I collect everything in the One Piece world.

"I've never seen a kingdom like that before, I really want to see it with my own eyes."

Robin, holding his coffee cup, gently shook his head and poured cold water on the idea in a mild tone: "There's nothing fun there."

“Reiju mentioned before that most of the Germa Kingdom is military camps and laboratories, and there are clone soldiers everywhere.”

"The entire kingdom is a military fortress. Everything is just missions, nothing else matters. She grew up in that kind of environment."

Bakara smacked her lips upon hearing this, revealing an expression of disbelief: "That's incredibly boring. Every day, all you do is open your eyes and it's missions, training, and experiments. There isn't even a decent place for entertainment. I don't know how Reiju has managed to put up with it all these years."

“That guy, Judge, is a complete research fanatic,” Mosen chimed in, his tone laced with disdain and coldness.

"He used his own children as test subjects, using drugs and training to modify their bodies from a young age, trying to mold them into emotionless, perfect war machines."

"For him, the so-called 'children' are just another form of work."

This topic made the atmosphere in the lounge a little heavier.

Nami and the others had heard Reiju briefly mention her upbringing before. Although it was just a few words, thinking about it carefully in conjunction with Morsen's words, the kind of life where one is raised as a tool from childhood is indeed chilling.

Chopper, clutching a cup of hot milk, huddled in the corner of the sofa, his little ears trembling slightly, and said with lingering fear, "Thank goodness... thank goodness Dr. Kureha isn't that kind of person."

"If I had to train in that kind of high-pressure environment from a young age... just thinking about it is terrifying..."

"So we're really not going to pick her up?" Nami put down her teacup and looked at Morsen seriously.

"Her perverted father doesn't seem like the type to willingly agree to let her leave, does he? What if she gets detained when she gets back?"

Robin pondered for a moment, then said hesitantly, "But... Reiju said before she left that she wanted to handle this herself."

"If we go directly to her, won't that make things difficult for her? Since she has chosen to face it alone, she must have her own plans and considerations."

“That’s true…” Bakara scratched her head in confusion, “But what if she can’t handle it? That Judge doesn’t seem like a reasonable person, he’s like a freak, otherwise why would he treat his own child like that?”

"Sigh, this is really a difficult situation." Nami sighed, "If we go, I'm afraid Reiju will be unhappy; if we don't go, I'm afraid something will happen to her. It's really worrying."

The group discussed it amongst themselves, but couldn't make up their minds.

Chopper kept switching between two opposing views, saying "We should trust Reiju" one minute and "But what if she's in danger?" the next, making himself a little confused.

After a while, Bakala suddenly realized that Mosen hadn't spoken for quite some time.

She turned her head to look in Mosen's direction, about to ask him what he thought, but found that Mosen wasn't listening to their discussion at all.

He was looking down, holding a piece of white paper in his hand, his expression so serious it was almost frightening.

That was the Vivre Card that Reiju gave him before she left.

"Captain?" Bakara called out tentatively.

Mosen did not respond, but stared at the life card in his hand for a few seconds, then stood up, walked to the table, and gently placed the life card on the table.

Others gathered around, their eyes fixed on the white piece of paper.

The Vivre Card was slowly moving in a certain direction on the table, the direction where Reiju was.

But that's not the point; the point is Mosen's discovery.

He stared at the Life Card, his brow furrowed, and said in a deep voice with a hint of uncertainty and seriousness, "Don't you guys feel... this Life Card seems to have gotten a little smaller than before?"

Upon hearing this, everyone crowded closer to take a closer look.

Nami tilted her head and looked for a long time, her expression gradually becoming serious: "Now that you mention it... it does seem to have shrunk a bit since the day Reiju left?"

"I remember when I saw it that day, it was about this wide..." she said, gesturing with her hand.

"The edges seem to be curling up a bit too." Robin, with her keener senses, noticed some subtle changes at the edges of the Vivre Card.

“A normal life card should remain flat even if it is torn. These signs of curling and shrinkage usually mean that the owner is not in good health.”

The moment she finished speaking, the edge of the Life Card suddenly and without warning began to burn.

A wisp of smoke rose, its edges contracting slightly inward before returning to calm.

Although the area burned was not large, the visual impact made everyone present feel a chill.

The air in the lounge seemed to freeze.

"This..." Chopper covered his mouth with his little hooves, his eyes wide open, "This is... Reiju..."

Mosen's face darkened completely. He gripped the still slowly moving Vivre Card tightly, his voice low and cold: "Reiju's Vivre Card is indeed shrinking, which means her life force is weakening."

"Either he's injured, or he's in some kind of negative state; in short, things aren't looking good."

"I knew it!" Nami slammed her hand on the table and jumped up from the sofa. "I knew her perverted father wouldn't let her go! Something bad was definitely going to happen to her if she went back!"

Robin's expression also turned serious. She pondered and said, "And judging from the degree to which the Vivre Card has shrunk... this may not be the first time it has shrunk. It may have started changing much earlier, but we just didn't notice it in time."

"What are we waiting for?!" Chopper cried out, spinning in circles. "We have to go save her!"

