Short Summary
Taking place after the Whole Cake Island arc, this cover story arc focuses on the Germa 66, last seen running into trouble with the Big Mom Pirates. Here we finally learn their fates and where they go from there after Judge's initial plans to team up with Big Mom have fallen apart.Long Summary
Tropes
- Alliterative Name: Pudding calls "Pudding Punch!" as she punches Yonji and Niji in retribution for their cruel bullying of Sanji.
- Always Second Best: As the flashback to the formation of MADS shows, even though they all formed the organisation together, Judge, Caesar and Queen all lived in the shadow of Vegapunk's genius with Vegapunk winning a peace prize while the other three were still trying to perfect their experiments. One of the chapters even lampshades this with the title "Three bitter rivals in the perpetual war to be No. 2".
- And This Is for...: Pudding gives a furious punch to both Niji and Yonji's faces for mercilessly bullying Sanji, past and present. The caption even mentions it:Pudding: This is what you get for bullying Sanji-san! Pudding Punch!
- Asshole Victim: Niji and Yonji were not only defeated by the Big Mom pirates and placed inside Mont-D'Or's book prison but Pudding arrives and punches the two of them unconscious for bullying Sanji. Later, they're taken to Whole Cake Island by Oven and Brûlée and placed in the hands of Brownie, Anana, Kato, and Prim, who are all eager to experiment on Niji and Yonji to learn how the Vinsmokes' enhancements worked.
- Badass in Distress: Niji and Yonji are revealed to have been captured by the Big Mom Pirates and are being held captive in Cacao Island inside a giant book under the watchful eye of Oven. They are later taken by Oven and Brûlée to Whole Cake Island, and put in the hands of four of their younger siblings, Brownie, Prim, Kato, and Anana, who all prepare to experiment on Niji and Yonji to learn how they got their enhancements.
- Bait-and-Switch: As two shadowy figures appear in Pudding's hometown Chocolat Town, Brulee assumed it was Reiju and Ichiji arriving to rescue them. Instead, they already broke into the lab to rescue Niji and Yonji.
- Come to Gawk: Following their defeat and capture by the Big Mom Pirates, Vinsmokes Niji and Yonji are imprisoned inside Mont-D'Or's book and put on display in the plaza of Cacao Island for both Big Mom's children and the local citizens to see.
- Continuity Nod:
- It seems Pudding has not forgotten what Sanji said to her about his family back in Chapter 845 of the Whole Cake Island arc, even though that took place when she was still only faking being in love with him before later Becoming the Mask. When she gets the chance, she punches Niji and Yonji in the face for their mistreatment of their brother.
- Chapter 1043's cover page shows the ruins of Whole Cake Chateau, which toppled in Chapter 871 after the Tamatebako exploded.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Niji and Yonji remember how they were defeated by Big Mom, which led to their capture and imprisonment. Fittingly, the cover page's caption is "A creature beyond the power of science", which perfectly describes the Devil Fruit-using Big Mom.
- This is later shown to have happened to Cracker at the hands of Kuzan and Van Augur.
- Dramatic Irony: Oven is confused as to why Pudding punched Niji and Yonji seemingly out of nowhere, when the audience knows she actually did it in outrage towards their merciless bullying of Sanji.
- Enemy Mine: While the two still clearly can't stand each other, Judge and Caesar decide to team up and form NEO MADS after deciding to show up Vegapunk.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: A flashback to Caesar and Judge's time in MADS shows the two and Queen reacting with bafflement and disgust that Vegapunk created weapons that shoot flowers instead of ammunition.
- Fight Unscene: The family were last seen suddenly getting pushed back with Oven firing specialized bullets that could penetrate their armor skin. Plus Big Mom arriving at the scene after finally getting her wedding cake. The mini-series takes place after with the family looking a bit roughed up but fine. Judge, Reiju and Ichiji managed to get away safely but Yonji and Niji were captured and put in Mont-D'Or's book prison back on the island.
- Halfway Plot Switch: The mini-series initially starts off by showing the fate of Germa 66 and their attempts to rescue Niji and Yonji. After breaking into Big Mom's lab and saving them with the help of Caesar who was still on the island, he and Judge end up reminiscing about their time within MADS culminating in them creating a successor organization in order to combat Vegapunk.
- Humiliation Conga: Niji and Yonji suffer this in the beginning. First they're given a Curb-Stomp Battle by Big Mom, imprisoned in a book and treated like a public spectacle, then taken to Whole Cake Island where they become unwilling test subjects for Big Mom's children. The humiliation part is mostly Downplayed however due to their conditioning, and the pair are shown acting mostly ambivalent to it all.
- Irony: Chapter 1040's cover page has Yonji and Niji discussing how they were defeated by Big Mom, while in the chapter proper, Big Mom would end up being defeated by Kidd and Law.
- Laser-Guided Karma: The story opens with Yonji and Niji suffering a well-deserved Humiliation Conga for treating everyone around them like dirt for being "weak", including their own brother, Sanji. First they're soundly defeated offscreen by Big Mom, a Yonko who's far beyond even Germa 66's science, then they're imprisoned within Mont-D'Or's book and treated like a public spectacle - with an enraged Pudding outright punching them simultaneously in the face for mercilessly bullying Sanji. Then Oven and Brûlée take Niji and Yonji to Whole Cake Island, where they end up as test subjects by Big Mom's younger children who are eager to learn about Germa 66's supersoldier enhancements.
- Start My Own: After realizing that Vegapunk was the true obstacle in the way of their work, Judge and Caesar decide to form a successor to MADS, NEO MADS, to show the world their scientific prowess.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: The flashbacks to MADS shows that the working relationship within the collective wasn't exactly healthy. While Vegapunk seemed fairly oblivious, Queen, Caesar and Judge hated him and each other, to the point that they all ended up fighting each other. And despite not having seen each other for years it doesn't take long for Judge and Caesar to start beating each other up again. Despite this they decide to bury the hatchet in order to get back at Vegapunk.
- They Would Cut You Up: Chapter 1044's cover page shows Brownie, Kato, Prim, and Anana preparing to experiment on Niji and Yonji in order to study Germa 66's enhancements, while Niji and Yonji themselves can struggle futilely.
- Villain Team-Up: At the end of the cover story Caeser and Judge decide to combine their geniuses and form NEO MADS in order to combat Vegapunk.
- Villainous Rescue: The Germa siblings agree to help Caesar escape Whole Cake Island in exchange for him using his hallucinogenic gas to incapacitate Katakuri and Oven.
- Violently Protective Girlfriend: Pudding seems to have evolved to this, having punched both Niji and Yonji in the faces for their bullying of Sanji.
- Wham Shot:
- Chapter 1052 features the return of Caesar Clown who failed to escape Whole Cake Island.
- Chapter 1062 shows Chocolat Town along with the residents have been frozen in ice.
- Chapters 1063 and 1064 reveal Pudding has been kidnapped, with the culprits being Blackbeard Pirates members Van Augur and Kuzan.
- Chapter 1070 showcases the MADS pirate/science group during their early years. Queen is shown to be Formerly Fit and Vegapunk lacks his trademark Overly-Long Tongue. More importantly, there is a fifth female member whose back is turned to the audience.
