On the shattered deck, Judge lay collapsed on the ground, his body twisted beyond recognition. The golden mask on his face and the armor covering his body had cracked into countless pieces. Blood poured uncontrollably from his mouth, filling his nose with a sharp metallic scent.
He was dying, Judge knew that with absolute certainty. Yet, standing on the edge of death, he felt surprisingly little fear. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the scene before him: the kingdom he had devoted his entire life to creating was gone.
The once-magnificent fortress city, the devastating artillery batteries, the clone soldiers... everything that had made up the Germa Kingdom had been erased. The dozens of warships forming the kingdom's foundation had caved inward, leaving behind a gigantic hemispherical crater. Above it, seawater had been forced aside by an invisible force, curling into another perfect hemisphere in the sky.
And at the center of that enormous sphere, the force that had annihilated everything, floated that monster. Tiger still hovered in the air, both arms spread wide.
"...Just one attack caused this much destruction... What kind of Devil Fruit power does he have...?"
Judge struggled into a sitting position. Ever since Tiger had appeared, he had been analyzing his ability. He had studied the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and was familiar with nearly every known Devil Fruit, yet none of them matched what Tiger had displayed.
At first, he suspected the Gravity-Gravity Fruit, but Tiger's effortless flight didn't quite fit. Then he considered the Float-Float Fruit, but it couldn't unleash an attack like that. Next he thought it might be some kind of Vector Fruit, but that ability required physical contact to manipulate vectors, a weakness Judge knew well.
Ironically, every single one of his guesses was correct.
---
'Fusion Devil Fruit , Paramecia: Attraction–Repulsion Fruit'
'Fusion Materials:'
' Float-Float Fruit (Lv. 4)
' Gravity-Gravity Fruit (Lv. 5)
' Vector Fruit (Lv. 5)
'Ability:'
Combines the powers of all three Devil Fruits, allowing the user to manipulate both 'gravity' and 'vectors' within the surrounding environment.
### Ability Levels
'Lv. 3'
' Gains the effects of all three Devil Fruits.
' Can alter the gravity of surrounding objects through physical contact.
' Can strengthen gravitational effects by manipulating vectors.
'Lv. 4'
' Generates far greater amounts of force.
' Can freely create and manipulate zero gravity, gravity, repulsive force, kinetic energy, and numerous other forms of force and energy.
' Can apply vectors to any of these forces at will.
'Lv. 5 , Devil Fruit Awakening: Repulsion Field'
' Can create forces and vectors remotely.
' The closer they are to the user's body, the stronger the effect; the farther away, the weaker.
' Can imbue weapons or other objects with the ability, treating them as extensions of the user's own body.
'Additional Fusion Effect , Unified Force'
All forms of force can be unified into a single 'Primordial Force'.
Primordial Force encompasses gravity, attraction, repulsion, and every related force field.
' 'Positive Primordial Force:' Expands all matter outward.
' 'Negative Primordial Force:' Compresses all matter inward.
Its power far surpasses that of ordinary forces.
---
Tiger's ability was, in fact, the fusion of the exact three Devil Fruits Judge had guessed.
Naturally, Judge knew nothing of that.
"...Germa..." He struggled to stand.
Just then,
"Stop struggling, Father. We lost... so at least lose with some dignity."
'Cough... cough...'
A weak voice came from beside him.
Ichiji. Niji. Yonji.
The three brothers lay sprawled across the ground in their Raid Suits, blood steadily flowing from beneath their armor.
As Germa's greatest scientific achievements, their Lineage Factor-enhanced bodies were incredibly resilient, exoskeletons harder than steel, regenerative abilities far beyond ordinary humans, and monstrous natural strength. Even without Devil Fruits, they possessed power comparable to top-tier fighters.
Yet even they couldn't survive an attack on that level.
The red, blue, and green life-sign indicators on Judge's wrist monitor continued dropping toward zero. His sons, just like him, were dying.
It wasn't surprising. Before Tiger's attack struck, the three brothers had thrown themselves in front of Judge to form a Human Wall. They had absorbed the vast majority of the impact, allowing their unmodified father to barely survive.
"We weren't even in the same league as that guy, Father," one said weakly. "Can you even call that a war?"
"If we ever got another chance... maybe our best option would've been activating Jet Mode and running immediately."
"I doubt it. He can grab mountains and even the sea itself. There's no way we could've escaped."
"So what kind of ability was that? You've read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, Father. Any ideas?"
Even now, the three Vinsmoke brothers chatted casually as they analyzed the battle. They weren't angry that their father had used them as a Human Wall, nor were they afraid of dying.
Their emotions had been erased from the moment they were born. Raised only as weapons, they were never truly human; they were merely creations.
Hearing them somehow filled Judge with rage, not at his sons, but at reality itself.
'I followed every step of my plan... I restored Germa... So why did it end like this?!' He screamed inside his heart, though his ruined throat could no longer produce a sound. 'My army... My commanders... They were all my greatest masterpieces... So why?!'
A military that knew no fear of death, never panicked, and was absolutely loyal. Weapons of unmatched power, advanced beyond compare. Commanders who were calm, powerful, and always led from the front.
