Perospero quickly nodded, a look of sudden understanding spreading across his face.
"Yes, Mama. After all, keeping these new members fed and housed does take up a lot of resources..."
A dangerous gleam flashed in Big Mom's eyes as she spoke coldly. "We cannot raise these guys for free~ Make them bleed more~ Mamamama!"
Right then, she suddenly seemed to remember something important, a sharp light flashing through her eyes.
"Right, have Smoothie lead a team to gather intelligence. Once the internal cleanup is done, it is time to start working with the Eternal Divine Kingdom. And I have a feeling the Eternal Divine Kingdom must have more than just these Devil Fruit abilities! There might be even more hidden secrets waiting for us to discover."
"Yes, Mama!" Perospero answered loudly.
....
Meanwhile, over the North Sea.
Dark, gloomy clouds hung in the sky like heavy blocks of lead, completely covering the massive stretch of ocean.
The biting sea wind howled as it swept past, kicking up wave after wave of rough, crashing water, as if the ocean itself was growling in anger.
Through this foggy, stormy sea, the massive snail ships of the Germa Kingdom moved slowly across the water like walking steel monsters.
This amazing piece of engineering was carried on the backs of dozens of giant snails.
Each snail was as big as a small mountain.
Their thick, fleshy bodies moved with incredible power, firmly connected to the ship's frame and supporting the weight of the entire kingdom.
Across the ship's deck, tons of complicated machines and tools were carefully arranged.
They shined with a cold metal glow that proudly showed off the Germa Kingdom's highly advanced science.
Right now, the moving kingdom was sailing steadily toward the Grand Line.
Deep inside the palace at the center of the snail ship, in a secret and totally silent lab, Vinsmoke Judge stood tall with his hands locked behind his back.
He quietly watched a massive glass tank.
His long shadow stretched across the cold metal floor under the dim lights.
His serious face looked even darker in the creepy blue glow of the liquid inside the tank.
Beside him, his three sons—Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji—stood on either side, while Reiju leaned against the wall, watching the scene with a completely blank look.
Inside the tank, a black-haired man floated without moving in the glowing liquid.
His body was thin and perfectly built.
He was plugged into dozens of delicate but strong data cables that acted like lifelines, tying him to the mysterious machines outside.
However, he was completely knocked out.
His face was as pale as paper, and the flame of his life was barely holding on.
"Father, we have tried everything," Ichiji broke the heavy silence first, his voice totally empty of emotion.
"But the blood samples from this Devil Fruit replacement subject are impossible to study. Every time we pull some out, the special parts of the blood break down completely within thirty minutes."
His eyes showed a hint of pure frustration as he stared hard at the man in the tank, looking as if he wished he could just kill him right then and there!
Niji kicked a nearby machine. "Not to mention those locked memories! Our tech cannot crack the biological codes hidden in his brain!"
Reiju let out a soft sigh, one that seemed to carry an endless amount of sadness.
Her fingers slowly traced the glass of the tank, leaving a faint trail in the condensation.
"The worst part is that every time we try to pull his memories, his heartbeat and breathing drop dangerously low."
She turned to look at her father, her eyes full of worry. "If this keeps up, we might lose this rare test subject before we can even unlock his secrets."
Judge's fist slammed heavily onto the metal control panel with a loud bang.
The massive hit echoed through the quiet lab, making the entire room shake.
His face was terrifyingly dark, veins popping out on his forehead as his eyes burned with pure rage.
"Damn it!" he growled through gritted teeth. "We finally captured a live subject, but we cannot learn a single thing from him!"
The King of Germa turned and took heavy steps toward the giant screen on the other side of the lab.
Standing in front of the screen, his stare locked onto the massive walls of test data shining back at him.
Those numbers and notes looked like secret codes, keeping track of their countless tries and failures.
As he pushed a few buttons, a special folder slowly opened on the screen—spy data collected ever since the Whitebeard Pirates started trading Devil Fruits.
"Ever since Ron of the Whitebeard Pirates showed up, we started our research..." Judge's voice was low and rough, carrying a heavy weight.
"Back then, they had just started selling replacement Devil Fruits to the outside world."
A series of highly secret video clips flashed across the screen:
Footage of Ace's Phoenix form, data on Jozu's Glint-Glint Fruit and clips of Vista using the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
It was all top-secret info that Judge had spent a fortune to buy from the black market.
"If we can just crack this technology..." Judge's eyes shined with wild ambition. "...and mix it with our perfect cloning tech..."
He suddenly spun around and pointed excitedly at the glass tank.
"We could mass-produce Devil Fruit users in no time! A whole army of cloned super-soldiers!"
The temperature in the lab seemed to rise just from his words.
A flash of that same crazy hunger appeared in the eyes of Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji.
They could already picture the Germa flag flying in every single corner of the North Sea.
"By then..." Judge's voice shook slightly with excitement, his hands squeezing into fists without him realizing it.
"Taking total control of the North Blue will be as easy as flipping over my hand! Our Vinsmoke family will take back its former glory!"
However, reality quickly poured cold water over his head.
That beautiful dream shattered instantly against the hard truth, leaving behind nothing but endless disappointment.
Judge slumped against the control panel, looking as if all the strength had been drained right out of his body.
His eyes went totally blank, locked onto the tank that offered no answers, his heart filled with pure defeat.
"Now... it seems this dream is falling apart."
The lab dropped into a dead silence, with only the soft humming of the machines echoing in the air.
Reiju stood quietly, her eyes locked onto her father's back as he slowly walked away.
Judge's footsteps were incredibly heavy, each step seeming to carry the endless weight of his failures.
His shoulders were slightly slumped, his body casting a long, dark shadow under the glowing lights.
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