The Great Voyage Begins with the Celestial Dragons

Gion looked at Luther, awaiting his instructions.

Luther pondered for a moment, glancing at the almost completely flattened wasteland:

"Let Moria handle the cleanup, and have him kill Orochi with Momonosuke. Some people know too much."

As he said this, he glanced at Quinn beside him, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Quinn's expression immediately changed, his eyes darting around, indicating that he really hadn't heard anything.

He genuinely didn't know that Luther and Orochi were still in contact; no wonder he didn't want Kanjuro to speak when he killed him.

He genuinely didn't care about these things; he was one of their own and knew what was going on.

Not to mention Luther's invincible strength, his intellect is also top-notch; there's no way Luther could outmaneuver him.

Given this, it's good to have an environment where research can be conducted. Bloodline factors are not something that pirates like Kaido can research. The manpower and financial resources required are countless, and there's no guarantee that any results will be achieved in the end.

Although he described the lineage factor as terrifying, what scientist, having studied this divine substance, wouldn't want to know more about it...?

Quinn followed Luther around like a puppy, looking completely loyal.

"Sakazuki, you should stay by my side. He's not really suited to get involved in what happens in Wano Country later."

Luther glanced at Sakazuki in the distance, then said to Gion:

"I'll leave the two people at the Udon quarry to you. Have Inuarashi and Kawamatsu go with them."

What kind of outcome does Your Highness expect?

Gion nodded seriously, but still asked a question.

"Whatever you want," Luther replied calmly. "Just tell them that Toki and Hiyori will be sailing with us. They can come if they want, or stay in Wano Country if they don't."

From this day forward, Kozuki has been virtually erased from the public eye. In the future, Momonosuke will only be a caged canary, to be discarded and killed when the time is right.

As for Oden's retainers, it didn't matter to him which option they chose.

Staying is tantamount to indirectly serving him.

Following him is tantamount to becoming his subordinate.

Even if Inuarashi and Nekomamushi went back to their hometown Zou, and Kawamatsu went back to Fishman Island, it would be a good ending.

If we can plant a seed in these two places, there will always be a harvest in the future.

"understand!"

Gion smiled slightly, easily understanding Luther's meaning.

"By the way, these two knives should be returned to Your Highness! Now Your Highness no longer needs to hide them, so you can wear them."

As she spoke, she personally hung Enma and Hiba Habakiri on Luther's waist.

Having three swords hanging from his waist for a moment made Luther feel a little uncomfortable, especially when he saw Gion's teasing look, which made him feel both amused and exasperated.

“You know perfectly well that I don’t need it,” Luther said with a smile and a shake of his head.

"I don't need them! They are His Highness's spoils of war!"

Gion chuckled, stepped forward and hugged Luther, then quickly dashed towards Sakazuki and Moria.

"Really..."

Luther watched with amusement as Gion fled as if running away, then let the three swords hang on his waist and walked towards Sakazuki.

"Your Highness, what do you need me to do in the early stages?"

Seeing Gion leave, Quinn rubbed his hands together and couldn't help but ask about his future mission.

Following the Celestial Dragons was a first for him.

"I'll give you three days to compile a list of seastone research materials for me, including the research equipment you need, your recent research directions, and so on. We'll see about the specific plan later."

Bloodline factors are still too far off for him, and he also needs time to prepare funds and resources. Now that there are ready-made sea stone ore deposits, it would be more efficient to develop them directly.

After hearing Luther's words, Quinn nodded quickly:

"Your Highness, what is the initial budget?"

Do what you can afford; scientific research is an expensive endeavor.

"0!"

"what???"

Quinn looked bewildered, thinking he had misheard.

If research funding is zero, what's the point of doing any research? You can't get anything done!

"Do you think it's necessary to spend money on scientific research for the Celestial Dragons?"

Luther stopped and glanced at Quinn.

"Huh? Celestial Dragons don't have to spend money?"

Quinn looked bewildered; this touched on a blind spot in his knowledge.

