"Lord Consort, how many more of those Mutant Cells do you have?"
After the initial shock, Queen's eyes suddenly lit with ecstatic greed as he stared at Luo Xing.
"Only this one," Luo Xing answered.
Queen's joy evaporated into visible disappointment — until Luo Xing added another line that rebuilt his hope.
"Of course, if the funding's there I can make more."
Queen nearly burst with delight.
"Lord Consort, this is a monumental achievement. If Boss Kaido finds out, he'll reward you handsomely!"
Kaido's grand plan had always been to assemble the ultimate army of Zoan users. But SMILE's results had been disappointing: at best one in ten would gain an ability, and even those who did were often weak. A Headliner like Holdem was rare and valuable, but in the New World even his strength wasn't enough.
If Kaido wanted a truly powerful force, it would take years—unless he had something like Luo Xing's invention.
A Mutant Cell had just turned pathetic Billy into a Headliner and let him instantly one-shot Holdem. That was insane. If everyone could take one, the Beasts Pirates' power would multiply many times over.
Queen had seen that immediately — which is why he was ecstatic.
"Come on, Lord Consort — let's go tell Boss Kaido right now!" Queen grabbed Luo Xing's arm and pulled him along. Then he paused and added, smiling broadly, "Oh, and Billy — you're officially a Headliner now."
Billy dropped to his knees, tears of gratitude streaking his face as he kowtowed.
"Thank you, Lord Queen! Thank you, Lord Consort!"
Once the weakest grunt in the corps, he never imagined he'd one day be a Headliner. All of this—his new strength, his rank—was a gift from the Lord Consort.
Luo Xing glanced at Billy's worshipful gaze and allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. Anyone who swallowed a Mutant Cell owed him everything. Even without the son-in-law title, Luo Xing's place in the Beasts Pirates would be unassailable.
There was another huge advantage, too — the System rewards.
Luo Xing flicked open the thin panel only he could see.
[Host: Luo Xing]
[Points: 100]
[System Level: Lv2 (1/100)]
(Experience in parentheses; 100 points → 1 XP)
[Unlocked items: Telescoping underwear, Bust-enhancing cups… Tiger-class Mutant Cell]
[Locked items: Demon-class Mutant Cell, Triple-Gravity Training Room, Basic Time Room, Combat Gauge]
[System Shop: Anywhere Door, Time Machine, Ryuujin Flames…]
Locked items require Lv3 to craft. System-shop items need even higher levels, though you can spend points for one-time access early. Points come from an item's first use after invention — small gizmos previously made only gave 1 point each; a single Tiger-class Mutant Cell granted 100 points. That explained Luo Xing's current tally: Billy's transformation had yielded all those points.
Make more cells, have more people take them, earn more points — unlock better inventions — get stronger.
But each Tiger-class cell cost 100,000 berries to produce, meaning he'd need Kaido's financial backing.
Would Kaido support it? The answer was obvious: once Kaido knew what these cells could do, he'd back the research no matter the cost.
On their way to Kaido's palace, Queen and Luo Xing ran into Jin (Flame Disaster) and Jack (Drought Jack).
"Lord Consort, Queen — where are you headed?" Jack asked. Though thick-headed, Jack still showed respect.
"To see Boss Kaido," Queen replied without looking back.
Jin knitted his brow. He'd never seen Queen so urgent before.
"What's so important? Did someone attack Wano?" Jin asked.
"Why should I tell you?" Queen snapped. He and Jin had never gotten along; Queen was still bitter about Jin's higher rank among the Calamities.
Luo Xing stepped in with calm explanation.
"I've invented something. We need to report it to my father-in-law. The two of you should come and see."
Another gadget? Queen had a reputation for weird inventions — last time it had been cups, or shoes. Jin and Jack weren't usually interested in such things, but seeing Queen so insistent, they agreed to follow.
They arrived at Kaido's palace. Kaido was guzzling liquor — several liters at a time — and burped loudly.
"Hic— You came here to drink with me, eh? Come on, I haven't had enough yet."
Luo Xing looked at his cheap father-in-law: the so-called strongest creature on land, sea, and air. Seven meters tall, built like a mountain even while sitting — his mere presence was oppressive.
"Boss Kaido, we're not here to drink. We have important news!" Queen shouted.
"What?" Kaido mumbled, bleary-eyed.
"You know Billy, right? That weak grunt in the Gifters? He ate a Mutant Cell invented by Lord Consort and just beat a Headliner!"
Kaido's beer-cup eyes snapped wide. Instantly sober, he stared at them like a coiled beast. Jin and Jack wore looks of disbelief.
"Billy? He's one of my men — scrawny as a monkey. How could he beat a Headliner?" Jack demanded.
"I didn't believe it either at first," Queen said, "but the whole Gifter corps—four or five hundred people—saw it happen."
As one of Kaido's All-Stars, Queen had no reason to lie. Still, the claim was unbelievable. Jin and Jack exchanged skeptical looks.
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