Yonji, who had stayed completely quiet this whole time, finally broke the heavy silence.
He lifted his head slightly, looking right at Judge with a firm stare, and slowly spoke.
"Father, maybe we should change our approach."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed at the glowing glass tank, where the blue light flickered unevenly.
"Instead of wasting time on this dead-end research, we should just team up with the Eternal Divine Kingdom directly."
Yonji's voice was steady and powerful, echoing through the quiet lab. "Their technology is clearly several generations ahead of ours."
"We have poured so much time and energy into this, but we have made zero real progress. If we keep doing this, we will just be stuck in the exact same place."
After Yonji finished speaking, the lab seemed to mute itself, dropping into a heavy, brief silence.
Judge stood completely still.
His eyebrows were tied in a tight knot, his eyes flashing as he fought with himself.
Different scenes flashed through his mind, playing like an old movie.
Before, maybe they could have naturally asked for a team-up—back then, there was still some room for the two sides to negotiate.
But now, the power balance had completely flipped upside down.
A monster of a fighter like Whitebeard stood like an impossible mountain between them and the Eternal Divine Kingdom.
With enough power to crush Germa single-handedly, why would Ron ever agree to work with them?
"Reiju," Judge suddenly spoke.
His voice was heavy with defeat, but firm. He slowly turned, his eyes locking onto his daughter with a heavy demand.
"Contact the Eternal Divine Kingdom. Tell them... we want to work together, and we are completely serious. If you have to, offer yourself to win Ron over!"
Reiju's eyes went wide, a quick flash of pure shock passing through them.
She clearly had not expected her father to go this far, but she quickly pulled herself together.
Taking a deep breath, she gave a slow nod. "Father. I will get the communication room ready right now."
With that, she turned and walked away, her footsteps heavy.
'If you have to, offer yourself' made it crystal clear what she had to do.
For the sake of saving her family, throwing away her own life felt like the only choice she had left.
...
High above the Land of Wano, under a bright blue and white sky, Ron stood tall on the giant head of a Dragon.
He wore a spotless white cape that snapped sharply in the freezing, high-altitude winds.
Ron lifted his head slightly, his eyes locked on the sharp outline of Wano coming into view down below.
In the distance, the winding coastline wrapped around the edge of the island, with ocean waves crashing against the rocks and throwing up layers of white foam.
Giant cliffs stood like massive walls made of steel, showing off just how dangerous and mysterious the Land of Wano truly was.
Between those cliffs, a massive waterfall crashed down like a silver river falling right out of the sky, the splashing water shining with rainbow colors in the sunlight.
Yet, this warrior nation, famous for keeping the rest of the world out, now sat totally defenseless beneath Ron's eyes, looking like a sheep waiting for the wolf.
"Listen up, everyone," Ron's voice reached every fighter riding on the Dragons. "Pull up right now and hide above the clouds."
Following Ron's order, the nine Dragons instantly flew higher.
Their flame clouds rolled and burned across the sky as they smoothly changed direction, their massive bodies sliding perfectly into the thick cloud cover.
Sunlight filtered through the heavy clouds, turning soft and blurry.
The warm light fell over the Dragons' scales, creating shifting, beautiful patterns of light and shadow.
From the ground down below, only normal clouds could be seen.
There was absolutely no sign of the massive threat hiding just out of sight.
"Enel." Ron turned his head slightly, looking at the Thunder God resting nearby with his eyes closed.
"Use your Mantra to find Ace."
Enel lazily opened one eye, a tricky gleam flashing inside.
A confident smirk pulled at the corner of his lips, showing off his pearly white teeth.
"You don't even need to ask, Ron. I'm already looking."
With that, Enel fully focused on the task.
He closed his eyes, his eyebrows pulling together as his massive Mantra spread outward.
It fell over the entire Land of Wano like an invisible net, covering every single inch of the country.
A moment later, Enel frowned, acting as if he had just run into an annoying problem.
He slowly opened his eyes, a flash of surprise in his stare. "Found him... in the very bottom of Udon Prison."
He raised a hand and casually drew a glowing 3D map in the air using crackling lightning.
The flashing electricity perfectly sketched out the exact location and layout of Udon Prison in total detail.
"Right here, the fifth underground level," Enel pointed at the map. "There are at least 6 guards down there, all of them from the Tobi Roppo."
He paused, a playful but careful smile on his face. "But what is really interesting... there is also a very strong old man locked up down there."
Ron gave a small nod.
He knew exactly who Enel was talking about—Kawamatsu, one of the Nine Red Scabbards.
To Ron, Kawamatsu was not super useful right now.
But, since he needed to win over the hearts of the Wano people later, the samurai had to be saved.
Ron stared at the lightning map, a dangerous smile growing on his face.
"As long as we know where he is, that is enough. All that matters right now is that Ace is still alive."
Hearing this, the rest of the crew nodded in agreement.
It seemed Kaido had not gone totally crazy yet—Ace was safe for the moment, which let everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
Ron's stare swept over the whole Land of Wano, taking in every inch of the country he was about to conquer.
A gentle breeze blew past him, but he ignored it, completely focused on the prize below.
A moment later, he raised his hand and gave a firm order.
"Enel, take our fastest fighters and head down to Udon Prison right now."
"Make sure Ace is rescued quickly and safely. His life is the top priority."
Hearing this, Enel flashed an arrogant smile, completely overflowing with confidence.
The golden staff in his hand sparked with blinding lightning, ready to unleash total destruction at any second.