And so, on the platform where Roa had just been training, the Five-Color Squadron lined up. The five young men were expressionless, their eyes devoid of emotion. Unlike ordinary clone soldiers, these gene warriors, created at super high cost and designed to be an elite group from the start, possessed no emotions. They weren't consumables, so they didn't need feelings; they only needed to obey orders wholeheartedly.
"Naiten! Make sure to record all the data!" Judge said to the alluring woman in the white coat beside him.
The woman's name was Naiten, formerly the ship's doctor of the Warlord Pirates. After Roa turned Warlord into a thrall, she was the only one from the entire Warlord Pirates who survived. This was because she possessed a unique pharmaceutical technique. So, Roa brought her back and handed her over to Judge.
After more than half a year, the woman had finally resigned herself to her fate, diligently assisting Judge with his research, while also developing several of her own medicines. Roa valued two of them the most.
One was a pill that could provide a large amount of energy, completely replacing food. Roa called it a Military Ration Pill. Currently, the soldiers of the Calamity Legion were consuming this stuff; every bit saved counted.
The second medicine was the miraculous elixir from the original story that this woman used, capable of temporarily reverting one to a younger state. Although temporary, it was still impressive enough. If Whitebeard had this medicine during the Summit War—oh, he probably still wouldn't have won. So, never mind.
Another interesting thing was that this woman and Judge seemed to have developed some inexplicable relationship. Roa didn't particularly care about this. After all, Sora was still somewhere in the world, so the Vinsmoke siblings likely wouldn't be born successfully. It was only natural for Judge to want to start a new relationship.
But right now, this gossip wasn't the main point.
"Boss," Judge looked at Roa with excitement, "should we start by testing their basic abilities?"
"Wouldn't that be too boring? Let's test them directly in real combat." Roa smiled and crooked a finger to the side. "Moria, you're up."
"Alright." Moria, who was standing by, watching the commotion, paused slightly when Roa called his name. Without hesitation, he nodded and stepped forward.
"Are their performances all the same?" Roa asked Judge. He used the word "performance" to describe the abilities of these five clones.
"Aside from their respective lineage factor abilities being different," Judge said without hesitation, "their other abilities should be identical."
"In that case," Roa casually pointed with his right finger, "you go."
"Yes!" The blue-haired clone instantly stepped out of formation.
"His codename is Spark Blue!" Judge quickly explained, "He has the ability to manipulate lightning, and he's the fastest of the five!"
Roa nodded slightly. "Moria, any problem?"
Moria, even larger than Kuzan, carried a pair of scissors, a grin on his face. "Let him come!"
"Then," Roa nodded, "begin."
Whoosh!
Almost instantly, a flash of blue electricity burst from Spark Blue's body. His body seemed to merge with the electric light, instantly appearing before Moria.
Clang!
His long right leg whipped towards Moria like a steel whip, but it directly collided with Moria's descending scissors.
"Hehehehe! Not fast enough!" Moria burst into laughter. In the almost year he had followed Roa, he hadn't been idle! Observation Haki, kid!
However.
"Hmm?" Moria's laughter abruptly ceased the next second. When the sharp blades of his scissors struck the right leg of the guy in front of him, it was like striking Doflamingo's rock-hard outer shell!
It's actually that hard!!
"Not bad," Roa nodded with satisfaction. "Is that an exoskeleton? Even Kozuki Sukiyaki's carefully crafted weapons aren't enough?" The scissors in Moria's hand weren't common goods, but a "famous sword" meticulously crafted by Kozuki Sukiyaki, one of the few master swordsmiths in the world. While not as high quality as Enma or Ame no Habakiri, it was definitely considered a good grade sword on the high seas. This sword was excellent.
But Spark Blue's exoskeleton defense was even better.
"This is just the beginning, Boss!" Judge smiled proudly.
The next instant, Spark Blue's body released an unusually strong current, instantly engulfing Moria.
Hm? Roa raised an eyebrow slightly. While the Spark Blue Niji in the original story could indeed discharge electricity, he had never used such large-scale electrical attacks. The Mink Tribe's electrical abilities might not even compare to this Spark Blue, could they?
