Enel yawned lazily and flicked his golden staff.
"Thirty Million Volts: Raijin."
A blinding bolt of lightning burst forth, taking the form of a massive thunderbird. It spread its wings and shot forward, piercing through dozens of clone soldiers in an instant. Their bodies exploded under the high-voltage current, charred remains scattering across the deck.
Moria bared a sinister smile and raised both hands. The shadow beneath his feet writhed as if alive.
"Shadow Lance: Impale."
Black shadow spears erupted from the ground and skewered an entire line of clone soldiers like meat on a skewer. Blood splattered, staining the deck in a deep shade of red.
Judge's smile froze.
"Continue," Ritter ordered coldly. He preferred the hardest challenges.
The slaughter did not stop.
Enel strolled among the clone soldiers, each of his steps accompanied by a crack of lightning. Before the soldiers could even approach him, they were reduced to charcoal, their shrieks echoing across the ship.
"Fifty Million Volts: Thunder Dragon."
A colossal dragon of lightning rampaged across the battlefield, reducing an entire unit into ashes. The proud warriors of Germa crumbled before absolute power, fading like reflections on water or flowers in a mirror. What could they do? Germa 66's so-called strongest forces were just a handful of children. They had no options. None.
At the same time, Moria's shadows turned into countless blades, weaving effortlessly through the crowd. Each flicker brought another shower of blood.
"Hehehehe… Such boring toys."
A hundred, two hundred, five hundred… The number of clone soldiers dwindled rapidly. Severed limbs and broken corpses piled across the deck, the air thick with the stench of burnt flesh and blood.
Judge's breath grew ragged. His fingers curled so tightly they gouged into the wooden deck.
"No… impossible… my army… my masterpiece…"
As soldier after soldier fell, a tremor finally appeared in Judge's eyes.
"Why… why are you all still standing?!" he screamed hysterically. "This is my most perfect technology. This is the foundation of Germa's rule over the North Blue!"
Ritter finally stood, blood mist coiling around his feet. He walked to the shadow cage, lowered his gaze at Judge, and spoke with icy indifference:
"In my eyes, your so-called perfect technology is nothing more than a collection of laughable toys."
Judge trembled violently. His pride crumbled, replaced by dawning terror as everything he'd built was destroyed before him.
"No… no! Stop!!" He lunged at the shadow barrier, pounding on it with desperate fists. "That is my life's work! My dream!!"
Ritter remained unmoved. He merely lifted his hand slightly.
The slaughter continued.
Ritter: Good. My turn.
Ritter paced in front of Judge, the blood mist swirling beneath him, though he didn't spare Judge a glance. His eyes were fixed on the distant sea.
"Judge, you're truly pathetic." Ritter's voice was soft, yet it pierced like a knife.
"Your so-called scientific kingdom… is this all it amounts to?"
Judge forced his head up, anger flickering in his eyes. "What do you know? Germa's technology is the most advanced in the North Blue. We "
"Advanced?" Ritter scoffed, not even bothering to look at him. He casually pointed toward Moria. "Old Mo, dismantle that flagship."
"Hehehe… with pleasure."
Moria's shadow surged upward and took the form of a massive claw, tearing into Germa's main battleship. Metal screamed as the ship was ripped cleanly in half and plunged into the sea. The force was overwhelming, like a mayfly trying to topple a tree.
Judge's pupils shrank. "You !"
"You? What about you?" Ritter finally glanced at him, expression cold, as if observing an ant. "Your technology cannot withstand a single attack from Enel. Your army can't even slice through a shadow from Moria. You call this advanced? You're a laughable weakling."
Judge gritted his teeth. "That's because "
"Because what? Because you think you're superior to Dr. Vegapunk?" Ritter cut him off, dripping with contempt. His sharp tongue spared no one. Even the Five Elders, Yasopp, and Kuma had suffered under it.
"Oh, right. I almost forgot. You and that genius scientist used to be colleagues, didn't you? A shame he was taken by the World Government, while you…" He stretched out the final word, "…could only hide in the North Blue, using your own children as experiments, producing piles of worthless toys to entertain yourself."
Judge's face drained of color. "You… shut up!"
"Upset?" Ritter chuckled softly. "Did I say anything untrue? Look at your 'masterpieces'."
He pointed lazily toward the battlefield. In the distance, Enel stood atop the ruined corpse of another clone soldier. "They aren't even worthy of being called cannon fodder. In front of real power, what are they?"
A flicker of hope suddenly lit Judge's eyes.
"You don't understand!" Judge trembled violently. "This is for the revival of the Vinsmoke family!"
He became more animated as he spoke.
Ritter thought, Oh please, I can't let you hype yourself up now. If you don't break down, how am I supposed to be the light you fall apart to?
"Revival?" Ritter's smile vanished. "With these disgraceful methods, you couldn't defeat even an ordinary New World pirate crew, and you dream of ruling the Grand Line?" He stepped forward and crushed Judge's hand under his heel. "Let me tell you a secret. In Kaido's Beast Pirates, any top fighter could wipe out your entire army. And I can wipe out the Beast Pirates themselves."
"Impossible!" Judge's eyes were bloodshot. "My technology "
"Your technology can't even harm Enel," Ritter replied coldly. "Do you know why? Because you're too weak. Too weak to even reach the border of what it means to be strong." He leaned down and whispered in Judge's ear. "You're nothing more than a coward hiding in a laboratory, clinging to daydreams."
Judge's pupils shrank sharply, lips trembling with no words left to defend himself.
"Look at your clone soldiers." Ritter gestured toward the scorched corpses. "Puppets that can't even scream. And your so-called masterpieces…"
Judge's breathing became uneven.
"Do you know the real difference between you and Dr. Vegapunk?" Ritter delivered the final blow. "He creates the future. You create outdated toys. Toys that can be destroyed at any moment. You will never revive Germa. You will never surpass Dr. Vegapunk. You will always be a clown, deceiving yourself while the world laughs."
Judge collapsed completely, slumping to the floor. His eyes lost their light. His lips moved, but no sound emerged. All his pride and ambition evaporated.
Ritter straightened, satisfied, and walked toward the throne.
"Now, we can discuss Germa's new ownership." His voice drifted with the sea breeze. "Of course, you can choose to die with your so-called dignity."
Judge stared blankly at the devastated fleet, questioning the purpose of his life for the first time.