But the moment Judge spoke, he saw Doflamingo looking at him with a half-smiling expression.
In an instant, all color drained from Judge's flushed face, leaving it deathly pale. Even his voice trembled.
"Th... that... our Germa Kingdom... is also one of the World Government Member States. Lord Doflamingo, as a Shichibukai, you cannot plunder a Member State!"
At first, Judge spoke fearfully, but perhaps he had gained confidence in the World Government by the end. His words became much smoother.
Doflamingo smiled faintly. "That makes perfect sense. But Germa 66, a World Government Member State, is not the same as an ordinary country."
"Tell me, if I slaughtered every last one of you, then sank these Snail Ships to the bottom of the sea and destroyed all evidence... would the World Government come looking for trouble with me?"
Cold sweat poured down Judge's head as if he had been drenched with water, soaking his clothes through. He stammered, "Y-you... this..."
The World Government was already too busy dealing with its own problems. If Doflamingo targeted a land-based nation, then for the sake of its authority, the World Government would surely have to fight Doflamingo in the end.
But if he dealt with a seaborne nation like Germa 66, and did so swiftly and cleanly, leaving no loose ends... the World Government would most likely pretend it had seen nothing.
Even if the World Government knew Doflamingo was responsible, as long as it did not become public knowledge, it would not care.
At most, it would announce that Germa 66 had collectively sunk into the sea due to a storm or something similar, then brush the matter aside. Other nations would not care anyway. They had never regarded Germa 66 as one of their own, only as arms dealers. There