Chapter 211: Negotiation with Germa
"I am the eldest daughter of the Vinsmoke Family, Vinsmoke Reiju."
Reiju slowly approached Yelena, an elegant smile on her face. "I never thought that Lord Archangel would dispatch a person of your stature to await our arrival," she said with a smile.
A hoarse, chilling voice came from under the gas mask, echoing in the dim space. "The Archangel places great importance on this meeting and is very hopeful that Germa will agree to this cooperation."
Yelena concisely explained that she had come to show how much Louis valued Germa.
"Is that so? To be valued by an 'Emperor of the Sea'... we are quite honored!"
Yelena's scarlet eyes, through her lenses, stared at the young girl before her, who looked to be about the same age as Louis. She wasted no more words. "Follow me."
With that, Yelena turned and strode into the dim passage, heading straight for the exit. Reiju did not linger, but quickened her pace and followed.
Nearby, the white-haired old man, who had been silent all this time, turned to the two lines of soldiers behind him and quickly commanded, "Put on your cloaks and conceal your features."
As the command was given, a series of uniform movements and sounds rang out as the clone soldiers from Germa quickly completed the old man's instructions. Then, everyone silently followed behind the two, moving slowly.
The white-haired old man looked at the heavily armored figure over three meters tall in front of him, a look of worry in his eyes.
Not long ago, the Archangel Pirates had suddenly contacted Germa, which happened to be in the New World, and had extended an invitation. Originally, Judge, as the commander, had not intended to pay it any mind. But after verifying their identity, he had become hesitant and had finally agreed to negotiate.
Judge had dispatched his eldest daughter, who was relatively peaceful and not so arrogant, to negotiate. He knew that if he had sent his other children, it would be a small matter if they didn't return. It would be far more terrifying if they were brought back as hostages.
Even someone as proud as Judge understood that the mere Germa was no match for any of the Sea Emperors. Even the defeated remnants of their enemies could sink Germa like a group of grunts.
To prevent the young Reiju from being fooled by the Archangel Pirates, Judge had also dispatched himself (the old scientist) to accompany her and cooperate in the negotiations.
As time passed, the group, led by Reiju and Yelena, crossed the town, boarded the Gaea--controlled elevator, and quickly ascended to the top.
In front of the giant gate, Reiju looked with great interest at the mechanical creations in front of her, which at first glance had a human appearance, but upon closer inspection, gave off a chilling feeling.
"Are these the rumored killing machines?" the white-haired scientist thought to himself, looking at the puppets' stiff faces and the clearly visible joints. As a scientist, he had a subtle interest in these devices of unknown construction. "If only I had the chance to take one apart..."
As the gate was opened, an extremely wide hall came into view, making the two, who had seen much of the world, sigh with emotion.
"I've never seen such a large hall—"
"Is it because the Archangel Pirates have four powerful giants?"
Yelena led Reiju and the scientist directly to Louis and then stood quietly by his side with her arms crossed. Her scarlet eyes were fixed on the two Germa representatives.
Reiju's gaze fell on the man with flawless white wings, long, loose, pale-golden hair, and an extremely handsome masculine face. She was momentarily dazed. Then, she inconspicuously composed herself and began to carry out the matters her father had instructed.
"Lord Archangel, I am the eldest daughter of the Vinsmoke Family, here to speak with you on behalf of Germa."
To this, Louis nodded, indicating he already knew. Then, his gaze fell on Reiju's face, and he cut straight to the chase. "Take out the Den Den Mushi."
"..."
Louis's words caused a subtle change in the expressions of Reiju and the scientist. Louis's superhuman senses precisely captured this imperceptible fluctuation, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Don't tell me Vinsmoke Judge really intended for you to conduct this negotiation?"
"..."
A standard smile appeared on Reiju's face. Her father... most likely had been thinking just that, intending to send her over first to stall while he used the time to think of a countermeasure.
Their silence also told Louis that his guess was not wrong.
Brrring~ Brrring~ Brrring~ After a brief moment of thought, Reiju took out a Den Den Mushi and dialed her father. Although her father hadn't instructed her on what to do, she did indeed have a Den Den Mushi with her.
Click. The call was answered, and a middle-aged man's voice came through. "According to my calculations, you should be arriving in Dressrosa soon, right? Why are you calling me at this time?"
To this, Reiju very directly explained the current situation. "Father, Lord Archangel wishes to negotiate with you."
?
"..."