"Is this really not a Devil Fruit ability?" Bege, who was observing, couldn't help but exclaim. This artificial human was already completely stronger than him! Is technology truly that miraculous?
Spark Blue's current was indeed powerful, but it had no effect on Moria. Because at this moment, what was hit by the current was just a shadow. The shadow disappeared into the current, while Moria himself appeared behind Spark Blue, striking a heavy blow with his scissors at the artificial human's waist. This time, the scissors' blade was wreathed in an invisible ripple.
Armament Haki!
Spark Blue was sent flying with a single blow.
"His waist was broken?" Doflamingo couldn't help but gasp. He saw with his own eyes that the artificial human's lower back was caved in!
However.
The flying Spark Blue flipped in the air and landed steadily. The next moment, electricity burst from his body again, and he shot back like lightning. His lower back was completely healed!
"What kind of monster is this!" Moria frowned tightly, raising his left hand. "Shadow Box!" The shadow transformed into a box, directly encasing the charging Spark Blue. However, lightning suddenly burst forth, and dazzling electrical light directly shattered the shadow! A burst of light shot directly in front of Moria.
Clang!
A fist wreathed in lightning collided with scissors wreathed in Armament Haki. Both figures recoiled simultaneously.
"Such immense strength?" Moria couldn't help but doubt his life. The strength he had cultivated since childhood was merely on par with this guy who had basically just been created?
Spark Blue's face was cold. He pushed his hands forward, and a sky full of lightning once again swept towards Moria.
Seeing this, Roa had confirmed it. Although several years ahead of schedule, these artificial humans should be the limited enhanced versions of the Vinsmoke siblings from the original story. Perhaps due to the cultivation time, they were inferior in strength and physical ability, but their overall capabilities were definitely improved. The Niji from the original story could definitely not use lightning on this scale.
Judge really learned a lot of new knowledge from those ancient documents. The cultivation period for ordinary clone soldiers had already been reduced from one year to half a year. Incredible!
Perhaps he could try to have him replicate King's Lunarian lineage to create the Seraphim from the original story? Roa thought.
Meanwhile, the battle wasn't over yet. Moria shifted positions again, reappearing behind Spark Blue, leaning down and grabbing the clone's shadow. But before he could cut the shadow, the incredibly fast Spark Blue spun around and kicked him away, making him stumble.
"What a nuisance!" Moria was annoyed. Just a newly created artificial human could push him to this extent?
And coincidentally, Spark Blue also found Moria very troublesome; he couldn't do anything to Moria either.
So.
He reached for his waist, pressing a button on his belt. A bright light instantly burst from the belt. The next moment, Spark Blue was already wearing a blue battle suit!
"A battle suit?" Moria sneered. "I have one too!"
"Their battle suits are different from the ordinary ones!" Judge quickly explained. "They're specially made, unique models that can amplify their lineage factor abilities!"
Roa nodded slightly, but it seemed there wouldn't be an opportunity to showcase the battle suit.
"Hehehehe! Fool, Shadow Revolution!" Moria cackled.
Spark Blue's body suddenly stiffened, unable to move. While he was transforming, Moria's shadow had already infiltrated his shadow, using the theory of a shadow affecting its original body to directly control him. Honestly, it was quite underhanded; who attacks during a transformation?
"That's enough," Roa said, interrupting them. "Let's stop here." Spark Blue was indeed formidable. In terms of direct combat, even Moria, who had mastered Haki, couldn't suppress him. But there was nothing he could do; Moria's ability was too tricky. Spark Blue's plain, unadorned electricity was completely ineffective against the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
"Yes!" The Boss had spoken, and Moria and Spark Blue instantly quieted down.
"Very good, Judge." Roa praised with satisfaction. "The money was well spent." Spark Blue was undoubtedly at the level of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral or higher. With the battle suit, he might barely reach the level of the Tobi Roppo. This was already very impressive. The level of the Tobi Roppo or the Charlotte Family's monster cadres was enough to sweep through a region on the high seas.
"You're too kind!" Judge's face instantly flushed with excitement. "This is all my duty!"
"However, I still have a few questions," Roa asked, "Can they become stronger through training?"
