The urgent recall was for divination. It sounded absurd, but it was exactly what Hawkins had expected. This was also the thing Queen had him do the most.
Although Queen was a lot like a boss who would call a programmer at 3 a.m. and ask them to write code that was useful only to him and a pile of useless paper to everyone else, Hawkins had no complaints. After all, this boss didn't just give him empty promises; he gave him real goods. However, while giving small rewards, he also promised a bigger one.
Hawkins was already well-acquainted with the Beasts Pirates' contribution system, and he didn't think fortune-telling and divination alone could push him up the ranks.
After some calculations, the result of the tarot divination once again appeared in Hawkins' hands.
"Lord Queen, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
"Stop playing around. Say it in whatever order you want."
Queen had long grown tired of this good-news-bad-news routine. No matter which came first, there was always going to be a twist in the middle anyway.
"Yes. The good news is, your previous disaster has actually passed. The bad news is, your upcoming fate will be extremely turbulent. If you can get through it safely, you'll enjoy a long period of peace afterward.
If you can't get through it, the consequences will be even worse than before.
In a sense, your bad luck has been accumulating."
Queen's divination result was half hell, half heaven. Although this 50-50 kind of "probability science" was the easiest way to fool people, Hawkins had never seen such an extreme contrast before. The difference between the positive and negative outcomes was enormous.
Black and white stood apart, and the deepest black only made the white seem purer. Queen's fortune was like a yin-yang fish—pitch black and pure white—its contrast so stark it was blinding.
"As I thought… I might as well not have explained anything and just let her beat me up."
"Lord Queen, with all due respect, even if you'd been beaten earlier, what's coming still couldn't be avoided."
"Hawkins, haven't I told you? This is the Beasts Pirates, we believe least in that whole fate nonsense!"
"But Lord Queen, if you don't believe in it, why did you come to me?"
"...I'm proving that so-called fate can definitely be broken!"
After saying that, Queen drove Hawkins away, telling him to tidy his hair and prepare for multiple rounds of divination.
That show of stubbornness just now was Queen's last bit of resistance. In truth, he was already calculating where to take shelter. As long as he could figure out whether this crisis came from outside or within, he'd be able to find a safe place.
"Wait… this crisis isn't going to be an attack from both inside and outside, is it…?"
Queen seemed to have thought of something terrifying. Vegapunk had already been killed, and normally, someone like him is a very important talent for any faction.
His current achievements are based on some materials preserved by the World Government, while in the original timeline, he relied on the materials from the Ohara library. However, those materials had existed for a long time, but no one could reproduce them before Vegapunk rose to prominence, which alone proved Vegapunk's capability.
If your ability is insufficient, even if you had all the theoretical formulas written down, the creator still might not be able to produce it.
But the Beasts Pirates had killed him. If a faction didn't need such talent, the most likely explanation was that they already had someone in that field, and someone even better.
"Calm down, calm down. That's impossible. Lord Arceus personally handled it before, the blame isn't going to get dumped back on me."
Caesar was the kind of man who knew disaster might strike but still indulged himself in pleasure. Queen, on the other hand, refused to accept certain terrifying ideas and chose to selectively forget them for now. Anyway, according to Hawkins, there was still some time, so he might as well go about his business first.
Hawkins' task became staying behind on standby, while Queen returned, somewhat troubled, to his previous laboratory. Before leaving, he didn't forget to give Dragonite a good review and left some Pokémon Poffins to boost affection.
"What's wrong? It hasn't even been that long, why do you look so worried?"
"It's nothing. I'm used to it."
Before Nightin left the Beasts Pirates, Queen hadn't yet become obsessed with divination, so Nightin was unaware that Queen had evolved a new method for self-preservation.
In Nightin's impression, Queen had always been in a special cycle: showing off → running into bad luck → worrying about the future → showing off again → still running into bad luck.
So, she didn't press further, but instead asked Queen what exactly he needed help with.
"It's this, spoils of battle seized on Skypiea. It's a drug that can alter the wavelength of Zoan-type Devil Fruits, allowing more forms to be used.
