THE GERMA FAILURE

Inside the Whole Cake Chateau infirmary, a voice states, 'AS LONG AS SHE RESTS PROPERLY, SHE SHOULD EASILY BE ABLE TO ATTEND TOMORROW'S TEA PARTY.' Another remarks on the modified humans of the Germa and their healing ability. A sign reads 'A DARK PLAN FESTERS IN THE NIGHT THAT FALLS UPON THE CHATEAU!!' In the hallway, a large man in a jacket says, 'NOW, WE MUST CHECK THE INFIRMARY ON THE 4TH FLOOR AS WELL...' while a small horned figure salutes, 'YES SIR!' He adds, 'THEY MUST BE QUITE WORRIED. LET THE VINSMOKE FAMILY KNOW THAT WE'LL BE KEEPING HER HERE FOR A NIGHT.' A woman thanks them, 'THANK YOU! PLEASE, BE CAREFUL!' In the bedroom, the blonde woman in bed reacts with surprise as a figure lights a cigarette with 'fwoo' and 'blink' effects.

Sanji sits smoking in the infirmary as the woman in bed calls out, 'SANJII' He replies, 'YEAH.' She recounts, 'I WAS WALKING AROUND THE CASTLE, WHEN... I RAN INTO SOME SOLDIERS THAT WERE SCREAMING ABOUT AN "INVADER"... AND I GOT CAUGHT UP IN ALL OF THATI' She clutches her head, 'I... MY LEGS...' Sanji leans in seriously and says, 'I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED.' She reacts, 'HUHII' as he warns, 'YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO REMEMBER IT PROPERLY. YOUR MEMORIES HAVE BEEN OVERWRITTEN.'

A massive explosion rocks the Prisoner's Library as flames and debris erupt everywhere. A prisoner screams "GYAAAH!" while others are blasted away. In the chaos, a voice yells "HURRY, LUFFY! NAMI!" as Luffy, Nami, and Jinbe fight through the blast. Someone cries "GYAH" and another shouts "HOTTT!" while the massive onomatopoeia "ドオオオオオ!!!" shakes the page. The bottom panels show a fishman-like figure roaring "RAAAA-ARGHH!" as more explosions "バシャアアアーン!!" and "BFF!" erupt around them.

Luffy bursts out of the smoke on a massive skull-like creature, shouting triumphantly as Nami clings nearby. Luffy yells "WE MADE IT!" while panting "HAA HAA" and thinking "I GET THE FEELING... WE'VE BEEN THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE..." Below, the group surveys the ruined library. Nami exclaims "LOOK! THERE WERE SO MANY OTHER PRISONERS BESIDES JUST YOU TWO IN THOSE BOOKS!" Jinbe replies "COME TO THINK OF IT, WE FIRST MET IN A PRISON, DIDN'T WE, LUFFYI" and "SHISHISHI! GUESS I DIDN'T HAVE TO RIP OFF MY ARMS AFTER ALL!" Nami adds "SORRY ABOUT THAT. THE ONLY WAY I COULD GET YOU ALL OUT OF THERE WAS TO BURN MONT D'OR'S BOOKS." Jinbe notes "BIG MOM HAS MANY CAPABLE UNDERLINGS." and "THE WORLD OF BOOKS ABILITY IS AS INFINITE AS HIS IMAGINATION!" Nami thanks him: "THANKS, JINBE!"

Nami speaks with a large fishman underling who recognizes Jinbe. The underling says "ARE YOU ALSO ONE OF THE CREWS UNDER BIG MOM!" and "AH, YES. WELL, MY 'SUN PIRATES'." Nami asks "BUT WHY ARE YOU HERE ON THIS ISLANDI!" while Jinbe replies "THANK YOU, JINBE." The underling continues "SO THE 'UNFINISHED BUSINESS' YOU SAID YOU HAD TO TAKE CARE OF ON FISHMAN ISLAND..." Nami answers "YES. I JUST TOOK CARE OF IT." The underling laughs "WAHHAH-HAHA!" and declares "YES. REBELLION. THERE'S NO GOING BACK NOW." Nami wonders "BUT... WHAT ABOUT... ISN'T THAT..." In the lower panels the group reacts to distant screams. Luffy says "WHOA... ALL OF A SUDDEN..." while someone shouts "I'M SO HUNGRY!" Nami warns "FIRST THINGS FIRST! GOTTA HIDE SOMEWHERE THEY CAN'T FIND US!" and "THEY'RE AS FAST AS EVER. WE'RE GETTING REPORTS OF SCREAMS FROM THE PRISONER'S LIBRARY! WHAT'S GOING ONI!"

