Orenfence Port.
Dunn stood at the dock with a contingent of marines, eyeing the speedboat moored at the pier with the tension of facing a formidable enemy.
It wasn't an overreaction—as a North Blue branch captain, he knew exactly who stood before him.
Vinsmoke Judge, leader of the once-dominant Vinsmoke Family of the North Blue, King of the Germa Kingdom.
If it were just these two identities, he wouldn't have been so on guard.
The real reason he dared not let his guard down was that this man had once wreaked havoc in the North Blue, decapitating the kings and leaders of four nations and mounting their heads as paintings.
His methods were so brutal that every nation in the North Blue trembled at the mention of his name.
"Captain Dunn, your reputation has been quite prominent in the North Blue over the past year!"
Sensing Dunn's hostility and wariness, Judge forced a smile to appear more amiable, breaking the silence first.
He continued, "According to my intel, since you took command of Branch 135, not only has pirate activity in your jurisdiction dwindled, but all Marine branches in the North Blue have had to tighten discipline because of your presence."
"Now, Fleet Admiral Orion has even entrusted you with maintaining order within Orenfence. Your future is boundless!"
Pausing briefly, Vinsmoke Judge pulled a pouch of gold coins from his coat and tossed it at Dunn's feet, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"A small token of goodwill for our first meeting. I hope you'll accept it, Captain Dunn."
"Hmm?"
Staring at the pouch at his feet, Dunn's pupils contracted slightly as he said gravely.
"Judge, are you trying to bribe me?"
Judge smiled faintly. "According to my intel, ever since Fleet Admiral Orion became a Marine officer, he's been bribing Headquarters officials with money. If I'm not mistaken, you've taken your share too."
"How interesting," Dunn bent down to pick up the pouch, weighing it in his hand as a cold glint flashed briefly in his eyes.
He replied impassively, "So, you're trying to buy my loyalty with this pouch of gold?"
"No, no, don't misunderstand!" Judge waved his hand, his expression earnest. "This is merely a greeting gift. If Captain Dunn could help me gather all the branch commanders in the North Blue for a small gathering in the Germa Kingdom over the next couple of days, I'd have a much greater reward for you."
Before Dunn could respond, Reiju, who had been standing quietly beside Judge, suddenly paled and interjected.
"Father—"
Judge raised a hand to silence Reiju, his gaze returning to Dunn.
"According to my intel, when Fleet Admiral Orion launched his coup, he once said something to some of the Headquarters officers around him. To be precise, it was eight words."
"'Are kings and nobles born to their thrones?'"
After uttering these eight words, Judge suddenly darted forward, closing the distance between them as he said solemnly.
"I trust I don't need to explain what these words mean, Captain Dunn. If you can unite all the Marine branches in the North Blue and collaborate with the Germa Kingdom, you could become the Marine King of the North Blue!"
"Judge, you really dare to say such things!"
Dunn casually tucked the pouch into his belt before raising his head to meet Judge's gaze with a grin.
"But it is quite tempting. Tell me, what's your grand plan? For instance, if I were to collaborate with the Germa Kingdom, how exactly would I withstand the wrath of Headquarters?"
"Simple. The Germa Kingdom will use technology to enhance the combat capabilities of your Branch 135 and all other Marine branches in the North Blue. You should know very well that the reason the Germa Kingdom remains a World Government-affiliated nation despite having no fixed territory is because of our technological prowess. Even the World Government treads carefully in the face of such advanced technology—let alone Marine Headquarters."
"Arming the North Blue Marines with Germa Kingdom's technology?" Dunn blinked, visibly tempted.
"That is indeed an irresistible offer. However, Marshal Orion is someone I deeply respect and admire. This alone isn't enough—you'll have to sweeten the deal."
"Hmm?"
Judge's pupils contracted slightly as he stared intently at Dunn.
His intention wasn't truly to incite betrayal.
He had suddenly brought this up merely to test the loyalty of these Marine branch officers under Orion's command.
According to the intelligence he had gathered, ever since Orion ascended to the position of Marine Headquarters Fleet Admiral, the Marines—both at headquarters and its branches—had undergone a complete transformation.
Every last one of them showed extreme loyalty to this young marshal.
This was something Judge found hard to comprehend.
In the lawless Grand Line, loyalty was the cheapest commodity.
From Dunn's swift acceptance of the money pouch and his current display of temptation, it was clear that the Marines' so-called loyalty was nothing but a fragile facade.
If Dunn was truly tempted by his proposal, then he could fully attempt to revive the Vinsmoke Family in this direction going forward.
However, the more easily moved Dunn appeared, the less Judge dared to jump to conclusions.
Because while the current Marines was indeed united and loyal, many of their actions weren't constrained by the mantle of justice they wore, making it difficult for him to judge whether these Marines were truly easy to bribe or simply took money without delivering results.
After a brief silence, Judge suddenly burst into laughter and gave Dunn a hearty slap on the shoulder.
"Captain Dunn, you truly are a straightforward man! Bold and promising!"
As he spoke, Judge grandly took the last remaining money pouch from his waist and placed it in Dunn's hand.
"Take this to buy drinks for your men!"
Dunn weighed the pouch in his hand again, then removed the one from his own waist and handed both to a nearby soldier, grinning.
"Hear that? His Majesty Judge of the Germa Kingdom is treating the men to drinks! Everyone gets two gold coins—see if there's enough to go around!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Without hesitation, the soldier promptly opened the pouches and began distributing the coins to all the Marines present.
Soon, the soldier hurried back and loudly reported, "Sir, there aren't enough coins to go around!"
"Two pouches of gold coins aren't enough?" Dunn widened his eyes and bellowed angrily.
"Impossible! His Majesty Judge is a king—those two pouches must contain at least a hundred coins! Tell me, did you pocket some for yourself?"
The soldier protested, "Captain, that's unfair!"
"You really didn't take any?" Dunn pressed sternly.
The soldier nodded emphatically.
Seeing this, Dunn turned to Judge with an awkward expression.
"My apologies, Your Majesty Judge. Our Marine's tradition is equal shares for all. If the distribution isn't fair, the men won't be willing to follow through. I'm sure you've gathered the intel—when the Fleet Admiral launched his coup, the amount he distributed to headquarters officers alone was as high as 200 billion Belly..."
"In short, if the Germa Kingdom can provide Branch 135 with 200 billion in funding, I believe our cooperation will proceed very smoothly!"
At this, Judge's facial muscles twitched violently, and he couldn't shake the feeling that Dunn was toying with him.