After deciding to test things out, Valthior took the Yamata no Orochi fruit from Roger as well. This time, nothing unusual happened. While that reassured everyone, it also left them a bit disappointed.
Speaking of Devil Fruits, Valthior still had the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in his possession. Originally, he had planned to give it to Bullet.
But at the moment, Bullet had no intention of becoming a Devil Fruit user, nor was he interested in Logia types.
Compared to that, he preferred Zoan types. On one hand, he wanted to follow a path similar to Valthior's. On the other, he believed Zoans provided greater physical enhancement, which suited his style more.
As things stood, he now had two options: the Yamata no Orochi or the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Still, Bullet wasn't in a hurry. If he could wait, he would—who knew if something even more suitable might appear in the future?
Just as Valthior and the others were about to find a test subject to eat the shriveled Okuchi no Makami fruit, his Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
Valthior glanced down and raised an eyebrow. "It's my old man calling back."
Roger and the others hadn't planned to eavesdrop anyway. Not wanting to seem distrustful, they exchanged looks, grabbed the shriveled fruit from Valthior, and headed out.
"Handle your call," Roger said as he left. "Just make sure you keep your Celestial Dragon status. Selling us out is fine. We'll go find someone to test this fruit."
With that, the group quickly cleared out, leaving Valthior alone.
He chuckled, then picked up the Den Den Mushi and spoke first:
"Grandpa, it's been a while. How have you been?"
On the other end, Saturn's voice soon came through.
"I've been well. What about you?"
"Same here," Valthior replied.
He hesitated briefly, considering whether to bring up what had just happened—the strange absorption of the Okuchi no Makami's power.
After all, Saturn had given him his ability. If anyone knew something, it would be him.
But after thinking it over, Valthior decided against mentioning it. Instead, he kept things casual, exchanging a few pleasantries.
Only after that did Saturn ask, "You contacted me—what is it?"
"I've arrived in Wano with the Roger Pirates," Valthior said. "And… well, we've basically taken control of it. I think Wano has significant value, so I want to use the family's resources to establish control here."
"Oh?" Saturn responded calmly. "Where does that value lie? Seastone?"
"That's part of it," Valthior said. "The seastone reserves alone are extremely valuable. On top of that, Wano has an excellent craftsmanship system—high-level weapon forging, and even solid firearms technology."
Wano's military industry was surprisingly advanced, completely at odds with its isolationist image.
Beyond its traditional blade-making, it also possessed strong capabilities in firearms like muskets and cannons.
Valthior hadn't fully figured out why yet, but he suspected it might be inherited from ancient technology dating back 800 years—after all, Joy Boy had likely left something behind here.
In the original timeline, Kaido had rapidly capitalized on these resources after taking over Wano, becoming a major arms dealer.
He had even supplied weapons to the World Government itself.
If Kaido could do it, why couldn't Valthior?
In fact, with his status, he had even greater advantages.
The arms trade was pure profit. If developed properly, it could become a massive and stable financial backbone for building his own power.
Saturn remained silent for a moment before asking, "Anything else? That alone wouldn't warrant contacting me."
"Yes," Valthior added. "Based on my investigation, Wano may house the Ancient Weapon—Pluton. Though I haven't found it yet."
A sharp glint flashed through Saturn's eyes.
"I understand," he said. "State your needs. I'll have Alfred mobilize family resources to fully support you."
They didn't dwell further on Pluton.
Truthfully, Valthior wasn't overly concerned about it. Whether it ended up in Saturn's hands didn't matter much.
At this stage, their relationship was firmly aligned in terms of interests.
If anything, Valthior was more worried about Saturn being eliminated by Imu than anything else. Giving him another powerful asset wasn't a bad thing.
And besides—there was still the Pluton blueprints in Water 7. If those were obtained, mass production could become possible. That was the truly terrifying prospect.
Soon, Valthior outlined a series of plans, with Saturn adding a few suggestions.
In short, the Jaygarcia family would soon dispatch trusted personnel to secretly take over Wano.
Externally, nothing would be revealed. Saturn would also help cover up the fact that Wano had changed hands.
This wasn't difficult—Wano was already isolated. Even the World Government had little to no intelligence on it. For centuries, it had practically been ignored.
Only when Kaido took over in the original timeline did outside attention increase.
Otherwise, Wano was essentially invisible to the world.
Once that discussion wrapped up, Saturn finally said:
"The Holy Knights, along with Harald, will head to Whole Cake Island. This operation is aimed at eliminating the Roger Pirates. If necessary, the five of us may also intervene. Be prepared."
Valthior smirked slightly. "Prepared how? You want me to switch sides at a critical moment?"
"For now, your position within the Roger Pirates benefits me more," Saturn replied calmly.
That was effectively his stance.
Valthior paused briefly, then asked, "If I end up fighting you…"
"No," Saturn cut him off immediately. "And you are not to attack the other four either. That's a matter of face."
Valthior looked a bit disappointed.
"…What about the Holy Knights, then?" he asked.
"For the sake of maintaining your cover," Saturn said indifferently, "some sacrifices from the Holy Knights are acceptable."
Clearly, he believed Valthior was still secretly loyal to him, unaware that Roger's crew fully approved of the "leaked" intel.
In that case, Valthior fighting the Holy Knights would only reinforce his position within the crew.
Valthior finally smiled in satisfaction.
"Understood. As you wish, Grandpa."
Garling… I'm really looking forward to seeing you again.
Hurry up and get here.
...
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