One Piece: Rayquaza of the Beasts Pirates

The prepared follow-up remarks got stuck in his throat.

This is different from my script.

"You brat, that trick of yours doesn't work on me anymore!"

Seeing Kane's shocked expression, Quinn stroked his signature mustache smugly, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "I won't be defeated by the same move twice!"

Of course, the most important reason he was able to resist temptation was:

While both involve developing new weapons, underwater weapons sound rather uninspired, far less impressive than the new plague bombs or laser weapons he's currently conceiving.

As long as he manages to get these things sorted out.

At that time, Kaido's admiring and dependent gaze will still be firmly fixed on Lord Queen!

Jie Jie Jie...

"A miscalculation."

Kane secretly realized he had miscalculated.

I never expected that someone who's supposed to be a scientist would neglect his technical studies and instead get interested in military strategy.

Fortunately, he still has a trump card.

"In that case, let's just forget about it."

Kane turned his back casually and muttered under his breath, seemingly unintentionally, "Looks like all the gratitude and admiration from those mermaid ladies will have to go to Judge..."

A... mermaid?!

Aren't they all fishmen?

Quinn's smile froze.

He couldn't help but ask, "Wait a minute! You brought a mermaid with you?"

Hooked.

A fleeting, knowing smile crossed Kane's face.

He turned around, his tone still calm, as if he were talking about something trivial: "Yes, there are probably more than fifty of them. And as long as they can settle down in Wano Country, the number of my fellow mermaids will definitely increase significantly in the future."

hiss~

More than fifty beautiful and rare mermaids?

Will there be even more in the future?!

Quinn gasped.

"If I help them research underwater equipment and help them build beautiful new homes...wouldn't they admire me very, very much? And be very grateful to me?"

The thought of being surrounded by a group of beautiful, sweet-voiced mermaids in the future, looking at her with adoration, is truly inspiring.

Quinn's eyes widened, and a mini-drama uncontrollably began to play out in his mind:

"Lord Quinn~ open your mouth, ah~ taste the tangerine I just peeled~"

"Me too, me too, Lord Quinn! This is freshly chilled deep-sea red wine!"

"Lord Quinn~ We really want to hear you do a rap concert, please sing us another song~"

"Alright, alright! One at a time."

Seeing Quinn's dazed look and even the faint trace of an unknown liquid seeping from the corner of his mouth, Kane knew that things were mostly settled.

He was clearly being controlled by his smaller head.

Kane pressed his advantage, throwing out his final trump card: "Think again, Quinn. At this year's Fire Festival, at your closing concert, what if there was a whole charismatic, graceful mermaid dance troupe as backup dancers..."

In the entire Beasts Pirates, who could possibly steal even a fraction of your thunder? That would be an unprecedented spectacle!

Quinn's expression became visibly excited, as if he could see himself reaching the pinnacle of his life.

Mermaid Dance Troupe?

This is something he has never done in his decades-long concert career.

A mermaid is worth at least 70 million Berries on the black market. Even Lord Queen couldn't afford to assemble a dance troupe.

He had long felt that the current dance troupe composed of Beast Pirates was of very poor quality, seriously dragging down the standard of his concerts.

Now, the opportunity has arrived.

Quinn raised his hand to wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth, instantly changing his expression to one of righteous indignation and overflowing sense of responsibility.

He patted his chest and declared, "Leave all the underwater weapons and underwater mining equipment to me!"

Kane suppressed a laugh and deliberately asked, "Weren't you prioritizing research on new plague bombs and laser weapons?"

"What are you saying!"

Queen waved his hand, his voice righteous and awe-inspiring: "Since those mermaids are willing to trust the Beasts Pirates and travel from the deep sea thousands of miles below to Wano Country, we have the obligation and responsibility to make them feel at home!"

"Making them feel the warmth of home! That's the most important thing!"

"No need for further words! You can rest assured that I'll handle this! I'll start brainstorming and designing the plan right now!"

