Chapter 80: Vinsmoke 1

The Marines scoured the entire West Blue, turning it upside down, but found no trace of Bege. Marine Headquarters essentially confirmed that he had retreated to Skypiea.

Fleet Admiral Kong, though incandescent with rage, retained his reason. The path to Skypiea was perilous; launching a large-scale military assault against Bege there was impossible.

Furthermore, the incident had severely damaged the Marines' reputation. Sensing weakness, the great pirates of the New World grew restless, stirring up trouble once more and actively seeking conflict with the Marines. This forced Fleet Admiral Kong to redeploy Admiral Zephyr to the New World to stabilize the Marine bases there.

Thanks to these circumstances, Bege was safe from immediate reprisal.

On Skypiea, Bege remained unconscious for a full five days before finally waking. As soon as he did, he convened a meeting with his core officers.

In the grand hall of the shrine, there was no celebratory cheer despite their victory. The atmosphere was heavy, somber. Every officer present was wrapped in bandages, their faces grim, silent.

"Why the long faces, everyone?" Bege asked, forcing a smile to break the heavy tension. "We defeated Mad Tiger and his forces! That's cause for celebration! Tonight, we hold a banquet! Let loose and celebrate properly!"

"Bege… during the battle on the island… I was useless. Defeated by White Lion," Moria gritted out, clenching his fists, his face a mask of bitter frustration and unwillingness. The defeat had gnawed at him for days. He considered himself the second-in-command of the Fire Tank Pirates and had confidently intercepted Brent, only to be nearly killed, forcing Brent and Simon to team up against Bege. If not for Bege's overwhelmingly powerful Demon Beast state, the outcome of the battle might have been reversed. He felt a deep sense of self-blame and guilt.

Bege laughed heartily. "That Vice Admiral White Lion was once an Admiral candidate! It's perfectly normal that you couldn't beat him yet. Give it another ten years, Moria, and he definitely wouldn't be your match. Have some confidence!"

Moria nodded sullenly, but the unconvinced look in his eyes lingered. He was an intensely proud and confident man; otherwise, in his original life, he never would have dared challenge the monster Kaido.

"Why is everyone moping around?" Bege addressed the room. "Holding off Marine HQ's elite forces was already an incredible feat. What did you expect, to conquer the heavens in a single step?" He knew the battle had dealt a severe blow to their confidence.

"Godfather… it's my fault… Grandpa Gilon… Uncle Bernie… they died…" Hank choked out, his voice low and trembling, plunging the hall back into heavy silence. Riki slammed a fist against his chair's armrest, shattering it, then covered his face, tears streaming through his fingers.

The smile faded from Bege's face. Overall, they had won the battle on the deserted island, but they had paid an enormous price. Four high-ranking officers with bounties exceeding 100 million, led by Gilon and Bernie, had fallen, and the losses among the rank-and-file soldiers were substantial.

An atmosphere of grief spread through the hall. Bege knew he had to stop it. A wave of terrifying Conqueror's Haki instantly swept through the room. Everyone jolted, turning their attention to Bege.

His expression was deadly serious. "War means casualties. That's a reality every single one of you needs to accept."

"We may have won this battle, but we came dangerously close to being wiped out by the Marines. This proves our strength is still lacking! Every one of you needs to pull yourselves together! In the future, we'll face the Emperors of the New World, the Marine Admirals! There will be countless battles far more dangerous than the one we just fought! If you don't want to die, then get stronger!"

Moria and the other officers straightened up, their expressions hardening with renewed determination.

After the meeting, Bege presided over a funeral ceremony for the fallen crewmates. He commissioned a mausoleum built within the ruins of Shandora to serve as their final resting place. The families of those who died received generous compensation and benefits, which greatly consoled the remaining crew.

The battle had also exposed the Fire Tank Pirates' weaknesses. None of their top-tier combatants had perished, indicating they were capable of holding their own individually. However, their mid-to-low-tier forces were severely lacking compared to the Marines. This needed greater focus. He ordered the three main combat divisions to intensify their training, pushing them to become stronger.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye. Bege's injuries had mostly healed. Once again, he departed Skypiea.

This time, he didn't take the Sky God. Instead, he piloted a small flying vessel, descending stealthily into the North Blue.

His target: the Vinsmoke Family of the Germa Kingdom. He was keenly interested in their Lineage Factor research and their clone soldier technology. If he could secure the Vinsmoke Family's technological support, Bege's own development and plans would accelerate dramatically.

The Germa Kingdom was unique in the world – a sea-faring nation with no fixed territory. Normally, its dozens of massive ships operated independently, only forming the kingdom when they merged.

Bege had no established intelligence network in the North Blue, so locating the Germa Kingdom took some time.

Eventually, in a certain stretch of the North Blue sea, he found them: dozens of colossal ships linked together like a floating island, sailing slowly. Flags bearing the number '66' fluttered from masts, confirming their identity.

A small vessel – Bege's – approached the Germa Kingdom at astonishing speed.

The patrol ships on the kingdom's outer perimeter quickly spotted the intruder and immediately opened fire, intending to sink it. Germa was infamous throughout the North Blue for its ruthless brutality; any ship that dared approach was sunk without mercy. No vessel willingly sailed near the Germa Kingdom.

Over a dozen cannonballs flew towards Bege's ship. Several sword slashes flashed out from the vessel, instantly detonating the projectiles in mid-air.

A figure leaped from the ship, using Geppo to walk on air, closing the distance to the Germa Kingdom at incredible speed.

More cannons fired, attempting to blanket the figure with explosions. But with another flick of his sword, the figure destroyed most of the cannonballs and swiftly ascended into the airspace above the Germa Kingdom. He surveyed the layout below before heading directly towards the largest, central ship – the kingdom's heart.

Piercing alarms blared across the entire Germa Kingdom.

Inside the royal palace, Vinsmoke Judge was immersed in his Lineage Factor research when the alarms sounded. He immediately donned his Raid Suit and burst out of his laboratory.

"What is going on?!" Judge roared, his face thunderous.

"Supreme Commander, an intruder!" a nearby soldier reported hastily.

"Damn it! Order all soldiers to assemble!" Judge commanded, killing intent blazing in his eyes as he stormed out of the palace.

Aboard the main Germa warship, Bege casually cut down waves of clone soldiers rushing towards him.

"These clones… no emotion, no fear of pain or death. Pure killing machines," Bege observed. Even clones whose bodies were nearly severed continued to mindlessly charge him, weapons raised. Shaking his head, Bege kicked one apart.

Clone soldiers positioned further back raised their guns and cannons. Disregarding their comrades engaged in close combat with Bege, they unleashed a barrage of gunfire and shells, blasting pirates and their own fellow clones alike.

Flesh and blood splattered everywhere.

One clone soldier, adjusting his glasses, coolly surveyed the bloody scene. "He should be dead now."