A sense of pressure!
If Judge had to rate the current situation, he would only have one answer –
A sense of pressure!
From the envoy standing before him now, Ryan Rowan, Judge felt an indescribable pressure!
It felt like his first time sailing as a child, only to be hit by a once-in-a-century storm.
While the captain fought the tempest, Judge's curiosity surged. He clung to the ship's edge, sticking his head out to look down at the sea.
At that moment, Judge saw the pitch-black waters.
It was a darkness that seemed capable of swallowing everything, bottomless!
An unbidden fear filled Judge's heart. He quickly ran back to his cabin, locked the door, and for a long time, dared not look at the sea during a storm.
Because the sea then wasn't the deep blue under the sun, but an abyss that could stir humanity's deepest fears!
That's how Ryan Rowan made Judge feel now.
And what he said also stirred waves within Judge's heart.
It was a strong sense of "intrusion," making him extremely uneasy.
...
"But I've thought of an even better solution."
"Now, do you want to play another round, or talk terms with me?"
...
The first round, featuring an envoy formed from Conqueror's Haki and sand, ended in a draw for both Judge and the sand.
The second round, which seemed to involve Ryan Rowan himself, ultimately saw the Aden Kingdom take the lead over Germa 66!
The third round... had not yet begun.
But based on the current situation, Judge was almost certain that the man before him wasn't bluffing.
Ryan Rowan truly intended to play a third "game."
And in this game, if Judge's Germa 66 maintained its current level, Ryan Rowan would have the power to push even further!
The second round had already been a "crushing defeat" for him.
Even though the simulated Germa 66 managed to inflict some damage on the Aden Kingdom during its desperate counterattack, it was utterly insufficient to change the predetermined outcome of the battle!
And if Ryan Rowan could achieve an even better "result" than the second round – for the Aden Kingdom.
Then Judge couldn't even imagine the final outcome of the third simulated offensive and defensive battle!
A crushing defeat, or even destruction, for Germa 66?
How many soldiers would the Aden Kingdom lose? Tens of thousands? Thousands? Hundreds?
Even... single digits?
Thinking about this, Judge couldn't help but shiver. He suddenly realized what he was doing with Ryan Rowan!
Or more precisely, Judge realized the true significance of this simulated offensive and defensive game to Ryan Rowan!
For ordinary people – or rather, ordinary experts – this was merely a battle on a simulated level, helping both sides gauge their strength before war.
But in Ryan Rowan's hands, this simulated confrontation had become a platform for him to continuously refine his strategies for the upcoming war!
Through this sand table, Ryan Rowan had successfully devised several methods to resolve the current situation, constantly optimizing them until he found the best possible solution!
Of course, theoretically, Judge also had the ability to reverse-engineer Rowan's solution and devise countermeasures in his mind.
But the key problem was that such an operation only existed in "theory."
A single human brain simply couldn't optimize its thinking multiple times in such a short and rapid strategic exchange.
It was utterly impossible!
But Ryan Rowan had turned this "impossible" into "possible."
Judge had no doubt that Ryan Rowan's strategy would continue to be refined through this third game, ultimately leading to a complete strategic dominance over his Germa 66!
Whether those who gaze into the abyss are themselves gazed upon by the abyss – no one knows.
But Judge knew that by staring into the abyss for too long, his "balance" would eventually be lost, causing him to fall into the ten-thousand-foot abyss and be completely consumed by it!
This was Judge's premonition of his situation.
Having figured this out, Judge took a deep breath, reset his posture, and looked at Ryan Rowan from beneath his helmet.
"The game is over."
Judge paused, asking with a hint of confusion, "What terms do you want to discuss with us?"
In Judge's mind, what Rowan could possibly propose would be terms like "Germa 66 withdraws its troops" or "sever all ties with the Aden Kingdom."
Even more ambitiously, as a commercial alliance originating from the Grand Line, Rowan might seek to establish commercial ties with the Germa Kingdom for the development of the Four Seas Alliance.
Given the current situation, even if Judge didn't want to agree, Rowan would absolutely have the ability to make the Four Seas Alliance establish an "unequal trade agreement" with the Germa Kingdom.
However, it would be different from before.
Before, the dominant party was always the Germa Kingdom.
But now, the Germa Kingdom would be at a complete disadvantage!
Yet, Rowan's words surprised Judge.
He spoke neither of the Aden Kingdom nor of commercial matters.
"You ruled the North Sea for sixty-six days once?"
Rowan fiddled with the sand in his hand, his eyes seeming filled with curiosity. "Did you happen to discover... anything?"
"Huh?"
Judge didn't quite understand Rowan's words and asked in surprise, "About what? The World Government? Or the Marines? Or Roger's treasure?"
"No, not those things."
Rowan shook his head.
Judge suddenly remembered that he had once found some clues about "that."
"Are you talking about... the ancient weapons?"
Judge had searched for that thing for a long time and concluded it was a mere phantom. Therefore, if he could trade information about it with the Four Seas Alliance, it would be a surefire profitable deal.
But Rowan shook his head again.
"No, it has nothing to do with the current political, economic, or people..."
Rowan suddenly looked up, not at Judge, as if his real self was looking up at something.
He slowly said:
"Did you ever discover... a tree."
"A tree?"
Judge blinked, completely bewildered by what Rowan was saying.
But Rowan was clearly not joking. He emphasized, "It should be a... very large, very 'abnormal' tree."
Judge thought for a moment and eventually shook his head.
"No..."
However, just as Judge was about to completely deny it, he suddenly remembered something.
Instead of answering directly, he widened his eyes and asked Rowan back:
"Where is your real body... right now?"
This question wasn't to probe Rowan's secrets, but because Judge genuinely wanted to know.
Rowan's answer was simple and direct:
"On the Sky Island."
---
You can read 50+ more chapter on patreon com/JYouyi