"Why do I only have 300 million? This isn't fair!"
Yamato counted her achievements on her fingers with obvious frustration: "I clearly defeated the biscuit man and lots of other enemies too."
This was natural. Yamato's quick defeat of Cracker had involved some trickery.
Her performance naturally wasn't shocking enough.
It was only logical that her bounty couldn't be set based on Cracker's bounty amount.
"Maybe it's because you're only half as strong as me," Kai said teasingly.
"Kai, what did you say?!" Yamato pounced at him with claws bared: "I challenge you to a duel!"
At Onigashima...
"Why does that brat get 600 million for his first bounty!"
Queen was jumping mad. This was an achievement it had taken him six years to reach.
Most critically, judging by how seriously the Navy regarded that kid, he'd probably surpass Queen himself in just a few years.
Then wouldn't he always have to be subordinate to that brat? How could he compete for Komurasaki then!
Queen's current bounty: 860 million berries.
"That kind of thing doesn't matter."
King beside him spoke flatly: "What's most important now is the new trade deal the World Government just proposed."
Yes, the Beast Pirates had always maintained private dealings with the World Government.
Seastone weapons exported from Wano Country were one of the Beast Pirates' most important economic pillars.
But now, the World Government was demanding that the Beast Pirates export seastone ore rather than the seastone products they'd always traded: weapons, handcuffs, and such.
This put them in a difficult position.
First, simply exporting raw ore without the added value of Wano Country craftsmen's skills would definitely reduce profits.
Second, the World Government's large-scale actions made them uncertain whether seastone had other important uses they weren't aware of.
If so, and they hadn't managed to profit from it, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Kaido, seated in the main position, ordered: "Call Kai over. He now has the qualifications to get involved in our trade with the World Government."
The war with the Charlotte Family had already proven Kai's strength and loyalty.
In less than half an hour, Kai had rushed back from the Flower Capital.
King explained the World Government's demands to him.
"What's your opinion?"
"Me?"
Kai thought for a moment: "I'm inclined to think the World Government has discovered special uses for seastone and wants to exploit the information gap to buy a batch of seastone ore at bargain prices."
"But what else could that stuff be used for besides making weapons, armor, handcuffs, and cages?"
Queen objected.
Kai smiled: "Hypothetically, and I mean hypothetically, what if there were a technology that could embed seastone into the bottom of warships, allowing them to safely pass through the Calm Belt?"
King was shocked. If that were true, then the money the World Government spent importing seastone ore would be a drop in the bucket.
This world was divided into four parts by the Red Line and Grand Line: the East, South, West, and North Blues.
On both sides of the Grand Line were dangerous belt-shaped sea areas called the Calm Belt.
As the name implied, the Calm Belt was completely windless.
Therefore, traditional sailing ships couldn't navigate there, but that wasn't even the most terrifying part.
At the bottom of the Calm Belt lived giant Sea Kings over a hundred meters long that frequently attacked passing vessels, making it virtually impossible for ships to cross the Calm Belt.
As a result, trade between the four seas often had to detour around the Red Line, greatly hindering trade speed and keeping commodity prices high.
But if they could cross the Calm Belt, not to mention anything else, the East and South Blues and the North and West Blues could essentially have unobstructed passage between them.
The profits from trade alone would be enough for the World Government to make massive gains.
King turned to Queen: "Theoretically, is such a thing possible?"
"Theoretically it is feasible. Seastone contains a component called Pyrobloin that can emit the same energy as the sea. It could indeed make Sea Kings think it's the ocean rather than a ship."
Queen frowned: "But to achieve that level, seastone would have to cover the entire ship's bottom. That cost... one or two ships would be manageable, but for an entire fleet, even the World Government absolutely couldn't afford it."
Kai reminded them: "Don't forget the World Government has a trump card: Vegapunk."
Queen immediately became displeased, his whole body trembling with indignation: "Are you saying I'm inferior to that Vegapunk guy?"
Acting like things he couldn't do, Vegapunk could.
Even if the Heavenly King himself came, seastone would still have to cover the entire ship's bottom.
If there were any gaps, it absolutely couldn't fool the Sea Kings!
Kai proposed a hypothesis: "What if Vegapunk could spread the seastone very thin?"
Just like one gram of gold could be a small bean, a playing card, or even a poster.
Hearing this, all three, Kaido, King, and Queen, fell silent.
They had all truly worked with Vegapunk before. Kaido and King as research subjects, Queen as an assistant.
With any other scientist claiming they could cut seastone thin for embedding, they definitely wouldn't believe it, but Vegapunk...
That man whose intelligence bordered on the supernatural.
They hesitated.
Kai knew that although it seemed incredible, Vegapunk truly had this ability and had succeeded.
This also indirectly led to the Navy's encirclement of the Kuja Pirates.
After a long pause, King spoke.
"Regardless, we can't cut off trade with the World Government."
The Beast Pirates' trade with the World Government wasn't just for money. They also needed to maintain their relationship with the World Government through trade.
Yes, holed up in Wano Country, the World Government definitely couldn't interfere with them.
But similarly, the Beast Pirates' reach in the Grand Line and four seas would definitely be cut off by the World Government.
Don't look at how carefree the future Four Emperors were in the New World. There was always the World Government's shadow behind them.
Red Hair was a Celestial Dragon with naturally good relations with the World Government, not to mention.
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin had always been keen on underground trade, and these absolutely couldn't function without the World Government's tacit approval and support.
Simply put, outside the New World, whatever the World Government wanted to do, they could definitely accomplish. It was just a matter of the cost.
Except for Whitebeard, who was content to stay in the New World and couldn't be bothered with affairs elsewhere.
Having no desires made one strong, so he naturally wasn't constrained by the World Government.
Kai thought for a moment and spoke: "In that case, let's trade, but we can't take a loss either. We raise prices!"
Since the Navy would have a fleet of seastone-embedded ships in the future, the Beast Pirates had definitely compromised.
"Raise prices?" King frowned slightly.
Kai nodded: "We may need the World Government's connections, but at the end of the day, we're the ones leading the seastone trade."
This was a monopoly business.
What company doing monopoly business could afford to take losses?
Kaido waved his hand grandly: "Since you understand this so well, I'm putting you in full charge of this matter. Just don't let me take any losses!"
Just like that, Kai gained another title: Beast Pirates Seastone Business Agent.