Bakara slammed her hand on the table, making a crisp sound: "We're going right now! We don't care about the Germa Kingdom or the Vinsmoke family! Anyone who dares to touch our people should be prepared to get beaten up!"

After he finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Mo Sen.

Without hesitation, Mo Sen gripped the life card tightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Turn around! Head to Germa!"

"I want to see what's going on!"

"Damn it, Judge! Doesn't he know Reiju is already one of my crew members?! How dare he!"

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the "Riding the Waves" ship turned around and sped off in the direction indicated by the life card.

The atmosphere on deck was completely different from the previous relaxed atmosphere; everyone was on edge, and anger was building up inside them.

Meanwhile, deep within the castle of the Germa Kingdom, in a hidden compartment of the underground dungeon.

Reiju sat quietly in the darkness.

This is an extremely narrow mezzanine space, located in a gap in the wall between two dungeon levels, with the entrance hidden behind a loose floor tile.

The space was barely high enough for one person to sit crouched down, and only wide enough for one person to lie down on their side. It was surrounded by rough stone walls and damp earth, and the air was filled with a musty and stale smell.

She's been hiding here for several days, and she's in a very bad state.

His face was so pale it was almost bloodless, his lips were cracked, and his once bright eyes now looked somewhat dim.

After her bloodline factor was shut down, her self-healing ability and physical strength were no longer present. So now she is just an ordinary young woman who gets hungry, thirsty, tired, cold, and uncomfortable in dark and damp environments.

The days of hiding and limited food had weakened her body, but she remained conscious and waited for a chance to escape.

This is the Vinsmoke family's dungeon, where Sanji was imprisoned for a period of time when he was a child.

At that time, young Sanji was imprisoned in this dark and hopeless underground because Judge regarded him as a "failure," and he lived a lonely and desperate life.

Reiju once secretly visited him here without telling anyone, bringing him food and water.

It was around that time that she stumbled upon this space hidden in a crack in the wall.

She never imagined that she would need this place one day.

Through a narrow gap in the wall, Reiju saw another squad of Germa soldiers marching past in formation in the corridor below.

The heavy military boots pounded on the stone slabs, producing a rhythmic and dull thud that echoed through the claustrophobic dungeon.

The squad leader carried a portable searchlight, its beam sweeping across the bars of each cell, checking every possible hiding place.

Reiju held her breath, pressed her body as close to the wall as possible, and shrank into the deepest part of the shadows.

The next second, the beam of light swept through the gap in the vent, almost illuminating her location, but ultimately failed to find her.

A moment later, the soldiers' footsteps faded into the distance, and the corridor fell back into darkness and silence.

Reiju slowly exhaled, her tense body relaxing slightly.

She listened intently for a while, making sure the patrol had indeed gone far away, before gently moving her legs, which were starting to feel numb.

The frequency of searches has decreased compared to a few days ago.

It started once every half hour, then gradually increased to once an hour, and now it's once every two hours.

This indicates that the soldiers of Germa have not given up the search, but the intensity and urgency of the search have decreased.

Judge still hasn't given up on capturing her, but he may also be beginning to suspect that she has somehow escaped the Germa Kingdom.

But Reiju knew that she hadn't left yet.

She had to find a way to get out of here. She couldn't just sit here and wait to die any longer.

Her physical condition was deteriorating day by day, and food and water were limited. If this dragged on any longer, even if she wasn't caught, she would lose the ability to move due to exhaustion.

She must seize the opportunity while she is still able to break through the blockade and escape this steel cage.

However, because her bloodline factor has been shut down, she has lost those superhuman physical abilities.

She could no longer easily scale high walls, evade pursuers, or directly shoot down soldiers blocking her path as she once could.

She had to plan her route more carefully, choose her timing more cautiously, and make more precise use of every minute and second, just like an ordinary person.

As her thoughts wandered, she also pulled out a piece of bread wrapped in oil paper from the corner beside her, which she had grabbed before hiding here.

The bread had become somewhat dry and hard, and the edges were even starting to mold, but for her now, it was a precious source of energy.

For the past few days, she has been maintaining a state of near-zero vitality. She hasn't eaten much, but now she knows she must replenish her energy, otherwise she won't even have the strength to escape.

The dry, hard breadcrumbs melted on her tongue, carrying a slightly sour taste. Reiju chewed slowly, then swallowed them in small bites.

After finishing her bread, she took out a flat metal water bottle from her small bag, unscrewed the lid, and carefully took a small sip of water.

There wasn't much water left, so she had to drink it sparingly.

After replenishing her energy, Reiju felt that her body had regained some strength.

She leaned against the cold wall, closed her eyes, and mentally rehearsed her escape route over and over again.

From the dungeon to the upper passage, from the upper passage to the backup exit on the west side of the castle, from the backup exit to the snail boat connecting bridge outside the castle...

She mentally rehearsed every turn, every sentry post, and every possible obstacle.

When she opened her eyes again, a determined light shone through them, which had been somewhat dim.

Chapter 249, Judge's "Opportunity"; The Adventurers' Party Attacks!

A few more days passed.

The search efforts inside the Germa Kingdom's castle have noticeably slowed down.