Next Bonus, 100!!
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After inspecting the training grounds, Jin made his way to the Germa 66 Research and Development Center.
As one of the first major assets brought into the fold, the science division was a cornerstone of the Empress's operational structure. Ai had since categorized and cataloged Germa 66's technology into over a thousand distinct patents. Many of their electrical engineering advancements had already been integrated into the Empress or were being rolled out across the various sectors of the Winter Blossom Kingdom.
Beyond Judge himself, Germa 66 had its own team of dedicated scientists. The communications development department on Skypiea, for example, was a specialized team spun off from this core group.
But it wasn't just them.
During their last strategic planning session, Jin and Ai had laid out a detailed roadmap for technological development. They had broken down different projects and assigned them to various specialized research teams, effectively elevating these new groups to the same level as Judge.
It was a subtle but complete dismantling and restructuring of Germa 66, fully digesting its assets and integrating them into the Empress's ecosystem.
Judge, now free from administrative duties, was left to focus solely on his lineage factor research—with the Seraphim Project as his top priority.
Jin had spared no expense to support this research. He had provided the bodies of powerful fighters they had collected, and had even managed to acquire related research data from Vegapunk. They had also discovered traces of ancient technology during their exploration of the undersea ruins.
Whatever funds or materials Judge needed, he got them. The project was more expensive than maintaining an army of a hundred thousand men.
And Judge, now completely dedicated to his work, had not disappointed.
He had achieved significant results.
Jin stepped into the research center. In the core lab, massive glass cylinders stood in silent rows—a scene straight out of science fiction. Inside each cylinder, suspended in nutrient-rich fluid, was a Seraphim.
There was Enel, Shiki, Moria, Kuma...
And even Whitebeard.
That's right.
When Law had needed to replace Whitebeard's heart, Germa 66's cloning technology had been used to cultivate a new one. In the process, Judge had naturally studied his genes, his lineage factor, and had cloned an entire body.
For now, however, it was just a body—an empty shell, devoid of soul or will.
And unlike Vegapunk's Seraphim, Judge's research had incorporated more advanced cloning techniques. As a result, these Seraphim were lifelike, indistinguishable from the real thing, not the "chibi" versions Vegapunk had produced.
The World Government had only needed the Seraphim's combat power; the "chibi" versions were sufficient for their purposes.
But Jin, like Judge, was driven by a desire to understand the very essence of life. That was why they had integrated biological cloning into their Seraphim Project.
It was a line of research that would undoubtedly be controversial, ethically speaking. But Judge, unlike the more "humane" Vegapunk, was a true "mad scientist" who had long since abandoned such concerns. He had used his own children as experiments; what did he care about anyone else?
"To differentiate our work from Vegapunk's," Judge explained, "I've named these creations the Cherubim. A single letter's difference, but our research is heading in a completely different direction. Vegapunk's Seraphim are based on pre-set programming. They lack a soul. And the soul is the foundation of all things. Only with a soul is there infinite possibility—just like those soldiers you created."
The "soldiers" he was referring to were the clone soldiers who, after countless battles and repeated exposure to the "repair" of the Soul-Ember Gold, had begun to evolve. They had once been mere consumables for Germa 66, but the healing power of the Soul-Ember Gold had changed them.
A few of them had become... different.
Though their numbers were small, the development had shaken Judge to his core.
He had always believed that emotionless fighting machines were the perfect soldiers, like his sons Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji. But seeing the change in the clone soldiers, he had abandoned that theory. The soul, he now believed, was the key.
It was a shift in perspective brought about by reality itself.
"The possession of 'intellect' and 'emotion' is one of the hallmarks of a soul," Judge said, his eyes gleaming with a fanatical light.
Jin just smiled. If he hadn't stopped him, Judge would have dragged Sanji back here for research long ago.
After all, once he had overturned his old theories and re-examined his work, it wasn't hard for him to guess that Reiju and Sanji, the two children he had considered failures, might actually be his most perfect creations.
Reiju was still bound by her "programming"—the "fear no death, never betray" directive Judge had imprinted on them.
But Sanji... that rebellious brat had likely broken through his programming. He was the test subject with the most potential.
Jin walked past the cylinders. The largest of them held the body of Oars. They'd acquired it from Moria, and it had been sitting here for a long time. But given that a larger, stronger body required more resources to clone, Oars had not been cloned. He was simply being stored.
However, one of Judge's teams was using Oars and the giants of the "Hammer Corps" to research a "gigantification drug." Jin had even given it a project name: the Jötun Project.
In truth, lineage factor research in the world of One Piece had already branched out in several directions, the main ones being cloning, artificial Devil Fruits, and enhancement drugs. But no matter the path, the goal was always the same: to increase strength.
Currently, the Jötun Project team had one primary task: to help Hajrudin activate the dormant genes within his body. It was, in itself, a part of the "gigantification experiment."
Like Loki, Hajrudin was a descendant of ancient giants.
The blood of the ancient giants flowed through his veins. Awakening that bloodline would be easier for him than for other giants.
And for that reason, Hajrudin had willingly become a test subject.
They had a common goal.
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Bellemere Port.
A new port in the Conomi Archipelago, named after Nami and Nojiko's adoptive mother.
It was a bustling, prosperous hub, a forest of masts. It had already become the busiest port in the East Blue in terms of daily cargo throughput.
Ships from all over the East Blue would arrive, their hulls laden with goods. After registering and conducting their trade, they would depart with a new cargo of goods from all over the world, heading back to their respective kingdoms.
On the coasts of those kingdoms, the cargo would be divided up among the various merchant guilds, sent out across the country, and placed on the shelves of countless different shops.
The fallout from the "Ron Incident," after the Winter Blossom Kingdom's decisive victory and the subsequent reversal of public opinion, had all but vanished.
Victory on the battlefield had been met with deference from the nations and merchant guilds of the East Blue.
Aside from the initial invaders, Jin had not pursued a scorched-earth policy. In fact, he had generously announced that he would not seek further retribution.
But those who had been involved would not be returning.
Jin might not have been seeking retribution, but that didn't mean the World Government, the Marines, and the God's Knights weren't.
Who was going to compensate them for their losses in Cocoyasi Village?
Who were they going to take their anger out on?
They couldn't touch Jin. But they could certainly deal with his collaborators.
In the time since, the World Government, the Marines, and the God's Knights had conducted a thorough purge of the merchant guilds and nobles who had "colluded" with the Revolutionary Army.
Within the various kingdoms, certain factions had cooperated, seizing the opportunity to grab more power.
And so, the news from the East Blue over the past two months had been... strange.
A major noble, shot in the back, a "suicide."
A king, a renowned swimmer, "accidentally" drowning.
A merchant guild executive, lost at sea, "a victim of pirates..."
The Battle of Cocoyasi Village had sent ripples throughout the East Blue. A major power shift was underway.
The East Blue might have looked peaceful on the surface, but the undercurrents were strong.
But in the Conomi Archipelago, the sun was still shining.
The reason was simple.
They had won.
When you win, problems cease to be problems.
When you lose, even non-problems become problems.
Whoever wins, they're on their side.
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~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
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