Why did it end up like this?
Germa King Judge stared blankly at the endless field of dead clone soldiers. The man who had always prided himself on his intelligence could not help but feel a deep, gnawing question rising within him.
He had always believed that his plan to revive the Kingdom of Germa was flawless — a masterpiece.As long as he followed the carefully laid steps one by one, then one day soon, he would restore the glory from centuries past, allowing Germa to once again become the overlord of the North Blue — the ruler of all northern seas.
For this plan, many years ago, when he was still young, he used his extraordinary scientific talent to join the illegal scientific research group MADS, led by Vegapunk.
Even among the geniuses gathered in MADS, Vinsmoke Judge's research prowess was among the best.In terms of scientific talent, aside from the unmatched Vegapunk himself, only a few others like Queen and Caesar could compare to him.
Unlike the others who studied without clear direction, Judge always knew exactly what he wanted.
So during his time with MADS, he focused entirely on the study of lineage factors.
After successfully cloning several powerful beings and obtaining a wealth of experimental data,Judge developed the idea of stealing the lineage factors of the strong and returning to the North Blue to create an army of powerful clone soldiers.
But as fate would have it, things did not go according to plan.
Before he could begin implementing that idea, it all collapsed.The World Government discovered MADS' dangerous research and sent forces to destroy their laboratory, arresting many of the scientists.
Judge managed to escape in the chaos and fled back to the North Blue.
Although he didn't bring back the samples of powerful individuals' lineage factors,he possessed a massive amount of research data — enough for him to believe that he could soon recreate his mass-production army project.
If he couldn't clone the strong, then he would create them himself.
Thus, Judge chose his own children as his experimental subjects.
During his wife Sora's pregnancy, he continuously injected the developing embryos with various lineage factor modification serums, artificially intervening even before they were born — shaping what he believed to be the most perfect genetic models.
Judge was convinced that if his children could perfectly adapt to the modifications, they would become beings no weaker than the monsters who roamed the seas.
And the day his children fully awakened their lineage factors would be the day the Germa Kingdom once again stood at the pinnacle of the North Blue.
Although there had been a small "failure" — a child who did not adapt — Judge dismissed it as a minor setback.
Half a year ago, Ichiji's lineage factors finally awakened.
His strength grew explosively, far surpassing his siblings Yonji, Niji, and Reiju.Not only did his body become immensely powerful, but he also awakened both forms of Haki with ease.
Judge was overjoyed. He believed the day of Germa's revival had finally arrived.
Over the next six months, he rapidly expanded the production of clone soldiers and began encroaching on neighboring nations' interests.
Finally, after amassing great wealth, Judge decided it was time to mobilize his full army and begin the first war to unify the North Blue.
His plan was to strike four nearby nations first — to expand Germa's territory.Then, after three more years of military buildup, he would sweep across the entire North Blue with thunderous force.
To avoid obstruction, Judge sent the Heavenly Tribute to the World Government in advance, preventing them from interfering under the pretext of politics.He then blockaded several nearby Marine branches to keep those self-proclaimed "justice seekers" from meddling.
Finally, he sent his four trusted children to the neighboring nations to demand surrender — or war.
Everything fit perfectly in his plan — every step flawlessly linked to the next.Even the potential interference from the Revolutionary Army and the Marines had been accounted for.
For the Revolutionaries, he pretended ignorance while secretly informing the World Government.If the Revolutionaries interfered, the Government would eliminate them.
As for the Marines, as long as the World Government accepted his tribute, that meant his campaign was sanctioned.The Marines, being subordinates of the World Government, wouldn't dare interfere.
But now… everything had changed.
The Heavenly Tribute sent to the Holy Land never arrived.His armies sent to subdue the four nations had gone silent.His greatest creation — his firstborn Ichiji, the pride of his life — had been killed by his own hand.And his tens of thousands of clone soldiers, his ultimate weapon, had all been annihilated by a single strike from the man standing before him.
An endless hatred surged within Judge's heart as his one remaining eye glared at Rorschach with venom. His shattered jaw moved with difficulty as he snarled in a slurred, furious voice:
"Marine! Do you even know what you've done?! You killed my son! You destroyed my army! As a Marine, you dared to attack a World Government member kingdom — you're challenging the very laws that govern this world! You think that just because you're a candidate for Admiral, you can do whatever you want?!"
"You… will pay for this!"
Judge's hoarse roar, his blood-covered face, his disheveled hair — he looked less like a king and more like a demon from hell.
