"Why am I only at 300 million? This isn't fair."
Yamato counted her achievements on her fingers: "I clearly took down Cracker, and many other enemies too."
Of course, Yamato had used a trick to defeat Cracker so quickly.
Her performance naturally wasn't shocking enough.
Logically, Yamato's bounty couldn't be set according to Cracker's bounty.
"Maybe it's because you're only half as strong as me," Kane joked.
"Kane, what did you say?!" Yamato pounced, baring her fangs and claws: "I'm going to duel you!"
Onigashima.
"How can that kid have a first bounty of 600 million?!"
Queen was furious; this was an achievement he had struggled for six years to reach.
The most infuriating part was that, given the Marine's Pay attention to of that kid, he would probably surpass him in a few years.
Wouldn't he always be inferior to that kid then? How would he ever compete for Kozuki Hiyori?
Queen's current bounty: 860 million Berries.
"That doesn't matter," King said calmly from the side.
"The most important thing right now is the new deal the World Government just proposed."
Yes, the Beasts Pirates have always had private dealings with the World Government.
The Sea Stone weapons exported from Wano Country were one of the Beasts Pirates' most important economic pillars.
But now, the World Government was demanding that the Beasts export Sea Stone ore, instead of the usual Sea Stone products like weapons and handcuffs.
This put them in a difficult position.
Firstly, simply exporting ore, without the added value of Wano Country artisans' craftsmanship, would definitely reduce profits.
Secondly, the World Government's large-scale move made them uncertain whether Sea Stone had other important uses they didn't know about.
If it did, and they failed to make a killing, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Kaido, sitting in the main seat, ordered: "Call Kane over. He's now qualified to get involved in our trade with the World Government."
The war with the Charlotte Family had already proven Kane's strength and loyalty.
In less than half an hour, Kane rushed back from Flower Capital.
King explained the World Government's demands to him.
"What do you think?"
"Me?"
Kane thought for a moment: "I lean towards the World Government having researched a special use for Sea Stone, and they want to exploit the information gap to buy a batch of Sea Stone ore at rock-bottom prices."
"But what else could that thing be used for, besides making weapons, armor, handcuffs, and cages?"
Queen objected.
Kane smiled: "Suppose, and I mean suppose, there was a technology that could embed Sea Stone into the bottom of a warship, allowing the warship to safely pass through the Calm Belt?"
King was shocked. If that were true, the money the World Government imported Sea Stone ore for would be a drop in the ocean.
This world is divided into four parts by the Red Line and the Grand Line, which are the East Blue, South Blue, West Blue, and North Blue.
And on both sides of the Grand Line, there is a dangerous strip of sea called the Calm Belt.
As the name suggests, the Calm Belt is completely windless.
Therefore, traditional sailing ships cannot navigate it, but that's not the scariest part.
At the bottom of the Calm Belt, giant Sea Kings over a hundred meters long reside. They frequently attack passing ships, causing almost no vessel to be able to cross the Calm Belt.
As a result, trade between the Four Blues often has to detour around the Red Line, which greatly hinders the speed of trade and keeps commodity prices high.
But if they could cross the Calm Belt, putting aside everything else, the East Blue and South Blue, and the North Blue and West Blue, would essentially be unhindered.
The pure profit from trade alone would be enough for the World Government to make a huge fortune.
King turned to Queen: "Theoretically, is such a thing possible?"
"Theoretically, it is indeed feasible. Sea Stone contains a component called PYROBROIN, which can release energy similar to the sea. It can indeed make Sea Kings believe it's the sea, not a ship."
Queen frowned: "But to achieve that, Sea Stone would have to cover the entire bottom of the ship. The cost for one or two ships might be manageable, but for a fleet, even the World Government absolutely couldn't bear it."
Kane reminded him: "Don't forget the World Government has a trump card—Vegapunk."
Queen immediately became displeased, his entire body trembling with anger: "Do you think I'm worse than that Vegapunk guy?"
As if something he couldn't do, Vegapunk could.
Even if the Elite came, Sea Stone would still have to cover the bottom of the ship.
As long as there's a loophole, it will absolutely not escape the Sea Kings!
Kane proposed a hypothesis: "What if Vegapunk could lay the Sea Stone very thinly?"
Just like one gram of gold can be a tiny bean, or a playing card, or even a poster.
Upon hearing this, Kaido, King, and Queen all fell silent.
They had all truly collaborated with Vegapunk—Kaido and King were subjects of research, and Queen was an assistant.
If it were any other scientist claiming to cut Sea Stone thin for embedding, they definitely wouldn't believe it, but Vegapunk—
That man whose wisdom was almost demonic.
They hesitated.
Kane knew that, although incredible, Vegapunk indeed had this ability and had succeeded.
This also indirectly led to the Marine's encirclement and suppression of the Kuja Pirates.
After a moment, King spoke.
"No matter what, we cannot cut off our trade with the World Government."
The Beasts Pirates traded with the World Government not only for money, but also to maintain their relationship with the World Government through trade.
Yes, they were holed up in Wano Country, and the World Government certainly couldn't interfere with them.
But similarly, the Beasts Pirates' reach in the Grand Line and the Four Blues would certainly be cut off by the World Government.
Don't look at how carefree the future Four Emperors are in the New World; the shadow of the World Government has always been indispensable behind them.
Red Hair is a Celestial Dragon, so his naturally good relationship with the World Government goes without saying.
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin have always been keen on engaging in underground trade, and these activities absolutely cannot be done without the World Government's tacit approval and support.
To put it bluntly, outside the New World, anything the World Government wants to do, they can certainly achieve, it's just a matter of cost.
Except for Whitebeard; he was single-mindedly staying in the New World, completely uninterested in affairs elsewhere.
Having no desires makes one strong, and naturally, he was not constrained by the World Government.
Kane thought for a moment and said: "Since that's the case, then let's trade, but we can't suffer a loss. We'll raise the price!"
Since the future Marine had a fleet of ships embedded with Sea Stone, the Beasts Pirates must have compromised.
"Raise the price?" King frowned slightly.
Kane nodded: "We might need the World Government's connections, but in the final analysis, we are the dominant party in the Sea Stone trade."
This was a monopoly business.
Which company in a monopoly industry could afford to lose money?
Kaido waved his hand: "Since you understand so much, I'll leave this matter entirely to you. Just don't let me suffer a loss!"
And so, Kane gained another title: the Beasts' Sea Stone Business Agent.