Sherwin watched the shifting expressions on Judge face, about eighty to ninety percent certain that the man would agree to his terms.
After all, this was about getting Klee Meow the battle suit she wanted. That reason alone was enough to tip the scales.
Aside from luck, Sherwin—who had read the manga—also knew full well about Judge obsession with Vegapunk. Even if the intel Sherwin offered wasn't actually useful, as long as it had Vegapunk name attached to it, Judge wouldn't be able to calmly assess its real value.
It was fortunate he had previously run into Kizaru and Sentomaru back in Reef Town. Otherwise, he might not have known whether Vegapunk had already relocated his lab by now.
Come to think of it, he had already lost count of how many times he had used information he saw in the manga to fleece the World Government.
Since it was all free intel anyway, he never felt the slightest twinge of guilt selling it.
Sure enough, after only a moment of hesitation, Judge agreed to Sherwin terms.
Sherwin then told him that Vegapunk original lab had suffered a major accident, forcing him to abandon it and move to a new island. However, he did not mention Egghead Island by name—and as for the name of the island where the accident happened… Sherwin couldn't remember.
"Punk Hazard had an accident?" Judge muttered excitedly, "So even you, Vegapunk, have times when you fail!"
Eh? Judge actually knew the island was called Punk Hazard?Sherwin was a little surprised, but only just.
Given Judge obsession with Vegapunk, and his status as both a king of an allied nation and a scientist, learning the name of an island wasn't exactly difficult for him.
But that made Sherwin intel seem a lot less valuable, didn't it?
He pressed his lips together and decided to throw in an extra "DLC," while also pouring some cold water on Judge… yes, just incidentally. Definitely not because Sherwin found him annoying.
"It wasn't Vegapunk who failed. One of his subordinates, a scientist named Caesar, secretly developed poison gas weapons. Things spiraled out of control, and now the entire Punk Hazard Island is shrouded in gas. That why they had no choice but to relocate."
" Tch!" Judge clicked his tongue in disappointment when he realized it wasn't Vegapunk mistake. "So it was that idiot Caesar."
Caesar Clown was an old acquaintance of his. Back in the day, they had both been part of MADS. In fact, because of their long-standing rivalry over who was truly the second-best scientist in MADS, Judge relationship with Caesar had been even worse.
After all, while Judge felt only jealousy toward Vegapunk, he still acknowledged his superior skill. But aside from Vegapunk, who stood far above the rest, none of the other MADS scientists were willing to admit anyone else abilities.
So although Judge was disappointed, he quickly shifted into gloating. He gave a contemptuous snort and mocked,
"That fool has always been like this—only ever obsessed with making weapons deadlier, without the slightest thought about controlling the risks."
Sherwin glanced at Klee Meow on his shoulder.
"Meow?"
(=ω=)
The little plush-like Felyne blinked in confusion, locking eyes with Sherwin.
Sherwin reached out to scratch Klee Meow chin, then turned back to Judge with a smile that was awkward yet polite.
After a few more lines of mockery, Judge realized Sherwin wasn't responding. Clicking his tongue in disappointment, he stopped.
After all, without someone to play along, mocking lost all its fun.
And looking at Sherwin clear, clueless eyes and distracted demeanor, it was obvious he didn't understand a single thing about science or technology.
Even if Judge went on, this outsider wouldn't get it. So Judge simply saved his energy, deciding that the next time he ran into Caesar himself, he would make sure to ridicule him properly.
Having made up his mind, Judge shifted the topic.
"Your intel satisfies me. I can help you craft a battle suit and that… Insect Glaive, but just this information alone isn't enough to cover the cost. You'll need to offer something more—or pay in Berries."
Scientific research devoured money, and unlike the World Government or a Yonko, Judge had no vast funding behind him.
His research budget came from Germa mercenary work across the seas, and on top of that, the Germa Kingdom had to pay the Celestial Tribute to the World Government every year. He wasn't about to let any chance to profit slip away.
"But…" Judge continued, "if you join Germa, forget about just a weakened version of the battle suit. Every piece of technology I have would be open to you."
He still hadn't given up on recruiting Sherwin, the potential stock he had his eye on. Since the roundabout hints hadn't worked, he might as well lay it out bluntly.
However, even if Sherwin were to pledge allegiance to someone, it definitely wouldn't be Germa—an obvious dead-end of a faction.
What kind of future could someone have in the pirate world if their ultimate ambition was only to dominate the North Blue?
The Hunter, who only wished to be a traveler, silently looked down on Judge in his heart, and decisively refused:
"Sorry. I have my own goal for going out to sea. I don't intend to join any faction. Just name your price."
"Hmph!" Judge expression immediately darkened.
He had already lowered himself to speak so "politely," yet Sherwin rejected him so bluntly. It stung his pride as an arrogant man.
Still, Sherwin stance had been clear from the start, so though Judge was annoyed, he only gave a cold snort to show his displeasure.
The most important thing was, he also didn't want to get into conflict with Sherwin. After all, with his broad experience, he understood clearly what it meant to have mastered Armament Haki.
Even though Judge believed that if they really fought, he could still take Sherwin down, Germa would also suffer considerable losses in the process. For someone aiming to dominate the North Blue, that was far too great a cost.
So Judge quickly adjusted his mindset and named his price:
"Since that the case, just pay me thirty million Berries."
It wasn't that he didn't want to ask for more, but in Judge eyes, the things Sherwin wanted were nothing more than toys to amuse those Felynes. They weren't necessities. If he asked for too much, he might end up with nothing at all.
And for Germa, making a few sets of battle suits that only had transformation and flight functions, along with a staff fitted with a jet device, was something easily done with their existing technology.
There was no need for additional research funding, and the only cost involved was the materials. The profit was already quite high.
As for Sherwin, even though he knew he was being ripped off badly, this was still a seller market. And besides—children toys + pet supplies + anime merchandise—that basically a full "getting scammed" buff stacked to the max.
So Sherwin could only grit his teeth and accept the cut. After all, thirty million Berries wasn't enough to really hurt him—it was just painful to the wallet.
"No problem. Once your stuff is ready, we'll trade money for goods on the spot."
Sherwin didn't even bother to haggle. While agreeing to the price, he was also thinking viciously—
Don't let me catch the chance in the future, or I'll definitely swindle it all back with interest!
After failing to recruit him but succeeding in the deal, Judge no longer intended to waste any more time on Sherwin. He casually found an excuse and tossed these so-called "guests" aside.
"Reiju, you stay here and entertain them. I still have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."
"Yes, Father."
Reiju couldn't be happier about it—because she finally had the chance to ask Sherwin about Sanji situation.