Woo woo woo— A piercing alarm sounded.
Orderly footsteps approached rapidly. Soon, Merlin was surrounded by circles of soldiers holding guns.
"Intruder, it's the White Demon."
"Lord King is here, step back."
"White Demon, Laplace Merlin, why do you invade my country? Leave now, and I can let bygones be bygones."
The crowd parted, and a very sturdy blond figure wearing a combat suit appeared.
Vinsmoke Judge.
The King of Germa 66 in this generation.
Merlin looked at him calmly, sizing him up. Judge looked at Merlin unhappily, holding a spear with a gleaming sharp edge in his hand.
"I have come to conquer you, Judge. Bring everything you have and submit to me."
Merlin spoke calmly.
Instantly, an uproar erupted around them. Judge's face turned completely gloomy. "This joke isn't funny. Who do you think you are? Want me to hand over everything I have with just your mouth?"
"Fire! Shoot him!"
Click click! Triggers were pulled.
Bang bang bang bang bang—
In an instant, a barrage of bullets attacked.
Merlin's gaze was calm. At the same time, shadow tentacles rose from all around, turning into afterimages dancing wildly. Clang clang clang clang clang—bullet after bullet was accurately deflected by the tentacles.
Immediately after, shadows spread from the ground, connecting to the feet of the surrounding soldiers.
Calamity: Electric Shock Paralysis.
Amidst the bzzzt sound of electric current.
Screams rang out and vanished in an instant. The surrounding soldiers all fell to the ground stiffly. Merlin looked calmly at Judge, the only one left standing.
"How about it?"
"You bastard! You..."
Judge gritted his teeth in anger, falling into a rage. However, before he could finish speaking, Merlin suddenly appeared in front of him. Bang!
His right foot kicked heavily on Judge's chest. In this moment, Judge's eyes bulged, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and flew backward with a whoosh.
Flying three hundred meters in a blink, he smashed through a wall with a muffled boom.
"Bastard!"
But soon, Judge rushed out from the broken wall, holding his spear, eyes splitting with rage as he charged to Merlin, thrusting fiercely with the spear.
However, Merlin just tilted his head to dodge this thrust, then raised his right foot and kicked him flying again with a bang!
Judge went back the way he came.
Then the second charge.
Bang! Flying backward again.
Third charge.
Bang! Still flying backward.
Fourth charge.
Just as he ran to Merlin, he fell to his knees spitting blood. Judge grabbed Merlin's right foot forcefully, trembling in pain. "Keep dreaming! I won't hand over everything to you. I won't give you my wife and children."
Merlin's gaze was subtle. "Who wants your wife and children?"
His right leg shook, Haki surged. With a snap!, Judge's hand was blasted away.
His whole person rolled on the ground and flipped away.
But at this time, three angry, childish voices came. Merlin saw four small figures running over quickly.
Pink, red, blue, green.
One girl and three boys.
"Shadow Bind."
Four shadows stuck to the ground and merged into their shadows in a blink. In the next moment, they froze in place, paralyzed by electric shock.
Amidst faint bzzzt sounds.
As Shadow Bind was cancelled, the four siblings screamed and fell to the ground, unable to get up.
"Don't hurt my children!!!"
Judge roared, struggling to get up, but in the next moment, he fell to the ground again. Moreover, mottled white marks spread rapidly on his exposed skin.
Judge groaned in pain on the ground.
At this time, Merlin looked calmly at the blond boy about eight years old trembling a hundred meters away, holding a bamboo sword and daring not to step forward.
But at this time, the blue-haired boy who fell to the ground climbed up with electricity jumping on his body and rushed up again without any fear in his eyes.
In this moment, seeing his son fearlessly courting death, fear surged in Judge's heart for the first time. Children who didn't fear death might really die.
Splurt!
A sharp shadow tentacle instantly pierced through the abdomen of the charging blue-haired Niji, skewering him in mid-air. Whoosh! With a flick of the tentacle, Niji was thrown to the ground and bounced away.
Since he dared to attack, then completely remove all his ability to resist first.
"Niji!!!"
Looking at his second son lying on the ground unable to get up, Judge finally broke down emotionally. Tears and snot flowed out as he shouted in panic, "I agree! Is agreeing not enough? Our Germa submits to you! Please spare us! Please!!!"
Merlin walked calmly to Judge and looked down at him. "What did you say?"
"I I... Lord... Lord Merlin, I am willing to lead Germa 66 to serve you.
"I, I submit."
Like a wild dog with a broken spine, Judge cried and shouted again, "I submit, I submit to you! Please spare us!"
Merlin nodded. "Hope you keep your word. I have a bad temper."
