Pop~
The sound of bubbles bursting rang out almost simultaneously.
Two ships flying the Beasts Pirates' flag rose from the water, accompanied by the cheers of the pirates.
"Finally, we see the sun again!!"
"My god, I never want to go to Fish-Man Island again!"
"But the mermaid ladies there were really gentle. Even though the voyage was depressing, just thinking about them makes my heart itch~"
"Who says otherwise? Last time I brought alcohol to Bazel-sama, I heard that the Fish-Man Tribe might come to our territory in the future. Maybe we can even find a mermaid lady with separated legs to be our wife!"
"Ohhh, really?! I'll be a ghost of the Beasts Pirates even if I die!"
...
Listening to his subordinates' excited discussions, Bazel had no intention of joining in. Instead, he walked to the prow of the ship.
"Arber, is something wrong?"
"No, it's just that the direction indicated by the Log Pose is a bit strange."
King looked down at the New World-specific triple-needle Log Pose on his wrist.
"The needle trembling on the far right should definitely point to Raijin Island. If we calculate according to the normal sailing patterns, we should take the calmest route indicated by the middle needle."
"But the left one…"
"Where is Kaido-san? He might have been to these parts before. I want to ask him about the next route."
'The left one…'
Bazel gazed at the seemingly ordinary stretch of sea, narrowing his eyes slightly.
He remembered that the future Punk Hazard, established by the World Government, seemed to be located in waters not far from the entrance to the New World.
'Weren't a bunch of ancient giants frozen there...' He turned and sat on the ship's rail, lowering his head and stroking his chin with one hand.
King raised his hand towards the approaching Tom, signaling him to be quiet for a moment.
"Bazel seems to have thought of something. Don't disturb him."
Tom glanced at Bazel. His raised right hand held something that looked like a bubble-making machine.
"My brother Den is a research scholar at the Sea Forest. This thing is a quick-coating device made from the roots of a Mangrove tree."
"Since it's not a permanent effect, I was thinking of asking Bazel to help deliver it to Acier's lab."
'A coating device?'
King recalled the transparent bubbles that protected the ships on their journey to the depths of the sea ten thousand meters below. He took the coating device and beckoned to a pirate nearby.
"King-sama!"
"Take this to Acier and ask him if mass production is possible."
"Yes, I'll deliver it right away!"
"If this thing can be mass-produced... No!"
Tom punched his left fist into his right palm excitedly, "If we can maintain the sustainable expansion of the tree bubbles, I might be able to build an undersea tunnel that can avoid Sea Kings! That would be a much safer and more secret route!"
"Given enough time, I might even be able to connect this passage to all four seas!!"
"Pair it with Acier's theory of energy vehicles, and traveling freely across the four blues will no longer be a dream!!"
King didn't quite understand the thought processes of these shipwrights and scientists, just like he couldn't comprehend why Bazel's brain was so sharp.
But he still had to provide the appropriate emotional support.
"That sounds like a fantastic idea, but what do you plan to use as the energy source?"
'Energy source…'
Tom scratched his messy hair, looking troubled, " That's what's giving me a headache right now. I heard Kaido-sama mention Pure Gold, and I even went to take a look."
"That stuff seems to have a powerful inhibitory effect, but it's still not quite suitable as an energy source."
"If Acier could create a machine that converts light into power... that might work better."
"Let's not consider that for now."
Bazel turned his back to the sea and smiled at Tom, "The undersea tunnel is something to consider many years later. What we need most urgently now is the renovation of Wano Country and the construction of Takamagahara."
'And the research on the Dream-Capturing Machine!'
But Bazel didn't say this last part out loud.
Tom was just a shipwright, he didn't need to know all the affairs of the Beasts Pirates.
His area of responsibility was also unrelated to those things. Bazel saw no need to explain the Beasts Pirates' future development trends to everyone in detail.
Specialized personnel handle specialized tasks.
"Starting from and ending at Takamagahara, prioritize building an aerial route connecting to the land of giants, Elbaf."
