It had to be said that for the sake of his ambition to rule the North Blue, Judge had planned carefully and worked painstakingly for a very long time.
Even though Yemu had already prepared himself for the strength of the Vinsmoke Family, he was still surprised when he heard the number eighty thousand.
Judge was quite satisfied with Yemu's surprise. After all, this was the thing he was most proud of in his life so far.
"Mm. This is all the soldiers the Vinsmoke Family can currently provide. And under the modifications of the Lineage Factor, every one of them possesses a powerful physique and the resolve to fight without fear of death. They are in no way inferior to the Marines' elite soldiers. It only takes five years to cultivate a qualified soldier."
At this point, Judge hesitated slightly before continuing.
"However, it is also because of this that they have lost the potential to go any further. Even the strongest among them can only reach the level of a Marine Captain at most. Anything beyond that will have to rely on the high-level combat power on your side, Captain Yemu."
Judge's words were both an introduction of his kingdom's combat strength and a probe directed at Yemu.
Although he had already made up his mind, there were still certain things he had to understand.
Judge had no intention of accompanying Yemu to his grave.
Yemu understood that as well and answered very calmly.
"You don't need to worry about that. Although we still have a certain gap compared with the Marines and the World Government in terms of numbers and combat strength, that gap is not enough to decide the outcome of this war."
Judge listened, thought for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "May I ask whether Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaidou will also participate in this war?"
"Unfortunately, although the three of them agreed to my deal this time, the terms only involve providing deterrence and passive protection. They won't actively clash with the World Government for our sake."
Although this answer was within Judge's expectations, if that was the case, could the Sky Pirates alone truly win this war?
Seeing Judge's expression, Yemu knew what he was thinking and asked in return, "Do you think I'm someone who would casually start a war without making any preparations?"
Yemu's question stunned Judge. He recalled all the intelligence he had received about Yemu and the Sky Pirates.
It had to be said that judging from their past record, Yemu and his Sky Pirates were indeed reckless and outrageously bold. But every time they caused chaos across the world, they were still able to escape unscathed, leaving the Marines and the World Government helpless. That alone was enough to prove Yemu was absolutely not an impulsive person.
Thinking of that, Judge felt slightly more relaxed. He let out a small breath and said, "I understand."
Yemu looked at Judge and thought for a moment. To put this man more at ease, he decided to reveal a little.
"Do you know where the technology I currently possess comes from?"
Judge froze, then thought for a moment and said, "Captain Yemu, are you talking about the technology behind those flying ships of yours?"
"No... not just that. It seems your intelligence capabilities aren't good enough either. You don't know much about the Marines' intelligence on me, do you?"
Judge was somewhat confused by this, but Yemu's next words shocked him.
"I can tell you clearly that I obtained a set of Paradise blueprints. They are blueprints from eight hundred years ago, and they contain technology far beyond this era. They have allowed me to realize many incredible ideas. For example, war machines capable of possessing a portion of Devil Fruit power..."
...
After everything had been discussed, Judge led the way with an expression that carried shock, a trace of relief, and deep thought. From a distance, Yemu could hear the cheerful laughter of two little girls and a woman, along with the crying of a small child.
"Waaah, waaah..."
"Yemu-sama!"
Yamato was clearly very happy to see Yemu appear, and Reiju also wore an expectant expression.
Sora, sitting on the sickbed and unable to rise to greet him, looked at Yemu with a little surprise.
"Captain Yemu, I'm truly sorry. Because of my body, I can't..."
Before Sora could finish, Yemu waved it off and looked at the four babies with spiral eyebrows by the bed, his gaze falling on the blond little one.
"There's no need to mind those things. Starting today, not only is little Reiju my crew member, but your husband is also my ally. So from now on, there's no need for these empty formalities. I don't like them anyway. As for you, after you arrive in the North Blue with Judge in a few days, I'll have someone examine you. I don't want my crew member to lose her mother while she's still so young."
The moment those words came out, Reiju's tense expression instantly changed into shock mixed with emotion. Tears welled up uncontrollably, on the verge of falling.
To beg Yemu to save her mother, the young Reiju had suffered through so much inner torment. She had feared that her unreasonable request would draw Yemu's displeasure and her father's anger.
But she had never expected that before she even said anything, Yemu-sama would say aloud the dream she had always longed for.
At that moment, along with feeling a gentleness she had never experienced before, Reiju suddenly felt that becoming Yemu-sama's crew member was the luckiest thing in her life.
Yamato, standing to the side, was also very happy. Although she had only known Sora for less than an hour, the motherly tenderness Sora showed had completely won over this little girl who had never felt motherly love before.
But just as the two little girls were overjoyed, Sora looked at her child and Yamato, then shook her head and said gratefully, "Thank you, Captain Yemu. But as for my illness, Judge has already tried every possible method, and none of them worked..."
The moment those words came out, both Reiju and Yamato's expressions changed drastically. Reiju's face turned pale as she said in disbelief, "How is that possible, Mama? It was clearly Father who..."
Sora stopped Reiju before she could continue.
"Reiju, you mustn't speak ill of your father. That isn't what a good daughter should do. And regarding that matter, your father didn't blame me. On the contrary, he tried all kinds of methods to treat me. It's just..."
Reiju stared in disbelief at Judge, whose expression was ugly. She had always thought her father refused to treat her mother because he was angry that her mother had disobeyed his orders.
Judge also spoke in a low voice.
"That medicine affected Sora's Lineage Factor, causing the Lineage Factor in her body to become extremely chaotic and interfering with the normal functioning of her body. With my current technology, there's nothing I can do..."
"How could that be... Mama..."
Reiju instantly fell into despair, her eyes hollow as if she could not believe it was true.
Among the four children in their swaddling clothes nearby, the blond little Sanji seemed to have understood something and began wailing loudly. The other three little ones, whose emotions had been stripped away, also looked at their mother.
But just then, a large hand pressed down on Reiju's little head.
"Don't give up hope. If I say she can be cured, then she definitely can be cured. Trust your captain..."
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