Luffy runs ahead declaring "I'M ONLY GOING TO EAT FOOD YOU MAKE FOR ME!" while thinking "IT'S FINE! IT'S NOT LIKE I SAID I WANTED TO EAT ANYTHING!" and "LUFFY USES UP THREE TIMES AS MUCH ENERGY AS A NORMAL PERSON JUST EXISTING." Nami worries "YOU CAN WORRY ABOUT YOUR STOMACH EVEN AT A TIME LIKE THISI!" Luffy then realizes "BOTH ME AND SANJI WERE TRICKED! THINGS ARE LOOKING REALLY BAD! I GOTTA GO TELL HIM!" Nami recalls "I'M GOING TO SHOOT HIM DEAD!" and "SANJI PROPOSED TO ME." They continue running as Nami says "ANYWAY, THANKS, JINBE." Suddenly alarms blare and Luffy shouts "LUFFY! WAIT! THE CASTLE IS CRAWLING WITH STRONG ENEMIES!" while someone screams "GYAA AAH!" and "WHA-I!" A cloaked figure yells "TAKE CARE OF NAMI, OKAY, JINBEI" as Luffy reacts "HUHI!" and Nami cries "LUFFY! DID YOU ALREADY FORGET WHAT HAPPENED THIS MORNING! FOR CRYING OUT LOUD..."

In the long stone hallway of the infirmary, Reiju asks, "YOU BELIEVE MEI" Sanji replies calmly, "OF COURSE. YOU'D NEVER DECEIVE ME." Reiju continues, "She was going to kill us all, marriage or not, from the beginning... She did seem a little too good to be true... so I went sniffing around... But to think she went that far... Pudding..." Sanji sits alone on the bed, head in his hands, recalling, "I thought that I could smooth all this over by just sacrificing myself..." He clenches his fists and shouts, "WHAT A JOKE! All that stuff about marrying her just to save Luffy and the others... That never would have worked out anyway, would itI!"

Reiju declares, "I think the Germa should just die out, here and now. Even our father, for all that he is... seems to have taken this situation a bit lightly. But it's for the better." Sanji reacts with shock, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEANI! YOU'LL DIE TOO, REIJU!" Reiju answers, "I'll just pretend I haven't heard a thing." Sanji sweats and questions her, while Reiju smiles and asks, "OhI Worrying about me, are weI" She adds, "There's no need to feel indebted just for me having saved you back then. I guess that last memory of us is a bit troublesome, huh..."

Reiju tells Sanji, "Worry about that after you make it out. Even if I was able to do such a thing, what'd happen to the BaratieI! If you stay here, you and everyone else will die. Just get out of here with the Straw Hats, Sanji." Sanji yells back, "HAAI!" Reiju continues, "Soon to be born, into unfeeling machines. Mother was firmly against making the four of you... Mother and father's big fight. I realized what exactly it meant only much later. There's one memory I have that I simply can't put out of my mind..." A flashback shows their father shouting, "I will give only my kids the ultimate power! Then let them be monsters. As long as they can win wars! If you rob them of their hearts, they won't even be human anymore! Stop it! Those are my children!"

The flashback continues as their father Judge confronts their mother Sora, who lies collapsed on the floor. A scientist explains, "A drug strong enough to react with the manipulated lineage factors of the children inside her... But, in an effort to put an end to father's wild ambitions, mother took a drug. Ultimately, she was forced to undergo the surgery..." The operation succeeds; the scientist reports, "The operation was a success, your highness! Good! Shall we further edit their blueprints using drugs, my kingI" Judge replies, "Your three brothers started showing signs of their superhuman-ness one after another. But it was all for naught." Young Sanji, marked with the number 3, smiles and says, "This is quite strange... only Sanji is..." Reiju watches and replies, "Well..."

In a flashback, Reiju recalls their mother's decline. "MOTHER BEGAN TO WEAKEN BEFORE OUR EYES, DUE TO THE AFTEREFFECTS OF THE DRUG. AND AT THE SAME TIME," she explains as young Sanji stares in shock. Elsewhere, servants react in alarm: "THAT'S A SIGN OF EMOTION! HE SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY! SANJI FED AN ANIMALI! THAT CAN'T BE. LET US WAIT FOR HIM TO GROW A BIT MORE." Young Sanji stands before his dying mother, whispering, "I'M THE REASON SHE... HER LIFE..." Reiju continues, "YOU CONTINUED TO GROW INTO MORE OF A HUMAN WITH EACH PASSING DAY." A cheerful memory shows their mother smiling as young Reiju tells her, "REIJU! YOU KNOW, SANJI MADE ME A LUNCHBOX THE OTHER DAY! GUESS WHAT SANJI SAID TO ME TODAYI" Their mother replies warmly, "SHE DIDN'T REGRET A THING! MOTHER WAS HAPPY, FROM THE BOTTOM OF HER HEART. DON'T THINK OF IT LIKE THAT!"

