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"Ka-ka..."

The grating sound of the heavy door opening echoed through the chamber.

Slowly, the massive and thick alloy door slid open, revealing the scene within.

"Beep, beep..."

"Experimental data is normal!"

"Continue monitoring..."

In this vast and expansive experimental facility, scientists affiliated with the Germa Kingdom were hard at work, their tasks uninterrupted by the arrival of Vinsmoke Judge and his son, Ichiji.

"Your Majesty, Prince Ichiji..."

An older man—somewhat short and stocky, wearing goggles—approached them, clutching a notebook filled with records.

"Is everything proceeding smoothly?"

Ichiji nodded as he asked the question.

Over the years, he hadn’t been idle.

A few years ago, during Germa’s campaign into the first half of the Grand Line, capturing Wapol—the king of Drum Island and user of the Baku Baku no Mi—had taken considerable effort.

They had commandeered a pirate ship, disguised themselves as pirates, and launched an attack on Drum Island. Afterward, they tipped off Spandam to erase any evidence linking them to the crime, pinning it instead on a random pirate crew that happened to be lurking near Drum Island.

The kidnapping of a World Government-aligned king by pirates caused quite a stir back then, inciting panic among other nations. Several kings from allied countries expressed outrage and pressured the World Government to take action.

Faced with mounting pressure, the World Government ordered a thorough investigation, mobilizing CP agents alongside the Marines to hunt down the perpetrators. The fate of that unfortunate pirate crew was sealed.

All of this was because Wapol’s Baku Baku no Mi ability allowed him to consume different minerals and metals, synthesizing alloys with unique properties!

Over the past three years, Germa 66 had amassed a significant stockpile of these high-value special alloys. If sold, the profits would amount to an astronomical sum.

However, as an ambitious military organization, Germa had no intention of selling them.

After all, if something went wrong and they attracted the attention of the behemoth known as the World Government, it wouldn’t bode well for Germa at all!

"With this 'shape memory alloy,' our progress on the shape memory armor has been exceptionally smooth over the past three years. We expect the first prototype to be ready in just a few days..." Vinsmoke Judge led Ichiji to the lab bench, pointing proudly at a peculiarly shaped piece of metal.

Germa had always been a nation built on science, and Judge himself was an accomplished scientist. Years ago, he had worked alongside Dr. Vegapunk in an illicit offshore research facility, conducting groundbreaking experiments on creating life. When their team was later bought out by the World Government, only Vinsmoke Judge managed to escape while the others joined forces with the government.

Even now, despite being the king of Germa, he remained actively involved in its scientific research projects.

The development of shape memory armor was one such project he personally oversaw.

As the name implied, the concept was to "store" a specific form of armor within a "carrier." When needed, activating a device on the carrier would instantly deploy the armor.

"A few days? That truly is something to look forward to..."

Ichiji chuckled, realizing he’d returned at just the right time.

If this project succeeded perfectly, it would undoubtedly mark a revolutionary breakthrough—a true game-changer.

It was akin to "future equipment," almost like a superhero transformation.

One couldn’t deny that Vinsmoke Judge, stubborn and prideful as he was, possessed extraordinary talent in this field.

The elderly scientist smiled broadly. "Thanks to you, Prince Ichiji! Three years ago, if you hadn’t brought back that user of the Baku Baku no Mi, we wouldn’t have made such rapid progress in developing shape memory alloys!"

"Keep a close eye on him. His abilities hold immense value—we can’t afford any mishaps!"

Vinsmoke Judge nodded. Without his unpredictable eldest son bringing back Wapol, the research into shape memory alloys wouldn’t have advanced so quickly, let alone reached the stage where they could develop cutting-edge shape memory armor far ahead of anything else in the world.

That "worthless king," Wapol, was now nothing short of a treasure trove for Germa.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. Wapol is confined in a Seastone cage, his limbs bound by Seastone handcuffs. We’ve also assigned cyborg soldiers to monitor him around the clock."

The entire Germa science team understood the value of Wapol’s Baku Baku no Mi ability. While they didn’t treat him like royalty, neither did they subject him to excessive cruelty.

As for escaping... the only hope for that would be if Germa were somehow annihilated someday.

"That coward fears death more than anything. Suicide? It’ll never cross his mind!"