Standing on the castle and watching the departing warship, Judge's smile faded. He had just sent away a troublesome individual, but there was still someone more challenging here.
"Speak, what exactly do you want from me?" Judge looked at the man sitting opposite him with a serious expression, feeling particularly wary, not only because of the man's strength but also because he mentioned Vegapunk.
"Before we discuss anything, I need to make sure if you're even qualified. After all, in Vegapunk's eyes, you're categorized with those who lack intelligence," Nicholas said, lifting his head to look at Judge, completely ignoring his increasingly unpleasant expression.
"Heh, I wonder what qualifications you're talking about?" Judge replied with a smirk.
"I'm very curious to know how far you've developed the technological prowess you acquired from Vegapunk after leaving. Do you mind if I take a look?" Nicholas inquired.
"In that case, why don't you come with me?" Judge said, smiling thinly, before getting up and leading the way towards a heavily guarded section of the castle.
...
Soon they arrived at a large research facility equipped with various sophisticated instruments.
"This is the electromagnetic railgun I designed. In theory, its firing speed can reach five times that of conventional cannons, with a range of hundreds of nautical miles, making it a powerful weapon with high lethality and long-range striking capability," Judge enthusiastically introduced his design.
"In theory?" Nicholas questioned, puzzled.
"Ahem, developing such a powerful weapon is quite challenging, and many key technologies require high levels of research capabilities. Although it hasn't demonstrated its combat effectiveness yet, it will succeed sooner or later," Judge explained, somewhat nervously.
Nicholas couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly upon hearing Judge's boastful words. It seemed that with Judge's abilities, he might never be able to achieve it in his lifetime.
Ignoring Judge's self-praise, Nicholas followed Judge to a heavily guarded laboratory filled with numerous incubation pods.
"This is my most outstanding research achievement, the production line for the elite warriors of Germa 66!" Judge proudly introduced.
Watching the Germa soldiers in each incubation pod, Nicholas fell into silence. Although cloning had its taboos, its performance in warfare couldn't be denied.
Judge boasted about how the cloning technology he possessed could grow a batch of powerful warriors in five years. Nicholas couldn't help but admit the efficiency of such a method compared to traditional military training.
"How about it? Do I have the qualifications now?" Judge looked at Nicholas proudly.
Listening to Judge's words, Nicholas was rendered speechless.
It seemed that Judge was much like what Vegapunk had described—a person lacking intelligence. Despite acquiring advanced technology from Vegapunk, Judge seemed to have made no progress at all.
"Judge, can you tell me what you've been doing these past few years? What's the difference between your cloning technology and the bloodline factor research done by Vegapunk?" Nicholas asked.
Judge's expression faltered upon hearing Nicholas's question.
"Vegapunk! Vegapunk! Besides proposing some technical theories and research, what else can that nerd do? What research of his has been realized by himself!?" Judge retorted.
"Uh, so you mean your cloning technology and bloodline factor technology aren't just copies of Vegapunk's?" Nicholas raised an eyebrow, his voice tinged with sarcasm.
Judge: ...
Realizing he had been caught, Judge's facade crumbled.
"Alright, you win," Judge said dejectedly. He dared not gamble on whether Nicholas possessed that thing. After all, as Nicholas had said, Vegapunk was a maker of miracles.
"In that case, welcome to my secret lab
...
In the end, the Oro Jackson arrived at a certain harbor village in the final sea.
"Cough! Captain, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, no big deal. By the way, do you know the location?"
"Yeah, I do."
"When are we setting sail?"
"Of course, it's now!"
Roger looked at the crew in the cabin, speaking decisively.
This was the moment they had been waiting for, right?
Since they had locked in the coordinates, as long as they set foot there, they would mark the perfect end to their journey.
The other crew members onboard, apart from Roger, were also filled with anticipation.
Because not only were they witnessing the birth of a legend, but they would also become legends themselves!
However, what puzzled them was that at this moment, the captain actually ordered the pirate ship to stop.
The pirate ship stopped moving, despite being very close to their destination. They were only a stone's throw away, yet they halted.
But the crew didn't say anything, just looking at Roger, waiting for the captain's next command.