"This..." Judge paused, then awkwardly said, "Training probably won't make them much stronger. They are engineered artificial humans. They are already at their peak the moment they emerge from the capsule."
Is that so? This was the difference from the future Sanji, and they couldn't compare to the Vinsmoke siblings either.
"What about Haki?" Roa asked. "Can they learn Haki?"
"Haki is possible!" Judge said decisively. "Artificial humans are still human, after all; Haki is also latent within them!"
"That's good then." Roa's eyes lit up even more. If they could also add proficient dual-colored Haki, he wouldn't expect them to be incredibly powerful, but at least they could firmly be at the Tobi Roppo level, and not weak within that tier either. These elite clones had a lifespan of twenty years, which was more than enough time to learn Haki.
"Finally, what about Devil Fruits?" Roa asked. "Will their lineage factors conflict with Devil Fruits?" Devil Fruits were also a manifestation of lineage factor technology.
"This, I've never thought about it," Judge paused. He only wanted to create artificial humans with powerful lineage factor abilities. If Devil Fruits were added, wouldn't it become impure?
"Then let's experiment." Roa was greatly interested. "I happen to have a spare Devil Fruit on hand."
Of course, it wasn't the Vampire or Cerberus Mythical Zoans, but another Devil Fruit that Roa had obtained so long ago he had almost forgotten about it. When he was asked to rescue Kaido back then, the members of the Beast Pirates gifted Roa two Devil Fruits as payment.
One was the Dinosaur-Dinosaur Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Pteranodon Model, which Dylan ate. The other was the Dinosaur-Dinosaur Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Brachiosaurus Model, the ability possessed by Queen in the original story. Since everyone on the ship was a Devil Fruit user, and Judge, the only non-user, was a civil servant, this fruit had been kept aside. Now, it was time for it to be put to use.
Dylan quickly went and retrieved the Devil Fruit. Roa caressed the fruit, his gaze sweeping over the five artificial humans. Poison, fire, lightning, wind, brute strength. Finally, Roa's gaze settled on the green-haired one on the far left.
His ability was the most unpretentious brute strength, and based on that, he had the strongest stamina and second fastest speed among the five, making him a statistical anomaly. Without a doubt, he was the most suitable for an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit.
"Eat it." Roa casually tossed the fruit over.
The green-haired one, codenamed Winch Green, caught the Devil Fruit and immediately took a big bite without hesitation. At this moment, Judge's heart was in his throat. Would the Devil Fruit conflict with the lineage factors in the artificial human's body? He wasn't sure. But if there was a conflict, Winch Green would undoubtedly die! Wasting resources was secondary; what if it displeased the Boss—
"I feel... full of power!" Winch Green suddenly shouted. His body instantly swelled, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a massive dinosaur over twenty meters long!
"It worked!" Judge jumped up excitedly. He was truly proud of his masterpiece! It hadn't disappointed him after all!
"Excellent!" Roa was also very satisfied. Although their physical potential was almost exhausted, with Haki and a powerful Devil Fruit, reaching the level of a Calamity should be no problem. In that case, the money was well spent!
However, Devil Fruits were hard to find, especially powerful ones. Indeed, artificial Devil Fruits still needed to be put on the agenda.
As he thought, Roa said, "From today onwards, you are the high-ranking officers of the Calamity Legion. For now, let's call you Calamity Knights."
"Yes!" The five knelt in unison before Roa. Around them, the ordinary clone soldiers responsible for security cast complicated glances at these five knights. Moria and Bege's eyes were also complex. With these guys, their positions would become very awkward in the future.
However, soon, their eyes regained their fighting spirit. These guys' upper limits were fixed, but they were different! Their future was vast! One for his still-working comrades, the other to not disappoint his father back home, both resolved to work even harder!
A few days after the good news about the Calamity Knights, Roa received some bad news. Umit called. "Boss, the Revolutionary Army has ordered another batch of weapons, but they don't seem to be planning to settle the final payment. They've already defaulted on two batches of weapon payments. I suspect they're not going to pay up."
"What?!" Roa exploded in anger. "What audacious nerve! They actually want to freeload!"
"Such behavior cannot be tolerated!" I, Roa, am the only one who freeloads! How dare they defy heaven and earth! I see they don't even have me in their eyes!