Reiju wasn't too keen on boarding this pirate ship with her brothers at first.
But when she heard they were heading to Alabasta, her mind started working.
Michael spent most of his time in Alabasta.
If they went there now, even if they didn't run into him, they could probably visit the "Yellow Sand" branch in Alabasta and meet his subordinates.
They could also ask for help contacting their mother to find out where she'd gone.
"Ahahaha, so you're royalty from the Germa Kingdom! But as royalty, you didn't even know the Germa Kingdom had already migrate days ago? By now, they've probably entered the Grand Line!"
The straw-hat-wearing red-haired man slapped his thigh in amusement after hearing Sanji and the others' story.
His crew burst into laughter as well.
Reiju felt a bit embarrassed.
Though they were being laughed at, these pirates didn't seem malicious...
Just incredibly rude!
Of course, even if they had ill intentions, Reiju wasn't worried.
They're just a bunch of random pirates wandering the seas—hardly any threat to these genetically modified humans.
Even the ordinary lieutenants under Sengoku were no match for them anymore.
Even if the opponents had some strength, it didn't matter…
Her mother had already handed over her Raid Suit to her.
After all, as the eldest sister, it was time for her to start protecting her younger brothers…
Though right now, her four idiot brothers seemed to have completely hit it off with the pirates.
"Honestly, this is my first time getting this close to pirates," Ichiji frowned, voicing his doubts.
"Are all pirates really like you guys?"
"Ahahaha! Kid, don't go thinking that way," the red-haired young man laughed heartily. "Pirates out on the sea are vicious brutes… including us. Not a single decent person among us!"
"Really?" Niji crossed his arms, leaning closer to Red Hair. "With a ridiculous hair color matching my brother's, I think you're just trying to scare us."
"Seriously, kids these days don't even believe the truth," Red Hair shrugged, glancing at his crew.
"Laugh, laugh, laugh! That's all you know how to do! Don't corrupt the kids, you idiots!"
"Who's the one corrupting them, Shanks? What kind of proper pirate acts this friendly with kids?"
As the pirates bickered, the cabin door slowly creaked open.
A little girl with hair split between red and white stepped out from inside.
"Dad, what's so funny…"
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she looked toward the deck—
And in the next moment, her eyes flew wide open.
Then, with an angry huff, she rushed forward, planting herself firmly in front of Shanks.
"Where did you brats come from?!"
"Don't you dare try to steal my dad!"
Watching Uta's actions, Shanks felt a swell of pride—but before he could speak, he noticed the five siblings opposite him scrunch their faces in disgust, waving their hands in perfect, eerie synchronization.
"Uh… no thanks to the whole 'father' thing."
Vinsmoke Judge had left them with nothing but suffering and pain.
Even Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji—after regaining their emotions—couldn't help but agree.
That was why they had discarded the "Vinsmoke" name without hesitation, taking their mother's surname instead.
The name "Vinsmoke" was practically synonymous with being universally despised.
Angel D. Reiju, after waving dismissively, turned to the little girl and said.
"We're not here to steal your dad, so relax…" Then, she shot Shanks a disdainful glare.
"A man this young already has a daughter? Getting someone pregnant before even coming of age… truly an evil pirate behaviour."
"Wait, THAT'S the evil part?!" Shanks' eye twitched as he reflexively retorted, then patted the girl's head.
"Uta, when you misunderstand your friends, you have to apologize properly."
"They… aren't my friends!"
"A hundred years of karma brings people to the same ship! If you can chat peacefully on this deck, then that means you're fated to be friends!"
Well, she was only three years old and was easy to fool.
After apologizing to Reiju and the others in a daze, she fell silent.
Seeing this, Shanks couldn't help but sigh and continued.
"As you can see, she's my daughter, though not by blood..."
Once he started talking, Shanks decided to share Uta's origins with the five children before him.
"So... are you planning to abandon her?"
"...Little girl, are you always this blunt with your words?" Shanks gave her a bitter smile.
"At first, I just pitied her, but now I truly see her as my own daughter... And precisely because of that, I can't let such a young girl stay on a pirate ship."
As he spoke, he pointed at Uta.
"It's really not good to a little girl's proper upbringing."
Reiju nodded, then suddenly shifted the topic...
"So, why are you telling me, a child, all this?" Reiju pursed her lips. "Ever since you learned our identities, every word you've said has had a strong ulterior motive."
After all, she was the eldest and the smartest among the siblings.
Michael had once tested her, and in terms of pure intelligence, Reiju was no less capable than Robin.
Her words left Shanks momentarily stunned.
He awkwardly scratched his cheek with his finger and forced a laugh.
"So, uh... was my acting really that bad?"
"Hahaha, Captain! You're probably the only one who thought your performance was good just now," Yassop roared with laughter while slapping the mast.
"The little girl was rolling her eyes nonstop while you were talking!"
His remark sent waves of cheerful laughter echoing across the entire pirate ship.
Amidst the laughter, the Red Force swiftly arrived at Reverse Mountain.
Without any incidents, they rode the rising sea currents and entered the first half of the Grand Line, known as "Paradise."
This experience drew synchronized "Whoaaa—" exclamations from the five Vinsmoke siblings and Uta.
Such reactions were hardly surprising for first-timers experiencing Reverse Mountain.
"Honestly, we usually travel through the Calm Belt when moving between the North Blue and Marineford..."
"This place called Reverse Mountain is truly amazing."
Hearing Reiju's words, Shanks suddenly whipped his head around.
"Wait, what? You travel between where?"
"The North Blue and Marineford..."
"Huh? Since when did the Germa Kingdom have ties with the Marines?"
"Because my uncle is Michael. He's a Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters."
Shanks' expression instantly changed.
He'd heard it from Rayleigh's lips!
"Shanks, I'm no longer a pirate, so I can only give you one piece of advice."
"If you ever encounter a man named Michael at sea..."
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