Wapometal (Please Read On)

After Sanji left, Germa's army continued its assault on the Kogia Kingdom and occupied the non-member nation within a single day.

To Van's surprise, Judge did not push him into the spotlight. Instead, he sealed off all related news.

Van was happy to have it easy. He continued living quietly and urged Drake and the others to train.

Winter passed, spring arrived, and Kogia Island, with its distinct four seasons, soon entered summer.

"It'll be difficult to improve quickly if I stay here any longer. It's time to leave."

In the castle hall, Van set down the newspaper in his hand and called Chavik.

He had already developed the Op-Op Fruit to a considerable level. Of the techniques Law had used before awakening in the original story, Personality Transplant Surgery was the only one he had yet to master.

However, he had made breakthroughs in other areas. Techniques such as Shockwave Impact, Light Condensation Scorch, and Negative Pressure Collapse had all been developed based on related medical equipment.

Those were already enough for combat. Learning more would only waste his energy, and their effects were nothing particularly extraordinary. There was no need for it.

His next training focus would be his physique and Haki. Those were the keys to raising his combat ceiling.

"Mr. Van, do you need something?"

Chavik's voice came through the Den Den Mushi. There was a hint of familiarity in his tone now, unlike the distant politeness of half a year ago.

"I need a ship, something ordinary. It can't be too conspicuous."

"Where does Mr. Van wish to go? I can arrange for a snail ship to escort you."

"I've been in the East Blue for so long. I plan to go out and take a look around."

"Understood! I'll get back to you as soon as possible!"

After the call ended, Chavik hung up the Den Den Mushi.

Not long afterward, he appeared directly at the castle entrance.

"Mr. Van, Lord Judge requests your presence at the main castle."

"Let's go."

Van greeted Blue Moon, then followed Chavik to the outside of Judge's castle.

This was his second time here. Only Reiju was waiting at the entrance. Judge had yet to arrive, and Ichiji and the other two were nowhere to be seen.

"Is Mr. Judge's experiment not going well?" Van asked casually.

He had previously heard hospital staff chatting about how Germa had been purchasing slaves everywhere over the past half year for human experiments.

It seemed that the success of Reiju and her three brothers had stirred Judge's ambitions. He wanted to leap straight to the top and turn clones directly into modified humans.

What kind of concept was that?

From embryo to adulthood, clones only needed five years. They were disposable tools through and through.

Modified humans, on the other hand, had to be affected by drugs and undergo repeated stimulation before they could awaken. The time they needed to reach adulthood was also the same as that of ordinary people.

If it succeeded, it would mean rapidly mass-producing modified humans like Reiju. Germa's military strength would skyrocket by an unimaginable margin.

Unfortunately, there was a fundamental difference between the two. Breaking through that technological barrier would not be easy. With Judge working behind closed doors, he likely had no hope in this lifetime.

"I don't know."

Reiju's little face was tense, and she refused to reveal even the slightest bit of information.

Seeing how uninteresting she was being, Van could not be bothered to ask further.

His energy was limited right now, and he had no time to covet Germa's core technology. But he would definitely give it a try someday.

Would modified-human technology, born from Lineage Factors and capable of presetting master-servant commands, produce a wondrous biological reaction when combined with Personality Transplant Surgery?

"Please, sit. Father will be here shortly!"

Reiju politely invited Van to sit down, then ran to stand beside a door farther inside on the left side of the reception hall.

After waiting for a while, Judge hurried in, still wearing a white lab coat.

He ignored Reiju and sat directly in the seat of honor. "You're leaving?"

"Doflamingo is improving as well. Blindly training in seclusion isn't a wise choice." Van did not deny it.

"You're right. If we want to defeat him, we must improve our own strength as well." Judge asked directly, "It's time you told me about the information you mentioned before, isn't it?"

"In a few months, the Reverie, which is held once every four years, will begin, right?" Van smiled. "When does Mr. Judge plan to depart?"

"Does that have something to do with your information?" Judge frowned.

"My information concerns the Drum Kingdom. I wonder if Mr. Judge knows their king, Wapol?" Van asked.

"That small country renowned worldwide for its medical technology?" Judge looked even more puzzled. "I remember the king isn't called Wapol."

"Then he hasn't taken the throne yet. Wapol is still a prince, but he should have already become a Devil Fruit user."

Van stopped beating around the bush and continued, "He possesses the Paramecia-type Munch-Munch Fruit. He can swallow all kinds of things, digest and synthesize them, and create new materials."

"New materials?" Judge seemed to vaguely understand something and hesitated. "You mean..."

"Although it will be full of chance, if he keeps trying, he should be able to create a memory metal with shape-reconstruction properties."

"When that happens, Mr. Judge can use that metal to create battle suits suited to the physiques of modified humans."

The memory metal Van was referring to was the Wapometal from the original story, which Wapol had accidentally synthesized while wandering after being defeated by Luffy.

With that special material, Wapol had become one of the world's wealthiest men in one stroke. He had even established a new country in the South Blue and regained the right to attend the Reverie.

Franky's Franky Shogun and the Vinsmoke Family's battle suits were both made with Wapometal as their core material. Perhaps because the material was rare and precious, there were only a few sets in total.

Now that the timeline had advanced by more than ten years, if they could obtain Wapometal earlier, Judge would certainly be able to make many more battle suits.

"Shape reconstruction... Can such miraculous metal really be created?"

As a top scientist, Judge understood perfectly well how valuable the material Van described would be.

But he believed in the power of technology, and it was difficult for him to believe that something like this could be manufactured by a person alone.

Synthesizing metal in one's stomach sounded unreliable no matter how he looked at it.

"It's absolutely true!" Van said seriously. "The reason I'm willing to tell you is not only to strengthen you as an ally, but also because I hope we can share the benefits in the future."

Battle suits could be customized according to the physical traits of modified humans, so their design could naturally be adjusted to create versions suitable for ordinary people.

He did not need them himself, but he could use them to arm those around him, giving them greater combat power and a better chance of survival.

"Of course, there's no problem!"

Upon hearing that Van wanted a share, Judge did not hesitate and readily agreed.

Since Van wanted it himself, that only proved it was real. Van would not waste his efforts on something useless.

"Mr. Judge can take advantage of this year's Reverie to discuss the matter with the current king of the Drum Kingdom."

"This special alloy can only be synthesized through constant experimentation, and Wapol's ability will continue to be needed afterward. It would be best to cooperate for mutual benefit."

"If they refuse to cooperate, I can step in and use some forceful measures to make them cooperate."

When it was time to contribute, Van would not stand aside. After all, this was beneficial to both sides.

"That would be even better." Judge nodded in satisfaction. "I'll have Chavik prepare a ship at once. You can leave Kogia Island tomorrow."

If Wapol refused to cooperate, he really would need Van's help.

Germa was no longer as glorious as before. If it openly moved against the Drum Kingdom, those North Blue member nations that Germa had once bullied would surely kick it while it was down. By then, no amount of money spent on smoothing things over would help.

Once the World Government stripped Germa of its status as a member nation, it could only hide in the East Blue from then on, and it would be difficult to profit from war in other seas.