Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Puppet in the Palm, the Calamity Corporation (Please Keep Reading!)

What is going on?

Who is this brat!

Vinsmoke Judge is twenty-four years old this year, and he can swear that in all his twenty-four years of life, he has never seen this guy standing before him!

Did he mistake me for someone else?

This confusion vanished in the next instant, replaced by cold sweat running down his back.

In the blink of an eye, the boy had appeared right in front of him, grabbing his hand before he could even react!

This guy is not right!!

Instinctively, Judge began to struggle, trying to pull his hand free from the other's grip. But the hand of this teenager, who didn't even reach his chest in height, felt as if it were forged from Seastone—unyielding and impossible to move even an inch.

Oh no! A master!

"Help me! Someone come help!"

Without any hesitation, the naturally cowardly Judge screamed at the top of his lungs.

Are there even people like this in the North Blue? I've never heard of such a thing!

At his command, the Germa Kingdom soldiers, who were charging toward the castle to end the war, were startled. The King had been captured!

Filled with shock and rage, the soldiers instinctively swarmed forward, desperate to rescue Judge.

However.

BOOM!

A figure crashed heavily behind Roa.

"Don't get in my way!"

Mercury vapor instantly surged outward like a tidal wave, engulfing the surrounding soldiers in the blink of an eye.

"Waaaaahhhhh!!"

A series of piercing, shrill screams followed. Fortunately, the agony lasted only a moment before being silenced, sparing the onlookers from further ear-splitting noise.

Judge’s pupils, already trembling, constricted to the size of pinpricks. "A Logia user? The Mercury-Mercury Fruit!!"

It's over! I've encountered a monster! There is no way to deal with a Logia user!

"Barrett, use that move less often," Roa said, turning his head to lecture him earnestly. "Melting people instantly, don't you think that’s a bit too cruel? If you’re going to use it, keep the temperature a bit lower. Otherwise, the victims won't even know how they died, and they'll have a hard time explaining it to anyone once they reach hell."

"Yes, Lord Roa!"

Barrett obeyed Roa’s orders with absolute, unquestioning compliance.

"Roa!"

Judge’s gaze locked onto Roa’s face. One look was all it took for his complexion to turn paper-white. "You are... the former top executive of the Rocks Pirates, the one with a bounty of one billion, the Black—"

"Oh, don't say that nickname, Mr. Judge," Roa looked up, his violent aura instantly shrouding Judge. "Everyone who speaks that nickname must die."

"..."

Judge’s mind went completely blank. Conqueror's Haki! Such intensity of Conqueror's Haki! What kind of monster is this!!

"I see your fear."

Roa’s lips curled upward, his pupils turning from black to white. Fear, grow.

"Gyaaaaaahhhhhhh!!"

An agonizing, blood-curdling scream echoed across the battlefield. Judge collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably in terror, clutching his head like an ostrich, his pants soaked.

"..."

Doflamingo, watching from the rooftop, wanted to sneer, but he remembered his own past. Back then, standing before Roa, he must have looked just the same, right? What a terrifying ability!

Roa looked down quietly at the wailing Judge. He hadn't even needed to enter his Beast Form; the incomplete version of his negative emotion manipulation had already driven Judge to this state. As expected of the weak-willed Judge from the original records.

He released the ability.

However, the fear in Judge’s heart could not be dispelled so easily; he remained curled on the ground, shaking incessantly.

"So, Mr. Judge, are you willing to accept the position of Head of the Research Department at my company?" Roa asked with a smile.

"I am! I am! I am! Please don't kill me! I’ll agree to anything!!"

As if having suffered a mental breakdown, Judge shrieked desperately.

Dealing with these weak-willed people is just that simple. Just like with Doflamingo before, it wasn't just about making them feel a fleeting moment of terror. Although it was difficult to affect those with ironclad willpower, Roa’s malice manipulation was, in reality, a terrifying ability. For the weak-willed, a full-force activation could turn them into a puppet, and even with restrained power, it was enough to easily and completely alter their personality.

In other words, Doflamingo and Judge had both been corrupted by Roa; he had branded a deep, indelible fear of him into the innermost depths of their hearts. Unless they possessed the courage and ability to overcome their own character flaws and reshape themselves, they would never be able to escape this fear.

But then again, if they truly possessed that kind of willpower, how could they have fallen to this point?

Still, fear alone is not enough. Fear does not equate to obedience.

"We are very happy to have you join us, Judge!" Roa grabbed Judge’s hand and shook it vigorously once more.

Judge struggled to lift his head, intense fear still lingering on his face.

Not even giving him a chance to speak, Roa continued, "Next, let us work together to overthrow the World Government and establish a new world order!"

"Overthrow the World Government?" Judge was even more stunned. Why would I want to do something like that!

"Oh? Don't you hate the World Government?" Roa asked with a smile. "Didn't the Vinsmoke family conquer the entire North Blue, only to fall to their current state because of the World Government's interference?"

Judge knew this, of course. He certainly hated the World Government, but he wouldn't go so far as to—

"That's right! That's right!!"

Fear was cast aside; Judge’s face flushed red, veins bulged on his forehead, and his features twisted like a demon’s. "Damn the World Government! It’s all their fault! We must overthrow them!! Vinsmoke’s century of humiliation must be repaid in blood!"

"But, Judge," Roa ceased his ability once more, "do you truly believe you have the capability?"

The rage began to fade rapidly. Though the hatred for the World Government remained etched deep in his heart, Judge, slowly regaining his reason, fell into silence. Conquering the North Blue was a distant dream; how could he speak of overthrowing the government?

"I am such a piece of trash!! Why am I so useless!!" Judge knelt on the ground, slamming his head against the earth, wailing in agony. "I'm not even as useful as a piece of dog shit! Why am I even alive!!"

This time, it was cowardice. And finally, the last step.

"Don't worry, Judge," Roa grabbed his hand again, saying earnestly, "No one is born into this world to be alone. If there is something you cannot do alone, just leave it to your comrades."

"I came to invite you specifically to overthrow the World Government. Just follow behind me, and I will lead you to fulfill our dreams."

Judge was stunned. Yes, if it were this man—this monster who had a bounty of one billion berries at the age of seven—perhaps he really could accomplish the goal of overthrowing the World Government.

Roa’s smile deepened. This was the final step: dependency.

"If it's you, you can definitely do it!" Judge gripped Roa’s hand with near-fanatical intensity. "Lord Roa, please let me assist you! Please, you must lead me to fulfill my dreams!"

See? Isn't it simple? It’s just like playing with dolls.

"Of course, my friend!" Roa patted his hand. "Also, call me Boss!"

"Yes, Boss!"

Doflamingo felt a chill run down his spine. He had watched with his own eyes as a normal man turned into a lunatic in the blink of an eye under the influence of Roa’s ability! How could such a monster exist in this world? Roa! Roa!!

Doflamingo turned his head away, not daring to look at Roa’s back. He must never, ever oppose Roa.

"Then, I announce," Roa said, brimming with spirit, "Catastrophe Company is officially founded today!"

"Yes!"