No one answered this question. Whether it was like a soccer ball or a bowling ball, the result was the same. Queen groggily sat up, repeatedly relying on his Armament Haki that protected his body.
The bowling ball attack also spared his bananas from a fiery trial. Although some banana trees got hit, the bananas themselves were salvageable.
Queen felt his efforts were worth it.
"What are you guys standing around for! Hurry up and tie these guys up, and start harvesting bananas. Dig up the banana saplings and get ready to transplant them!"
Looking at his underlings who were enjoying the bowling display, Queen yelled orders at them. The spherical attack didn't burden him much.
His modified body was extremely resilient, with Armament Haki protecting his vital areas. Plus, his body shape was already somewhat like a ball, so it wasn't much of a burden.
A plantation, of course, didn't have Seastone Handcuffs, but there's always a way. Those pirates dug a pit near the seaside, and after ensuring it was filled with seawater, they buried Perospero in it, leaving only his head exposed.
In his weakened state, he couldn't break free from the sandy bindings. The wet sand produced a quicksand-like effect, with strong suction restraining him.
Because of the length of his tongue, the salty, fishy taste of the seawater was constantly bombarding his taste buds, making it incredibly uncomfortable for someone like him from the sweet faction.
Now, Queen was discussing with Shaina how to handle Perospero. Among the Great Pirates, it's not just about fighting and killing, but also about human interactions.
Pirates of the same level usually adhere to a principle of not explicitly antagonizing each other until things irreparably sour. At this moment, Perospero had been defeated. Killing him would mean a complete break with Big Mom.
Considering Kaidou and Big Mom's ambiguous relationship, Queen hesitated a bit. However, he had already ordered his men to move the banana trees overnight. Now, only a few of them remained on the island.
As Shaina mentioned, whether they let Perospero go or keep him, it would still be a hassle. The degree of trouble depends on Kaidou and Charlotte Linlin's thoughts.
"Lord Arceus, could you give us some advice?"
Unsure how to proceed, Queen passed the problem to Arceus, but as soon as he asked, Shaina punched him.
"Stop bothering the Sacred Beast Lord. If it wasn't for you setting up the plantation here, we wouldn't have this mess!"
Despite using Queen as a bowling ball, she was still strongly displeased with Queen's retreat at the critical moment.
...
Soon after, the Radio Snail on Perospero started ringing, waking him from unconsciousness. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Queen getting beaten up.
The ringing Radio Snail also made Queen realize something.
"Wait, it's him causing trouble. Why are you hitting me? You should be hitting him!"
"This is called nearby accountability. The trouble he caused reflects onto you, indirectly causing me trouble too. So, I'll only blame you; your issues with him are your business."
As a long-time disciplinary committee member, Shaina was very familiar with rules set by Arceus, and had developed a bit of creativity herself, easily tying Queen up with her words.
"Hey! You don't want to anger Big Mom, right? If not, then get me the Radio Snail right now!"
Buried in the sand, Perospero shouted at Queen. He wasn't threatening; he genuinely feared Big Mom's anger. If he didn't return by the specified time, Big Mom would realize something was wrong.
But Perospero wasn't happy at all, because after Big Mom discovered his failure, the punishment he'd receive would be severe.
The ideal scenario would be these people compromising, letting him take what he came for. As for the injured and dead pirates, Big Mom wouldn't care about such things. As long as he didn't mention it, there wouldn't be any issues.
As the eldest son, he knew best what an angry Big Mom was like, especially when failing to bring back the food she wanted. If he was unlucky and Big Mom's Anorexia Nervosa acted up...
At the thought of that scenario, Perospero was almost trembling.
Unfortunately, things didn't unfold as he expected. Although they brought over the Radio Snail, they didn't hand it to him directly. Instead, Shaina placed it in front of him.
"What do you mean by this?"
"Figure out a way to answer it yourself. I think your tongue should be able to manage that."
Saying that, she planned to leave. This was the solution Queen thought of while being beaten up. Since the matter was so troublesome, let Kaidou handle it. They just needed to continue doing their own thing.
If it wasn't their troublesome matter, then it wasn't called trouble.
After putting down the Radio Snail, Shaina and the others left, leaving behind a group of pirates buried in the sand.
The Radio Snail kept ringing. With great effort, Perospero finally managed to lick the receiver off.
"Peros-bro, why aren't you back yet? Mom is already angry..." Hearing the voices of his younger siblings over the phone, Perospero sighed in relief, but the next moment, Big Mom's voice made him tense again.
"Perospero, why haven't you returned? Didn't you say it would only take a few hours?"
Although the Radio Snail works like a phone, it has a video call effect. Its imitation ability allows the person on the other end to clearly know who is answering the call.
The Radio Snail morphing into Big Mom nearly made Perospero bite his own tongue.
"No, Mom, let me explain. This was just an accident. I encountered special circumstances..."
"No need to explain. Failure means punishment. But we'll discuss that later. I'm coming to find you now."
A busy signal sounded on the other end, and Perospero's face turned ashen; he felt his life had lost its future.
At the same time, Queen's face was equally pale, staring at the Radio Snail in his hand, directly speaking to Kaidou.
By transferring the conflict, the problem was passed on to Kaidou. Although it brought him some trouble, compared to the mess Kaidou made after drinking, this was nothing.
However, the task of informing Kaidou was given to Queen. Kaidou didn't say much, only informing Queen that when he returns, he needs to help Queen strengthen his Armament Haki training, as his combat strength as a subordinate was lagging behind.
Queen thought returning now would inevitably lead to misfortune, so he requested to join Arceus's treasure hunting team first, planning to return after a while. Given Kaidou's nature, he'd likely forget about it after a drinking session.