Chapter 784: Chapter 783: Kaidou’s Initiative, Arceus’s Mysterious Gift
Sometimes retribution comes quickly. He hadn’t been smug for long before Kaidou appeared behind him.
The stronger the subordinates, the happier Kaidou is. Whether in external wars or fighting himself, only strong subordinates can deliver better results. So when he heard they were back, Kaidou naturally came looking for them.
Everyone in the Hundred Beasts knows what kind of character Kaidou has. Seeing Kaidou clearly wanting to spar with Queen, Setsuna unhesitatingly conveyed Queen’s words, though the message got a bit distorted.
It seemed like it was said by Queen, but it differed greatly from his original intent.
"He also said that even Zeraora can only play second fiddle to him!"
"Stop talking nonsense!! When did I ever say that!"
As Setsuna cunningly misled Kaidou, Queen hurriedly tried to defend himself. But then, a familiar sound came from Setsuna’s hand.
[Nothing to worry about, and you should trust me. It’s only an Admiral, Zeraora and I can handle it, muahahaha!]
"Only an Admiral, those were your exact words. And doesn’t that imply that Zeraora is just assisting you~"
"Why...did you bring a recorder here with me!!"
Hearing his own voice on the recorder, Queen realized that Setsuna had been scheming. Normally, who would bring such a thing along?
"Oh, this was prepared for Zeraora to hear how you try to weasel out of things. He often stands up for you, saying you were unaware. Now it can finally come in handy.
Mr. Kaidou, you heard it; these are his own words."
Is Kaidou easy to fool? The answer is no, not when he’s sober. He understood clearly that Queen was merely showing off.
But there are times when he’s willing to be fooled.
If your boss appreciates you, you might get a promotion just by stepping in with your left foot first. If not, no matter how good you are, you’ll face obstacles. Right now, Kaidou subjectively wanted to mix it up with Queen.
Therefore, no matter what Setsuna said, he’d find a way to take Queen away. At this point, Setsuna had already paved the way right at his feet, and he couldn’t resist stepping on it.
"Ooh-hoo-hoo, come on, Queen, show me your strength. By the way, you looked better the way you used to."
Queen was taken away by Kaidou, tucked under his arm, while Setsuna returned to his place in Kuri.
Unlike the skinny Queen, Zeraora, always in a state of play, hadn’t suffered any injuries. During the time back, he simply groomed his fur.
Shaving off the fur scorched by magma, then regenerating it using something similar to Life Return, no trace of battle was left.
Queen could do the same, but such a method of feeding would take away the joy of eating for him, so he chose the path of slowly gaining weight.
At this time, Miaona and Wolf were admiring Zeraora’s new wanted poster.
"Dad, you’re amazing."
"Yeah, one, ten, hundred... 1.2 billion, such a high bounty. It’s much higher than mom’s."
Wolf counted zeros on the wanted poster, leaving only eyes full of admiration. In a child’s eyes, parents are omnipotent, capable of anything.
Most qualified parents become heroes in their children’s eyes at this time.
Being children of Zeraora and Setsuna, their understanding was different from ordinary people. If they were regular kids, they’d be warned that those on wanted posters were villains to stay away from.
For the Navy’s offspring, they might wish to see them brought to justice, but among pirates, those principles don’t apply.
Even if the Hundred Beasts edged closer to forming a unique regime, they were still defined as pirates. As long as the World Government existed, that definition wouldn’t change.
For the Hundred Beasts pirates, a bounty had long become an emblem of strength. Without a high bounty, it’s embarrassing to mingle in the New World.
Children are educated that the World Government and the Navy are the enemies; for them, it’s merely an acknowledgment of their parents’ prowess.
"What are you talking about? If not for having you two, we wouldn’t have gone out so seldom, and the bounty wouldn’t be what it is."
"Back? How did Queen explain it to you?"
"Just as usual. Here’s a recording, feel free to listen if you’re interested. Though Kaidou took him away, he should be having a good time."
Setsuna wasn’t exactly sure about the outcome, but according to some gossip from the Ghost Island pirates, Kaidou laughed very heartily that day.
As for Queen, he wasn’t having an easy time. As strong as Gift of Nature might be, it was useless in such a context; the place wasn’t right, and also his physical condition didn’t allow it.
If he used it again now, Queen would truly be drained.
...
Some time later, Yamato returned to Ghost Island, carrying a large bag of specialties from her travels. Without Kaidou’s pressure, she had been quite happy outside, only to see a figure gorging in the cafeteria upon her return.
Queen was making an effort to restore his physique. Before long, he was showing signs of plumpness, though still short of returning to his former rotundness.
"Uncle Queen, I heard you did something remarkable. I even saw it in the newspapers outside."
"Shh! Miss Yamato, please don’t bring it up again. I don’t want to catch Big Brother Kaidou’s attention."
Seeing Yamato freshly returning from vacation-like attire, Queen was full of envy. From an identity standpoint, Yamato should have attracted more Navy attention, but their focus was entirely on him instead.
Thinking of this, his frustration turned to appetite, and he began voraciously consuming the food in front of him, converting it into stored energy within his body.
"Don’t be so down. Father said he’s got a new gift for you this time, something you should like."
"Cough, cough... Lord Arceus prepared a gift for me?!"
Listening to Yamato, Queen nearly choked on his mochi red bean soup, but with slight amazement, he confirmed her words.
Arceus rarely gave gifts to others, but whenever he did, they were unimaginably precious treasures.
"Yes, I met Father earlier. He said you’ve had it rough. By Father’s reckoning, to bear such burdens is unprecedented. You deserve some rewards for it."
"...."
He didn’t know how to react to the harsh truth, but he started looking forward to this thing. Be it power or something else, it was valuable to him. Even accelerating the growth of bananas on his chin with the Harvest Trait was a great benefit.
Not to mention this mysterious gift.
