As soon as they dove deep beneath the sea, huge sea fish and sea monsters swarmed in large numbers around them. At this depth, if those sea fish and monsters broke their coating—
Most people would lose their lives at the bottom of the sea.
Fortunately, there were quite a number of Fish-Man among their group.
Under the leadership of Tiger and Hakuza, these Fish-Man guarded the surroundings of the five ships. Whenever sea creatures tried to approach, they were driven away.
"When we reach Fish-Man Island, we can rest for a while. We can also reorganize the team then."
Fish-Man Island lay deep beneath the sea. Even the Navy found it difficult to deploy troops there on a large scale, and coating ships also required time.
Mary Geoise had already spread the news. The Navy was holding meetings to discuss how to deal with Vane's group.
Even if they decided to pursue them slightly, gathering soldiers and coating ships would still take time.
They also had to consider what impact such an operation would have on Fish-Man Island.
In short, at Fish-Man Island, Vane would have a few days—enough time for him to recuperate.
"Tell everyone that once we reach Fish-Man Island, we're going to hold a grand banquet."
He had Monet and Baccarat go notify everyone, while Vane returned to his captain's cabin.
He needed to take stock of the gains from this operation.
Gold, jewelry, antiques—assets that could be converted into Belly—would certainly amount to no less than twenty billion Belly. In the future, that would be enough to buy the heads of four Yonko.
This money had come at just the right time. Upon entering the New World, whether developing territory or advancing scientific research, a massive financial investment would be required at the beginning.
They had also acquired large sums of money from plundering kingdoms before.
There were around thirteen to fourteen hundred people rescued from the Red Line. The moment they followed him beneath the sea, their fate was sealed—they would follow him into the New World.
Even excluding the Fish-Man, there were still at least twelve hundred people.
He had to support all these people. The initial investment would be enormous. With this money plus their previous savings, Vane could occupy a territory and steadily develop it for quite some time.
There were also weapons, mostly swords. It was unclear how many among them were famous blades.
"There should be swordsmen among the newcomers. They can use them."
Let the swordsmen under him compete fairly—whoever was stronger would have priority in selecting blades.
As for the four mummified Lunarian corpses, he could have Caesar Clown prepare more nutrient solution… and he himself would need to provide more blood. Fortunately, a demon's blood-producing ability was absurdly strong; otherwise, he would have been drained dry long ago.
"Vane!!"
Just as Vane was thinking about Caesar Clown, he heard Caesar's sharp, angry voice from outside the captain's cabin.
"Caesar Clown, please knock. Don't be so rude."
Baccarat blocked Caesar Clown at the door as he prepared to kick it open.
Normally, Caesar was somewhat afraid of Vane. The fact that he dared to kick the door today showed just how furious he was.
"Baccarat, let him in."
Bang!
Caesar Clown forcefully pushed the door open, both angry and terrified as he shouted at Vane,
"You actually used my bombs to blow up the Celestial Dragons! Do you know what you've done?! Those were Celestial Dragons!"
When he first saw so many slaves being freed, Caesar Clown had already realized what this group had done. At first, he didn't think much of it—at worst, if the Celestial Dragons came after them, he could find a chance to run away.
Not long after that thought arose, he heard the explosion from Mary Geoise above.
That was definitely a chemical bomb he had manufactured.
His bomb had been used to blow up the Celestial Dragons.
The moment that thought occurred to him, Caesar Clown fainted on the spot. He had only just regained consciousness and immediately rushed over to question Vane.
"It's over! I've become an accomplice! The World Government will kill me!"
Vane originally intended to explain that his bombs had only destroyed the Celestial Dragons' elevator port and had not killed any of them.
But when he activated his mind-reading, he discovered that Caesar Clown had already completely tied himself to Vane and the Rocket Team because of this incident.
He believed he would be hunted by the World Government alongside the Rocket Team… an alternative form of binding, but something that could be utilized well.
"Caesar, don't worry. Under my protection, the World Government won't be able to touch you. I guarantee your safety."
Caesar: "Really? I don't want to die!"
"I guarantee it. You're an outstanding scientist of our team. How could we possibly fail to protect you?"
In any world, scientists were respected figures. Ever since Caesar joined Vane's team, he had been well fed and treated generously.
"I'll even find you a suitable Devil Fruit to enhance your strength."
The Rust-Rust Fruit required strong hand-to-hand combat skills and offered average survivability. It also seemed to provide little help to scientific research. So in the end, Vane decided not to give the Rust-Rust Fruit to Caesar. He would grant it to someone stronger in physical combat later.
After comforting Caesar and having him prepare the nutrient solution, Vane continued his inventory.
Giant Mogan, the three Hancock sisters, Mink Tribe, Longarm Tribe, Longleg Tribe, Fish-Man…
In terms of population, both quantity and quality had instantly reached their peak. It would take quite a long time to properly absorb and integrate them.
Special races were naturally stronger than ordinary humans in combat. And among the ordinary humans, there were also quite a few outstanding individuals. Aside from the three Hancock sisters, Vane had spotted two Devil Fruit users within the group.
There were also non–Devil Fruit users—those three- to four-meter-tall, muscular powerhouses.
In short, it was a force that could form an army on the spot.
As for Devil Fruits—
Three ordinary Zoan types: Giraffe Model, Mastiff Model, and Frilled Lizard Model. These would go to those deemed worthy.
Ancient Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ankylosaurus Model. Currently designated for Burgess to consume, depending on his personal choice.
Paramecia Arrow-Arrow Fruit, Paramecia Rust-Rust Fruit, Paramecia Door-Door Fruit.
The Door-Door Fruit had already been eaten by Dragonite. As for the Rust-Rust Fruit, since Vane hadn't seen its full development in the original work, he valued it less than the Arrow-Arrow Fruit.
However, neither fruit would be given casually. They would be reserved for someone with talent in physical combat—preferably a young person or a child with potential. They would possess more imaginative creativity.
Giraffe, Mastiff, Frilled Lizard, Ankylosaurus, Arrow-Arrow, Rust-Rust, Door-Door.
That already made seven Devil Fruits.
And in his hands were two even more important-looking Devil Fruits, taken from the treasure vault of the Figarland Garling family.