Vinsmoke Family

The Vinsmoke Family is a powerful and infamous family of Underworld killers, and the family from which Sanji hails. They are also the reigning royal family of the Germa Kingdom, as well as the former dynastic conquerors and rulers of North Blue. As an adjunct to their rule over the Germa Kingdom, they are the commanders of the Kingdom's Underworld army, Germa 66.

Alongside their organization, Big Mom and her crew, the Vinsmoke Family is one of the main antagonist groups of the Totto Land Arc.

Overview
In the past, the Vinsmoke Family managed to conquer the entire North Blue with their military might. They continue to rule over the ocean-going Germa Kingdom, and still possess the authority and privileges of royalty, including the right to attend Reverie. Furthermore, their patriarch is powerful enough to directly influence the bounty system, by both increasing bounties and changing their conditions of capture.

Activities and Abilities
The Family currently conducts its primary operations within the Underworld, including leading Germa 66 in mercenary activities against other military forces. Among known royal families, the Vinsmokes are unusual in that they command their kingdom's military forces directly in combat (a responsibility that only the Gorgon Sisters share); they are also unique in engaging in constant warfare with other nations, in order to reestablish their former dominion over North Blue. This has led them to develop a prominent and infamous reputation throughout the Underworld; however, their notoriety seems to extend beyond these boundaries, with Brook and Robin both recognizing the Vinsmoke name.

The Vinsmokes are also known for their possession of advanced technology, which they use adeptly in battle. This technology is also used by their army, and is so advanced that even the Yonko Big Mom is interested in them.

The Vinsmokes' many subjects behave with absolute loyalty and obedience. They will always be willing to sacrifice their lives for their sovereigns without aforethought, and usually, when called upon to do so through the command of "Wall" (壁), they will shield the royal in "danger" from any attack by merely positioning themselves in front of the Vinsmoke.

Sora, Warrior of the Sea
In their capacity as the commanders of Germa 66, the Vinsmoke Family are also the villains of the World Economic Journal comic strip, Sora, Warrior of the Sea. As Marine propaganda, the comic's premise centers on fictionalized accounts of their conflict with the equally fictional Marine hero, Sora; it is later explained that they were chosen as the model for the comic's villain group because the Vinsmoke name was once considered synonymous with evil.

Furthermore, in Vito's brief thoughts on the comic, there are several featured Germa 66 agents that resemble members of the family. Specifically, the two figures wearing cloaks that bear the numbers "1" and "2" are likely references to Ichiji and Niji, while the helmeted figure towering above them is a likely reference to Judge.

Members
The family is currently known to consist of a father (the family patriarch), one daughter, and four sons. Furthermore, the sons of the family were all born on the same day. The patriarch is a man infamous throughout the Underworld.

The family's most distinct physical feature is the curly eyebrows common to all the children.

Past
Sometime in the past, the Vinsmoke Family ruled all of North Blue with their military might. Presently, while they no longer rule over any land, they remain the reigning royals of the Germa Kingdom. However, their patriarch retains the ambition to reestablish the family's dominion over North Blue; to realize that ambition, the family participated in the infamous event known as the Conquest of Four Nations, during which they vanquished the kings of four North Blue nations all at once.

Sometime before he was nine years old, Sanji renounced his family ties and migrated across the Red Line from North Blue to East Blue: a considerable journey, given the geographic circumstances. When Sanji was ten years old, the cruise ship he was working on was attacked by the Cook Pirates and then sunk in a storm. Sanji and the pirate captain, Zeff, were marooned on an island, where they almost starved to death. After their rescue, Sanji worked under Zeff as they built the Baratie, with Sanji becoming the sous chef. Ever since Sanji left the family, his father has been searching for him.

Ten years later, Sanji left Baratie to join the Straw Hat Pirates, taking part in their pirate activities and earning the attention of the World Government. When he received his first bounty, there was no photograph of Sanji's face, so a crude drawing was substituted; as a result of the misleading image, the Marines that Sanji's father sent after Sanji went after Duval instead. However, when Sanji received his second bounty two years later, it contained a picture of his real face and Sanji's father ordered both an increase in the bounty amount, and the change of bounty condition (from "Dead or Alive" to "Only Alive").

