Crackling...
Flames roared fiercely, and from a distance, Daren's upper body looked like a ball of fire.
The swirling flames distorted the air around him, making Gion and the others' hearts pound with unease.
A full minute passed before Vinsmoke Judge finally lowered the flamethrower.
Even he hadn't noticed the fine layer of cold sweat that had formed on his forehead.
Smoke billowed, obscuring everything from view.
Gulp...
Tokikake instinctively swallowed and whispered to Momonga beside him,
"Hey, did that guy really not get burned alive?"
Momonga rolled his eyes impatiently.
Just then, a faint voice came from the center of the smoke.
"Yeah, the firepower's decent."
A gust of wind swept through, dispersing the black smoke.
Everyone stared, wide-eyed, as Daren stood firm in the middle of the scorched ground, looking down at his own condition.
His body was coated in a layer of black ash, and faint burn marks were visible.
But judging from his expression, the injuries weren't serious.
Well, at least not for him.
"Flamethrower passes the test."
Daren patted the ash off his skin and flashed a grin at Vinsmoke Judge.
"Next."
He turned his gaze toward Tokikake and the others.
"Don't just stand there—get over here and test everything. Let's not waste time."
...
Thus began one of the most intense and shocking weapons tests in the history of modern arms development.
Flamethrowers.
High-voltage shock guns pushing thousands of volts.
Portable rocket launchers.
High-speed rotary saws.
Burst-fire heavy machine guns...
All kinds of advanced technological weapons developed by Germa 66 were unleashed on the Marine Captain like a relentless barrage.
The training ground echoed with dull explosions, piercing screeches of cutting metal, and thunderous blasts, occasionally interrupted by Tokikake's mischievous laughter.
Everyone—including Vinsmoke Judge—went from initial shock, to growing used to the sight, and eventually fell into a numb, dazed state.
After a full thirty minutes, Tokikake and the others finally dropped the last weapon with heaving breaths and collapsed onto the ground without a shred of dignity.
They looked at Daren with expressions of disbelief.
"Monster..."
Vinsmoke Judge raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his brow, murmuring in a pale voice.
Daren sat on a crate of weapons, clearly satisfied, a lit cigar clenched between his teeth.
A military doctor beside him worked quietly, bandaging the wounds scattered across his body.
"Not bad. Just start production on the weapons we finalized. Fifty percent upfront, the rest on delivery,"
Daren said with a smile to Vinsmoke Judge.
Vinsmoke Judge replied hoarsely,
"No problem."
By now, he fully understood what kind of terrifying beast the supreme commander of the North Blue Marines really was.
Once the medic finished dressing his wounds, Daren rose slowly.
He slipped on the uniform Momonga handed him, draped the pristine white cloak of justice over his shoulders, and walked over to Vinsmoke Judge.
Lowering his voice, he said,
"By the way, about the warship modifications..."
Vinsmoke Judge's face tensed with concern.
"Your demands are too extreme. If we replace the keel with metal, the ship's weight will more than double. That would seriously affect its draft..."
Daren waved a hand dismissively.
"No need to worry about the draft."
In his deep black eyes, a wild and ruthless ambition flickered.
"What I need is for the ship's main structure to be built with lightweight metal."
Vinsmoke Judge furrowed his brow and muttered thoughtfully,
"If that's the case, we can mix a small amount of the same alloy used in Raid Suits into the steel. That should work."
"But the cost..." He gave Daren a sidelong glance. "...would be astronomical."
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
Daren laughed.
Money is worthless when it just sits in your hands.
It only has value when spent to strengthen your power.
————
The warship set sail, slowly departing from the port of the Germa Kingdom.
Vinsmoke Judge stood onshore, wearing a beaming smile as he waved at the ship fading into the distance.
But as the warship disappeared over the horizon, the smile on his face gradually twisted into something cold and sinister.
"My lord, the deposit from the North Blue Marines has been secured in the vault,"a middle-aged man dressed like a butler approached respectfully and whispered.
Vinsmoke Judge nodded grimly.
He said nothing, merely waving the man away. Then, alone, he passed through the heavily guarded gates of the main fortress and entered a high-security corridor.
At the end of the corridor stood a solid metal door.
He approached, eyes scanning the electronic panel embedded in the door, and pressed his hand against the scanner.
"Iris scan complete. Bloodline verified. Welcome back, my lord."
A cold, mechanical voice responded.
The door slid open, and Vinsmoke Judge stepped inside.
Beyond it was a laboratory the size of several football fields, lined with massive rotating test tubes.
Each one, nearly three meters tall, was filled with green fluid. Suspended inside were humanoid bodies—Germa's Clone Soldiers.
Vinsmoke Judge walked up to a silver control panel, his face expressionless as he stared at the spinning tubes.
Suddenly, he slammed his fist down hard.
Bang!
"Damn it!!"
He gritted his teeth and roared. His bloodshot eyes were filled with fury, his face twisted with rage.
"Shameful! Utterly shameful!!"
His breathing grew heavy, chest heaving violently, eyes practically burning with rage.
To think that I, the great king of the Germa Kingdom... supreme commander of the army of evil... have been reduced to nothing more than a lowly arms dealer!
That bastard Rogers Daren—does he really think Germa is just his personal weapons supplier?!
He even dared to eye the Raid Suit!
"Damn it!! Damn it!! Damn it!!"
Vinsmoke Judge roared, punching the metal console over and over, leaving deep dents with every strike.
His bloodshot eyes locked onto the rows of developing Clone Soldiers, filled with bitterness and resentment.
He seethed with hatred.
That so-called "weapons test" just now... of course he knew what it really was.
It was a warning. A brutal show of dominance from that bastard Daren.
A display of overwhelming, crushing power.
Still panting, Vinsmoke Judge's eyes scanned the lab with venomous intensity.
Clone Soldiers? Their numbers meant nothing to that man.
Germa's pride—the Raid Suit, the high-tech weaponry...
All of it was effortlessly countered by Daren's Devil Fruit abilities.
The way Rogers Daren tested those weapons—savagely, relentlessly—he wasn't a man. He was a monster.
But how do you fight a monster?
A trace of despair flickered in Vinsmoke Judge's eyes.
Was there truly no way to stand against him?
Just then, a voice crackled from a speaker.
"My lord, Lady Sora's water has broken. She's about to give birth. Please come quickly."
Vinsmoke Judge froze.
Sora... his wife.
She was pregnant—and now she was going into labor.
He, the king of Germa, was about to have his firstborn.
For a fleeting moment, a rare softness appeared on Vinsmoke Judge's hardened face.
"My bloodline..." he murmured.
"My bloodline..."
Suddenly, a jolt ran through him like a bolt of lightning.
The next second—
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! So that's it!!! I've found it! I've found a way to deal with you, Daren!!"
Vinsmoke Judge burst into maniacal laughter, his voice echoing through the lab.
"Lineage Factor... modification... I should've realized it sooner!!"
"Only a monster can fight another monster!!"
As if he'd found a final lifeline, he staggered madly toward the far end of the lab, grabbing hold of a pink test tube.
Reflected in the transparent glass filled with pink fluid was his own face—twisted with growing madness.
"My child... forgive me."
"This is for the glory of Germa," he rasped.
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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