Saying this, he hooked a finger. Judge's shadow was grabbed by a shadow hand. Merlin drew his sword and slashed, cutting off a small half in an instant.
Judge instantly felt the world spin and panted violently. Even if only a small half was cut off, and it wouldn't make him a shadowless person dying in the sunlight, it still caused a considerable shock to his mind.
Merlin looked at the palm-sized shadow in the shape of Judge in his hand.
In the next moment, with a thought, through the shadow, the Platinum Lead Calamity on Judge's body was reclaimed. Soon, Judge's body recovered, but he still panted violently, looking at the shadow in Merlin's hand with fear.
Seeing his gaze, the shadow under Merlin's feet rose, turning into a snake mouth and swallowing it. Then the shadow flattened into the ground. Merlin said calmly, "Germa is a kingdom of assassins and mercenaries. It can be said you believe in the dark forest theory, survival of the fittest. So I am stronger than you. Then you have to listen to me.
"This shadow is the medium for me to control your life. I can transmit all my attacks to your body through the shadow anytime, anywhere. For example, electric shock..."
Suddenly, electric current poured into his body instantly.
Judge couldn't help screaming.
But soon, this pain came fast and went fast.
Mercury poison, injury, freezing, cold and fever, negative emotions, etc. calamities... let him taste them one by one on his body.
Judge was hypocritical, selfish, heartless, brutal, but also cowardly and afraid of death. Yet he knew gratitude and kept his promises. He was a very complex person. Threatening him with his life to submit at first was the fastest way.
At this time, Merlin looked at Niji, who was lying on the ground breathing weakly. The shadow spread over and absorbed his injury.
Merlin came here not to destroy Germa, but to recruit.
Germa's biotechnology was very useful, and Judge was a bit talented, belonging to the top small group of people under Vegapunk in this world. But he was arrogant; without beating him into obedience once, he wouldn't give up some of his petty tricks.
Seeing Merlin heal Niji in a blink, a trace of relief flashed in Judge's eyes. But at the same time, the fear of Merlin's methods in his heart reached the extreme.
White Demon worthy of being the White Demon.
There was no misnomer in this world.
Merlin looked around, then at Judge, and asked, "You were formerly a formal member of the illegal research team MADS. Under Vegapunk's lead, you obtained this super-gene technology to manipulate the 'Lineage Factor.'
"When the World Government decided to arrest you, unlike Vegapunk and Caesar Clown who were caught and recruited by the government, and unlike Queen who escaped and joined the Beasts Pirates, you fled back to the North Blue to do research. Then, you modified your children while they were still embryos.
"To be honest, you are a rotten person.
"But you are still somewhat useful.
"My arrival should have made you fully realize and beaten you awake, right?
"Your research, currently for me, can only be considered trivial gadgets not worth mentioning.
"Wanting to rely on this technology to fulfill your ambition of reunifying the North Blue in your mind?
"To be honest, it's quite funny."
Judge was resentful in his heart, but he dared not speak out. Merlin glanced at him and said, "I can easily destroy your Germa. And there are at least no fewer than ten people with my strength in the World Government.
"Why is there a 66 behind Germa instead of something else? This 66 represents the time unit of days. The World Government sent people to the North Blue to find you and defeat your ancestors; it probably took these many days, right?
"Even more time was probably spent on the journey.
"Suppose you could rule the North Blue again. How many days do you think they would spend this time?
"Kizaru with the Glint-Glint Fruit, as long as he locates your position... half an hour? One minute? Or a dozen seconds?
"Kizaru's strength is not below mine, or even above mine.
"Do you think your bullets can kill a Logia light human?"
Merlin's words hammered on Judge's heart like a giant hammer, making this tall man's face turn ashen at this moment.
Merlin chuckled lightly. "Could it be that in ten or twenty years, you want to rely on these few children of yours to help you unify the North Blue?
"Fine, even if you ruled!
"How many days do you plan to rule this time?
"Ten days? Become Germa 10?
"One day? Become Germa 01?
"Or rule for half an hour? Thereby achieving the seemingly impressive title of Germa 1800 (seconds)?"
His background was exposed; he seemed to have no privacy in front of this man. Judge's mouth twitched violently. A beautiful dream is beautiful because it is a dream.
But now this dream was broken.
Judge panted heavily.
He couldn't help groaning.
Tears flashed in his eyes. His psychological defense pierced, becoming cowardly, he looked at Merlin expectantly at this moment. "I submitted to you, so can you help me achieve my dream?"
Merlin's face was calm. "I am stronger than you. Following me, the probability of achieving your dream is greater. Since you know me.
"Then you should know the miserable state of the royal families of those four countries now, right?"
Judge's eye corner twitched. Such a big event happened in the North Blue right under his nose; aiming for the North Blue, how could he not know? How could he not investigate?
