"Actually, there is no reason to be so shocked. The fact that Doflamingo is a former Celestial Dragon is something the world will eventually find out sooner or later. Besides, he is just a castoff of the World Nobles. If he still had his status, he never would have resorted to becoming a pirate," Yamato said with an air of complete indifference.
Jack and Haruko exchanged a surprised glance. Just moments ago, their Young Master had casually laid bare Joker's entire secret background as if it were common knowledge.
"Young Master, do you actually know why Joker went from being a Celestial Dragon to a pirate?" Haruko asked curiously.
The Celestial Dragons were the group with the highest status and most absolute power in the entire world. Pirates, on the other hand, were the group with the most desperate and despised reputation. How exactly did someone transition from the highest peak of heaven to the lowest depths of the sea? Jack also looked at Yamato with genuine curiosity. To anyone living in the Grand Line, such a fall from grace sounded completely unbelievable.
"The reason is not actually that complicated. It is mainly because Doflamingo had a very 'wonderful' father. It was all thanks to his father's naive choices that their entire family was ruined. They fell from being Celestial Dragons to hunted pirates, plummeting straight from heaven into a living hell," Yamato explained. She did not go into the specific details of the tragedy, offering only a general summary of the events.
"That... that sounds incredibly unfair," both Jack and Haruko muttered, stunned by the revelation.
To willingly give up the life of a perfectly good Celestial Dragon just to become an ordinary person? To them, that sounded like someone simply looking for a way to suffer.
"Actually, there is nothing particularly special about it. Even a good bamboo stalk can produce a bad shoot, and a bad one can sometimes produce a good one. It is all a matter of probability. Think about it—with so much trash and corruption among the Celestial Dragons, isn't it actually pretty normal for one decent person to appear eventually?" Yamato laughed.
"Young Master, your words are quite sharp today," Haruko remarked. She could tell that Yamato was definitely mocking the world's so-called nobility.
"Anyway, let's end this conversation here. Do not go spreading this around, and definitely do not tell anyone I was the one who told you," Yamato said, waving her hand to dismiss the topic.
Following her lead, Jack gave the order for the ship to head toward Ika Island to finalize their scheduled weapons deal. The journey across the unpredictable waters of the New World took time, and half a month later, Yamato and the crew finally arrived at their destination.
"I will not be participating in the trade," Yamato announced. She sat comfortably on the deck, sipping her tea and showing absolutely no intention of leaving the ship to meet with the brokers.
"Hmph, I wasn't counting on your help anyway," Jack shot her an annoyed look. He didn't waste any more time arguing and ordered his subordinates to unload the crates of weapons. With the cargo ready, he led the shore party onto Ika Island to meet Joker's representatives.
A little over an hour later, Jack returned to the ship with his men, his expression uncharacteristically thoughtful.
"What took you so long? We thought you'd be back sooner," Yamato and Haruko said as they looked up at him.
"I had to discuss something with Joker. It was a very important matter," Jack replied.
"A very important matter?" Yamato set her tea down and looked at him. "What exactly did he want to talk about?"
Jack paused for a moment, his face turning serious. "Artificial Devil Fruits."
Hearing those words, both Yamato and Haruko were visibly surprised. "Artificial Devil Fruits? Is Joker actually going into that business? Does he have the means to manufacture them now?"
Jack shook his head. "No, not yet. Joker said he is still in the preparation phase of the operation. He claimed that in a year at most, he will be able to establish a full production line for Artificial Devil Fruits and manufacture them continuously for us."
Yamato wasn't particularly shocked by the news itself, as she already knew this development was part of the timeline. However, Haruko was completely astonished.
"A production line for Devil Fruits? Can Joker even pull off something that massive?" Haruko asked.
They all knew that Yamato was technically a user of an Artificial Devil Fruit—one that perfectly replicated the powers of the Azure Dragon. If Joker could produce those in high quantities, the balance of power in the world would shift instantly.