Luther glanced at Quinn and tossed him a Den Den Mushi:

"Call this number if you have any needs. As a subordinate of the Celestial Dragons, what you want is what I want. Whether it's the Navy, the World Government, or various member states, or even Wano Country, we will do our best to meet your needs."

"As for the Seastone itself, the entire Wano Country belongs to us, so you won't be able to use it all in a short time."

"Glug, no wonder..."

Quinn swallowed hard, looking like he'd never seen anything like it before.

He now understood why Vegapunk was willing to throw out something like the lineage factor in order to align himself with the World Government.

Unlimited resources, unlimited money, unlimited manpower, and the entire world at his service.

With this level of treatment, he still has his own little schemes every day. Vegapunk, you deserve to die!!!

However, Quinn suddenly realized that he was also receiving Vegapunk's treatment, and couldn't help but smile smugly.

"hey-hey!"

Unexpectedly!

From today onwards, he will be a scientist serving the Celestial Dragons!

Hearing the laughter behind him, Luther glanced back and saw Quinn looking like a fool, and shook his head.

If Queen knew that even Vegapunk didn't receive this treatment, he'd probably be ecstatic.

Vegapunk is very skilled, but the Five Elders don't really trust him.

In fact, most of the research proposed by Vegapunk himself was rejected. Countless researchers would review his application materials and project proposals in order to ensure that he was within a controllable range.

For the World Government, Vegapunk is someone they both love and hate.

What I love is that he can greatly enhance the strength of the World Government, but what I hate is that Vegapunk has too many ideas of his own, and most of the projects he wants to research are related to people's livelihood, which are completely contrary to the ideas of the Five Elders and the World Government.

Even though Luther and Quinn walked slowly, they quickly caught up with Sakazuki thanks to their speed.

Seeing Jack's determined look as he followed behind Sakazuki, Quinn winked at him.

"Jack, keep up the good work!"

“I will! Queen the Big Board!” Jack shouted.

"Go away, go away! Don't call me 'Big Boss' anymore, call me 'Scientist'!" Quinn glared at him.

They're not even under Kaido anymore, so what kind of "Big Boss" are they?

"Ah, oh! Scientist Quinn!"

Jack didn't quite understand, but he scratched his head and accepted it anyway.

"Hmm, that's a good name! It would be even better if it also had the title of 'world's number one'," Quinn said with satisfaction.

However, he was just saying it; he knew himself that he was only fit to be Vegapunk's assistant.

On the other side, Luther and Yamato, one tall and one short, stared at each other in a strange way.

The two were gazing at each other with smiles, their demeanor and expressions bearing a striking resemblance.

Finally, Luther was the first to change, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth and a hint of appreciation in his eyes:

"not bad!"

He originally thought Yamato was the kind of single-minded, brainless fan, but he never expected that Yamato was actually an imitator.

Simply put, once Yamato sets her sights on a standard, whether good or bad, she will do her utmost to learn, imitate, absorb, and align herself with it.

In the originally planned future, Yamato's role model was Kozuki Oden, which is why he displayed an unparalleled silliness.

Now that Yamato is imitating him, his exceptional learning ability and intelligence have become apparent.

"Dad! I've finally seen you!"

Yamato's expression relaxed at this moment, and she staggered as she tightly hugged Luther's leg, which was the maximum height she could reach.

For her, nothing was more meaningful than being by Luther's side.

"From now on, you will follow me, my daughter Don Quixote Yamato!"

Luther stroked Yamato's head with a gentle smile on his face.

He could tell that Yamato, due to his age, still harbored a desire to depend on others.

What Yamato needs most right now is a sense of belonging.

It was precisely because Kaido always treated her like a son and never really accepted Yamato that the two of them didn't have a good relationship.

Moreover, given Kaido's personality, it's hard to imagine him taking care of a child.

"Hehe, Dad approves of me now!"

Yamato hugged Luther's leg even tighter, her face beaming with happiness and joy. She had completely come to regard Luther as her closest person.

"Your Highness, where do we go next?"

After Sakazuki saw the 'father and daughter' finish their emotional exchange, he asked about their next steps.

"Jiuli!"

Luther smiled slightly, picked up Yamato and placed him on the shoulder where Robin usually sat.