Arceus in One Piece - Chapter 72
The Gatling gun replaced the arm, metal parts replaced joints, and with unique neural connection technology, Queen completed his transformation in just one day.
Although Skocchi’s post-transformation physique became much bloated, he still maintained combat effectiveness. Considering his own qualifications, this was actually an enhancement of his combat prowess.
Even in the New World, only some are proficient in Haki. Only some people can cut steel. Mechanically enhanced individuals often play a more significant role in many situations.
However, those willing to transform themselves are still few. More attention was focused on Babanuki.
“How long has Babanuki been asleep?”
“It’s been two days and two nights. It’s already the third day. Who knows what’s going on with him.”
From curiosity to incomprehension and now to discussions, ordinary pirates thought Babanuki would obtain a vast treasure or something else, but the results seemed different.
It wasn’t until noon on the third day, counting from Babanuki’s fainting, that he opened his eyes.
“Hey! Brothers, Babanuki is awake!”
The surrounding pirates saw Babanuki waking up and gathered around. Then, curious, they asked, “It’s been three days already. What did you get?”
“Wait, I’ll tell you later. Is there anything to eat?”
The length of learning mainly depends on talent. It took Shaina seven hours to master sword dance, even less for Kaido, while Babanuki took sixty hours, which equated to two months in the learning space, and only reached the introductory stage.
At the same time, it brought mental fatigue and physical hunger. The other pirates had been feasting all along, although not as grand as at the beginning, but the food was always plentiful.
He went directly to the side and started eating heavily, only standing up again under the urging of the pirates.
“Don’t worry, let me show you what I got.”
After speaking, he looked around as if looking for something suitable. Finally, his gaze fell on a huge rock, partly exposed. He walked up to the boulder and then hugged it with both arms.
“Are you still sleepy? Do you want to pull it out?”
The exposed part of the boulder was higher than anyone else, and the part underground was even more unknown, maybe even connected to the rock stratum below. They knew Babanuki’s level. Such a thing was simply impossible.
But the next moment, the muscles of Babanuki’s arms seemed to swell by two rounds. With a roar, the half-buried giant rock was forcibly dragged out by him, then lifted over his head and thrown towards the distant sea.
He was lucky. This was just a fragmented boulder, and although the volume below was not small, it couldn’t be considered “deep-rooted.”
Seeing the astonished expressions of the surrounding pirates, Babanuki felt a unique sense of satisfaction.
Just gaining strength alone wouldn’t be as effective if you couldn’t show off in front of others.
Although using the power of the Gomu Gomu, no Mi consumed more physical strength. The strength gained in exchange was utterly worth it. Previously, he could never have thrown such a stone so far, let alone a stone buried in the ground.
“Do you see? If you want to gain this strength, fight, find what we need. As long as you can bring back these things, you all have the opportunity to gain this strength!”
Treasure may be lost, but strength won’t. Those who embarked on the pirate path would be okay with having too much strength.
Babanuki’s performance almost sparked a new wave of frenzy, and Arceus’s position was also elevated to a higher level.
Not all pirates could be fearless, and there were many pirates with ulterior motives.
Since the source of strength was Arceus, and Kaido only negotiated with Arceus on some matters and couldn’t command him, it meant that if they gained Arceus’s approval, they could also gain strength.
Thus, a particular group emerged in the Beast Pirates, a group that took sycophancy to the extreme, but their goal was Arceus.
Under their instigation and the temptation of power, Arceus’s position in the Beast Pirates soared, becoming a complete object of worship. With Shaina as the core, the rudiments of a religious group emerged among the early members of the Beast Pirates.
At the same time, some news was also circulated in the black market. The underground world of pirates was very chaotic, with complex relationships, and even notices seeking the heads of Marines admirals could be seen here.
Anyway, they dared to release any news. Whether anyone dared to take it was another matter. The news of the Beast Pirates was also released, targeting some minerals, animal-type Devil Fruits, and special-shaped stone tablets.
However, the black market was ultimately unreliable. Arceus’s current policy was just casting a wide net, so he also offered a high bounty on the black market.
In the black market, hard currency was still gold. Items like Devil Fruits and the Tree of Knowledge Adam were stable and valuable. Even the Berry would be slightly inferior. The bounty put up by the Beast Pirates was in Berry.
Moreover, there were many troublesome things in the black market, such as conflicts among pirates, fraud, and law enforcement entrapment. Anything you can think of, but there’s nothing that can’t happen here.
The most essential things in the black market are reliable strength and excellent vision.
As for intermediaries, when your strengths are equal, they are middlemen, but when your strengths are unequal, and you enter this cutthroat trading market, being able to survive and leave freely is the most incredible luck.
Next was still a period of development. Kaido, Arceus, and Shaina took three routes to search for traces of stone tablets on nearby islands. After all, Kaido still needed to stabilize his territory, so it was best to stay within a reasonable distance from here for the time being.
At the same time, the Beast Pirates also engaged in economic activities. Many things couldn’t be solved by force alone, and Berry was also critical.
For example, the materials needed for shipbuilding, a piece of wood capable of producing high-quality keels would also be pricey in the black market. It almost determined the lifespan of a ship.
With Babanuki as an example, the members of the Beast Pirates became more ferocious in battle, especially Babanuki. This reward wasn’t a one-time deal. With his acquired Gomu Gomu no Mi, he often charged at the forefront with heavy weapons.
Everything was developing relatively smoothly until the arrival of the news birds. Apart from newspapers, these news birds also brought the latest bounties.
It was precisely because of this bounty that Shaina once again became furious, and the erupting flames even ignited the room.
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