Chapter Fifty-Five: The Deal Falls Through

The sight before their eyes stunned Judge more than anyone else; he had never expected that the true boss of this island would turn out to be Buffon. Not only was Buffon stronger than anticipated—had it been a one-on-one battle, a draw might have been acceptable—but here he had intercepted their full-powered combined attack with ease.

Judge knew his own strength, and Moria's rampaging power was not to be underestimated either. To intervene at such a critical moment demanded impeccable timing, mastery of force, and enormous confidence in oneself. Especially the last point—not every strong warrior would choose to step into the fray at such a moment. While the impact could be decisive, the risk of failure was equally high.

Reiju was so astonished that she covered her mouth with both hands. No one knew her father's strength better than she; among those beneath the Four Emperors, he rarely found an equal in single combat. Yet Buffon appeared between the two without warning, and seemed entirely unruffled. As an officer of Germa 66, Reiju spent her days battling at sea, familiar with countless formidable fighters—but Buffon was the first she had encountered who defied all reason.

The reason was simple: every warrior's growth could be traced, yet Buffon seemed to have emerged from nowhere. Germa's intelligence might not rival the Navy's, but it was close. She had analyzed everything before arriving; the reports described Buffon as a highly skilled physician and an expert in corpse stitching, but there was no information whatsoever on his combat abilities.

What was even more baffling was his presence on Moria's ship. Ever since Moria's defeat by Kaido, he had devoted himself solely to his zombie army, avoiding conflict with other forces. Under such an "unambitious" captain, remarkable growth seemed unlikely. This only deepened Reiju's curiosity about Buffon.

Judge, after being stopped, lost all desire to continue fighting; he withdrew his spear and stepped aside. Moria, having calmed down, regained his senses, dismissed the shadow assembly, and returned the shadows to their original zombie bodies.

Truthfully, Buffon's intervention was not merely to save Moria's dignity, but more so to prevent the waste of shadows. If Moria had been defeated, the shadows would have reverted to their original owners. Though their combat prowess was mediocre, their numbers were considerable, and replenishing them quickly would have been impossible. The Moria Pirates could not afford to lose these expendable troops.

Moria, though outwardly composed, was inwardly unsettled—both by fear of his own uncontrollable abilities and by apprehension regarding Judge's strength.

As for Buffon, his feelings were a mix of shock and gratitude. Watching a fight from the sidelines was one thing; experiencing it firsthand was another entirely. His gratitude stemmed from Buffon's intervention, which had preserved his reputation as a Warlord of the Sea. Defeat would have triggered unpredictable consequences—if the Navy learned of his loss, his title would likely be stripped.

Buffon withdrew his hands and addressed Judge coldly, "Come with me." Judge said nothing and followed Buffon, with Reiju and Moria trailing behind. Perona and the rest, along with the zombie army, remained at the dock to guard against any moves by the Germa 66 forces nearby.

Arriving at Buffon's laboratory, Judge's usually cold expression was tinged with greed as he saw the Wapol metal tossed carelessly in a corner. As a former colleague of Vegapunk, Judge knew better than anyone the value of Wapol metal. Seeing these precious materials treated so negligently, he almost wanted to berate Buffon for such waste.

Yet it also troubled him; the casual treatment of such rare resources could mean one of two things—either Buffon was unaware of their true value, or they simply mattered little to him. If it was the former, negotiation would be straightforward, though unlikely; if the latter, the business ahead would be far more difficult.

Buffon called Baccio over, had him remove his shirt, and pointed to his left arm. "This is what you came for, isn't it?"

Prompted by Buffon's reminder, Judge recalled the original purpose of his visit. He nodded seriously, "The rise of a Four Emperor is no accident; there must be something extraordinary within their bodies. You know I research lineage factor modification, so I want to borrow this arm for study."

Buffon remained silent, his face showing no emotion, as if waiting for Judge to continue.

Judge, seasoned in negotiations, had never found himself so passive. Whether it was Shanks' arm, the Celestial Dragon corpse of Rosinante, or the Wapol metal, all three were things he coveted intensely. He had even prepared for the possibility of using force to compel Moria if negotiations failed. Though his clone army would suffer losses, Judge, who always disregarded the lives of his subordinates, considered such costs negligible.

But now, with his list of desired items growing and Buffon—a mysterious powerhouse—standing before him, Judge had no intention of resorting to violence. Even he felt intimidated; conflict would only result in consequences he could not bear, and Buffon showed no signs of yielding to either persuasion or threat.

After pondering a while, Judge spoke again, "I also want the Celestial Dragon corpse and Wapol metal." He made no attempt to hide his intentions, laying all his cards on the table and waiting for Buffon's response.

This time, Moria kept silent; all three items belonged to Buffon personally, and he had no say in the matter, nor could he assess their value.

Now he, too, began to suspect what Judge had wondered—when Buffon went after Wapol, did he plunder the entire castle in passing?

Buffon replied coldly, "Forget about the zombie; under no circumstances will I allow it to be used for your research. As for the Wapol metal, I'm open to discussing a price."

Judge's expression darkened. Buffon had only to name his price—Judge was prepared to pay, no matter how exorbitant. But if Buffon refused outright, then money was useless. And there was no guarantee he could win in a fight!

"I can use my lineage factor modification technology to enhance your body," Judge offered. "You would gain an exoskeleton, immense strength, powerful defense and regeneration, and some unique elemental abilities. Of course, these elemental powers wouldn't let you turn your body into an element like a Logia user, but they also wouldn't come with drawbacks like turning into a landlocked duck." Judge felt this was the bait that would tempt Buffon.

He shot a glance at Reiju. She nodded, parted her lips, and released a cloud of poisonous mist.

Truth be told, Buffon was only slightly interested in the exoskeleton; the other offerings held no appeal at all. As for elemental powers, he already possessed two Devil Fruits—Dark-Dark and Flame-Flame—so he had no need for additional abilities. However, a new idea occurred to Buffon: if he used Germa's lineage modification as a cover, he could freely employ the Flame-Flame powers without worrying about exposure.

With this thought, Buffon began to consider how best to give Judge a couple of injections.