Flayed alive. Cut to pieces. His face carved apart until not even his features remained...
In Vinsmoke Judge's imagination, all the cruelest punishments he feared most replayed before his eyes. One gruesome scene after another flashed in his mind, terrifying him beyond words.
That fear was magnified by the chilling bell-like sound echoing from the depths of hell itself.
His mind broke. He began to hallucinate.
"Save… save me…"
Though Judge had always seemed strong, arrogant, and towering like an unshakable king, in truth, when faced with true danger, he was weaker than an ordinary man.
Tears welled up in his eyes. He sobbed as he called for help.
The sound of Jin's footsteps drew closer, steady and merciless. To Judge, it was like the death knell itself. Terrified, he scrambled backward across the ground like a coward.
"How pitiful you look."
Jin's voice mocked him as he advanced.
Judge's face twisted in fear, all his noble composure long gone, his once-proud features contorted into an expression that could have been used as a mocking portrait.
"Now tell me," Jin's gaze turned cold, "who is the inferior one here?"
With a sharp step, he slammed his boot onto Judge's chest.
Judge opened his mouth, but no sound came. The fear strangled his voice.
Whoosh!
Jin raised his blade. Flames coiled along its edge like a living serpent before plunging directly into Judge's body.
It was as if a fiery viper had burrowed into his flesh and begun tearing at his heart.
"AHHHHH!"
Judge's scream shook the air.
The battle was over.
The once-feared Germa 66, now broken, had no power to resist once their leader fell into enemy hands.
"I'll take it all… I'll swallow it all!"
Little Ai, full of excitement, controlled the colossal carrier. The monstrous vessel opened its terrifying maw and devoured every ship belonging to Germa 66 into its subspace.
"What… what is that?!"
Judge, Reiju, Law, the Germa soldiers, and even Robin—all of them stood frozen, their eyes wide, unable to believe what they were seeing.
The Carrier, its gaping jaws open wide, did not look like a ship. It looked like a colossal creature, no, something even more terrifying than any beast of the seas.
The subspace created by the Munch-Munch Fruit expanded endlessly with every item it consumed. There were no limits. It could grow infinitely.
It was, without doubt, one of the most powerful Devil Fruits in existence.
The only problem was that Wapol, its original user, had been utterly worthless.
Blackbeard Teach himself, after obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit, had once traveled to Drum Island, intending to kill Wapol and claim the Munch-Munch Fruit.
But now—after merging with a model carrier ship that had crossed time and space—the fruit had undergone a complete awakening under the influence of temporal energy.
It had not only awakened. It had evolved.
In the blink of an eye, the once-mighty Germa Kingdom disappeared from the seas—completely swallowed whole.
…
A day later.
The Genesis sailed smoothly into the southern port.
"There are far fewer ships here than usual today. Did something happen?"
Jin, once again in his normal youthful form, handsome and radiant, flashed a bright smile as he asked one of the dockworkers.
"Two nights ago," the worker explained quickly, "the Marines from the Kingdom's joint port base launched a sudden raid on the black market and the pirate harbors."
"Count Wenden and the admiral overseeing the port were both arrested for colluding with pirates, smuggling, and tax evasion."
"A number of merchants were implicated as well. That's why the port looks so empty."
"But don't worry. Give it a few days, and business will be booming again. As long as you're law-abiding, legitimate merchants have nothing to fear."
The chaos of that night had left long shadows.
Even among the port workers, many had been taken away in the arrests. The aftermath of the purge lingered everywhere.
"Alright, let's get the supplies according to the list."
Robin and Maya, along with several crew members, disembarked together and began purchasing goods in bulk.
Swallowing Germa 66 had not only expanded the demonic carrier's subspace but also provided Jin with vast amounts of wealth.
If not for the risk of drawing unwanted attention, Jin would have happily bought out the entire southern port in one go.
He had already realized something:
The North Blue's level of science and civilization was far ahead of many kingdoms in the Grand Line. Some kingdoms here already showed signs of early capitalism, even industrial development.
What could be bought cheaply here—he could sell at staggering profits on the less-developed islands of the Grand Line.
Gold, rare minerals…. all could be exchanged.
The profit margins ran in the hundreds, even thousands of times.
"No wonder the Marines at headquarters turn a blind eye to smuggling within their own ranks. There's simply too much money in it."
Jin smirked at the thought as he turned his gaze away from the town and brought up the ship's interface.
