Ian had once asked Judge why Uncle Queen and he had such a deep-rooted conflict.
At that time, Judge simply replied nonchalantly, "The gap in talent must have made him jealous and resentful."
Ian didn't know what to say in response to that.
What is it, Mr. Judge? Are you more talented than Vegapunk?
Why is it that Uncle Queen doesn't hate Vegapunk and Caesar but only hates you? As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. Could it be that the problem lies with you?
Of course, now is not the time for such nonsense.
Ian took a step forward and stood in front of Uncle Queen.
"Stop, Uncle Queen."
Ian said seriously, "Judge is a guest I brought back, don't do anything reckless."
"…!"
The giant yellow arm dragon immediately stopped in its tracks. Uncle Queen gritted his teeth and stared hard at Ian.
One could only say that time had passed, and the little brat in front of him was no longer the same one he could easily control!
Or perhaps, this damn brat had never been someone who could be controlled at will, even as a child.
And now, this brat's strength was far above his own.
Although he deeply didn't want to admit it, that was the truth.
Poor family members!
Queen looked at Ian, who had a calm expression. He had no doubt that if he disobeyed and tried to continue attacking Judge, this brat would throw him straight into the sea without hesitation.
Judge, who had originally been somewhat intimidated by Queen's thunderous charge, now showed a sly grin, acting tough.
In fact, after many years, Queen had done much better than him. He was a high-ranking officer in the strongest pirate crew in the world, the Beasts Pirates.
He was much stronger than Judge, the king of the Germa Kingdom.
It was probably like a class reunion after many years, where you are a small business owner, but an old classmate who never got along with you back in school is now a top executive in a multinational corporation.
Even the size of this multinational corporation was a bit exaggerated, almost at the level of a megacorporation in a cyberpunk world, far surpassing the country and directly challenging the world.
They weren't in the same league.
But, my partner is the second-in-command of this company, the prince!
"Queen, it's been many years, but it doesn't seem like you've made much progress."
Judge chuckled, "Is the planes on Ian's ship your most remarkable research achievement over these years? They're quite average. Even Caesar could easily make more advanced ones, right?"
Alright, I completely understand why Uncle Queen holds such a deep grudge against you, Mr. Judge.
Ian's lips twitched slightly.
"Judge!!"
Queen was so enraged by Judge's words that his face turned red with fury, as if he could not wait to fire a few lasers at Judge to literally "open his eyes."
"Alright, both of you, calm down," Ian quickly intervened, stopping their verbal sparring. He turned to Queen. "Uncle Queen, next, we're going to find Kaido-sensei to demonstrate the artificial Devil Fruits created by Judge. You should come along as well."
"Sure!"
Queen glared at Judge fiercely. "I want to see just how amazing this bastard's creations are! If they don't impress Boss Kaido, hey, you'll regret it!"
Judge instinctively felt a pang of fear in his heart but quickly straightened up.
Ian was extremely pleased.
Could Kaido possibly be that picky?
"My technology is beyond your imagination, Queen," Judge said confidently.
Ian gave a small, almost amused, smile. Honestly, Mr. Judge, with that mouth of yours, it wouldn't be too much if Uncle Queen knocked you out.
"Let's go."
Ian spoke, knowing that Kaido must have been waiting eagerly, so they headed toward him.
The group walked towards Onigashima.
In addition to Ian and his friends, Judge also brought along his four children.
It seemed they had received prior orders. Other than the usually quiet Reiju, the other three kids were calm, though their eyes darted around curiously.
Then, as they approached the main building.
"Ian-nii! It's time to take us out to sea!"
The little ones ran out from the building, with Ulti leading the charge. "We're already strong enough to fight!"
She was already nine years old this year. Though still young, her remarkable talent and years of strict training had made her strength quite formidable.
After all, she was also an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user and even had a second-generation Raid Suit specially made by Judge.
"Let's wait until you're a bit older."
Ian pressed the little girl's head, not letting her rush over.
Because.
"Ian made it very clear, it's because you're still too weak."
Hancock said with a smile, "Unlike me, I can fight alongside Ian."
"You jerk!"
Runti immediately became furious, "I'll beat you up!"
"Sis!"
Page One quickly held her back.
He knew Hancock's strength. If they really fought, his sister wouldn't even be able to withstand a single move.
Meanwhile,
"Oh! Isn't that Sanji!"
The Vinsmoke brothers, who had been silent until now, noticed Sanji following the two siblings.
Sanji, who had been excited to see his respected big brother Ian, suddenly had a cold expression on his face.
Especially since he also saw Judge, who was now watching him.
"Sanji," Judge looked down at him, just like before, but this time, there was a hint of admiration in his eyes, "I heard Ian say you've awakened the power of the Lineage Factor, good, this proves that my technique is truly perfect!"
Sanji clenched his fists tightly after hearing this.
Ian suddenly smirked, "Sanji, why don't you take your sister and brothers for a tour of Onigashima."
Sanji was stunned for a moment, then nodded heavily.
So, Yamato and the others scattered, each doing their own thing. Sanji took his sister and brothers to explore Onigashima, while Ian, Judge, and Queen went to meet Kaido-sensei.
"Made me wait, huh."
Kaido, who rarely drank today, stared straight at Judge as the three entered, "Hurry up and show me!"
Over two years had passed, and there was little change in Kaido, except that Ian felt his legs had gotten a bit shorter.
It should be said that Kaido-sensei's imposing gaze made Judge feel uneasy.
But Judge had seen his fair share of big scenes, so he took out the box he always carried with him, which contained the several fully matured artificial Devil Fruits.
"Kaido, please bring a few people who can cooperate with the experiment," Judge said.
Soon, several pirates were brought over.
Judge didn't say much and directly handed the Devil Fruits to them.
The pirates were somewhat surprised, never expecting that low-ranking pirates like them would have Devil Fruits to eat.
After receiving Kaido's approval, they didn't hesitate and immediately gulped down the fruits.
The disgusting taste made several of them gag, but that was when the changes began.
Animal traits, such as fur, claws, ears, tails, and horns, began to appear on them.
"Oh?"
Kaido-sensei leaned forward, his interest piqued.
The pirates were confused about their transformation. Was this how Zoan-type Devil Fruits worked?
But before they could voice their confusion, Ian spoke up. "Let's test their strength now."
So, the test began.
The test was actually quite simple—just let them fight each other.
The final results showed that their abilities in all aspects had been greatly enhanced, and they were no longer at the level of lowly scum.
"Hehehehe!"
Kaido was extremely happy. "Good! You did well, Vinsmoke Judge!"
His praise made Judge feel a bit proud, but thankfully, he didn't lose composure and remained respectful. "This is our agreement."
Queen clenched his teeth in envy.
But there was nothing he could do; he wasn't skilled in the field of Lineage Factors.
"When can we start mass production?"
Kaido asked the most pressing question.
"Anytime," Ian answered, "But these fruits can still become even stronger."
He told Kaido-sensei that the Lineage Factors of those ferocious beasts could be used as materials.
"Ha ha ha! I see, so you had those wild beasts' blood collected just for this, huh?"
Kaido was even more excited. An artificial Devil Fruit that could rival a real Zoan-type Devil Fruit? It was enough to get anyone's blood pumping!
Ian chuckled lightly. "I wanted to surprise you."
When they were returning from the North Blue, he had already had the crew collect the blood of the giant beasts from the Beast Legion.
It would have been troublesome to collect them one by one after returning.
After all, the Beast Pirates now had over two hundred fierce beasts, most of which were scattered across various factories in Wano and numerous bases overseas.
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