Judge's eyes were bloodshot. He looked up and screamed hysterically.
"You've never been through what I've been through! Who are you to judge me?!" His voice was hoarse, like a cornered beast. "I tried so hard... I sacrificed everything! My dignity, my humanity, even my own children! Why... why is it still not enough?!"
His fingernails dug deep into the deck, his knuckles white, as if he was pouring out every last bit of his resentment.
Rhett looked at him calmly. Blood mist swirled around him. A slow, meaningful smile spread across his lips.
"Because your world is too small."
Judge's roar stopped abruptly. He looked up, dazed.
Rhett walked closer. The blood mist spread, wrapping around Judge's body, seeping into his skin, his nerves, his brain.
"Join me. I'll show you the real world." Rhett's voice was low and seductive. "Then you'll see that everything you've been chasing... is as easy as eating and drinking."
Judge's pupils contracted sharply. The blood mist twisted and shifted in his vision.
Judge's vision was completely overtaken by the crimson mist. His consciousness drifted between illusion and reality. He submitted to Rhett. He received Rhett's support. Everyone had to give face to the Mist Lord. His ambitions would no longer be blocked.
— He saw himself standing in a towering throne room. Though he was the ruler of a nation subordinate to the Mist Lord, beneath his feet, the kings of the North Blue nations groveled. Their foreheads pressed against the ground. They trembled as they presented their national charters. Their voices were full of fear and submission. "Your Majesty Vinsmoke, please accept our surrender..."
— He saw an envoy from the World Government bowing respectfully, holding a golden document with both hands. "Lord Judge, the Five Elders would like you to serve as the Supreme Advisor of the Science Corps... Vegapunk? He has been relieved of his duties."
"Hahaha, tell them to get lost. They're not worthy of even mentioning Lord Rhett's name."
— He saw his laboratory, expanded tenfold in size. Countless scientists in white coats stood on either side, their eyes full of awe. On his workbench sat a completed sample of "Perfect Lineage Factor." It shimmered with light. Flawless.
Rhett: Fall deep into it, Judge.
"Father."
Judge turned. He saw Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, Yonji, and even Sanji all kneeling on one knee. The cold obedience in their eyes was gone, replaced by genuine admiration. Their battle suits were more advanced. The energy fluctuations were terrifying. Their strength surpassed even Enel and Moria.
Rhett: Of course. My presence is stronger than Enel's or Moria's.
"Your dream has come true." His wife held his arm and smiled. "We've finally become what you wanted us to be. Our dream has come true."
Judge's fingertips trembled. He looked down at his hands. The wrinkles of failure were gone. They were filled with power. He clenched his fist. Electricity crackled in his palm. Stronger than ever. More perfect.
"Is this enough for you? But for me, it's still not enough. Not enough~"
Rhett's voice suddenly came from behind. Judge spun around. Through the blood mist, he saw the man sitting on an even higher throne, propping his cheek on his hand, looking at him with a knowing smile.
"This is only the beginning."
The scene changed again.
— He stood atop the Red Line. Behind him stretched an endless fleet of Germa ships, blotting out the sun. Clone soldiers raised their arms and shouted, "Long live Lord Judge!" The sound was deafening.
— He walked into the World Conference at Mary Geoise. The kings of the member nations who had once looked down on him now sat with pale faces as they gave up their seats. He just sneered. His eyes were full of pride.
— On the laboratory screen, Vegapunk's face appeared on the communicator. His eyes were full of shock. "How... how did you break through the limitations of lineage factor? You must have received support from Rhett! Otherwise, you could never surpass me!!!"
Judge laughed out loud.
"This is the world I've always wanted!"
He waved his hand. A map of the North Blue spread out before him. Everywhere he touched, new territory was painted with Germa's emblem.
"Here, here, and here — all of it will become part of Germa!" His voice was strong and commanding. "From today onward, the North Blue has only one master!"
His subordinates answered loudly, their eyes full of fervor. Judge felt as if he had spent a full year inside the illusion.
During that year inside the illusion, Judge experienced something he had never known before.
He stood at the highest point of Germa's palace and looked down at his kingdom. When the crowds in the streets saw him appear, they immediately erupted into thunderous cheers. Shouts of "Long live His Majesty Vinsmoke!" rang out one after another. The nobles who had once mocked him for losing his kingdom now knelt at his feet.
"Your Majesty, this is the list of tributes from the North Blue nations this year." The finance minister respectfully presented a gold-embossed document. Judge unfolded it casually. The numbers on it made his pupils contract slightly. This wealth could build ten Germa kingdoms. Everything he had dedicated his life to had come true so easily.
At the evening banquet, Judge looked at his family gathered around the table. Reiju was talking softly with her mother. Laughter rang out occasionally. Niji and Yonji were arguing about the latest combat techniques. Even Sanji, the son he had once considered a failure, was dressed in appropriate attire, politely pouring drinks for everyone.
"Darling, try this." His wife brought a delicate snack to his lips. Judge opened his mouth instinctively. The sweet taste bloomed on his tongue. This kind of ordinary happiness — how many years had it been since he had felt it?
"It's still not enough..." Judge murmured to himself. But this time, his voice was no longer hysterical. It was full of pleasant ambition. His fingertip traced the night sky, as if measuring the boundaries of the world. "The North Blue... the Grand Line... the Red Line... the entire world will be..."
"The Vinsmoke family's."
"SNAP."
The illusion shattered. One moment he held all the power. The next, he was a prisoner in his own broken, shattered nation.
The feeling nearly drove him mad. But...
He turned his head and looked at Rhett. Rhett was standing behind him, blood mist swirling around him, a smile on his lips.
The look in Judge's eyes was complicated. He looked at the man who had destroyed everything he had, yet could also give him everything.
"Now do you understand?" Rhett said softly. "Your ambition was too small... The real world is far larger than you ever imagined."
Judge's breathing was rapid. His heart pounded in his chest. Everything in the illusion had felt so real. The feeling of controlling everything. The joy of being feared and respected.
He wanted it.
He wanted it more than anything.
The shadow prison slowly dissolved. Judge's consciousness fully returned to reality. He was still kneeling on the deck. But the madness in his eyes had been replaced by something else.
Desire.
Absolute desire.
He slowly looked up at Rhett. His voice was hoarse, but firm.
"...What do I need to do?"
Rhett knew. He had just gained another useful piece on his board.