"Brother Sasaki, is this thing really useful?"
The crew was skeptical about their captain's words, and were examining the irregular hexagonal stone, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, looking quite ordinary. But Sasaki said that such a stone could be used as a meeting gift.
A meeting gift is an essential item during meetings between pirates, and its specifications vary according to the status gap between the pirate crews.
The most common gift between pirates of the same level is alcohol. Since everyone's preferences are different, but nearly every pirate drinks, fine wines from various places have become the hard currency for pirate meetings.
In situations like Sasaki's, where someone wants to join the other side, things are different. Nowadays, the Hundred Beasts is no longer what it used to be, and initially, the crew only had a single commander, Kaidou.
Queen was encountered in the lab by chance, and King was also rescued from there. Strictly speaking, most of the current high-level members of the Hundred Beasts have a significant connection with that lab, which was his initial base.
The later subordinates were recruited after being defeated, and then the territory expanded bit by bit, entering Wano Kuni, establishing the current foundation of the Hundred Beasts Pirates.
Later, some children were brought back by members while traveling outside, but the way the Hundred Beasts recruited members had changed. One couldn't just join as they wished.
Becoming an affiliated pirate group is one thing, but wanting to join directly internally requires either dazzling achievements or a very valuable meeting gift.
In the first half of the Grand Line, hardly any pirate can achieve such dazzling achievements, not even those so-called Super Rookies.
The Haki distribution in the first half of the Grand Line is very low, and before training in the New World, even if they have bounties over 100 million, in the eyes of great pirates in the New World, they are just ordinary fighters.
Even those of the Worst Generation were chased around when they first entered the New World, and the unique climate of the New World almost claimed some of their lives.
Sasaki knew that he couldn't catch the other's attention in terms of strength for the time being, so that meeting gift became particularly important.
Although his bounty was enough to become an affiliated pirate group, he had one thing in common with Bartolomeo; just as Bartolomeo is a die-hard fan of Luffy, Sasaki is a fan of Kaidou, and he only supports Kaidou.
The information obtained from newspapers gave him some understanding of Kaidou's preferences. For example, there was wine prepared in the cabin, and drinking with Kaidou was the thing he wanted to do most.
"Of course. The Hundred Beasts group has always had a bounty for this kind of stone. I heard it's to build an indestructible armor? Anyway, this thing will make the Hundred Beasts accept us exceptionally, so speed up, I can hardly wait."
"Wait... Boss Sasaki, something's happening!"
The lookout on the mast suddenly shouted to Sasaki, seemingly having discovered some incredible news.
"What's wrong?"
"There are ships fighting ahead! One ship is flying the Hundred Beasts' flag!"
Upon hearing this, Sasaki quickly went up to the top of the mast, not even noticing how their captain got up there.
"Give me the telescope!"
He snatched the telescope from a subordinate, and Sasaki's grin widened. He had been wondering how to approach the other party without causing offense.
Having the right meeting gift is one thing, but how to deliver it is another skill, and now, the opportunity had arrived.
"Activate the paddle wheels, charge at full speed. Boys, where we end up in the future depends on today!"
Sasaki hails from Water 7 in the Grand Line, a region extremely advanced in shipbuilding.
Because of his admiration for Kaidou, he embarked on the path of piracy, so the quality of his ships was much stronger than that of ordinary pirates. This was also the money he saved from being a pirate hunter to buy a ship.
Water 7 is not an ordinary shipyard; besides the advanced shipbuilding technology, the boatmen are also all very strong.
Under his command, Sasaki's ship began to accelerate forward.
...
Not long ago, the meeting between the Perfume Snake and the Navy was not particularly pleasant.
Hancock stepped onto the battleship on the body of the snake, instantly attracting the eyes of a group of Navy personnel, accompanied by the sound of guns being cocked.
"Sweet Wind~"
"Boa Hancock! What are you doing?!"
Seeing the large number of navy personnel around who had turned into stone statues, Comil questioned Hancock, his mouth stained with a lot of brown powder. He had a habit of drinking coffee, but the specialty near the G-2 branch was bitter coffee.
He had just directly stuffed a bag of concentrated bitter coffee powder into his mouth to shift his focus. Hancock's Fruit Ability hadn't been developed for long, making it even more challenging to petrify those with stronger powers.
"Who told them their eyes could wander around? I just gave them a little lesson, and you will forgive me, won't you? Considering how beautiful I am."
The Navy wanted to test her strength while she was giving them a warning. The Seven Warlords of the Sea seemed like a good position—no bounty, legal plundering—but it wasn't that simple.
Many pirates viewed the Seven Warlords as lapdogs of the World Government, and the Navy saw them as scum and consumables. Without showing some strength, the days ahead wouldn't be easy.
"No problem... wait! Turn them back immediately!"
The blade had already been unsheathed, and Comil's eyes became dangerous. This Fruit Ability was particularly useful against numerous enemies; only a few could resist its effects with Haki.
If one's power wasn't enough, they couldn't withstand the other's attacks even with Haki. After all, Comil was a veteran Vice Admiral, not so easily incapacitated.
"When I am in a good mood, which your blade makes me feel very uncomfortable."
"You!"
"I advise the Vice Admiral to stay calm. If anything happens to me, even if you find a Regeneration Fruit, the next ability user won't lift my petrification."
"Is this your attitude? It was you who proposed the deal for the Seven Warlords, right?"
"That may be, but pointing guns at people is no etiquette. Where's the invitation for the Seven Warlords?"
Hancock's strength also gave Comil a deeper understanding, so he took out the World Government's invitation for the Seven Warlords.
"Can you lift their petrification now?"
"Snake Princess, Snake Princess!"
Hancock hadn't replied, but Gloriosa behind her was already jumping to signal to her. The plan was almost complete by now, and in her opinion, it was best to end it quickly.
And at this moment, the sound of shells gliding through the air also could be heard, just as planned...