situation here. If there's nothing else, I'll find a place to recover from my injury. No need to tell those old folks at the World Government that I've lost an arm. If they push for another admiral to go after Takumi's crew, it's going to cripple our operations."
Sengoku sounded skeptical. "But losing an arm isn't a minor issue. Are you sure you're okay?"
"No problem at all," Kizaru said cheerfully. "Just treat it as a work injury. Consider the recovery time as overtime pay."
Sengoku sighed. "You... Fine, I get it. How long do you need to recover?"
Kizaru pondered for a moment. "Three months."
"Three months?!" Sengoku exclaimed. "I have to provide biweekly reports on the pursuit of Takumi to those World Government officials. How am I supposed to explain a three-month gap?"
Kizaru seemed unfazed. "Just make something up. Should be easy enough for you."
Sengoku: "..."
"Ah, feeling a bit light-headed from all the blood loss. Gotta go, talk later." And with that, Kizaru hung up and stowed the Den Den Mushi in his pocket.
Everyone present, except Takumi, was shocked.
No one had expected Kizaru to casually have such a dangerous conversation right in front of them.
"Is this guy really an admiral?" Enel asked, his lips twitching. "Something seems... off about him."
Kizaru, appearing unbothered, smiled at everyone on deck. "I've already grasped the situation here. But as a responsible Marine, I won't retreat, even if I'm injured."
With that, Kizaru raised his foot, which began to glow with an intense light, intending to use a Light Kick to destroy Germa's flagship.
Before he could act, Takumi suddenly leaped forward, matching Kizaru's kick and effortlessly sending the admiral flying...
And then, Kizaru was gone—even the Marine ship in the distance had disappeared.
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