"These bastards killed all three thousand of my slaves at once?"
Kain valued his wealth above all else, and pirate slaves were part of that wealth. So even now, after hearing the news, he was still visibly angry. He could choose to give away his riches—but no one had the right to steal them.
"What about the others?"
Nico Robin glanced at the intelligence report and sighed helplessly. "They should've already left. The rest of the pirates were being captured at the time, but many of them still need medical treatment."
"Don't treat them. Send all the seriously injured to my underground lab. It's not worth wasting resources on those bastards."
Kain explained to Robin that it would cost at least 100,000 Berries to fully heal a critically injured slave, not to mention the time and manpower involved.
Instead, they could be converted into bio-soldiers—biochemical humans implanted with electronic chips. That way, only a small dose of T-virus serum would be needed, and the chips could be implanted through aerosolization.
"Understood~. But there's still a ton to handle here. You left in such a hurry to find Baby-5, didn't you?"
Using her Flower-Flower Fruit ability, Robin sprouted a hand from the table to pull Kain back—and then several more pushed him firmly into his chair.
"I don't want to bother you, but there are things I can't decide on my own as Vice President. For example, the search for the Poneglyphs—I've only found one in the past two years. At this rate, I'll be in my forties or fifties before we get them all."
Kain corrected her with a smirk, "Robin, that pace is already incredible. Remember, under the World Government's watch, you didn't get anything for over a decade. But now... Well, well, you can try searching the Mink Tribe and Wano Country. Both places have Poneglyphs."
Hearing that, Nico Robin smiled again. She poured Kain a cup of tea and said softly, "These matters need your attention, but leave the rest to me."
She pulled five documents from the pile on her desk, took the rest to another table, and returned to serve Kain a cup of black tea with quiet care.
The five documents were all relatively important—some dated back as far as a year ago, delayed due to more pressing issues.
The Naval Headquarters—or rather, the World Government—wanted to purchase the aeronautical and energy technology behind the Ark Proverbs. The Marines had recently developed seastone warships capable of traversing the Calm Belt.
If they could obtain the Ark Proverbs' technology, it could be deployed on a large scale across the Navy's fleet.
The World Government and Marines had already learned about the Kain Chamber of Commerce using the Ark Proverbs to wipe out an entire pirate crew.
It had fired artillery shells from several thousand meters in the air, annihilating a group of hundreds in just ten minutes.
It was, without a doubt, a terrifying war machine.
From the ground, the pirates had no chance to fight back. Unless they had powerful Devil Fruit abilities—especially ones capable of flight—even Zoan-type users with wings would be torn apart by a dense storm of bullets.
"What's wrong with the World Government? Just asking for technology like it's nothing? Tell them I'm not giving it away unless they trade me a Logia-type Devil Fruit."
Kain crumpled the document and tossed it into the trash without a second thought.
Before leaving, he had anticipated someone would covet the Ark Proverbs, so he installed technical safeguards.
Anyone who tried to tamper with the power core wouldn't be able to decipher or dismantle it—instead, they'd trigger its self-destruction.
Even Vegapunk might struggle to crack it, though Kain wasn't entirely sure how advanced the world's old technology was. Still, Vegapunk clearly didn't follow the World Government's path.
"Robin," Kain said with a frown, "why would the Kuja Pirates dare to rob us?"
A batch of goods worth over one billion Berries was snatched by the Kuja Pirates. Since they were also one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the situation became more complicated.
After learning about the incident, Naval Headquarters sent a Marine branch representative to advise Nico Robin on how to proceed.
"Boss, you weren't around at the time, and their leader isn't easy to deal with. While Ark Proverbs could handle the Kuja's homeland, Boa Hancock alone could give the Kain Chamber of Commerce serious trouble," Robin explained with a sigh. "But now that you're back, what do you plan to do?"
"Send the Ark Proverbs to bomb Amazon Lily," Kain said coldly. "Then demand five times the compensation. If the Marines don't want war, they can go talk to the Kuja Pirates themselves."
Kain issued the order without hesitation and swiftly moved on to the remaining three matters on his agenda.
"It's difficult for Fish-Man Island to acquire weapons. Most of them can't even function underwater—unless they're fighting near the surface. I'll prepare a list later and have them trade with Sea Kings for the necessary materials."
What Kain was handling now were high-level operations of the Kain Chamber of Commerce. Nico Robin wasn't sure of his full plan, so for now, she remained focused and carried out her duties.
But Kain's goal was simple: resource collection.
Building power was just a means to that end. In the world of pirates, the most unique resource was the Devil Fruits. Physical training methods and other rare items were valuable too—all of which the Kain Chamber of Commerce treated as reserved trade goods.
Robin quickly wrote down Kain's instructions, then looked up and asked, "What if the Kuja Pirates refuse to pay?"
"No compensation?" Kain chuckled. "Robin, are we short on artillery?"