The flashback deepens as Reiju describes their father's cruelty. "HE FAULTED YOU FOR EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED, AND BECAME EVEN HARDER ON YOU. BUT FATHER WASN'T WILLING TO LET THAT SLIDE." A young Sanji weeps at their mother's grave marked "SORA" while their father looms. Their mother had cried out joyfully from her sickbed, "WAAAAAHHHH! HE'S THE BEST KID IN THE WORLD! GET BETTER SOON!" Reiju tells Sanji, "THAT IS WHO YOU ARE, SANJI! THE ONLY ONE THAT WAS BORN WITH ANY TRACE OF REAL EMOTION. THE CHILD THAT MOTHER PROTECTED WITH HER VERY LIFE, BUT YOU ARE NO FAILURE." Their father roars, "SANJI IS A WORTHLESS FAILURE." Reiju concludes softly, "YOU ARE KINDER THAN ANYONE. AND THAT IS WHY"

Back in the present, Sanji reacts with visible shock, sweat flying as he processes the memories. The scene shifts to chaotic movement through a castle. A figure dashes upward: "TO THE SECOND FLOOR! FROM THE PRISONER'S LIBRARY. LOOKS LIKE WE'VE ALREADY PASSED THROUGH THE FIRST FLOOR WHERE'D HE GOI!" A brutal fight erupts as Luffy grapples a massive, struggling opponent. The enemy wheezes and gasps under Luffy's grip while Luffy demands, "WHERE IS SANJII!" The brute snarls back, "YOH BASTARD! SPIT IT OUT!" as impact lines and sweat erupt from the struggle.

Big Mom Pirates react to news of a rebellion. A soldier reports, "REPORT THE FOLLOWING TO ALL SOLDIERS!" as another exclaims, "A REBELLIONI! AND FOR IT TO BE BOSS JINBE, INSIDE THE CASTLE... ANOTHER PROBLEMI! THE HALL OF TREASURES IN FRONT OF THE DOORS" Inside, a woman with a flower-like collar and a horned man discuss plans. "MAMA HAS BEEN WAITING FOR TOMORROW'S PLAN FOR A LONG TIME. TRUE. TOMORROW'S PLANS WILL BE MORE UNTOWARD NEWS TO MAMA'S FICKLE EARS," one warns. "WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN IF IT ALL GOES UP IN SMOKEI" Another suggests, "IF SPEED IS OF THE ESSENCE, I BELIEVE KILLING THEM MAY BE FASTER THAN ATTEMPTING CAPTURE!" The woman orders, "FINE. WHATEVER. I GIVE YOU PERMISSION!" The response comes, "YES, MA'AM! I SEE. UNDERSTOOD! AND DEAL WITH THE INVADERS ON THE 3RD FLOOR OR BELOW. THIS IS THE 4TH FLOOR! SEAL OFF ALL CORRIDORS LEADING HERE," as a shocked figure cries, "TH- THE UNTHINKABLE!"

A woman with curly hair glares intensely and declares, "THEY'RE NOTHING BUT DESTROYERS! THE GERMA CLING TOO FAST TO THEIR OLD LAURELS! FORGET THE GERMA AND GET OUT OF HERE, SANJI! THIS WORLD DOESN'T NEED THEM!" In the next panels she continues, "AND IT'S WHAT THEY DESERVE! THEY'RE A BUNCH OF MURDERERS!" while Sanji listens with a serious expression. She adds, "SHE'LL DANGLE THAT FLOATING RESTAURANT OVER YOUR HEAD JUST AS AN EXCUSE TO KILL YOUR FATHER AND YOUR BROTHERS! SHE DOESN'T HAVE MUCH INTEREST IN THE LIFE OF YOUR SAVIOR, EITHER, BY THE WAY. WHAT BIG MOM WANTS IS OUR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY." Sanji replies with a grim look, "I'VE BEEN MODIFIED SUCH THAT I CANNOT DISOBEY FATHER'S ORDERS. I'M AN ACCOMPLICE. I HAVE EMOTIONS LEFT IN ME, TOO... MY HANDS ARE PLENTY DIRTY. I DESERVE TO DIE TOO." The woman leans forward and shouts, "HAVE ANY SPECIAL LOVE FOR THOSE GUYS! I HATE 'EM TOO! IT'S NOT LIKE I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE ALONGSIDE THEM!"

The woman asks, "ANY OTHER EXCUSES FOR WHY YOU REFUSE TO LEAVE THE ISLANDI" Sanji answers, "I SWITCHED IT OUT FOR A FAKE. IT WON'T EXPLODE OR ANYTHING. THAT BRACELET. OH. ONE THING I FORGOT TO MENTION." Suddenly an explosion rocks the area as voices yell, "CALL THE MINISTERS!! STRAW HAT'S BROKEN OUT OF PRISON! TAKE A LONG HARD LOOK AT THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS!" Luffy bursts onto the scene with a massive roar, "MOOO OOOOVE EEEEE EEE! TO THE 'IMPORTANT THINGS'!" while the woman stares in shock. She tells Sanji, "PEOPLE AS AMAZING AS THE ONES YOU HAVE NOW, AS LONG AS YOU LIVE! YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO MEET" as the chapter note appears: "NO CHAPTER NEXT WEEK..."

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