Hearing Reiju's words, cold sweat subconsciously dripped down Judge's forehead. He almost hung up the phone directly. After a moment, he managed to control himself, striving to suppress his tone. "This is Judge. Lord Archangel, for an existence like you to contact a small character like us, who is just surviving in the cracks... it shouldn't be just for the simple cooperation you mentioned, right?"
However, Louis gave a negative answer. "No. My purpose is very simple. I just hope you will help me complete a certain work. After that, the cooperation will end."
To this, Louis stated directly that as long as the Ex-Machina with the Green Blood of the Copy-Copy Fruit user were successfully created, Germa could do whatever they wanted; it had nothing to do with him. Louis had little interest in tying Germa to his chariot. His purpose in finding them had always been the Ex-Machina, not Germa itself.
From the moment the call was connected, Reiju and the scientist had become mere decorations. This negotiation was now being conducted by the leaders of both sides.
After a brief silence, the Den Den Mushi mimicked Judge's subtle expression. "If we do not agree to your cooperation... what will you do?"
On the sofa, Reiju's vision went dark, and she almost fainted. She had never thought that her usually sinister and cunning father would, at such a critical juncture, ask a Sea Emperor such a stupid question. Is he completely disregarding our lives?!
To this, Louis gave a casual answer. "Nothing. I'll just go find the next scientist."
Louis indicated that as long as Germa's attitude wasn't arrogant or malicious, he wouldn't be so petty as to get angry and attack over a single refusal. Many people had refused him. He didn't have the time to get hung up on Germa.
After a while, Judge's unique voice sounded again. "Can you tell me what you want me to do?"
"Artificial Devil Fruits. Have you heard of them?" Louis said in a deep voice, the Green Blood of the Seraphim's arms flashing in his mind.
On the other side, Judge heard him and frowned. "Those nondescript monsters?"
"No—" Louis replied. "I'm not interested in those miscellaneous animals. What I want is an artificial Paramecia fruit."
Judge heard him and fell silent again. Of course, he knew about artificial Devil Fruits, and he knew that this technology had too many uncertainties. Although he had not been involved in this field, he knew that an artificial Paramecia fruit was much more difficult to create than a Zoan type. Even if he let that annoying "big-head" (Vegapunk) try, it would probably take several years. If he were to experiment himself, it would take even more time.
This amount of time, measured in years, was enough for Germa to accept how many war commissions!
The eyes under Judge's helmet narrowed slightly. "Not worth it—" he thought to himself.
"The funding for this experiment... you can fill in any amount you want. I will approve it."
The magnanimous Louis indicated that if Big Mom's and Doflamingo's money wasn't enough, he would just go and get the gold from Jaya. And if that still wasn't enough, he would go to the Land of Wano and rob Kaido.
"..."
These words directly killed the other half of the sentence that Judge had been about to say.
"Any amount I want?"
Louis tapped lightly on the desk and replied seriously, "Of course. And I trust you won't be too outrageous."
Judge heard him and gestured to another white-haired scientist at his side, signaling him to go and collect data related to Devil Fruit research. Then, his stiff expression gradually eased, and his tone became a bit more lively. "Let's meet in person at a different time."
Originally, Judge had not wanted to agree to this cooperation, but the Archangel was simply offering too much. With those terms, even if he was extremely conservative, the research funds he would earn would be more than what he made from fighting wars. Moreover, the technology he developed would not just disappear from his mind; Germa could also use it.
"Very well—" Louis nodded.
Click.
The call was cut off.
Louis's gaze fell on Reiju and the others. "Judge will be meeting with me in person next. Will you be staying here or leaving?"
To this, Reiju, with an appropriate smile on her face, replied in a clear voice, "In that case, we will take our leave." With that, she stood up with a smile. This was a Sea Emperor's lair, one of the most dangerous places in the world. Before the cooperation was truly finalized, Reiju didn't want to stay a minute longer.
"See our guests out." Louis also had no intention of keeping them. He turned and instructed Yelena.
Yelena nodded slowly, stepped forward again, and led the two away.
The next day, the headlines of the World Economic News Agency's newspaper were occupied by a single piece of news.
[Two top-tier powerhouses from the South Blue and the West Blue, respectively, have joined the Marines! They have been granted the rank of Vice Admiral by the Fleet Admiral, and the title of Admiral Candidate!]
[The Marines' two super rookies, whom the World Government has given the respective titles, Ryokugyu and Fujitora!]
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