'This' was the Germa Kingdom Judge had envisioned and painstakingly created: a nation born solely for war, possessing overwhelming military might. He had believed without a doubt that this kingdom had the power to conquer the seas.
Judge had always believed that with his status, power, and influence, even the Four Emperors would respect him and seek his cooperation. He believed he would restore the glory of his ancestors, no, he would make the Germa crown shine brighter than ever before.
He had never doubted it.
But now? The Germa Kingdom he was so proud of wasn't even worthy of being called Tiger's opponent. The war launched by the combined might of an entire nation had collapsed the instant it began.
One attack. That was all it took to end everything. That was the reality Judge found hardest to accept.
---
'"Judge, the Vinsmokes are the royal family of the North Blue. I hope to see you crowned one day."'
'"Judge, you're a remarkable genius. The future of Germa rests on your shoulders."'
'"Judge, only you can do it. Cast aside useless emotions, they're nothing but flaws of living creatures. We are a family of glory."'
The voices of his ancestors echoed in his ears. He had heard those teachings ever since he was a child.
For that glory, for that ambition, he had personally erased the emotions of his own sons. He had all but driven the woman he once called his wife to her death. For years he had served the World Government, fought wars across the world, and locked himself inside laboratories, researching day and night.
He had abandoned his family. He had abandoned his emotions. He had abandoned everything.
In the end, only two things remained in his life: Germa, and the Vinsmoke family.
But now reality had shown him the truth. Germa wasn't great. It wasn't invincible. Everything he had done was meaningless. The entire Vinsmoke family would die here. He wasn't the family's savior, he was the one who destroyed it.
"...No... Reiju... Reiju's still alive..."
A moment later, that single thought became the last straw he could cling to. His body relaxed, and his vision gradually darkened.
But then,
"Hey, hey. Now's not the time to pass out."
Tiger's voice reached him again as Judge felt his body rise into the air against his will. Through his fading vision, he saw those calm eyes behind the tiger mask looking down at him.
"I told you, there's something here I came to collect... Actually, never mind. I'll just look for it myself."
Muttering those cryptic words, Tiger slowly reached a hand toward Judge.
"Father!" The three Vinsmoke brothers struggled to their feet on instinct, desperately trying to save him.
But Judge no longer had the will to resist.
'So... this is the end... My life... what a joke...' Tears and snot streamed down his face.
Then,
"Hahaha! That's right, Judge! You really are a joke!"
'RUMBLE!'
The ruins of Germa Kingdom shook violently once more as a thunderous roar came from beneath the earth. The next instant,
'BOOM!'
The collapsed ground suddenly bulged upward. Two enormous hands covered in grotesque stitch marks burst through the surface. One hand braced against the ground, pulling the massive body beneath it upward, while the other gripped an enormous spiked club.
'BOOM!'
The club swung with monstrous speed and power, targeted straight at Tiger.
"'Thunder Bagua!'"
A dragon-like roar shook the heavens.
'RUMBLE!'
The earth trembled. Even the seawater suspended high in the sky was violently distorted by the shockwave. The path carved by the club split open into a gigantic canyon, erupting with dust and debris.
"Hehehe... Take a good look, Judge!" Buckingham's voice rang out again, now eerily similar to Judge's own. "Conquering the seas with technology and armies? What a ridiculous fantasy. This sea has always belonged to the strong."
As she spoke, the gigantic figure finally climbed out of the massive chasm. It was a hideous monster, three heads, six arms.
The head on the left had pink hair, wore exaggerated lipstick, and wielded a long curved saber. The head on the right had black hair, enormous horns, and carried the giant spiked club. The middle head had golden hair, a crescent-shaped mustache, and held a naginata. Every single body part was covered in gruesome stitches, and immense, inhuman power surged through its colossal frame. Even the simple act of standing created a powerful gale.
Then the monster spoke, or rather, Buckingham's voice came from its mouth.
"The Four Emperors. The Twelve Zodiac. The Pirate King. The Marine Admirals. They, not the countless worthless armies of this world, are the true cornerstones. They're the pillars that support this sea."
"Someone like you... even if you created incredible technology, in front of the true monsters of the sea, you'd only amount to a little extra stamina for them to burn through. You were always destined to be robbed by those stronger than you."
She burst into laughter.
"Scheming, accumulating influence, chasing power and status... what was the point of any of it? If you're strong enough, if you possess the power of an Emperor or the Pirate King, everything you want can be taken with a single command. You never understood what this sea truly is, so your defeat was inevitable. But I'm different..."
As Buckingham spoke, the monster raised all three of its weapons. With three heads and six arms, it looked like an Asura crawling out of hell itself.
"Look at my creation, Judge. 'This' is the true tool that can conquer the seas. And to thank you for creating such an obedient 'son' for me... I've decided to name him 'Vinsmoke Weevil'."
A cruel smile crept into Buckingham's voice.
"Go, Vinsmoke. Kill your father. Kill your brothers. Kill everyone here."
(End Of This Chapter)
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