Chapter 81: Vinsmoke 2

"He's not dead! He's in the air! Shoot him down!" a clone soldier yelled, spotting Bege hovering above. He raised his rifle and fired first, prompting the other clones to uniformly raise their guns and cannons.

Bege dropped straight down like a stone, the volley of shots whistling harmlessly through the air where he'd been.

Upon landing, Bege swung the Fire Cloud Sword three times in rapid succession. Two massive arcs of sword energy swept outwards horizontally, slicing through the clone soldiers on all sides. In an instant, hundreds of clones in the vicinity were bisected, their blood staining the ground crimson.

Just then, a sound ripped through the air. Bege looked up to see a bulky, grey-clad figure rocketing towards him at incredible speed. The newcomer was Vinsmoke Judge, wielding a massive spear as thick as a man's arm, its tip crackling with electricity.

"Electromagnetic Thrust!"

As Judge closed in, he abruptly accelerated, the electrified spear tip lancing towards Bege with even more astonishing speed, the arcs of electricity flashing violently.

Bege casually raised his sword and easily parried the spear. No matter how much thrust Judge generated from the jets in his boots, no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't move Bege an inch.

With a flick of his wrist, Bege batted Judge's spear aside, then immediately followed with a slash. A wave of fiery sword energy shot towards Judge with blinding speed. Judge's face contorted in horror as he raised his spear defensively, but the weapon snapped instantly upon impact. The flaming sword wave slammed into Judge's body, tearing through his Raid Suit and carving a gruesome wound across his chest. The force sent him flying backward, crashing through the wall of a nearby building.

Judge crawled out from the rubble, clutching his chest as he staggered forward. His eyes fell on Bege, and his pupils instantly constricted in fear. "Demon Dragon… Capone Bege," he whispered, aghast. "Why have you invaded my Germa Kingdom?!"

"You knew who I was, yet you still dared to attack?" Bege remarked calmly. "Vinsmoke Judge, it seems you have considerable confidence in that Raid Suit of yours."

Judge's expression grew even uglier. He had been confident in his suit, but Bege had just effortlessly crushed that confidence.

"Demon Dragon, what is your purpose here?!" Judge gritted his teeth.

"I'm interested in your Lineage Factor research," Bege stated bluntly. "I came here to recruit you into my pirate crew."

Judge's eyes narrowed. "You know about the Lineage Factor?"

"Of course," Bege replied smoothly. "I also know you were once a scientist in the Marines' research division, working alongside Vegapunk. You later left, came here to the North Blue, and used your own Lineage Factor research to create masses of clone soldiers, establishing the Germa Kingdom."

Judge's face darkened further. He hadn't expected his identity and history to be known so clearly.

"Who are you, really?"

"I am Capone Bege, of course," Bege affirmed. "Judge, I know everything about you. Now, I'm giving you a choice. Join my pirate crew. I will provide you with funds, with power, allowing you to dedicate yourself fully to researching the Lineage Factor. I believe if you can truly master it, your future accomplishments could undoubtedly surpass even Vegapunk."

"And if I refuse?" Judge asked, seemingly unimpressed by Bege's tempting offer. He was arrogant and self-assured, believing he could unlock the secrets of the Lineage Factor on his own.

"Refuse?!" Bege's expression turned instantly cold. A savage wave of blood-red Conqueror's Haki surged outwards, slamming directly into Judge. Judge's eyes bulged as he was forced violently to his knees, cold sweat pouring down his forehead as he let out pained groans.

"Refusal means death," Bege's cold, merciless voice echoed in Judge's ears.

Judge hastily looked up, staring in terror at the figure before him, radiating a blood-red aura. The image of Bege, like some demon god, was deeply seared into his mind.

"I accept! I accept!" Judge stammered frantically.

Bege chuckled softly and retracted his Conqueror's Haki. He walked over to Judge and patted his shoulder.

"Now that's the wise choice. Come on, show me your laboratory."

Judge struggled to his feet, stumbling slightly. Bege shook his head. "Technological power is merely supplementary. True strength comes from within. You should focus on training yourself properly. Perhaps later, when you've proven your worth through sufficient contributions, I'll teach you Haki and Rokushiki."

Judge remained silent, saying nothing more as he led Bege towards the most core area of the royal warship – his laboratory.

The lab was filled with a wide array of experimental equipment. There were also numerous specimens – ferocious beasts, corpses of various races – and quite a few other scientists present. They proceeded into a massive chamber where rows upon rows of large, cylindrical glass cultivation tanks stood. Inside each tank floated a clone soldier in the process of development.

This was where he produced his clone army.

"While these clones make effective killing machines, they're only suitable as low-level combatants. You should really work on improving their capabilities," Bege commented.

Judge replied calmly, "These clones were always intended as cannon fodder. My research requires vast amounts of funding, and this cannon fodder earns that funding for me."

Bege nodded knowingly. He was aware that Judge's clone army operated as mercenaries, fighting wars for other nations in exchange for enormous fees.

He then continued, "Although you've now joined my crew, you cannot reveal this affiliation publicly for the time being. No outsiders can know of our connection. Continue your usual operations, but I have a task for you: train a portion of your clones to become intelligence operatives. I need you to find someone for me in the North Blue."

"Who?" Judge asked, a keen light entering his eyes.

"Trafalgar Law," Bege stated. "A child from the 'White Town,' Flevance. He is the user of the Op-Op Fruit."

"The user of the Op-Op Fruit?" Judge's expression grew serious. He had heard of the Op-Op Fruit's incredible powers.

"Rest assured, I will begin this task promptly," Judge nodded, accepting the assignment.

Bege nodded in satisfaction. "Continue your research without worry. If you require anything – manpower, funding – just ask me. I can provide whatever you need."

A flicker of pleased surprise showed in Judge's eyes, but it vanished instantly when he met Bege's cold, unwavering gaze, making his heart clench.

"Correspondingly," Bege added, his voice laced with menace, "if you dare try any tricks, or if you even think about betraying me, it doesn't matter who you might run to for protection later. I will hunt you down and eliminate you." The brutal, domineering words sent a chill down Judge's spine.

"Since I've agreed to join the Fire Tank Pirates, I will not betray you," Judge stated seriously.

Bege simply grunted and patted Judge's shoulder again. He remained in the Germa Kingdom for a day, discussing various other arrangements.

Germa's scientific capabilities were indeed impressive, and their weaponry was quite advanced. Bege planned to establish a weapons manufacturing plant on Skypiea to produce arms based on Germa technology. He intended to become an arms dealer, selling these weapons throughout the New World.

Naturally, Judge 'willingly' agreed to cooperate, immediately assigning his best weapons research experts to Bege. Bege also departed with a contingent of clone soldiers and a cache of advanced weaponry.

After Bege had left, Vinsmoke Judge stood alone in the Germa royal palace, his expression dark and brooding. Over a dozen corpses lay strewn across the floor – clones he had killed in a fit of frustrated rage.

"Supreme Commander," a short, elderly subordinate asked fearfully, "are we truly joining the Fire Tank Pirates?"

Judge's face twisted with extreme savagery, then morphed into utter helplessness.

"What other choice do we have?" he finally ground out. "The Demon Dragon has a bounty of 850 million belli! He could kill us as easily as breathing! For now, we must submit. Focus on mastering the Lineage Factor! Once I have complete control over it, I will no longer fear the Demon Dragon!" Vinsmoke Judge's fierce ambition burned brightly; he would never resign himself to serving under another.