"Haruko, don't think too much about it. It is impossible for them to produce a real, perfected Artificial Devil Fruit like mine. Whatever they mass-produce will definitely be defective products and rejects. Dr. Vegapunk isn't under Joker's command, after all," Yamato said, interrupting Haruko's train of thought.
Haruko turned back to Jack. "Lord Jack, what exactly did Joker say about the quality?"
"We didn't discuss the technical details, only the business arrangement for the fruits. The Boss will definitely have to personally talk with Joker again when the production starts," Jack said, shaking his head. He wasn't clear on the specifics either. He had only communicated with Joker via Transponder Snail, and the broker had informed him about the upcoming trade to gauge their interest.
It was a heads-up intended to prepare both sides for a massive long-term contract. Regardless of the specifics, the Beasts Pirates would certainly not refuse a deal involving Devil Fruits. Ever since learning that Yamato had become a successful user of a perfected model, Kaido had been obsessed with the idea of an army of ability users.
If Vegapunk weren't currently working under the protection of the World Government, Kaido probably would have sent a fleet to kidnap the scientist years ago. Now, knowing that someone else claimed to have a production line, Kaido would never miss the chance—even if the fruits were "defective" as Yamato suggested.
"In that case, you should contact Onigashima. That idiot old man of mine has been eyeing those fruits for a long time," Yamato said casually.
"I don't need you to tell me what to do. I was going to do that anyway," Jack said, curling his lip in irritation. He turned away and went to the communications room to make the report.
"Young Master, do you really think this is true? Joker can actually build a factory for Devil Fruits? It sounds too good to be true," Haruko said, still skeptical.
Even the Beasts Pirates' own All-Star, Queen the Plague, had spent many years of research just to produce one successful result. The idea that a pirate broker had a production line sounded like a fairy tale. It didn't seem possible that Joker had assembled a team of the world's top scientists without anyone noticing.
"It is half true and half false. The true part is that he can likely establish a factory. But the false part is more important: those mass-produced fruits will definitely have serious side effects," Yamato explained.
Haruko nodded, realizing that made much more sense. If Artificial Devil Fruits were easy to make, Queen would have filled their ranks with them long ago.
"If the fruits are defective and prone to failure, is there still a point in the trade?" Haruko asked.
"Of course there is. Even if they are rejects, as long as they provide a boost in physical strength, the Boss won't care. They are just meant for the underlings, after all," Yamato replied.
Haruko finally understood the logic. "I see. Using inferior fruits to enhance the basic combat power of the lower-ranked soldiers is a cold but effective method."
If thousands of foot soldiers gained even a fraction of a Zoan transformation's power, the military might of the Beasts Pirates would increase by a massive margin.
A few days later, while sailing through the New World, the crew spotted another vessel on the horizon. Two pirate ships encountered each other and immediately engaged in a fierce battle.
"Pull alongside them and sink the ship!" Jack shouted from the bow, commanding his subordinates with his usual aggression.
"Haruko, look at Jack over there, acting like a big shot," Yamato chuckled as she watched the chaos from her chair.
Haruko gave a helpless expression. It seemed that in Yamato's eyes, no matter how hard Jack tried to be a fearsome commander, he would always be seen as a simpleton. In that regard, Jack was actually a little bit pitiful.
In less than half an hour, the battle was over. The enemy pirate ship was a wreck, and its crew members were either dead or surrendering on the blood-stained deck.
"As the losers, you have only one choice: join the Beasts Pirates and serve us, or die right now!" Jack looked down at the survivors with a cold, piercing gaze.
"We surrender! We will join! Please let us live!" the pirates shouted, terrified.
They didn't want to die, and the choice was easy. Besides, the Beasts Pirates were led by one of the Yonko. For many small-time crews in the New World, being absorbed into a Yonko's fleet was actually a dream come true, even if it meant serving under a man as ruthless as Jack.
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