[Primary Authority Holder: Captain Jin]
[Ship Specifications: Length 48 meters, Width 22 meters, Height 12.6 meters, Weight 150 tons, Internal Space: 2.5 x 1.2 x 0.5 km]
[Abilities Stored: Munch-Munch Fruit, Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit, Candy-Candy Fruit, Serpent Fruit, Silent-Silent Fruit, Triceratops Fruit, Bomb-Bomb Fruit, Spring-Spring Fruit]
[Weapons: 56 heavy cannons, 325 artillery pieces, 12,068 firearms, 564 national-grade armaments]
[Crew: Bartholomew Kuma (Cook), Crocodile (Gunner)]
[Next Evolution Requirements: Soul Crystals 385/2000, Refined Steel 50,000/2000 tons, Gold 12/10 tons, Silver 35/30 tons, Rare Earths 300/300 tons, Active Matter 3/10]
The interior of the devil carrier was now vast, rivaling a small island. Its firepower had grown enormously.
Meanwhile, Little Ai was busily recording all of Germa's advanced science: the genetic factor technology, memory-metal experiments, and other invaluable data.
Judge, under the influence of the Infernal Crimson Serpent Fruit, had completely lost his will. He confessed everything without reservation.
And with him subdued, Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, Yonji, and the army of clone soldiers had no power to resist.
The very technology that had once made Germa feared and dominant… had now brought about its downfall.
…
On the balcony of the castle, beneath the shade of a parasol, Jin relaxed as Little Ai opened a skylight above him. Sunlight streamed in, warm and comforting.
He savored the feeling of leisure.
"Bastard! Let us go! We are subjects of a World Government member kingdom. If we go missing, people will come searching!"
Reiju shouted furiously even as she peeled fruit and placed the pieces into Jin's mouth.
"Reiju, are you worried about me?"
Jin took a delicate bite, his lips brushing her pale jade-like fingers. The sweetness of her touch was greater than that of the fruit.
"Who's worried about you, you scoundrel?!"
Reiju fumed, her heart torn between anger and guilt.
It had been her carelessness that allowed this wolf into their home. Because of her, her father was captured, and Germa 66 destroyed.
She wanted nothing more than to unleash her poison, to kill Jin with poison.
But she didn't dare.
Her father and brothers were in Jin's hands.
What could she do?
She was nothing more than meat on the chopping board—threatened, toyed with, and humiliated.
And yet… deep inside, she doubted if even her full poison could kill him. Jin's power was terrifying, his abilities unfathomable.
Not only him, but that massive "bear"—Kuma—was equally monstrous.
That night, even when she and her brothers joined forces, they had been crushed until they questioned their very existence.
Such strength… how had they never heard of this man before?
Could it be… was he one of the Four Emperors? Red-Haired Shanks himself?
But when her eyes drifted toward Law, her doubts grew.
Red-Haired Shanks was a one-armed swordsman. This man didn't match.
"King of the North."
Law's voice cut in as he stepped onto the balcony.
Jin motioned for him to sit across from him.
Relieved, Reiju quietly slipped her hand away.
As Law sat, he muttered, "Threatening a young woman isn't exactly honorable, is it?"
He sympathized with Reiju.
Damn it! He himself had been lured onto this cursed ship by both fists and persuasion. And now, every time he thought of leaving, it felt like an impossible dream.
So his words weren't just for Reiju. They were also for himself.
A quiet plea, an indirect way of saying—You're a real bastard, you know that?
Jin only chuckled. "A melon forced from the vine may not be sweet, but it still quenches thirst. Don't you agree?"
Law fell silent.
Jin raised his glass of juice, taking a sip before sighing. "This world is a torrent that sweeps us all along. Virgins untouched by the chaos? Rare to the point of extinction."
"If you want to find one now, you might as well aim to touch the sky."
He laughed softly. "But everything depends on will. If two souls are truly aligned, even if she is cold and distant at first, one day her buttons will come undone."
Law's expression darkened.
As for him? That day would never come. Absolutely never. Not in this lifetime!
Jin shifted the topic. "Now, about the Sapphire Scale Disease—the records and treatment plans. What do you think?"
At the mention of the illness, Law's demeanor grew serious. "It's a hereditary disease unlike anything I've seen before. Even more troublesome than lead poisoning."
"Dr. Kureha's diagnosis and treatment plan are… impressive. Even I can't find fault with them."
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