"Hu-Hundreds of billions!?"
Momonga shot up, eyes wide as he stared at Daren, jaw nearly hitting the floor. He stammered, "Daren... you're not joking, right?"
He cradled the Log Pose in his hands like it was some priceless treasure.
Daren scoffed, "Do I look like the kind of guy who jokes about this stuff? It's just a few hundred billion Belly in gold... what's there to get so worked up about?"
Even as he said that, the corner of his mouth curled up slightly.
"Where did you even get that kind of gold?"
Momonga looked completely dumbfounded, but then his expression froze. Something clearly clicked, and his face suddenly changed.
"Daren... don't tell me you robbed the Heavenly Tribute?"
He lowered his voice, glancing around nervously.
"No, no. Relax, this money is completely legitimate."
Daren shook his head.
"Though now that you mention it, if I ever run short on funds, the Heavenly Tribute actually sounds like a solid option..."
He rubbed the blue stubble on his chin thoughtfully.
A few black lines formed on his forehead as his thoughts spiraled in panic:
Wait—are you seriously considering that!?
"Hm, now that you say it, that really is a brilliant idea. You're truly worthy of being my adjutant."
Daren suddenly gave Momonga a satisfied pat on the shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.
That wasn't me! I didn't say that! You're making things up!
Seeing the usually serious Momonga looking completely dumbfounded, Daren couldn't hold back a laugh and said,
"Don't worry. The money came from a legendary place."
"You've heard the legend of the City of Gold, Shandora, right?"
"Yeah, Shandora... it's said to exist high in the sky, thousands of meters above sea level, but it's just a myth... Wait! Don't tell me—you actually found the legendary City of Gold!?"
His eyes widened as he stared at Daren.
"Where else do you think your Goro Goro no Mi came from?"
Daren casually blew a smoke ring.
It finally dawned on Momonga.
"So Shandora really does exist... No wonder..."
Now it all made sense.
No wonder Daren had found the Goro Goro no Mi, which had vanished for over a hundred years.
No wonder he suddenly had access to such an immense fortune...
If he'd found the legendary City of Gold, then everything added up.
The Goro Goro no Mi had been hidden on a Sky Island ten thousand meters above sea level—that's why it hadn't resurfaced in over a century.
"Anyway, when the time comes, take a trusted crew and a few warships to the island. Keep it as low-key as possible. Avoid leaks and bring all the gold back."
Momonga raised an eyebrow, hesitating.
"You're not seriously worried that someone in the North Blue would dare steal from the North Blue Fleet, are you?"
Daren shook his head, massaging his temples.
"That's not it. I'm not worried about pirates or mafia groups..."
"What's giving me a headache is this—if headquarters finds out we've got that kind of money, Sengoku'll probably show up at Division 321's doorstep the very next day."
"He'd be lurking around like a broke beggar. Even going to the bathroom would be a hassle—he'd just crouch outside, grinning. You wouldn't even be able to take a dump in peace."
He mulled it over, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. After a pause, he said slowly,
"You've got a point."
Daren may have exaggerated, but he wasn't wrong.
If headquarters found out the North Blue Fleet had access to that kind of fortune, they'd never let it go.
They probably wouldn't seize it by force—Daren's strength and position saw to that.
But with Sengoku's methods, they'd find a way to claim a big chunk of it.
And once headquarters made a move, there was no way they could resist without consequences. Holding out completely would basically mean breaking ties with HQ...
"Anyway, once you've got the funds, move fast. Expand the fleet. Within a year, get the North Blue Fleet up to at least twenty warships."
Daren narrowed his eyes.
"And if I'm not mistaken, Borsalino should've already deployed some of the latest tech weapons to the North Blue, right?"
"Yeah, the laser weapons developed by the Science Division have already been equipped on some of our warships..."
As he spoke, his eyes began to glow with excitement.
"The power of these laser weapons is like nothing we've seen before. According to initial tests, a single blast is enough to easily destroy a ship that can carry a hundred people."
It was exactly because of these laser cannons that Momonga had the confidence to blockade Rubeck Island without restraint, ready to wipe out the Donquixote Family at any moment. Content originally comes from Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
Fear always comes from a lack of firepower.
"The problem is, these laser weapons consume a massive amount of energy, and their charging mechanism is extremely complex. We haven't been able to figure out the specifics—how to charge them or what powers them..."
"So, in short, while these things are powerful, the core tech is still firmly controlled by Borsalino and his science team?"
Momonga nodded again.
"Exactly. That's why, for now, the North Blue Fleet still relies mainly on traditional heavy artillery, with some of Germa 66's tech weapons as backup."
"...Also, to keep the true size of the fleet under wraps, we only filed a purchase request for five warships with the Science Division."
In the original timeline, laser weapons only saw real, practical use when they were mounted on Pacifistas—but the way they were charged was never revealed.
After thinking for a moment, Daren suddenly said,
"Dismantle one of the laser cannons from a warship and hand it over to Vinsmoke Judge. Have him work on modifying the charging mechanism."
"You sure he can handle that?" Momonga asked, hesitating a bit. "As things stand, Germa 66's tech weapons are far less powerful than the Science Division's laser cannons."
"Vinsmoke Judge used to work with Vegapunk. The tech held by the Marine Science Division is basically just scraps from Vegapunk's cutting-edge research..."
"With Judge's skills, cracking and modifying the laser cannon's power system shouldn't be a big deal."
"The reason Germa 66's weapons seem so lackluster is because Judge hasn't been focused on weapon development. His real focus has always been on genetic modification."
Daren had noticed signs of Lineage Factor engineering the moment he saw the newborn Vinsmoke Reiju.
Of course, if this were just about tech know-how, that fat guy Queen would actually be a better choice.
After all, Daren had personally seen him fire off a laser cannon back at the Beasts Pirates' main base.
But that suspenders-wearing fatty wasn't one of his subordinates.
"No problem. But if you're going to modify the charging mechanism... what energy source do you plan to use?"
Momonga pressed again.
Daren didn't answer. He just looked at him with a sly smile.
Momonga thought about it—and his face instantly turned pitch black.