Chapter Forty: Artificial Humans and Collateral Damage (Please Keep Reading!)

"Disaster Corporation?"

Dylan wore a rare smile. "It suits our name quite well."

Lord Roya was a man destined to bring calamity to this world. To the people of this world, his existence was indeed no different from a natural disaster.

Barrett, on the other hand, reacted not at all. He was merely a soldier, and his only duty was to obey Lord Roya's commands.

As for Doflamingo, he certainly dared not express any opinions, terrified that Roya might turn him into someone like Judge.

However, his worries were entirely superfluous.

Judge's primary occupation was that of a scientist, so destroying and distorting his psyche mattered little.

But a combatant like Doflamingo could not be treated the same way. In this world, once a person's willpower shattered, they became utterly vulnerable. Doflamingo was already second-tier, and Roya naturally lacked the heart to turn him into a stray dog on the roadside.

"So, Boss," Judge looked at Roya with brimming anticipation, "what should we do next?"

He had completely lost his courage; his heart held only cowardice, fear, and a deep-seated hatred for the World Government. These emotions magnified his dependence on Roya infinitely.

One might say that the current Judge possessed a completely dependent personality, exclusively focused on Roya.

Human beings are fascinating creatures, aren't they?

"Let's end this war first; breaking one's promise to others is poor form," Roya said.

Thus, very soon, the fierce and predatory Germa soldiers marched the disheveled royals out under guard, along with the various ministers of the kingdom.

"Boss, how should we deal with them?" Judge subconsciously asked Roya.

This was the side effect: completely stripped of self-confidence, a broken Judge was utterly incapable of making decisions on his own.

With a look of merciful pity, Roya said, "Hand the royals over to your employer. As for the rest, release them. Heaven cherishes all life; there is no need for total annihilation."

Judge was momentarily stunned.

Those ministers who had remained in the royal palace even when the enemy was at the gates were essentially the backbone of the nation. If they were released, the war would never truly end.

Yet, a moment later, Judge scoffed inwardly at himself.

A piece of trash like him couldn't do anything right. If Lord Roya was willing to offer a suggestion, it meant he deigned to notice him—what was he hesitating for?

"I understand!" Judge nodded heavily.

"A teachable youth," Roya nodded in satisfaction. "Then next, take us on a tour of the company headquarters—oh, no, the Germa Kingdom."

"Yes! Boss!"

The Germa Kingdom was situated right upon the territory of this nation.

Having lost its own land long ago, the Germa Kingdom had been wandering the seas for hundreds of years.

The nation was built upon the backs of a cluster of giant snails.

Atop these massive snails rested a gigantic platform, and upon that platform stood the architecture of the Germa Kingdom. All the platforms could be linked together; when every single snail assembled, they formed the entirety of Germa.

It could hardly be considered large—comprising fewer than a hundred giant snails in total. Once completely spliced together, its scale was merely that of a small county town.

The total population was around three hundred thousand, consisting primarily of able-bodied men and women, with only a small number of children.

Because the country survived by serving as mercenaries, and at this stage, synthetic human soldiers had yet to flood the nation, it closely resembled a land of endless war. All adult males served as soldiers, most women toiled in factories, and ordinary citizens rarely lived to old age.

Consequently, the dark, murky aura lingering over this country was by no means negligible, and Roya was quite pleased.

Judge was truly remarkable. He had single-handedly dragged this nearly collapsed nation up to the status of a world power.

At this moment, Roya and his entourage were touring the nation's weapons factory.

They found it quite astonishing.

Assembly line operations, standardized procedures.

Roya had also visited the factories in the Land of Endless War, and he could only say the difference was astronomical.

"For the past few years, I've been entirely occupied with weapons production lines and synthetic soldiers," Judge said with a hint of pride. "Without exaggeration, you would be hard-pressed to find a nation in this world whose military possesses more advanced weaponry and equipment than ours."

"Have you considered scaling up?" Roya asked.

Compared to the mainstream standards of the open seas, Judge's factory was certainly ahead by several generations.

However, the scale was not quite large enough.

It was certainly sufficient to supply his own military, but far from adequate for exporting principles and doctrines to the entire world.