Without waiting for Kane to speak, he pushed Kane out of the laboratory door.

boom!

The gate is closed.

Kane stared at the tightly closed door, feeling both amused and exasperated.

That's an incredible speed at which he changed his expression.

Next, Kane went to the Flower Capital to listen to King Riku's work report.

Overall, the economic development of Wano Country is showing a steady and positive trend.

The lives of ordinary people have been improved to some extent, and social order is much more stable than during the time of Kurozumi Orochi.

Even the criminals in the Rabbit Bowl Quarry Prison have become unusually well-behaved during this period because of the implementation of the "labor points exchange for materials" system. Mining efficiency has been rising steadily, and ore production is increasing day by day.

"The only problem right now is..."

King Riku changed the subject, his face showing difficulty: "The breeding speed of Den Den Mushi is far from keeping up with your plan. The current production limit can only be maintained at about 800 per six months, and there is almost no room for improvement."

King Riku, who has a good relationship with the Tontatta tribe, is currently the Tontatta tribe's main liaison with outsiders, besides Kane.

"Oh? What exactly is causing the production bottleneck?"

Kane frowned slightly.

The supply of Den Den Mushi is not only related to his upcoming business plans in collaboration with Tezzolo, but also to the massive war to come, which he must take seriously.

"The main problem is a severe shortage of high-quality 'breeding insects'."

King Riku reported, "A Den Den Mushi can be processed into a communication tool when it grows to 6 months old. But they need to grow for a full year before they enter their optimal breeding period."

Most importantly, although Den Den Mushi resemble snails in appearance, their reproductive capacity is extremely low.

A single mating can typically produce only 2 to 3 eggs, and even then, not all of them are guaranteed to hatch successfully, similar to giant pandas.

Otherwise, this creature wouldn't be so rare and expensive throughout the ocean.

King Riku pondered for a moment and then offered a conservative suggestion: "What if we temporarily halt exports..."

"No."

Kane interrupted him directly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

He felt the current pace was too slow; how could they possibly suspend sales?

However, the shortage of "breeding insects" is an unavoidable practical problem.

To quickly overcome this bottleneck, it seems we must look for solutions from the unscientific abilities of Devil Fruits.

What fruit could solve this problem?

Kane quickly searched his memory for relevant information.

Soon, his eyes lit up.

Oh right! How could I have forgotten about her?

"Go and fetch Denjiro for me," Kane immediately ordered.

Soon, Denjiro, who was patrolling the streets of the Flower Capital to maintain order, rushed over.

"You know Ren, right?" Kane asked bluntly.

"Ah, this..." Denjiro was startled, and cold sweat instantly seeped out from his back.

How did Kane find out about Shinobu's existence?

When Lord Oden was defeated and captured, he didn't reveal Shinobu's identity, did he?

He was torn internally, wanting to deny it but also afraid of making things worse.

Kane had no interest in playing mind games with him and gave the order directly: "I need the power of her Ripening Fruit. Go find her and bring her to me."

"If you dare to tip her off, let her go..."

Kane leaned forward slightly, staring intently at Denjiro, and said, enunciating each word clearly, "You know the consequences."

Denjiro felt as if an invisible mountain had crashed down on his shoulders, making it difficult to even breathe. He immediately bowed his head and replied, "I understand. I will take care of it right away."

He was powerless to change the situation; he had no choice but to find Ah Ren first.

Fortunately, after he regained his original identity, Ah Ren did indeed secretly contact him.

Denjiro left hastily with a heavy heart.

Watching his disappearing figure, Kane narrowed his eyes and slowly spoke as if talking to himself: "Follow him. If that Ren doesn't want to come... you know what to do."

"Understood, Lord Kane."

A deep voice rang out.

Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity appeared silently from the shadows like ghosts, and respectfully accepted the order.

Then, his figure disappeared back into the shadows.

That should be fine now.