On the third day after Bullet and the others had conquered the Duchy of Dook, the fleet led by Queen and Kuzan finally approached the designated rendezvous point with the Big Mom Pirates.
"Bastards... mere brats, and their bounties have skyrocketed this much," Queen grumbled, his tone thick with displeasure. A cigar was clenched between his teeth, and in his hand was a fresh newspaper just delivered by a News Coo.
The front page bore a bold headline: "The Slumbering Dragon Awakens: Beasts Pirates All-Star Wipes Out a Kingdom in a Single Day." It detailed the feat of Bullet and his team in overthrowing the Duchy of Dook and included the newly issued bounty posters.
Somehow, Morgans had obtained intel on the hierarchy the Beasts Pirates had just recently formalized internally—perhaps by bribing a Beasts Pirate who was present at Dook.
The bounty posters listed clearly:
[Beasts Pirates Officer, All-Star, 'Armament' Douglas Bullet, User of the Mythical Zoan Type, Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami. Bounty: 545,000,000 Berries. Dead or Alive.]
[Beasts Pirates Officer, Flying Nine, 'Moonlight' Gecko Moria, User of the Paramecia Type, Kage Kage no Mi (Shadow-Shadow Fruit). Bounty: 245,000,000 Berries. Dead or Alive.]
[Beasts Pirates Officer, Flying Nine, 'Strange Monk' Urouge, User of the Mythical Zoan Type, Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daidarabotchi. Bounty: 200,000,000 Berries. Dead or Alive.]
[Beasts Pirates Officer, Shinuchi, 'Scorpionfish Giant' Sebastian. Bounty: 145,000,000 Berries. Dead or Alive.]
[Beasts Pirates Officer, Shinuchi, Master Swordsman, Nour Morris. Bounty: 110,000,000 Berries. Dead or Alive.]
A faint haze of tobacco smoke drifted across the deck. Queen squinted, studying the figures on the fresh bounty posters in his hand, the sea breeze rustling the paper.
"Ararara... they did wipe out a kingdom in a single day, after all," Kuzan remarked lazily, leaning against the ship's rail and perusing his own copies. A flicker of approval passed through his ice-blue eyes. His long fingers traced the report on Dook's fall in the newspaper, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
Queen blew a perfect smoke ring and suddenly let out a booming laugh! "Not bad for those brats!" He tapped the bounty amount on Bullet's poster with a thick finger. "But that Moria kid must be furious! I heard he was planning to challenge Bullet for the All-Star position. Now the gap between their bounties is this big! Mmmhahaha!" His hearty laughter echoed across the deck, causing several nearby crewmen to glance over.
Kuzan's gaze lingered on another section of the newspaper. "Captain Kaido didn't immediately recall Bullet and the others. It seems he intends to fully integrate the Duchy of Dook into the Beasts Pirates' territory."
"Of course!" Queen's laughter faded, his expression turning serious. He straightened up, his voice low and forceful. "Territory taken by the Beasts Pirates belongs to us. Wano Country is just our headquarters. In the future, we'll use Wano as our center and continuously expand our sphere of influence outward." He paused, rapping a knuckle on the bounty posters. "According to Lord Kaido's plan, the All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates will each garrison a key region. Officers of the Flying Nine rank will lead fleets patrolling the outer edges of our territory to deter other powers. And Shinuchi-level officers will be stationed to oversee prosperous islands."
"Lord Queen, is that true?" Cedric immediately leaned in, eyes shining with excitement. "We'll get assigned to our own posts in the future?"
Queen gave him a sidelong glance, a smug grin spreading across his face. "Naturally. Lord Kaido himself told me this." He patted his round belly, a note of pride in his tone.
Kuzan added in his characteristic languid drawl, "Though Shinuchi-level officers will be stationed in various places, the rules are the same as in Wano Country." He lifted his gaze, his ice-blue eyes sweeping over those present. "If anyone dares to run amok on their own turf, Captain Kaido won't go easy on them."
"Th-that... how could we?" Perick waved his hands hurriedly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "How could we possibly cause trouble in our own territory?" He straightened his back, his tone becoming earnest. "We attended the Beasts Pirates' night school. We know very well that if we mess around in our own area, the tax revenue will just keep shrinking."
"Mmmhahaha!" Queen erupted in laughter again, his thick arm slapping Perick on the shoulder with a thump that nearly sent the smaller man sprawling. "If you don't fancy garrison duty, you can always apply to join an All-Star's or Flying Nine's fleet and help the Beasts Pirates conquer new lands!"
The salty sea breeze swept across the deck, scattering Queen's smoke rings. Crewmen gathered in small groups, their discussions rising and falling.
The Beasts Pirates' fleet moved steadily across the sea. Queen lounged lazily on a deck chair, a cigar in his mouth, occasionally puffing out a smoke ring.
"Lord Queen, Lord Kuzan! Ships from the Big Mom Pirates sighted ahead!" A pirate ran up to report to Queen and Kuzan.
Hearing this, Queen slowly removed his sunglasses, revealing his sharp eyes. "Finally here, huh?" He stretched, his ample flesh jiggling with the motion. "Kuzan, let's go. Time to see what the Big Mom Pirates are made of."
Kuzan let out a yawn and straightened up languidly. "Ararara... I hear there's a real prodigy among the Big Mom Pirates' officers. Got a bounty over a hundred million as soon as he came of age." He rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Wonder if we'll meet him."
Queen snorted dismissively, casually flicking his cigar into the sea. "Don't get your hopes up, Kuzan." He adjusted his suit jacket. "Guys like that are a dime a dozen in our Beasts Pirates."
It was true. The current Beasts Pirates were overflowing with talent. After half a year of Kaido's "Death Training," the officers were all frighteningly strong. Especially King, Bullet, and the others—in Queen's estimation, their strength was easily worth bounties of over eight hundred million. These young officers, not even twenty years old, made Queen utterly unimpressed by so-called "prodigies" from other crews. What prodigy could compare to King and Bullet?
The wind began to pick up, and the two fleets drew closer.
The Beasts Pirates' Jolly Roger flapped sharply in the wind. Crewmen took up their battle stations. Queen stood at the bow, squinting as the outlines of the opposing ships grew clearer. Kuzan still looked half-asleep, but a glint of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
***
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