The one who developed it was a reindeer that had eaten the Human-Human Fruit, which means the drug isn't particularly suited for humans. It needs modification and testing. I've already got the formula, but the proportions are off. I tried adding and reducing some ingredients, but there's been no effect."
"Sounds like the creator is quite talented."
"That's right, not quite at my level, but still a genius."
Nightin ignored Queen's self-praise and took the prescription to begin her own analysis.
"Do you have any failed samples? Let me see them."
"Here. This is Q3.0. Forget about Q4.0, that version is completely useless and has no reference value at all."
"Didn't you try it on Ferren? He's also an animal that's eaten the Human-Human Fruit, right? Even though it's an Ancient Zoan, there should be similarities."
Speaking of the Human-Human Fruit, Nightin's first thought was of Ferren, the Millennial Dragon who had eaten the Caveman Fruit. Both are Human-Human Fruits, so the difference between the ancient and modern zoan should not be significant.
"Tried it, but there was no effect. Probably because the difference between a Millennial Dragon and a reindeer is too great. It only makes the user fly into a rage."
"I see."
Queen thought Nightin would use instruments for analysis, but instead, she did something very dangerous. She directly ate Q3.0.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?"
"Experiencing the drug's effects for myself."
"What are you thinking? You're a Blessed One directly bestowed ability by Lord Arceus, how could some external substance possibly interfere with that kind of ability? You're not feeling anything strange, right?"
It was the first time a non-Ability User had taken this drug, and Queen's heartbeat sped up from the nervousness.
"No problem. The ability Lord Arceus bestowed me is called Poison Heal, biological toxins have no effect on me. But the taste is really not great."
Poison Heal was also a special enhancement for Nightin, but it wasn't an antidote.
So when she took the drug, once it started taking effect, she would feel discomfort for a short time before that sensation vanished under the effect of the ability.
An outsider's description could never compare to firsthand experience, and this made Nightin bold enough to try new medicines without worrying about poisoning herself. She even had another idea.
"How about I just test the drugs for you? I might not be able to gauge the intended effect, but I can check for side effects and toxicity…"
"No! Absolutely not!"
Before Nightin could finish speaking, Queen cut her off.
The Poison Heal ability was indeed a perfect guinea pig; no matter what she ate, nothing bad would happen. But this was a matter of principle, even if there are no consequences, this was still an experiment, which meant using her as a test subject.
Shayna and King were already sensitive to that word. If they found out Queen was using his own people as test subjects, the outcome would be disastrous.
And then there was Olga. Normally, he and Olga had no grudges, and she had never been a factor in his bad luck. But if Nightin really went through with this and caused Olga to join the anti-Queen camp… that illusion ability, combined with several terrifyingly strong fighters, would be fatal. He might not even know how he died, and that was the real reason his heart had been pounding earlier.
To prevent any possible mishaps, Queen directly put a stop to the idea.
At most, he would get nagged a few times if the experiment didn't yield any result, but he had no intention of increasing the number of hostile forces against him.
"All right, just analyze the drug's properties for me and summarize a few prescriptions. As for anything else, please don't get involved."
Queen could already feel future misfortune waving at him. This was clearly one such example, so before things could spiral out of control, he hurriedly sent Nightin away.
"Okay, go see Acier. He may seem quiet around you, but he actually talks a lot. I'll restore your identity later. Goodbye."
Queen's mechanical arm extended, pushing Nightin out while he stayed put, then he locked the door from the inside, making his stance clear.
"How strange… after not seeing him for a while, Queen seems to have gotten more cautious."
Nightin didn't know what had happened during this time, nor that Yamato had even openly declared her intent for revenge. She simply returned to Onigashima while feeling confused.
Meanwhile, in Flower Capital's palace, everything was as it had always been. Kozuki Hiyori, accompanied by her guards, had just finished this year's outing.
Her destination had been Dressrosa, the country under Doflamingo's control. Though she found the place a little strange, she hadn't discovered anything amiss.
