What Do You Want?

"Commodore Darren!"

The North Blue sailors on watch aboard the warship saw Darren appear and immediately raised their hands in a crisp salute.

"Thanks for all your hard work."

Darren smiled.

The sailors shook their heads, then returned to their posts.

The North Blue Navy's benefits were far better than those of sailors of the same rank in any other sea. Besides their regular pay, they had fixed paid leave, the finest weapons and equipment, and the highest level of military training in the North Blue.

Every member of the North Blue Navy knew that they owed everything they had to their Admiral.

Darren walked into the ship's interior and descended the narrow stairs to the bottom of the hold.

A makeshift prison had been set up there.

The commander of Germa 66, Vinsmoke Judge, was being held inside.

When the damned Marine arrived, Vinsmoke Judge—bound and restrained in iron, with even his mouth sealed shut—began struggling wildly. Blood vessels bulged in his eyes as he let out muffled noises.

If looks could kill, his vicious, venomous glare would have killed Darren a hundred times over.

Darren casually waved a hand.

The metal block sealing Vinsmoke Judge's mouth flew away.

Judge immediately roared in fury.

"You damned little Marine! How dare you imprison me! Your days as North Blue Admiral are numbered!"

"The Germa Kingdom is an Affiliated Kingdom of the World Government! You're dead—"

His words abruptly cut off, and his pupils contracted.

A sharp iron spike twisted out of the cell and shot through the air, stopping right between his brows.

Reflected in Judge's eyes, the spike's tip gleamed coldly in the flickering torchlight, like a venomous snake poised to strike.

"Have you said enough?"

Darren smiled.

Vinsmoke Judge clenched his teeth.

"Looks like you have."

Satisfied with his reaction, Darren crooked a finger, and the snake-like spike slowly drew back.

"Vinsmoke Judge, you're right. The Germa Kingdom is an Affiliated Kingdom of the World Government. By Marine rules, this operation will indeed cause me plenty of trouble."

Darren took out a cigar, put it between his teeth, and lit it.

"But you've forgotten one thing..."

He looked at the wretched North Blue "overlord" before him, who was like a dead dog.

"You don't represent the Germa Kingdom."

At Darren's words, Vinsmoke Judge's heart lurched. He put on a show of bluster and said, "What do you mean? I'm the head of the Vinsmoke Family and the king of the Germa Kingdom! How can I not represent the Germa Kingdom?"

"No, no," Darren scoffed. "You still don't understand."

He slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"This time, it may look like I killed a lot of Germa 66's troops, but we both know they were only Clone Soldiers. Give you enough time and funding, and you'll be able to make more before long."

"Ultimately, Clone Soldiers aren't human. They're just weapons."

"And more importantly..."

"The World Government doesn't care whether its Affiliated Kingdoms live or die. The Five Elders don't care, and the Celestial Dragons care even less."

"What they care about is whether the members of their Affiliated Kingdoms regularly pay the Heavenly Tribute they demand."

"As long as the Germa Kingdom pays the Heavenly Tribute on time, the powerful won't care whether you, Vinsmoke Judge, sit on the throne."

Vinsmoke Judge's face suddenly went pale.

"Mm. Looks like you're starting to understand."

Darren raised a hand.

The iron "cage" holding Vinsmoke Judge burst open like a blooming flower. At the same time, twisted metal wove itself together behind Darren, forming an iron chair.

Though he had regained his "freedom," Vinsmoke Judge didn't angrily attack Darren. Instead, he stood there with a dark expression.

He knew perfectly well that without his Battle Suit, he was no match for this man.

Darren sat leisurely in the iron chair, smoking his cigar and smiling.

"I'm sure the other nobles in the Germa Kingdom would be interested in the throne. They'd probably be more than happy for you to die here and never return, wouldn't they?"

Vinsmoke Judge fell silent, his expression darkening.

He knew Darren was right.

The Germa Kingdom had a long history, and besides the Vinsmoke Family, it was home to numerous other noble families.

After leaving the research team and returning to Germa, Judge had used his advanced weapons to seize power in the Germa Kingdom. The bloodshed involved went without saying.

Along the way, he had also brutally suppressed the other nobles in the Germa Kingdom, carrying out a purge.

But he couldn't kill every last one of them.

It was easy to imagine that those people would be delighted if this Marine killed him.

"You wouldn't dare kill me."

Vinsmoke Judge's voice was hoarse.

Darren laughed.

"I'll admit that. After all, you're the king of an Affiliated Kingdom, while I'm just a mere Marine Captain."

"But I could hand you over to the World Government."

"You're a scientist with powerful research technology, and you once worked with Vegapunk on the MADS team. I'm sure the Government would be very pleased with that."

Vinsmoke Judge's expression changed dramatically.

"What do you know!?"

He had barely escaped the World Government agents pursuing him, avoiding capture and becoming one of their research subjects.

How could this little Marine know about such a closely guarded secret?

Darren smiled.

"You don't need to worry about what I know."

"You only need to know one thing."

"Work with me, and you can keep being king and commander in peace. If I'm in a good mood, I might even help you fulfill your ambition to 'conquer the North Blue.'"

"Or you can try to resist me."

"I'll hand you over to the World Government and install another noble as king of Germa. As long as the Germa Kingdom's Heavenly Tribute goes up by 20%, I doubt the Government would blame me. They might even publicly commend me..."

When he finished, Vinsmoke Judge fell into a long silence, his expression shifting between uncertainty and resolve.

Darren wasn't in a hurry.

He simply sat there smoking his cigar.

He knew this man's character well.

Power-hungry, vain, and arrogant.

Would he risk everything for the sake of his pride, or surrender his freedom and power...

Darren was certain Vinsmoke Judge would make the right choice.

Half a minute later,

Vinsmoke Judge raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. His voice was hoarse as he asked,

"What do you want?"