He nodded and said, "I went to see those kings. I got a batch of treasure from them, research funds for Amber Lead Disease.
"They also paid to hire our Germa, hiring us to crusade against you."
"Oh?" Merlin's mouth curled up. "There was such a thing! So, what did you do?"
Judge's mouth twitched, looking at Merlin somewhat guiltily. "I can't solve Amber Lead Disease. No, can't say can't solve it. Just clone healthy body organs compatible with the person through Lineage Factors, then perform surgery to replace body parts.
"But why should I help them?
"Only when they have Amber Lead Disease can I continue to extract research funds from them to enrich myself.
"At most, I'll help them develop a drug to reduce pain.
"As for them paying me to deal with you? That's even more of a joke. I'd be sick in the head to make enemies everywhere for myself."
This was actually a lie because he hadn't had time to implement it before Merlin came knocking on his door first.
But that wasn't important.
Hearing this, Merlin was amused, looking at Judge with surprise. "Choosing to cooperate with you, they really had eight lifetimes of bad luck!"
"Hehe!" Judge laughed dryly.
At this time, Merlin glanced at the four brats who had stood up and were looking at him vigilantly. Judge followed Merlin's gaze, his heart tightening instantly, and he hurriedly said, "You four, stand down. No attacking allowed."
Instantly, Judge's four children stood motionless in silence.
Merlin glanced at them, a look of boredom flashing in his eyes. "You really are disgusting, modifying your own cubs into robot-like things."
Judge laughed dryly upon hearing this. At this time, Merlin looked at him and said, "A relationship of submission through unilateral violence cannot be maintained permanently."
Hearing Merlin's words, Judge didn't quite understand. Merlin chuckled lightly. "I want you to share all of Germa's biotechnology with me unconditionally."
Hearing this, Judge's expression changed instantly. A fierce light flashed in his eyes but was quickly suppressed. His heart sank to the bottom.
However, Merlin continued, "But at the same time, I will also share the technology and powerful resources I am about to master with you."
Hearing this, Judge instantly became interested again. Merlin glanced at him. "Your malice just now was obvious. I hope this is the last time because I don't want to have killing intent towards a future partner."
"Partner?" Judge's heart moved, looking at Merlin in surprise. Seeing him like this, Merlin nodded. "Lineage Factor technology, or rather the blueprint of life design... this technology is not unique to you."
Saying this, Merlin glanced at Judge. His figure suddenly faded and disappeared in front of Judge. Amidst Judge's shock, Merlin's voice came: "Just like the MADS organization I mentioned, with my means, I can get it from them if I spend some time.
"But you are the one easiest for me to contact."
Saying this, he took a small step and reached out to touch Judge. After a peculiar ability fluctuation passed through Judge, amidst Judge's confusion, Merlin's figure appeared, then black flames lingered around his body.
Merlin's body changed instantly. Immediately after, Merlin's figure, appearance, and clothing became exactly the same as his. Then: "Do you know Golden Lion?"
Seeing Merlin in a posture exactly like his own, even the tone of speech exactly the same, Judge was terrified to the bone.
At this time, Merlin suddenly changed back to his original appearance, looking at him and saying, "About three months ago, Marine Aokiji and the others besieged me. Finally, Golden Lion appeared.
"Fought him. I discovered his secret base floating in the sky.
"There are his research materials there, a plant called IQ capable of inducing biological evolution in the desired direction.
"There are all his materials on researching this kind of technology.
"This is an extraordinary technology not inferior to Lineage Factors."
Hearing the simple words, Judge breathed heavily. If Merlin wasn't lying, then this was true.
Light bloomed in his eyes. Merlin smiled and said, "This is my sincerity. We share research results. I can provide you with greater power, even train your children to become stronger.
"And what you have to do is entrust everything you have to me.
"You won't lose in this deal because in this world, the strong are always respected.
"Choose! become one of my own from the heart, or just be a dispensable consumable whose life is controlled by me."
Judge struggled and pondered in his eyes. But soon, he spoke, "After becoming truly one of your own, what do I have to pay?"
Merlin smiled. "You say!"
"Share weal and woe! Never betray!"
Judge gritted his teeth and said decisively.
Merlin nodded. "As long as you can walk the same path with me sincerely, then we are the staunchest allies."
Judge stared fixedly at Merlin. "Can I trust you?"
"We have a long future ahead."
Merlin said flatly.
Judge nodded seriously. "Then I swear by the name of Vinsmoke, as long as you do not betray me, then our clan will always be your most solid supporters."
"Good." Merlin nodded lightly. "Similarly, I also promise. On the road ahead, we will not abandon or give up."