Sakazuki tore off the bandages on his hand. According to the ship’s doctor, his hand should have been fully healed by now. But reality was different; his wound was healing much slower than expected.
Some mysterious force seemed to be interfering with the natural healing of his injury.
“According to the Science Unit, that guy really might have managed to develop a technique to bring the Devil Fruits to life. After throwing the fruit, it turned into a scorpion.”
“It feels similar to the awakening of a Zoan User. And for some reason, it was able to attack my body; elemental transformation seems ineffective against it.”
“Then, how did your hand get injured?”
The office was filled with high-ranking Marines, and even the ones serving tea were Rear Admirals. Vice Admirals had to stand at the back and listen.
Tsuru, Sengoku, Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Garp formed the core of the meeting, along with a few trusted confidants, and Sengoku’s goat.
The fact that Sakazuki was injured didn’t need to be widely publicized, as it could affect soldiers’ morale.
“That thing exploded. I avoided the main impact by going underground, but my arm that was in direct contact with it took a significant hit.”
“A Devil Fruit… Sakazuki, you said that at the time you couldn’t help but want to deal with that scorpion first, right?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s assume that fruit was a Zoan-type scorpion fruit, and Queen freed it. Since it embodies the essence of a Devil Fruit, that might explain its effect. Doesn’t that make it more reasonable?”
Tsuru offered her analysis, the most realistic reason she could come up with.
There are too many mysteries surrounding Devil Fruits, and even Vegapunk has only put forward hypotheses. So, Tsuru analyzed the information brought back by Akainu and came up with a new conclusion.
“No, if that’s the case, then why couldn’t Kaido’s Evil Dragon Hydra attack my physical form back during the G-1 incident?”
Kuzan raised an objection. There seemed to be some connection between Hydrachton and the strange scorpion created by Queen, yet Hydrachton couldn’t break through his Logia-type body, and it even got injured.
“They’re different. According to Sakazuki, that scorpion was completely transformed from a Devil Fruit, whereas the dragon might have been some creature that ate a Devil Fruit. Vegapunk can’t say with certainty that the Evil Dragon is a Devil Fruit; he just said that the composition is relatively high.”
They’re related but not identical. At least that dragon didn’t explode. But that could be seen as good news.”
People will use what they can understand to explain what they see. This is all Tsuru can think of for now, and it makes sense overall. As for researching the source, that’s something the Science Unit should do, and not her, the Great Advisor.
The only thing she wants to analyze is this matter’s influence on the Marines.
“Good news? Tsuru, have you been infected by that ba*tard Garp?”
Hearing Tsuru say such an absurd thing, Sengoku felt a headache coming on.
“First, we can confirm that using this ability is extremely physically draining. If even Queen became thin after using it, then ordinary pirates wouldn’t be able to use it, meaning it’s not widely applicable.”
“The subsequent explosion implies that it consumes Devil Fruit. Even the Beasts Pirates wouldn’t have that many to spare. Although the explosion is powerful, if it can’t be widely used, its impact will be limited.”
“Sakazuki was also attacked by Seastone first, then hit afterward, indicating it has a low accuracy.”
“Based on his reaction, this attack seems tailored specifically against Devil Fruit Users, so it likely has some limitations. It’s a nuisance, but within manageable levels. Besides, Sengoku, you have another problem to worry about.”
“What problem?”
“The accountability letter from the World Government—or, to be precise, from certain Celestial Dragons.”
Standing at the pinnacle of power and enjoying limitless wealth, the Celestial Dragons indulge in a life of luxury every day. Life of debauchery is the norm for them.
Their desires manifest in various ways: some enjoy collecting slaves of different races, some pursue women, others gather stones, and some Celestial Dragons simply love fine food.
Many of the Beasts Pirates’ offerings are aimed at the high-end market, which naturally includes the Celestial Dragons.
The destruction of the banana plantation was an irreparable loss, but this time, Queen’s share wasn’t reduced; he was the victim, and to avenge this victim, a portion of the Celestial Dragons’ share directly disappeared.
【My lords, due to unavoidable circumstances, the banana plantation specially built for you was destroyed in a Marine attack. We are unable to provide you with delicious food this year, and the quality of food from other areas does not befit your noble status. Please accept our apologies.】
This was the explanation Tesoro crafted, as he had long since figured out the nature of the Celestial Dragons and knew exactly how to communicate with them.
As a result, the accountability letter was sent to the Marines.
The Celestial Dragons don’t care about justice or protecting the seas—they only care about themselves. Because the Marines’ actions destroyed the banana plantation, they were displeased, and a group of Celestial Dragons collectively filed a complaint.
Had the Marines succeeded, the World Government wouldn’t have minded. But since they failed, in order to pacify the Celestial Dragons, the World Government chose to sacrifice the Marines’ reputation. In concrete terms, this meant Sengoku will have to go to Mariejois again to be reprimanded.
“Those bast—”
“Those ba*tards, parasites of the sea! Just say it, there’s no need to hold back.”
“Garp!”
“Ah, I forgot, we’re not supposed to say that. Just pretend you didn’t hear it.”
Sengoku, angered by the Celestial Dragon, couldn’t help but complain, but he only did so in his heart. Garp, however, blurted out those words directly. Even though this was something the high-ranking Marines were well aware of, only Garp dared to be so audacious.
“Alright, let’s set those headaches aside for a moment. What are your thoughts on the bounties? Sakazuki?”
As a participant in the recent conflict, Sakazuki’s suggestion carries more weight.
“Disregarding outside factors, Thunderclap poses a far greater threat than the Plague Calamity. That guy’s technique is a nuisance, but one-on-one, they wouldn’t pose much of a threat.”
“Understood. We’ll report it that way.”
Ultimately, the World Government decides bounties at this level, with the Marines merely providing reference opinions. In the end, two new bounty posters, along with the News Coo, made their way out to sea.
Queen the Plague
Bounty: 2.7 billion Berries, extremely dangerous.
ONLY ALIVE
Zeraora the Thunderclap
Bounty: 1.27 billion Berries
For being able to hold his own against an Admiral and retreat unscathed—this is rare even among the forces of the Emperor of the Sea—So, Zeraora’s bounty saw a 500-million increase. Yet, compared to Zeraora, the one who attracted the most attention was still Queen.
Especially on Punk Hazard, Caesar Clown became furious as he gazed at the bounty poster.
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