Kaidou paused, taken aback.
"What do you mean?"
Queen explained carefully,
"In Vegapunk's view, Seastone is absolutely the key to any technology that can cross the Calm Belt. It can keep the Sea Kings there from noticing the movement of ships on the surface. And if you want to build a ship that can sail through the Calm Belt, the amount of Seastone you need definitely won't be just a tiny bit. That means they may have also mastered some kind of technology for large-scale extraction and production of Seastone..."
Kaidou understood at once.
Seastone was valuable precisely because it was rare. That was one of the reasons they had chosen to occupy Wano Country.
If other people had it too, its value would instantly be cut in half.
Seeing that his captain's expression had darkened, Queen offered another possibility to reassure him.
"Of course, there's another chance. The Sky Pirates may have technology that even Vegapunk doesn't possess..."
But after saying it, even Queen himself found it hard to believe.
Based on everything they currently knew about the Sky Pirates, there didn't seem to be any outstanding scientist aboard their ship.
Even so, that still didn't explain who had built their pirate ship in the first place.
After all, the Sky Pirates had possessed the Twin Goddesses ever since they first set sail.
Could it be that the Sky Pirates really did have some extraordinary background?
Leaving the ship aside, just the fact that they had two powerful Logia Devil Fruits right from the moment they went to sea was a level of extravagance that probably only the Marines and the World Government could match.
While Queen, as a scientist, was thinking through all sorts of possibilities, Kaidou wasn't dwelling on it that deeply. Even so, he had realized something.
With a trace of irritation, Kaidou said,
"Looks like we need to move faster on that deal with that brat."
"That's right, Kaidou-sama."
Queen nodded in agreement.
"Whatever method they used to obtain the technology to extract Devil Fruits, working with them is all upside and no downside for us Beast Pirates right now. I do have an idea, though I'm not sure whether it'll work."
"Say it."
"If we want the deal to continue, then we have to meet their demands. Of the two fruits they want, we naturally can't lay a hand on Orochi himself. But the Barrier fruit belonging to Kurozumi Semimaru at his side is another matter. We can take that. And while we're at it, we can use this chance to put some pressure on Orochi and make him depend on us even more. Besides, even though we can't give them Orochi's fruit, I've heard that among the retainers under Shimotsuki Ushimaru, one of the five daimyo of Wano Country, there's a fox that ate a Mythical Zoan. If we can catch it, it might be possible to use that as a substitute..."
The moment Queen finished speaking, everyone's eyes lit up.
"That's not a bad idea. Queen, I'm leaving this matter to you."
"Leave it to me, Kaidou-sama. But I want Karami to help. Her snake venom will be very useful when it comes to subduing that fox."
"No problem. From now on, Karami, I want you to fully cooperate with Queen."
At that point, King, who had remained silent the whole time, suddenly spoke.
"I still have a question, Queen. If even you can figure this much out, then wouldn't the World Government and the Marines be able to guess it too? If so, why haven't they managed to capture the Sky Pirates even now?"
Hearing King's question, Queen suddenly laughed.
"Knowing is one thing. Being able to do something about it is another. Don't underestimate Vegapunk. He's not exactly serving the World Government with his whole heart..."
...
In truth, not long before the Beast Pirates were having this discussion, another meeting was taking place in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
This time, however, the one meeting with the Five Elders was not the Fleet Admiral, but an old acquaintance.
That man was the head of CP9, Spandine.
Now that the World Government's order to search for the Pirate King Roger's posthumous child was nearing its end, Spandine had hurried to Mary Geoise to claim credit before the Five Elders.
But the moment he arrived, instead of rewarding him, the Five Elders handed him another mission.
"Take a look. The vicious criminals we're assigning to CP9 this time should be familiar to you as well..."
Spandine took the documents and, with a single glance, saw the name he hated to the core.
"The damned Sky Pirates..."
Ever since becoming the head of CP9, nothing had humiliated Spandine more than the Sky Pirates.
But as he kept flipping through the information, the more he read, the more alarmed he became.
And by the time he reached the part stating that Yemu, captain of the Sky Pirates, had killed Captain John, whose bounty was 2.38 billion Belly, he completely lost the nerve to continue.
What a joke. He had no intention of going off to die.
Of course, he couldn't say that outright.
So he looked at the Five Elders and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Um... honored sirs, it's not that I'm trying to shirk responsibility, but the Sky Pirates as they are now... I'm afraid CP9 is no longer capable of dealing with them."
"Of course I know that. If CP9 alone could handle them, matters would never have reached this point. Take this."
The long-bearded member of the Five Elders pulled out a golden Den Den Mushi and handed it to Spandine.
Spandine's eyes lit up instantly.
"Your mission is to do everything in your power to locate the Sky Pirates throughout the New World. Once you find them, you may use this golden Den Den Mushi to launch a Buster Call. In the New World, aside from Zephyr, all Marines may be mobilized by you. Do you have any more questions now?"
"Of course not. Of course not..."
What a joke. How could he possibly refuse such enormous authority?
This was practically being second only to the very top. And when he noticed in the documents that Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had once caused him such humiliation, also fell within the scope of that authority, he became even more excited.
The Five Elders could naturally see exactly what Spandine was thinking.
They simply didn't care.
Only then did they turn to the real matter at hand.
"How are things on Baterilla Island?"
At the mention of serious business, Spandine perked up again and said proudly,
"It's already been handled. Every suspicious pregnant woman on the island has been taken into custody."
Instead of looking pleased, the Five Elders frowned.
"Taken into custody. That's all?"
The question caught Spandine off guard. Sensing that something was wrong, he cautiously asked,
"What do you mean, honored sirs?"
But the Five Elders still did not say it openly. They only said,
"Roger's bloodline must never be allowed to come into this world. Do you understand?"
In that instant, Spandine understood exactly what they meant. His face filled with shock, but he still nodded.
"I understand. I'll give the order immediately."
"Good."
Only then did the Five Elders nod in satisfaction.
Remembering the information he had just read, Spandine asked with some concern,
"Um, honored sirs, according to the scientific department's analysis, the Sky Pirates may be in the Calm Belt. In that case, could you assign us a few more special warships?"
"You'll have to find a way yourselves. Special warships are extremely expensive, and Seastone is even rarer, so they simply cannot be built in large numbers. At present, the only ones that can be put at your disposal are the Marines' eight ships."
"I see?"
Then Spandine seemed to think of something, and his eyes brightened.
"In that case, for the Sky Pirates to possess that kind of technology, it must have something to do with Tom of Water 7. I request permission to send someone to investigate the fish-man Tom..."
"Oh? And who do you think would be suitable for that?"
"My son, Spandam. He's currently serving in CP5..."