The air was thick with talk of money, but in the end, the surviving bounty hunters agreed to the deal. King's previous attack showed no mercy towards them, and if they couldn't run away, they really had no choice but to seek help.
Putting together a hundred million Belly was no easy task, and even they had to break their backs to gather such an amount. Bounty hunters and pirates share a few similarities; they're people who live in the moment, and saving money is the last thing on their minds.
However, he only asked for King's bounty, leaving the rest untouched. Even after giving up a hundred million from Nightin's bounty, they would still have some left.
"Just coming out here and talking nonsense on your own, who do you think you are!"
A subordinate next to King had clearly had enough, and he rushed forward with an axe, only to be sent flying back. The object that struck him seemed to be a teaching ruler.
"No talking in class, silence." Saying that, he wrote a character for "quiet" on the blackboard on his belly, and the pirate who was struck found himself suddenly unable to speak.
Then, he took a large section of the blackboard to write down King's name.
"Violation of classroom discipline, stand in place as punishment!"
He had consumed a fruit known as the Classroom Fruit, allowing him to designate an area as his classroom. Within this classroom, he could exert his authority as a teacher by writing on the blackboard on his body. Currently, the extent of his ability covered an area roughly the size of a playground.
The larger the proportion of the blackboard the writing occupied, the stronger the effect of the ability. He had just used this ability to extinguish the flames.
At this moment, he used up the remaining space, worried that the force might not be enough.
The blackboard's area can't be reutilized; once it's filled, no new actions can be performed until it's erased. Once the writings are wiped away, his ability ceases to be effective.
However, this ability only works on non-living objects as he can only dictate the environment of the classroom.
For living beings, he can only enforce punishments, like making them stand or silencing them, all adhering to classroom rules.
For his ability to be effective on a person, two conditions must be met: they've either been struck by his teaching ruler, or he knows the person's real name.
"Flame Disaster, King, can't move, huh? Just accept the punishment... Ugh!"
Before he could finish his sentence, King suddenly appeared before him, delivering a harsh punch to his head.
"So much unnecessary chatter."
Although he had written King's name on the blackboard, the prerequisite for this fruit ability to work requires the name to be the person's real name, and "King" was just a code name for Abel. Abel was his real name.
From the beginning, this ability hadn't worked on King, which was one of its major weaknesses.
However, it's rare for seafarers to use aliases; among tens of thousands, perhaps only one might. Unluckily, he encountered just such a person. His body techniques were weak, relying on his unique fruit ability to take down opponents.
Encountering King, who used an alias, his only purpose was to extinguish the flames in the town. If there were more room on the ship, perhaps Queen's plantation would be recruiting new hands.
After dealing with this group of bounty hunters, King obtained the medicinal herbs he needed, as well as some seed samples from Nightin.
King wasn't skilled in this area, but he had a basic knowledge of herbal medicine, as did Shaina. This skill was honed from their youthful days on the run.
When it came to handling medicinal herbs, Nightin's proficiency was indeed high. If it was solely about herbs, Queen probably couldn't compare to her.
"Do you want to join the Hundred Beasts? Your captain is already imprisoned, and until now, no one has ever escaped from Impel Down. The Wald Pirates have already disbanded, haven't they?"
Whether in herb cultivation or berry plantation, these were the growth directions for the Hundred Beasts. Arceus was also trying to develop a certain herbal medicine, albeit without success. He thought Nightin's ability could be useful.
Perhaps in the future, she could play a significant role in the quest to find rare plants.
Due to Kaidou taking the lead, these officers would also try to recruit suitable people they encountered. However, the Hundred Beasts' recruitment methods weren't as violent except towards enemies.
There are only three outcomes for the defeated: join, die, or become forced labor. But external talents were different, so he extended an invitation to Nightin.
"The Wald Pirates are only temporarily disbanded, but do you have the means? If the price is right, I can work for you until the captain reappears."
Bingjack and Sebastian were also each finding their own way of living. To prevent exposure, Bingjack instructed them not to contact frequently unless they were certain Wald had escaped.
Finding a powerful force to temporarily depend on was also a good idea.
"As long as you have the ability, money is not a problem."
"Deal, but I need to pack up. The herbs I have weren't easy to acquire."
...
As Arceus's ship returned once again to the Hundred Beasts' territory, Winter Island was filled with a festive atmosphere. Unnoticed, the end of the year 1491 had arrived, and the Sea Round Calendar's New Year was imminent.
Not every island could afford the luxury of celebrating the New Year, for crises and accidents could happen anytime. Without sufficient power to ensure the island's safety, celebrating the New Year was just wishful thinking.
Moreover, celebrating the New Year signified the coming of winter, and apart from the climates of Summer Islands, the harsh winter could easily claim lives. However, this was no longer a concern for the Hundred Beasts' territory, where the residents had the right to enjoy a good New Year.
The dividends for the past year had been distributed to everyone. Flowing capital held higher value, and since the island was under the rule of the Hundred Beasts, its international trade was managed by them.
Even if salaries and dividends were given to the island's residents, it ultimately circulated within the Hundred Beasts, greatly stimulating the island's economy.
Nightin temporarily became Queen's deputy. In reality, Asie was more suitable, but she hadn't yet earned the trust of the Hundred Beasts, making her an unsuitable candidate to interact with Asie.
In the sky, the millennium dragons, transformed into primeval birds, circled. They were particularly sensitive to time, circling over the territory every year. They accurately calculated the time so that when a thousand years were up, they would return in flocks to Dragon Island.
"Holy Beast, welcome back."
With members of the Arceus Sect on board, Shaina had already received word of the ship's return. Moreover, the island was preparing for the New Year celebrations. She had been waiting there for a long time, as certain matters were best handled sooner before the New Year.
For instance, the formation plan for the Hundred Beasts Air Cavalry.