"You used to be part of that institute, you should know where those stone slabs came from, right?"
"I know. One of them was delivered with these two guys, and the other one came from the World Government after Vegapunk formed a collaboration with the government. I'm not clear on the details, but it should have been obtained from the Lunarians."
The information matches completely. The Flame Plate was originally loaned to the chief of the Lunarians and ended up in the government's hands after he was defeated; that's not surprising.
The Normal Type Blank Plate, however, was always carried by Shaina.
"Does the government have other slabs?"
"How could I possibly know about such things? I didn't even know there were so many before this, but from those people's words, they seem to believe there are more than two slabs, and it seems another one is in the hands of the World Government."
Even Quinn couldn't be too sure, since this was just a hypothesis, but Arceus thinks his deduction is not a problem. A slab was lost on the Lunarians' escape route, and it falling into the World Government's hands is not surprising.
"They seem to have studied this kind of slab, but the definition they reached was simply an unbreakable slab. They believe it contains strong power and can unconsciously affect the surrounding environment.
They let Vegapunk attempt to control the power within the slab, but he's always been clueless."
That's the normal situation. Arceus is the slab's sole master, and while the slab may unconsciously affect the surroundings, without his authority, no one can directly use the slab's power like he does.
"Oh, right, everyone at the institute also tried to create a device to search for the slabs, but the proposal was scrapped because those slabs are just like a normal stone within the institute, with no special ingredient to find.'
Based on the metal detector principle, the person believed that the slab contains a special ingredient. If they could create an instrument to analyze this ingredient, they could search for this slab on a broad scale.
But the issue is that the slab hasn't dropped any fragments whatsoever, so there's no possibility of implementation.
Unbreakable, unanalyzable, someone even proposed using it to make armor, but it was rejected. Based on previous events, the Lunarians might have a special connection to the slab, so they sent the Flame Plate here for experimentation.
"I just remembered, back when I was on Rocks' ship, I saw something similar."
A person's potential can be activated in special circumstances. Initially, Kaidou didn't have much impression of the slab, but its ability to create Phantom Beast Types intrigued him. The technique is exclusive to Arceus, so naturally, he would look for those slabs.
When recalling, he finally remembered why it felt familiar. In the Rocks Pirates' treasure vault, there were vast amounts of treasure, with gold and silver being the most common items.
Devil Fruits, rare minerals, those were things Rocks plundered from around the world, including from those Celestial Dragons, among which a slab was used as the bottom of a box.
"Rocks?"
"Yes, Rocks D. Xebec, the pirate crew I used to be on. Rocks was a real monster and had ambitions to become the King of the World, but five years ago at Divine Valley, that battle completely destroyed the Rocks Pirates, and the remaining members scattered away."
The Rocks Pirates were a true Sea Dominator. Both the captain and crew were renowned figures. The young Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, Kaidou, were all once crew members.
On that ship, Kaidou could only be considered an intern.
However, unlike adventurers gathered together by dreams, this was a violent group forcefully united by Rocks' absolute strength.
The people on the ship originally had their own agendas, and when things turned south, they naturally scattered.
Currently, only five years have passed since the end of the Divine Valley battle. Although Rocks was erased from the world and history by the World Government due to his "grave sins," forbidding anyone from spreading or talking about him.
But the time has been too short, and many still know of this person. It is only after some years will Rocks gradually be forgotten.
What's more, Kaidou himself is an eyewitness to these events and won't heed the government's commands. He talks about Rocks openly.
Of course, the experiences on Rocks' ship aren't important, so he skips over them.
"Since the Rocks Pirates are gone, where did that slab go, in Divine Valley?"
"No, the so-called Divine Valley has long disappeared from The Sea, there's nothing there. I mentioned, everyone on the ship had their own agendas. Some died, some were captured, but quite a few escaped.
The one on the ship most fond of treasure was John, so if nothing unexpected happened, the stuff on the ship should have been carried away by John during the chaos."
"Then where is he now?"
"I don't know, but for someone like him, locating him shouldn't be difficult; however, even finding him won't be easy. Given his valuing of treasure, taking things from him is impossible, chances are you'll have to fight him.
But he was my former senior on the ship, so it's not convenient to fight."
"What? Are pirates so honorable among themselves? Didn't you say the crew on Rocks' ship gathered because of interests, that internal fights were common occurrences?"
Kaidou is indeed tolerant of his own people as long as this person has enough strength to earn his respect. Arceus is clearly the one Kaidou values most and wants to recruit the most; he possesses the ability Kaidou has dreamt of.
But he doesn't believe Kaidou has any sentimental attachment to John.
"I don't have a great relationship with him; what I mean is, that guy is tough to deal with. Finding him wouldn't be too difficult, but it would take time, which means more money."
Five years ago, he was an intern for the Rocks Pirates, but times have changed. Five years later, he is no longer who he was back then.
He doesn't owe John anything, so at times like this, he intends to maximize John's value.
Kaidou didn't demand much, but he proposed an advance payment of the "reward" this time as he couldn't wait.
"It's not impossible, Quinn, come over here." He originally wanted to try more abilities on Quinn, so now it's just the right time to give Kaidou a taste.
Besides, with Quinn being nearby, there was no one else around, and without hesitation, a surge of energy went into Quinn's body. The cost was less than Shaina but more than King, in a medium range.
Quinn was already a ruthless character who could modify himself in bizarre ways, so this wasn't opposed. Yet, afterward, when using the ability, he discovered a string of bananas growing on his chin...