Chapter 275: Alliance?
"...At least these clone soldiers, in the eyes of the World Government, are at most just the fearless army of Germa 66," Judge pondered his words, "If they don't look like humans, they might attract too much attention from the World Government, and at that time, the information about the Gene Factor that I possess will likely be exposed."
"Ha..." Da Vinci sighed heavily, "Do you still care about the World Government's view of Germa?"
"I heard from the Captain about the history of the Germa Empire. It once ruled the North Blue for 66 days by force, only to lose all their territories when fierce resistance arose everywhere, and many of their citizens died outside Germa's land. Germa was even expelled from its homeland..."
"Have you ever thought about why the mighty Germa Empire, which conquered the North Blue with great military power, lost the entire war and all its territories in just a few dozen days?"
"...What do you mean by that?" Judge's eyes widened. As a scientist, he couldn't be foolish, and as royalty, he had basic political knowledge.
With Da Vinci pointing out the problem, the unreasonable details from three hundred years ago began to fall into place in Judge's mind, and a whole conspiracy started to form in his head.
"The World Government—!" Judge ground his teeth and muttered.
"Let Germa dominate the North Blue?" Eric sneered from the side, "How could the World Government allow such a thing?"
"The area of the North Blue alone occupies 20% of the world. A fully unified superpower wouldn't be in the World Government's favor for managing, and a more chaotic world is exactly what the World Government desires. These scattered forces can't unify, and they can never oppose the World Government's giant power!"
"The countries that Germa defeated surely couldn't unite all their forces, and they couldn't strike at all the scattered Germa citizens. So, only..."
"The World Government's intelligence agency—CIPHER POL!" Judge muttered bitterly.
"Exactly, the World Government sent CP agents to secretly cooperate with the defeated kings of those countries, planning to surround and assault the small forces scattered from Germa. After losing a lot of its forces, the Germa Empire was defeated and expelled from its homeland after ruling the North Blue for 66 days."
"If you want revenge, the World Government should be your target." Eric set a new goal for his revenge, "Moreover, if you don't overthrow the World Government, your dream of rebuilding the Germa Empire and conquering the North Blue will never come true."
Judge gritted his teeth, almost to the point of crushing them. After calming down, he spoke coldly, "...What exactly are you plotting with all this?"
Judge didn't believe that Eric would be kind enough to explain things to him. Moreover, Eric was a great pirate, "You don't mean to incite me to confront the World Government, draw all their attention, and then secretly grow stronger behind their backs, do you?"
"Don't be delusional. The World Government isn't that easy to deal with! I can't become a weapon for you to use." Judge wasn't stupid enough to become a thorn in the World Government's side. In this world, even the supporting characters with lines weren't necessarily fools.
Eric smiled and shook his head, continuing, "The Great Pirate Era didn't begin the moment Pirate King Roger spoke of the ONE PIECE—it started much earlier!"
"The heavy celestial gold system collapsed countless nations. Countries that lost their ally status became territories for pirates, human traffickers, and other lawless individuals. The fate of these nations forced the remaining allies to continue exploiting their citizens, paying celestial gold to secure their ally status."
"The more you oppress, the more people will rise up in rebellion. Recently, the revolutionary army led by 'Dragon' has been frequently reporting, and some countries' regimes have been overthrown."
"The dawn of the Great Pirate Era rapidly increased the number of pirates, stretching the navy's manpower thin, and the common people are living in dire straits."
"At that time, all we need is a spark to ignite the oppressed people, turning their 'public opinion' into gunpowder to create a massive storm. We just need to wait for the right moment and build up our strength."
"...?" Judge took a deep breath. "What exactly is your purpose? Darren Eric ."
"Me?" Eric raised his eyebrows and spread his arms, "I—will conquer the whole world!"
Hearing Eric 's words, Judge raised his brows and then laughed loudly. "Hahaha... your ambition is much greater than mine, 'Yonko' kid!"
"I will rule the world, and I can leave the North Blue to Germa to govern. What do you think of this proposal, Judge Vincemock?" Eric 's gaze was sharp, locking with Judge's eyes.
The sudden offer of an alliance—no, more accurately, the recruitment of a subordinate—made Judge, the leader of the Vincemock family, king of the Germa Kingdom, and commander of Germa 66, momentarily stunned.
"!" Judge saw the ambition in Eric 's eyes, something he often saw in his own reflection in the mirror.
It was fiercer than the dream he had bet everything on, more imposing than the courage he showed, and more resolute than his muddled, worn-out eyes.
"Are you serious?" Judge asked incredulously, pausing between words.
"Of course." Even though Eric 's actual height was much shorter than Judge's, in that moment, his presence was like a mountain that Judge had to look up to.
"Hmph... no wonder you're called the 'Emperor of the Sea' at such a young age." This was Judge's final test. He wanted to know if Eric truly understood his current power.
"No, my current identity is just something the World Government has inflated." Eric sneered, "I'm nowhere near those old pirate crews yet, but soon enough, I will sit firmly in this position."
"Is that so..." Judge was satisfied with this answer. The young man before him wasn't arrogantly blinded by false fame.
"Does this mean you recognize me?" Eric asked, having read Judge's true intent from his state.
"I suppose so." Judge gave a vague answer, and his two straight mustaches remained upright.
"Then I have a question to ask you." Eric spoke up.
"Go ahead."
"Do you have the determination to become the cornerstone of the Germa Empire? Are you willing to sacrifice your life for your dream, to become a Vincemock family ghost?"
"..." Judge understood Eric 's meaning from the look in his eyes.
'He said he would give the North Blue to the Vincemock family to govern, not to me. So that's what it means—'
'Since I started stripping my children of their emotions, I've already failed…' Judge closed his eyes, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.
His wife died because of his dreams, his own sons lost their normal emotions because of his drugs, and even his closest family could be discarded. How could he earn anyone's trust?
For the legacy of his ancestors over three hundred years, for his own dreams, what was a mere life? Sacrificing it was nothing!
Judge opened his tightly closed eyes. At nearly fifty years old, his eyes burned with the fire of ambition, and he solemnly spoke, "Of course, I am willing to sacrifice my life to revive the Germa Empire."
"Reiju will be entrusted to you."
Everyone: "?"
(END CHAPTER)
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