BIG MOM's actions served as a reminder to Arceus that berries could also fetch high prices. The berries cultivated by Queen can be considered second-generation berries. Even if they don't have the effects of removing abnormalities or restoring stamina, their nutritional content and taste far surpass ordinary fruits.
Fruits are an indispensable part of sea voyages, and moreover, the world's resources are in the hands of a few. Berries can also be a source of revenue.
The key is the channels BIG MOM has; she has extensive connections in the Underworld.
BIG MOM particularly values sweets and has the problem of Anorexia Nervosa, meaning anything she's eaten might trigger it.
The fruits sold outside are third-generation berries. With slight adjustments, the third-generation berries will lose their ability to reproduce, and by then, the berry resources will be firmly in the hands of the Hundred Beasts Pirates.
Kaidou's strength is still on the rise, and so is the development of the Hundred Beasts. Even the BIG MOM Pirates might not be able to handle the Hundred Beasts Pirates by then. BIG MOM might not care about some things, but her children can't ignore them.
To prevent BIG MOM from having an attack and not finding the required fruits or desserts, they must maintain stable trade with the Hundred Beasts. By then, utilizing her channels will be a piece of cake.
Kaidou can also make a significant profit through brokerage actions. Kaidou gains power, BIG MOM gets food, Arceus uses the channels, and everyone gets what they want.
Although the values of these things are not the same, they hold different significance for all three.
.....
At night, bonfires could still be seen on the beach. That was the tail end of the pirates' banquet. Most pirates were drunk, and those who had gained Splash abilities were jumping around the sea drunkenly.
A few close friends were desperately rowing after him, worried he would drown himself by diving into the sea.
Queen was in the lab cultivating his new crops and also tried grafting to come up with some bizarre berries. Arceus was fusing new Plates, regaining more power, and who knows where Kaidou had gone.
No one knew where he'd end up when he acted wildly drunk. Although Arceus always said drinking messes things up, he had just found a Plate through his channels, so saying he messed up wasn't quite right.
King had just returned after handling a minor issue. Now with their own territory, New World's pirates also have to collect taxes and ensure the safety of their land.
A new batch of newcomers just passed through Fishman Island; King went to handle such a bold group of newcomers.
Though he missed the banquet, it didn't matter much to him.
"Have you handled everything?"
Shaina's voice came from the side. To make their daily lives easier, Kaidou specifically left a place on the island for Shaina and King. Except for a few officers, any crew members and ordinary residents were strictly forbidden from entering without orders.
This was also for their own good. Shaina occasionally reverted to Human-Beast Form, and King sometimes took off his mask. They were like "death upon seeing the light." Anyone who saw their true selves would be silenced.
"Yes, just some newcomers who don't know their limits."
Though not very old, those new to the New World were indeed just rookies to King.
Shaina knew King had just returned, and since the chefs were resting after the banquet, she brought him some midnight snacks.
Flying fish sashimi, King's favorite food. This wouldn't be an issue even without a chef because she managed the kitchen when they first set sail.
Freshly sliced flying fish was a simple matter.
"And you? Did the Holy Beast find what it wanted?"
"Not exactly, but there has been some progress, although there's something else now." She handed King a stack of documents related to the organ trafficking Assassin's Guild.
"What's this?"
"Earlier, we encountered people from an organ trafficking Assassin's Guild, and on their ship... I found the wings of our clansmen."
Shaina explained what had happened before and the information she extracted from their mouths.
"Their headquarters should have another pair of identical wings; the clansmen's relics are not their crafts..."
"Do you have a plan?"
He knew Shaina's nature. Since she brought this up, she likely already had a plan.
"No plan needed, people like them just need to be destroyed."
"Holy Beast?"
Arceus interrupted Shaina's plan even before she managed to say it.
"I said this debt would be reclaimed bit by bit, and my deal with the Thousand-Year Dragon includes this part of the content."
Initially, she wanted to carry out an assassination with King to take out the leader and retrieve the clansmen's relics, but now the plan had changed. Assassination remained, but the execution method drastically changed.
As everyone knows, the goal of assassination is to kill the target without anyone knowing.
So if all the witnesses are eliminated, then this incident becomes an unnoticed event, remaining an assassination.
"Holy Beast, won't this affect your plans?"
"Of course not, and this is something I promised. A promise must be fulfilled, plus it looks like some people are already itching for action. Isn't that right, Kaidou?"
Arceus's mention of Kaidou made King and Shaina pause for a moment. Then Shaina seemed to remember something and ran to the back of the house. She had dug a wine cellar there and brewed some wine following Lunarians Race tradition.
This wine is called flame wine by the Lunarians Race because its only characteristic is its potency.
The Hundred Beasts Pirates' alcohol consumption has always been significant, with every banquet emptying their stock, and with Kaidou's constitution, there's essentially no limit to his drinking. He hadn't drunk to satisfaction for some time, so after exhausting their stock, he ventured elsewhere to find wine.
When they arrived, they indeed found Kaidou in the wine cellar.
Kaidou, though reeling drunk, could still hear Arceus's words.
"Hic~ Seems like I haven't had a fight in a while. There's nothing much to do anyway, so why not get it done?"
He is a pirate, and many things don't need a reason. He's doing it just because he wants to.
But it seems like they'll have to wait a couple of days. Kaidou's emotions after drinking are highly unpredictable; he could burst into tears, laugh hysterically, rage furiously, or fall into deep slumber.
A few months ago, the wood that King purchased had been fashioned into a ship's body. The main ship of the Hundred Beasts Pirates was soon to have its maiden voyage.