By now, everyone knew the Kain Chamber of Commerce in Alabasta was a major arms supplier—even to the Marines. They distributed everything: advanced firearms, missiles, cannons. The Chamber was also the largest buyer of gunpowder across East Blue and South Blue.
They had launched a PR campaign showcasing their new weapons, wiping out all pirate activity within three hundred miles of the major trade routes.
The Calm Belt around Amazon Lily? That was a joke to Kain. And Boa Hancock? She was clearly someone who didn't understand the times. If she wasn't so arrogant from eating a sweet fruit, maybe she wouldn't look down on everyone else.
The Ark Proverbs had enough reserve ammunition to flatten the entire island.
Robin smiled and said, "Understood, boss."
Just then, Baby-5 came rushing in. She had intended to report to Robin, but the moment she saw Kain inside, her eyes turned into heart shapes. She immediately threw herself into his arms and rubbed against him like a kitten.
To Baby-5, Kain was already her husband—a man with both looks and presence who fulfilled her every emotional need.
Kain, a bit helpless, took Baby-5 out of the room. He spent quite a bit of time comforting her. After several hours of intense "reassurance," Baby-5 finally calmed down and slipped into a dreamy daze before he gently let her go.
Kain couldn't bring himself to part with Baby-5 so easily. She was gentle, affectionate, and had been trained by maids since she was young. If Vivi hadn't come by after hearing about his return, he might have cuddled with Baby-5 and taken a short nap.
Vivi left with a satisfied smile. Before she left, she also took with her the latest energy-absorbing alloy nano-armor and its full configuration set, something she had saved up 400 million Berries to acquire.
Originally, 400 million Berries weren't enough, but in the end, Vivi managed to get her hands on the armor by using a combination of tactics—pretending to be pitiful, acting cute and coquettish—and finally signed an IOU for 500 million Berries in exchange for the suit.
The nano-energy-absorbing alloy wasn't even the most important feature. What made the armor truly powerful were its intelligent combat analysis system and nano-bombs. With this armor, Vivi could defeat pirates with bounties under 100 million using only her physical skills.
And if she activated the nano-bombs, then aside from Logia Devil Fruit users, most pirates wouldn't stand a chance against her.
Since Kain's return, Nico Robin's way of handling things had changed. Two years ago, while the boss was away, she focused more on maintaining balance and weighing consequences. But now that her confidence had returned with Kain's presence, she feared nothing.
Even if Robin knew what Kain was doing with Baby-5, it didn't matter. As long as he was around, the Kain Chamber of Commerce had its trump card.
The Chamber's new airship set off once more. Developed based on the Ark Proverbs' technology, it served as both a transport and personnel shuttle.
This time, they were heading for Sky Island—to deliver supplies and carry out trade. At the same time, they recruited four Shandia warriors. These fighters worked for the Kain Chamber of Commerce, earning generous rewards for their tribe while enjoying the thrill of battle.
The peaceful lifestyle on Sky Island didn't suit warriors like Wappa and the others. Even with the dreams of their ancestors fulfilled, farming was not in their blood.
Meanwhile, word of the Straw Hat Pirates' rampage in Alabasta had spread, sparking riots among the pirate slaves.
At that time, Alabasta had been flooded with outsiders. Thousands of pirates attacked cities across the kingdom, quickly spreading information—but they also became aware of the weapons sold by the Kain Chamber of Commerce.
Portable and powerful, these weapons were far superior to anything found in the Four Seas or even the Grand Line, leaving many envious.
The nearby Marine branch had also caught wind of the event. Now, the commanding officer stationed in Alabasta was Colonel Hina.
Smoker, having encountered someone stronger than himself two years prior, found little reason to stay in the first half of the Grand Line.
With the Kain Chamber of Commerce and Vivi maintaining order, pirate activity had sharply declined. He voluntarily applied to transfer to the New World, though he returned to headquarters first for further training.
After Smoker's departure, Hina was assigned to Alabasta. Compared to the "problem child" Smoker, she was far more dependable—especially since this branch also handled arms transport. Hina had the strength and authority necessary to hold the position.
"The Straw Hat Pirates... they really piss Hina off," she muttered. "If pirates attack the weapons factory, Hina will be held responsible."
She was somewhat relieved upon receiving news from Alabasta. Fortunately, both the kingdom and the Kain Chamber of Commerce had quickly suppressed the unrest.
Still, the issue of the Straw Hat Pirates had to be addressed.
"Keep searching for the Straw Hat Pirates. If they're still nearby, report to me immediately. Also—report everything to headquarters, including their movements. Seriously~" she said with a sigh.
Just then, a Marine officer rushed in with a report.
"Colonel Hina, the Kain Chamber of Commerce's Ark Proverbs and airship just departed at the same time—but they're heading in different directions. Should we notify other branches to stay alert?"
Hina raised an eyebrow. "Different directions, huh? That's rare. Alright, report it to headquarters and have them make their own assessment."
With that, Hina pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag before getting back to work.
…
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