"Manpower and resources both fall short," Judge shook his head.

Roya nodded gently.

Manpower and resources were easily resolved.

The New World was never short of people, and mineral deposits were not difficult to find. Non-affiliated nations were left entirely alone, and the World Government had better things to do than venture into the New World to carve out new territories.

"Let's go take a look at the synthetic soldiers," Roya said.

"Very well, Boss! That is my proudest creation!"

Judge led Roya and the others to another factory.

This was no assembly line; instead, it housed rows of colossal cylindrical glass tanks, inside each of which floated the figure of an adolescent.

"Synthetic soldiers?" Dylan looked on with mild wonder. "How is their combat strength?"

"Once cultivation is complete, they are unquestionably stronger than elite marine soldiers!" Judge declared proudly. "They possess no physiological defects whatsoever; every single muscle in their bodies is perfection itself! They obey orders absolutely, harbor no emotions, and know no fear of death!"

"The sole drawback is that they require five years to cultivate! This first batch of synthetic soldiers still needs over two years before their cultivation is complete."

Dylan nodded inwardly.

Soldiers devoid of emotion were indeed lethal weapons on the battlefield.

Yet...

"Devoid of emotion?" Roya frowned slightly. "How can that be? What makes a human human is precisely the richness of their emotions."

"Judge, I must criticize you for this. Since you brought them into this world, how could you deprive them of the right to be moved by the beauty of this world?"

Emotions?

Judge was stunned once more.

Weren't emotions an obstacle? Only power and authority were real.

Yet, since Lord Roya had put it that way...

"I understand," Judge nodded heavily. "I will make modifications immediately. Do they still need to retain absolute obedience to orders?"

"That can stay," Roya smiled. "After all, you created them; it's only natural that they listen to you."

He added, "Can the cultivation time be shortened?"

Five years was simply too long.

With that much time to spare, one might as well go to Elbaf and recruit a batch of giant warriors.

"It is possible," Judge answered honestly, "but doing so will inevitably shorten their lifespans and reduce their physical conditioning."

"Isn't that wonderful?" Roya said earnestly, taking a philosophical tone. "The weight of a life lies not in its length, but in its depth—in the value they create during their time in this world!"

"Instead of leaving them cooped up in cultivation tanks indefinitely, it is far better to introduce them to this world sooner."

Now Judge finally understood.

Doflamingo cornered his mouth in a silent scoff.

"How short can it be made at the absolute fastest?" Roya asked.

"About a year," Judge calculated. "If this first batch of synthetic people undergoes immediate readjustment, their cultivation should be finished within two months."

"Splendid."

The corners of Roya's mouth curled upward, his smile as bright as the morning sun.

Whether these synthetic beings were thrown into factories or deployed as soldiers, they would prove immensely useful.

Moreover, once instilled with emotions, this country would serve admirably as a base camp, free of any worries regarding sustenance.

"Very good, Judge," Roya said with genuine gratification. "Your efforts have brought us one step closer to overthrowing the World Government."

"Is that so?" Judge was utterly thrilled. "I actually have two other ongoing research projects. One involves battle suits, which is just in its infancy with modest initial results. The other is a lineage factor cyborg—that will be the crystallization of all my technology, though it currently exists only on paper."

"Then you must keep up the good work. I have high hopes for you."

"Yes!"

No matter what, from this day onward, the Vinsmoke Family and the Germa Kingdom had become an inseparable part of the Disaster Corporation.

As for whether anyone else in the kingdom might object, suffice it to say that the Germa Kingdom belonged to the Vinsmoke Family, and the entire nation was Judge's absolute dictatorship.

Next, it was time to return to the New World.

The framework of the company had been established; now it was time to ramp up production and expand operations.

Meanwhile, on a certain island in the New World—

"Wahhh!"

A man as robust as a small mountain collapsed heavily onto the ground.

"To think you wouldn't run even when you saw me coming! You're really looking down on me!"

On a fist hard as steel, the pitch-black armament slowly faded. The man hailed as the Hero of the Marines grabbed the collar of the fallen monster, hauling him up.

"Now tell me, Kaido, where did that brat go? Headquarters is breathing down my neck! I can't even enjoy a proper vacation anymore!"