Zou Arc
Some time between the Curly Hat Pirates' encounter with the Big Mom Pirates off the coast of Dressrosa and the Big Mom Pirates' arrival on Zou, the Vinsmoke and Charlotte Families entered into a political alliance that was to be sealed with an arranged wedding between the third Vinsmoke son, Sanji, and the 35th Charlotte daughter, Purin. Sanji, shocked that his past had been brought up again, deduced that his father was also responsible for the changes to his bounty. Intent on tying up all loose ends from his past, Sanji reluctantly left Zou to confront his family at Whole Cake Island.

Totto Land Arc
Luffy and the Sanji retrieval team first encountered Germa 66's ship as they entered Big Mom's territory. Upon seeing him aboard the ship, the team initially mistook Vinsmoke Yonji for Sanji, due to the similarities in their appearance, but Yonji introduced himself while claiming that his relationship to Sanji was a secret. When Yonji refused to hand over an antidote for the dying Luffy's poisoning, Vinsmoke Reiju intervened and saved Luffy by absorbing the toxin. After a brief discussion of the Vinsmoke Family's history with Brook, she and Yonji returned to their ship and agreed not to report the team's presence out of concern that it might jeopardize the wedding.

Three days before the wedding, Germa 66, led by the first two sons of the Vinsmoke Family, ended a two-year civil war on Broc Coli Island on behalf of one of the sides. After confirming their payment, they were informed that Sanji had arrived on Whole Cake Island and promised an unseen individual, via Den Den Mushi, that they would arrive on the island the day before the wedding.

After the Germa Kingdom began to assemble at Whole Cake Island, Sanji reunited with his father, sister, and younger brother for the first time in thirteen years. The meeting proved to be hostile on Sanji's part, as he rejected Reiju's efforts to convince him to accept his royal heritage, overpowered his brother, and argued with his father who told him they can settle things with their fists.

As Yonji received treatment for the wounds he received from Sanji, Sanji and Judge began their duel in a courtyard outside the Germa castle. They exchanged blows, until Judge eventually gained the upper hand and surprised Sanji with the "Wall" move, in which his lightning spear pierced one of the Germa 66 agents and shocked Sanji. After returning to the Germa castle, Judge explained to Sanji that the purpose of the Vinsmokes' alliance with the "deranged" Big Mom: to secure the forces necessary to retake North Blue. The only reason Judge had sought Sanji out after all their time apart was to meet Big Mom's condition for an alliance: to have one of the Vinsmoke sons marry one of the Charlotte daughters. Judge continued by stating that, since he did not want to give over one of his other "valuable" sons to Big Mom's demands, Sanji was his logical choice. Judge concluded by telling Sanji that he never truly considered Sanji one of his sons, and, while Sanji was distracted by their conversation, he had Reiju strapped two exploding bracelets on his wrists (the keys to which are in Big Mom's possession), in order to ensure his cooperation with the upcoming wedding.

Trivia

 * The names of the children of the Vinsmoke Family, based off the names that are currently known, appear to follow the pattern "(number) + ji" for males and "(number) + ju" for females: Rei(0)ju, Ichi(1)ji, Ni(2)ji, San(3)ji, and Yon(4)ji.
 * The Vinsmokes are so far the only royals known to actively participate and command troops in battle.
 * Although the children of the Vinsmoke Family all share the characteristic curled eyebrows, Sanji's are the only ones known to curl in a clockwise direction (to the right side of his face):
 * Since Judge wears a mask, his eyebrows cannot be seen.
 * In Chapter 832, the edge of Reiju's right eye is shown. It appears that her right eyebrow doesn't curl towards the left, like that of most of her siblings.
 * All the children of the Family also have an epithet with a color in their name, with Yonji's being "Winch Green" (ウインチグリーン) and Reiju's being "Poison Pink" (ポイズンピンク). However, Sanji's epithet "Black Leg" (黒脚) differs fundamentally from the others because it is written in kanji, not katakana.
 * "Vin" is French for "wine".

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