The once-dignified monarch was now nothing but a broken wretch.
"The one who must pay isn't me," Rorschach said coldly, walking toward Judge, holding the golden spear in his hand.
He stopped before him and looked down at the fallen king.
"After gaining the territory of the Prince Kingdom, why were you still not satisfied?"
"This world is already broken enough, yet you sought to tear it open further. Without the World Government's approval, you invaded neighboring nations and attacked the allied Kingdom of Lubeniru. Your dear son Ichiji personally killed King Sid XVII of Lubeniru."
Rorschach's gaze grew colder, killing intent flashing in his eyes."Not only that, you even had the audacity to blockade Marine bases, cut off communications, and bombard them — killing hundreds of Marines. Judge, you deserve to die."
"Die!"
Judge didn't listen. Roaring in madness, he fired a burst of compressed flames from his right palm, blasting a blazing punch at Rorschach's chest.
He already knew Rorschach was immune to electricity — the golden spear had carried fifty million volts, and yet Rorschach had caught it barehanded.
So this time, he used fire.
But Rorschach merely twisted the golden spear in his hand and swung it down upon Judge's arm.
Crack!
The spear sliced through the air with a golden blur — too fast for Judge's eyes to follow.With a sharp snap, his wrist twisted grotesquely, the flames veering off course as he crashed to the ground.
"Ahhh! Damn you! Kill me if you can!"
Judge's bloodied face twisted with pain. Gritting his teeth, he glared at Rorschach, a deranged smile forming on his lips.
"Heh… you said I acted without the World Government's consent? You know nothing! I already sent them enough Heavenly Tribute days ago! That means every action I've taken here was sanctioned by your superiors! Rorschach, the so-called Marine hero — you acted without knowing the truth! You interfered with Germa's mission! Do you know what will happen to you now?!"
Judge burst into hysterical laughter, rolling on the ground like a madman.
"I'll tell you — you'll be stripped of your rank, tried, and thrown into Impel Down to rot in darkness forever!"
Listening to his crazed laughter, Rorschach raised one foot and pressed it against Judge's chest, looking down coldly.
"Oh? Is that so?" he said with a faint smirk. "Are you sure your tribute actually reached its destination?"
Judge froze. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing much," Rorschach lifted the spear slightly. "Just that I've been pretty lucky lately. Came home for a visit and found a fortune falling straight from the sky."
Judge's face twisted in horror as the realization hit him."You… you took it. You stole the Heavenly Tribute! So that's why Alec went missing — it was you! Why, Rorschach?! Why target me? We had no enmity!"
"Don't paint yourself as the victim," Rorschach said coldly, glancing around at the countless emaciated men and women in the city."For your so-called Germa revival, you dragged countless people across the North Blue into suffering. To me, your crimes are worse than those of any pirate."
Then, without waiting for a reply, he raised the golden spear and drove it toward Judge's heart.
"Rorschach-nii! Don't kill him!"
Suddenly, a voice called from above.
Rorschach stopped the spear a hair's breadth from Judge's chest and looked up to see Hibari descending rapidly, riding a white cloud.
Panting heavily, Hibari landed beside him.
"You can't kill him, Rorschach-nii. Grandpa Sengoku said — no matter what he's done, the Marines cannot kill the king of a member nation. If he dies by your hand, you'll be stripped of your rank and imprisoned. There's no way to avoid it. Especially now, with the World Conference approaching — if a member nation's king is killed by a Marine, it'll cause chaos. The Great World Recruitment will fall apart. So…"
Hibari looked at him pleadingly, her face full of worry.
No one knew Rorschach's temperament better than she did.
After seeing the deaths of the Marines from Branch 177 and Germa's atrocities across the North Blue, his rage had long reached its peak.
And the one responsible for it all — was the man lying before him.
Rorschach had come here to kill him.
Even Sengoku, far away in Marineford, had realized this, which was why he had sent Hibari racing after him to stop it.
Hearing Hibari's words, the crippled Judge began laughing again.
He looked mockingly at Rorschach.
"Hahaha! You see? I told you—ahhh!!"
Before he could finish, Rorschach struck again. His expression remained cold as he swung the golden spear several times, breaking all four of Judge's limbs. Then, with a wet thud, he impaled Judge's shoulder, nailing him to the ground.
"It seems," Rorschach said quietly, "that you still don't understand — staying alive will be your true nightmare."
End of Chapter)
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