As for whether the people of an Emperor of the Sea visiting a Shichibukai's territory would cause trouble, Doflamingo's answer was no. He couldn't defeat the Beasts Pirates or take down the Marines, but his grip over Dressrosa was unprecedentedly strong.
On top of that, due to its geographical location, most affairs around Dressrosa were under the jurisdiction of the G5 base. Even if someone tried to report something, Vergo would intercept it halfway.
At present, Marine Headquarters' focus wasn't on the Shichibukai, and they paid little attention to territories actually under Shichibukai control.
Most importantly, Doflamingo wasn't openly causing trouble for now. His identity as the Underworld's "JOKER" was no secret. Marines and the World Government knew exactly what he was doing.
But as long as they didn't have a falling out openly, the World Government wouldn't take action against him.
"Welcome back, Lord Shogun."
The palace's grandeur was still on full display, and after Kozuki Hiyori's change in attitude, it had even been enhanced.
For the attendants living in the palace, the Shogun's return meant life would become busy again. When the Shogun was away, they could slack off a little, but not once she was back.
For some people, Kozuki Hiyori's return carried a different meaning.
After King stopped accompanying Kozuki Hiyori as much, Greninja took over that role. Naturally, when she traveled, Greninja also followed, carrying out his own special mission.
When Greninja returned to Wano Country as well, some people began to harbor their own thoughts.
Now that they had returned to the palace, guard duties naturally went to Hotei and Hiyori's Oniwabanshu. Greninja simply walked alone within the palace, his unique earholes picking up the sounds around him.
"Too much noise, and the disguise is far too obvious."
A small Water Shuriken appeared in Greninja's hand and flew toward a wall nearby. Though it was made of water, under Greninja's power it was as solid as metal, flipping away a piece of camouflaging cloth and revealing Kurozumi Tama beneath it.
"You still haven't given up, kid? This path isn't suited for you."
Greninja wasn't surprised to see Tama as this wasn't her first time.
A year ago, Tama seemed to have made a decision: she wanted to become a strong kunoichi.
Unlike in the original timeline, where she wanted to be an enchanting kunoichi, this time she only aimed to be a strong kunoichi, and that change came from the current state of Wano Country.
When Kozuki Sukiyaki was critically ill, the Kurozumi family had already harbored thoughts of rebellion, which later gave rise to Kurozumi Orochi, the "avenger."
Coupled with the series of changes in Wano Country, and with Kurozumi Orochi having absorbed much of the public's resentment, the surname Kurozumi had become unpopular.
Even though these people had long severed ties with Orochi's branch, being only distant offshoots, they still faced the discriminatory gazes of those around them. To survive, they were among the first to join the Beasts Pirates, and since then had worked as menial workers in the palace.
However, menial work is still menial work. In other countries, working as a servant in the king's palace might sound decent, but Wano Country is different. Here, the Shogun had long since lost real power.
Living in this environment, Tama formed her own ambition. She wanted to change her family's fate, unwilling to remain in labor work. In today's Wano Country, the fastest way to do so was to prove herself through force and join Beasts Pirates.
In this environment, the Shogun's attendants did not inspire awe in her. King had only ever inspired fear in outsiders, but Greninja, elusive yet highly ranked, had successfully won admiration here.
As leader of Hiyori's Oniwabanshu and now head of the Kōga-ryū Ninja Corps, Greninja was, among the people in the palace whom one could both see and approach, the one with the highest status.
King and Delia never recruited locals, so even if they could be seen, there was no way to join them. But to be accepted as Greninja's disciple would be, for these people, like ascending to the heavens in one step.
Not to mention, in the special culture of Wano Country, Greninja was already considered the god of ninja.
"Master, please give me a chance! I will prove that I can become an excellent ninja!"
Even after being discovered, Tama did not become discouraged. This was one of the rare opportunities to change her fate. For the sake of her own and her family's future, she wanted to fight for it, instead of living a plain life following her parents' path.
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