The Germa 66 Kingdom had been mostly destroyed, though part of it remained intact.
At that moment, the wreckage was scattered across the sea, floating on the surface.
Since they were not Devil Fruit Users, many Clone Soldiers climbed out of the sea and crawled ashore.
But Uchiha Tamaharu paid them no mind. He simply watched Vinsmoke Judge, who knelt on the ground, dazed.
Nearby, Reiju wore a conflicted expression as she dealt with the aftermath, trying to salvage everything she could. After all, Germa 66 was more than just a final weapon.
She didn't know what awaited Germa 66 next.
But judging from what had just happened, Germa 66 had been utterly powerless against this Shichibukai.
Every trump card they had been so proud of had failed in the face of his power.
"Have you made your choice?"
"Will you follow me and learn about even more powerful bloodlines, or will Germa 66 disappear from this world right here today?"
Uchiha Tamaharu showed no mercy.
Judge wasn't a good person, either. He had conducted human experiments and captured countless lives from different races to study them.
He had committed enough crimes to deserve being killed a hundred times over.
If Judge hadn't been useful, Uchiha Tamaharu would probably have killed him on the spot if he'd happened to come across him.
"That power... does it really come from bloodline?"
Vinsmoke Judge's eyes were bloodshot. What he had just witnessed had clearly shaken him to the core.
Still, he hadn't been completely crushed by it.
Instead, he turned and asked Uchiha Tamaharu a question.
"Yes."
"There are even stronger ones."
Uchiha Tamaharu nodded in confirmation.
Kaguya was the pinnacle of bloodline power, possessing Kekkei Mōra and resembling the true creator of the world.
Even the Sage of Six Paths fell short of Kaguya's level.
But bloodline and strength were two different things; they couldn't be directly equated.
A fully equipped Silver player might not necessarily beat a King player with only three items.
Vinsmoke Judge fell silent, gazing at the ruins of Germa 66's castle as he considered what to do.
His three dutiful sons lay motionless on the ground. Uchiha Tamaharu's final order to them had been to stop, so they stood as still as machines.
Seeing his sons like that, Vinsmoke Judge let out a deep sigh, overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness.
His dream of spreading Germa 66's influence across the entire sea had been shattered!
"I'm willing to serve you!"
Vinsmoke Judge bowed his head.
Three days later.
"How much of the machinery has been repaired?"
Uchiha Tamaharu asked.
Germa 66 had suffered heavy losses because of his destruction.
Many machines had been damaged and needed to be repaired, including Vinsmoke Judge's laboratory, which had also sustained some damage.
"We can start analyzing things now, but we'll need a lot of data for the research,"
Vinsmoke Judge replied.
A few days earlier, Uchiha Tamaharu had placed Jutsu Formulae on the entire Vinsmoke family.
They were all positioned over their hearts, making it easy for him to take their lives.
He wasn't about to rely on charm to win over captives; threatening their lives was a much surer method.
"Use their blood as samples."
"If the three Tomoe represent three stages, then Izumi is at the third stage, while Itachi is at the fourth. Their bloodline strength is completely different."
Uchiha Tamaharu explained.
Each Tomoe in the Sharingan's development brought a certain increase in power, but after reaching the Mangekyo stage, the increase with each level was even greater than before.
"What beautiful eyes!"
With his life on the line, Vinsmoke Judge didn't resist much. After all, this was the work he loved most.
He had ambitions of his own, but he cared even more about Lineage Factors and wanted to create the perfect bloodline.
Vinsmoke Judge drew about 100 milliliters of blood from Itachi and Izumi, then began analyzing it, looking for differences.
"Reiju, I'm leaving you in charge of Germa 66. Can you handle it?"
Next, Uchiha Tamaharu went to Reiju.
Naturally, the Uchiha Clan was the best place to conduct research on the Uchiha.
But bringing all of Germa 66 there would be a bit wasteful. After all, Germa 66 was a dominant power in the North Blue.
Here, they could acquire a great deal of resources, which could help the Uchiha Clan.
Germa 66's earnings might not match Doflamingo's, but they were certainly no small sum.
After all, all those Clone Soldiers couldn't have been made out of thin air. They must have required a considerable amount of materials.
"Lord Tamaharu, I'm afraid I'm not up to the task. My father has always been in charge of Germa 66. I might not be able to manage it on my own."
Reiju tried to decline. She could tell that he wanted to take her father away, and she wasn't willing to let that happen. So she claimed she wasn't capable, hoping Uchiha Tamaharu would change his mind.
"Not long ago, I met someone who looked a lot like you and your siblings. He had the same curled eyebrows and was named Sanji. Is he your younger brother?"
Uchiha Tamaharu looked at Reiju, who had her head lowered, and asked outright.
At his words, Reiju's pupils contracted. She immediately raised her head in surprise, only to see Uchiha Tamaharu's blood-red Sharingan.
Those eyes filled her with fear.
She didn't dare say anything, afraid he would see through her if she lied.
"I've spent so much effort on you, so I'm certainly not going to kill you for no reason. Unless you betray me!"
"From now on, just carry on as before. Maintain your position as the dominant power in the North Blue. I'm not asking you to make more money; just try to keep things about the same as they were. Understood?"
Uchiha Tamaharu didn't continue discussing Sanji. Instead, he began issuing orders.
A warning was enough. If he actually decided to act, none of her family would escape.
"I understand, Lord Tamaharu!"
Reiju didn't dare resist again.
She lowered her head and knelt at Uchiha Tamaharu's feet.
"If you don't know what to do, just kill Pirates and collect their bounties."
"Also, expand the factories. There'll be a weapons production plan later; I'll give you the details when the time comes."
Uchiha Tamaharu continued giving instructions.
Kunai and Shuriken were simple enough for Germa 66's armories to produce.
But Uchiha Tamaharu planned to have Vinsmoke Judge go to the Uchiha Clan's current territory and design new ninja tools specifically for the clan. Then he would send the blueprints over for Germa 66 to manufacture them.
"Yes!"
Reiju didn't dare object.
Germa 66 was now this man's subordinate force.
"Next, the Raid Suits!"
Uchiha Tamaharu took this matter very seriously.
It definitely wasn't because he wanted to wear one himself. Raid Suits really could help the clan members a great deal.
That was right. Nothing else to it.
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