Cover Page: Color Spread: "A special color spread to celebrate the widely anticipated opening of Film: Gold!!". The Straw Hats in kimonos are eating watermelons while watching fireworks with some goldfishes.

In a courtyard outside the Germa Kingdom's royal castle, Sanji duels his father. The fight brings back memories of his childhood, including his abuse at the hands of his brothers. Eventually, Judge emerges victorious, due in large part to his use of advanced technology, and his willingness to sacrifice Germa 66 soldiers in order to get the jump on Sanji.

Back inside the castle, Reiju tends to Sanji's injuries while Judge explains his motivations for arranging both the wedding and the alliance. While Sanji is distracted by their father's comments, Reiju places exploding wristlets on Sanji's arms in order to prevent him from escaping the wedding.

In the Germa Kingdom, a few Germa 66 agents rush to see the duel between Sanji and Judge, wondering what Sanji is like. In Yonji's fortress, Yonji tells an engineer that he told Sanji off about refusing to cooperate with the wedding plans, expecting things to be the same as in the past, but ended up getting a dent in his head as a result of his brother overpowering him. The engineer unsuccessfully tries to repair Yonji's facial structure with a hammer; he next resorts to using a press machine to press Yonji's face on both sides, which returns it to normal. Yonji wonders how a "good-for-nothing" person like Sanji managed to best him and swears to make him pay.

Meanwhile, the Germa 66 agents get their first glimpse of Sanji's combat prowess, admiring the strength he is displaying even without wearing a raid suit. Sanji launches a kick at Judge, who blocks the attack with his arm before berating Sanji for kicking his own father. Sanji retaliates that Judge started the fight, and once again refuses to acknowledge him as his father. Judge continues to swipe at Sanji with his spear, and Sanji states that the only reason he returned to the Germa Kingdom was to protect his crew. Judge reminds Sanji that reneging on their pact will incur Big Mom's vengeance, and questions if Sanji would really sacrifice his own family. Once again, Sanji tells him that he only came to protect his crew while angrily stating he does not care what happens to his family in such an eventuality as he no longer considers them family.

During the fight, Sanji recalls snippets of his childhood. He recalls being beaten by Ichiji, Niji and Yonji, after they caught him making food for "rats" (an activity they considered "below" royalty). Sanji attempted to retrieve the food he had made by punching Ichiji in the face, but his brother retaliated with much stronger force, causing Yonji and Niji to laugh and tell Sanji that, even though they were all born on the same day, he was nothing like them. When Judge and Reiju passed by behind them, Sanji called out to his father for help; however, Judge replied that he had no obligation to assist, or even raise, a worthless son, and denounced Sanji as a disgrace to their family name. As Reiju laughed, Sanji's brothers resumed their bullying.

In the present, Judge asks Sanji if he was reminiscing about his past and swings his spear at him, but Sanji blocks it with a Armament Haki-imbued leg. Judge and Germa 66 are surprised to see Sanji's display of Haki, and Judge offers him a sword, reminding Sanji that he had trained him in swordsmanship. Sanji, however, refuses to use his hands for anything other than cooking, a spectating Vinsmoke Reiju is in disbelief at Sanji's strength describing him as a beast. Judge criticizes him for keeping his old habits before he leaps high above Sanji, leaving the Germa 66 agents awestruck, and Sanji tries to counter Judge's aerial attack with a Diable Jambe kick. However, Judge blocks it, grabs Sanji's leg, and throws him into the ground, saying that war advances technology as he kicks Sanji with an electrified foot. He then blasts Sanji away with a blaster in the back of his shoe. As Judge continues, and tells Sanji that the Germa he once knew is a thing of the past, Sanji asks if he should really view his birth family in a higher light despite them not giving him any decent memories. Sanji state all he holds is hatred for Judge and reactivates Diable Jambe as Judge commands his men to form a wall between them; this causes an attacking Sanji to hesitate, as he tells the men to get out of the way. Much to Sanji's shock, Judge then pierces one of his men from behind, positioning the point of the spear right in front of Sanji before channeling electricity through its tip and sending Sanji flying backwards.

Back inside the Germa Kingdom's royal castle, Reiju tends to Sanji's wounds while expressing her surprise at Sanji's combat prowess. However, Sanji shrugs her off and reiterates his disdain for his family, saying that, despite his hopes of returning to find them improved, they were even worse now than he remembered them being. Judge tells him that the Germa 66 soldiers would give up their lives for the family, and Sanji asks him why he is not using them to try and conquer the North Blue again. Judge explains that an alliance with Big Mom will guarantee their conquest; however, as he refused to hand over one of his "precious sons" to meet her terms for an alliance, he sought out Sanji, the dispensable son whom he never truly considered a son. Angry and upset, a distracted Sanji notices that Reiju had stopped administering aid and had placed wristlets on his arms - wristlets which, Judge reveals, use the same explosive mechanisms as the collars World Nobles place on their slaves. Judge warns Sanji that they will permanently damage his hands if he tries to escape Whole Cake Island, and further warns him that Big Mom is the only one with possession of the key. Even without this guarantee, Judge remarks that the soldiers of the Germa Kingdom will never let Sanji leave alive, and he threatens Sanji with the ultimatum that he has no choice but to go through with the wedding as scheduled.

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