'No, I can't just stand here and wait for disaster.'
"Don't you want to surpass Vegapunk?"
"Don't you want to restore the glory of the Germa Kingdom?"
"Snap out of it, my dear friend, Vinsmoke Judge."
To avoid taking the blame, Hammer was now pulling out all the stops.
Judge, clutching his head in agony, saw one memory after another flash through his mind, except for the one where Hammer defeated him. It never appeared
"Damn that Vegapunk! I will surpass him and become the greatest scientist! I will perfect the Lineage Factor!"
"The mighty army of Germa will once again conquer nations! The North Blue is just the beginning!"
Regaining his senses, Vinsmoke Judge's face twisted into a ruthless expression. But the moment his eyes landed on Hammer, a sharp pain shot through his head again.
"Who… are you?"
Hammer: ???
'Did he really forget?'
'Well, that was… Perfect!'
"You don't remember me? I'm Marine Headquarters Captain Hammer, your dear friend, and also an outstanding blacksmith."
As he spoke, Hammer pulled out his trident.
This display of pulling something out of thin air made Judge's eyes light up.
"Spatial storage? That's an incredibly rare technology! How did you achieve it?"
"Hah, that's not all. My trident can also harness lightning, similar to your combat lance."
"Isn't that why you sought me out, my dear friend? To exchange knowledge and enhance your power?"
Looking at the object in Hammer's hand, Judge naturally nodded.
Indeed, just from the amazing things Hammer had pulled out, Judge was already fascinated.
Vinsmoke Judge, after all, was a scientist. He was irresistibly attracted to anything new and novel.
"Come, Hammer, let's talk in my lab. Someone, attend us!"
"Someone!"
"Huh?"
Judge suddenly realized no one was responding. He looked around and found that all of his clone soldiers were unconscious on the floor.
Confused, he looked to Hammer with a questioning expression.
"Don't look at me like that. Earlier, when we were testing our weapons, the sheer force of our clash knocked them out."
"You know about Conqueror's Haki, right? It was something like that."
"Conqueror's Haki? You possess that kind of talent?"
Judge's gaze grew even more suspicious.
Hammer's lips twitched, and his chest moved slightly.
*Thud*
A faint thump rang out, and Judge suddenly tensed up as if facing a deadly threat.
"There, that's the power I meant. Judge, I hate to say it, but while your clone soldiers are decent for combat and firepower, but when it comes to true strength, they fall short."
Instead of getting angry at Hammer's jab, Judge actually started thinking seriously.
"So what do you suggest? These clones were made using only basic lineage factor technology."
"Since they're artificially made, imperfections are inevitable."
Of course Hammer knew what Judge meant.
"Why not delve deeper into Lineage Factor research?"
"For example, genetically enhanced soldiers?"
Those words struck Judge like a bolt of enlightenment.
"Of course! If basic lineage engineering can't meet the demands for strength, then why not delve deeper into genetic enhancement? If we can extract specific traits directly from genes, we could potentially create even more powerful soldiers!"
"And your battle suits, they're great in terms of amplification, defense, and flight. But the enhancement factor still isn't strong enough," Hammer added.
Judge nodded emphatically. Hammer's words had instantly given him a new research direction.
He was thrilled.
"You truly are my dear friend, Hammer!"
"Come! Let's drink and celebrate!"
Shedding his earlier arrogance, Judge grabbed Hammer's arm and dragged him toward the castle, where he kept his finest wine. He was determined to share a drink with his "old friend."
"Wait, Judge. Let me inform my subordinates first."
"Alright, go ahead. I'll wait for you!"
...........
"So… that's what happened."
Hammer explained everything to his crew.
Lance and the Marines stood frozen in shock.
"Hammer, you're joking, right? You knocked Vinsmoke Judge out cold, gave him amnesia, and now he thinks you're his best friend???"
Hammer nodded helplessly. He had originally intended to use his hammering of the soul ability to beat Judge into submission, but never expected things to turn out like this.
But there was no other choice now. Besides… Germa 66's military technology was nothing to scoff at. If he could take advantage of this… heh, Hammer wasn't above a little opportunism.
"You all head back to Notice. I'll be fine here. Even if something happens, I've got the power to break out of the war fortress"
Lance knew Hammer's strength well, so he nodded and agreed.
Back in the Palace, Judge had been waiting impatiently.
He grabbed Hammer's arm, and the two towering men walked into the castle together.
"Hammer, come, let's talk while we drink."
"This is Germa's treasured wine from 1388. One of the few remaining bottles left in the world."
Judge enthusiastically uncorked the precious wine and poured a glass for Hammer and himself.
"Hammer, you have no idea how complex Lineage Factor analysis is."
"Come, come!"
The moment the topic turned to science, Judge became a man possessed.
One second, they were toasting; the next, Judge was dragging Hammer toward a research lab.
"Iris scan confirmed. Bloodline verification complete. Welcome back, Master."
Before a shining metal gate, Judge completed a series of security checks and brought Hammer inside.
As the doors slowly opened, countless precious experimental tools came into view.
Giant incubation pods stood in the center, clone production units.
Deeper inside, Judge stopped at a control panel.
On the left, mechanical arms were meticulously assembling a suit of armor, Germa's pride, the Raid Suit.
On the right, an arsenal of weapons: guns and melee weapons alike.
But the real focus was the control panel itself.
Several test tubes stood atop it, their contents glowing in eerie, shifting colors.
"Hammer, behold, this is my laboratory. Everything, from clone soldiers to Raid Suits and weapons, is born here."
"But none of that is the true masterpiece. This-"
Judge's gaze locked onto the pulsating test tubes, his eyes burning with fervor.
"-is the fruit of my research."