On the last day of the week, Vinsmoke Judge stood at the center of his laboratory, his newest creation looming proudly behind him. He rubbed his hands together, the manic gleam unique to scientists burning in his eyes. The reluctance he once held had completely transformed into unrestrained pride, even a hint of smugness.
Reed suspected this whole situation was just like crossdressing. You either never do it, or you end up doing it forever. If you try it once, look in the mirror, and think: "Hey… I look pretty good," then it's all over. Schrodinger's lesser-known brother would agree.
"Lord Reed, please look!" Judge abruptly yanked off a dust cover, revealing a sleek, silver-white cradle.
At first glance, it looked ordinary. Of course, Reed never thought anything Judge produced was truly ordinary.
He tilted his head toward the machine, as if examining it through an invisible lens.
Judge grinned hard enough to reach his ears. He tapped a device on his wrist, and four hover units extended from beneath the cradle, lifting it half a meter above the ground.
"First, its basic functions." Judge spoke with the passion of a salesman. "Bulletproof, fireproof, lightning-proof. It uses a North Blue alloy that can self-repair even after a direct cannon hit!"
He snapped his fingers. A translucent energy shield unfolded from above the cradle, crackling softly.
"This constant-temperature system is adapted from Dr. Vegapunk's early climate-control research. It lacks the combat support of the Raid Suit, of course, since that requires lineage factor modification. But extreme deserts? Deep-sea pressure? All trivial! This is one of my greatest recent inventions."
Reed raised a brow. Blood mist flowed lazily beside the throne, interested in Judge's enthusiasm.
Judge's excitement grew, and he started waving his hands like an overcharged tour guide. "And here's the self-defense retaliation system you wanted."
He pressed another button. Two rows of miniature missile launchers popped out from the sides of the cradle. The teddy bear at the headboard lit up, speaking in a mechanical, overly sweet voice:
"Threat detected. Preparing to eliminate."
Moria burst out laughing. "Hehehe… this bear has personality."
Enel rolled his eyes. "This god suddenly wants to strike it with lightning."
Reed lifted a hand to stop the impatient thunder god and motioned for Judge to continue.
Judge inhaled deeply, the smile on his face twisting into pure madness. "But! That isn't all!"
He slammed the final red button.
"Transform! Combat mode!"
Mechanical gears roared. The cradle folded, rotated, recombined. Within three seconds, a three-meter-tall mini-Gundam stood proudly in the center of the lab, a dragon emblem of the Bloodmist Pirates printed on its chest.
"Hahaha!" Judge pointed excitedly. "This is the true masterpiece! It works as a cradle, a battle vehicle, and a transforming combat robot! Its power system runs on electricity with battleship-level endurance. And it includes the Vinsmoke family's top-class artificial intelligence!"
The Gundam's head turned toward Reed. Its eyes flickered twice.
"Good night, baby."
The laboratory fell into a strange silence.
Reed: "…"
Moria: "Hehehe… do you really expect a child to sleep in this thing?"
Judge ignored everyone, drowning in self-admiration. "I also installed a lullaby function!" He hit play.
A blast of heavy metal rock exploded from the speakers.
"Sleep, sleep, my baby!"
Reiju silently covered her ears.
Reed pressed his fingers against his temple as blood mist curled at his fingertips. "Judge."
"Yes, Lord Reed!" Judge snapped to attention, full of expectation.
"What I want is a cradle," Reed said slowly. "Remove that music."
Judge's smile froze. "But… but…"
"However," Reed added, a faint smile tugging at his lips, "I like everything else. I really do."
Judge's eyes lit up like floodlights.
"But," Reed continued, the blood mist swirling, "the paint needs to be changed."
Judge nodded frantically. "Of course! What color? Pink? Blue? Or "
"Gold. The same shade as the Golden Emperor." Reed leaned lazily back on his throne. "And change the lullaby to a symphony."
Judge: "…Yes, sir."
Lina stepped forward, her voice soft. "Lord Reed, symphonies aren't suitable for very young children either."
She turned to Judge and bowed politely. "Mr. Vinsmoke Judge, please install a recording function. We will make our own lullabies."
Judge obediently stepped aside. He still knew the difference between the big boss and the little boss.
Moria patted his shoulder. "Hehehe… old man, you're done."
Judge looked at the "baby Gundam" he built and fell into existential crisis.
"How did I go from conquering the North Blue to… repainting baby cradles?"
But when he caught the rare look of satisfaction in Reed's eyes, he inexplicably straightened his back.
"I can finish it overnight!" he declared with confidence.
Reed gestured, and a cup of hot tea floated to Judge through the blood mist. "You've done well. As for the funding, request it from Tesoro yourself. No limit. I want results. I'll stay with you; you can help me code."
Judge held the tea and suddenly felt…
Well, scientific research is scientific research. No matter who the employer is. At least this employer was generous.
Outside the window, the sun dipped toward the horizon, dyeing Germa's steel fortress in warm gold. Inside the lab, Judge hummed as he began painting the Gundam.
"Is Lord Reed really this reliable…? Maybe a bit of glitter would look cool."
"It's reliable enough. Don't worry."
The next day, they marked the date. Three months had passed since their arrival. It was time to return. An emperor and four imperial commanders escorting a child meant accidents were not allowed.
The Bloodmist's Dawn slowly lifted anchor at Germa's harbor, the sunset casting a soft glow over the sea. Reiju stood at the edge of the pier, nervously twisting her skirt, staring at the slender figure on deck.
"Lord Reed…" Her voice was soft, nearly swept away by the wind.
Reed turned, blood mist dancing around his fingers. "Hm?"
Reiju opened her mouth but suddenly found she didn't know what to say. The tightness in her chest felt foreign. In Germa, she had never been allowed to feel something like reluctance.
"I…" She lowered her head, staring at her shoes. "May I go with you?"
Silence fell across the deck.
Moria blinked.
Enel pretended to look at clouds.
Even Judge stopped painting and leaned in to listen.
Reed chuckled. A large hand made of blood mist gently mussed Reiju's pink hair.
"Call me uncle."
"…Uncle?" Reiju looked up, dazed.