"Once we open the path between our two nations, our economy will develop rapidly."
"By that time, as long as we can stabilize the situation, the speed at which we solve other problems will multiply."
Tom nodded thoughtfully, "That makes sense. If the beginning can be solved smoothly, we won't have to worry too much about the subsequent construction problems."
After chatting with Tom for a few more moments, Bazel finally remembered the main issue, "Arber, we're taking the route indicated by the left needle. Notify Hanafuda on the ship next to us and tell him to follow Babanuki's ship."
King didn't ask why. First, he instructed his subordinate pirates to carry out the order, and only then did he turn a questioning gaze towards Bazel.
"Didn't you hear Kaido mention anything about this area?"
"Kaido-san?" King was taken aback. "What did he say?"
"Actually, it can't really be considered Kaido's observation, he overheard it while mopping floors on the Rocks Pirates."
"Rocks D. Xebec, you know about that Great Pirate, right?"
King nodded in agreement.
"Two days ago, while drinking, Kaido talked to me about his former captain."
"The Rocks Pirates was gathered together for treasure and profit. The frequency of internal fights among them was even higher than battles with enemies."
"And their captain, Rocks, I heard from Kaido that his idol was Davy Jones."
"Davy Jones?"
Compared to King's confusion, Tom, who was listening nearby, chimed in.
"I've heard of that person… well, it might not be accurate to call him a person. It's more fitting to say he's a character from a legendary story."
"Davy Jones, according to legend, was a Great Pirate cursed by a demon, forced to live at the bottom of the sea."
"All treasures and ships that sink to the bottom of the sea are taken by him and locked away in Davy Jones' Locker."
"There used to be a popular pirate game called 'Davy Back Fight'. Have you heard of it?"
King shook his head, while Bazel nodded and responded.
"I've heard of this game. It was a game spread in a certain pirate paradise a long time ago."
"It was a game started by some powerful pirates to get better crew members from others. The so-called 'Davy Back Fight' was essentially a battle to steal people."
"The match is decided in three rounds. The loser must swear to 'Davy Jones' and pledge loyalty to the winner for life."
"If the winner doesn't fancy those pirates, they would take the pirate flag, which is seen as the life of the ship. It's a cruel game that bets on 'comrades' and 'dignity'."
"And this game only has three rules:"
"First, what is lost in a Davy Back Fight must be won back through the Davy Back Fight game."
"Second, crew members chosen by the winner from the losing side must immediately swear loyalty to the enemy's captain."
"Third, the flag taken from the loser must never be raised again."
"Anyone who violates these three rules will be seen as a disgrace to pirates and sent to Davy Jones' Locker."
"Of course…"
Bazel shrugged, "That's how the story goes, but so far, there hasn't been any news about what Davy Jones looks like or which sea he lives in."
"At least, no living person has said what he looks like."
"So there's a story like that~"
Olga jumped onto his shoulder, not ashamed of eavesdropping at all.
"King, you better keep an eye on me! I'm a super rare companion, you know!"
King said expressionlessly, "Indeed rare, a little old lady who's lived for over two hundred years."
"Two hundred years"
"Little old lady…"
Olga squinted her eyes, the corners of her mouth twitching, her small hands gripping the leather mask and pulling hard.
"Next time, don't say unnecessary things. It makes your emotional intelligence seem really low!"
King looked at Bazel, "Bazel, is my emotional intelligence low?"
"Emotional intelligence?"
Bazel deliberately pretended to be confused, "When did you ever have something like that?"
"Aren't you just a stubborn, stingy hardhead who only knows fighting and Kaido-san?"
'Stubborn, stingy?'
The flames behind King suddenly flared up.
"You better apologize to me, you bastard!"
"I'm not a stubborn stingy hardhead! Apologize now, or today will be the day you call me Big Bro!"
"Hah?"
Bazel rolled up his sleeves, "You're getting more and more disrespectful, you brat. Perfect!"
"Olga, go prepare the medical kit. I'm going to end King's rebellious adolescence early today!"
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