As Drake watched with a slightly dazed look in his eyes, the shackles on the members of the On Air Pirates were removed, then they were led out of Udon by Queen.
Queen gave the order, and Babanuki naturally didn't stop them, nor was there any concern about safety. Wano Country was already full of informers and traps, and Queen himself was accompanying them.
If Queen actually let these people escape from under his watch, he'd probably be kicked out by Kaido on the spot, for the sole reason of being too much of a disgrace.
As for Drake...
Compared to Hawkins, who could tell fortunes, and Apoo, who could rap and even act as DJ, Drake had minimal value to Queen, so he wasn't worth paying attention to at all. The only good news was that no one pursued the issue of the earlier fight, and he returned to his dull, ordinary mining life.
[Fleet Admiral Sengoku, it seems... you sent the wrong guy.]
Looking at the current situation of the Beasts Pirates, an Ancient Zoan user couldn't even compare to a multi-talented entertainer. With no special skills, Drake suddenly didn't know how to proceed with his mission.
Or rather, until Kaido remembered his existence, he wouldn't have any chance to carry out his mission at all.
After Apoo and the others left Udon Quarry with Queen, Queen began contacting other people, though the content of the call left Apoo feeling dizzy.
"Hawkins."
"Lord Queen, is there something you need?"
"In a few days, I'll assign you a rookie. You've basically passed the test. When the time comes, assist Scotch."
"Yes, I understand."
Up to this point, the content of Queen's conversation was still within Apoo's understanding. But in the next moment, Queen suddenly became abnormal.
"How's that matter coming along?"
"Lord Queen, you're really making it hard for me... Divination has its limits. I don't have the power to change the future..."
"Then forget it. How are things looking recently?"
"You're quite safe for the near future. You won't encounter any disaster involving bloodshed for a while. It's just that... you'll have some Mercury retrograde."
Mercury retrograde and safe are theoretically contradictory, but when it comes to Queen, it somehow fits perfectly. For him, as long as there's no life-threatening danger or beatings, he already considers it safe. [TN: During Mercury retrograde, miscommunication and misunderstandings are more likely to occur.]
"Let me think... Boss Kaido is out, Miss Yamato hasn't returned, and Shayna and King aren't here either. Indeed, as long as I don't leave Wano Country, I'm safe! What the hell are you all staring at? Follow along obediently."
Sitting on his boar cart, Queen saw the skeptical look on Apoo's face and immediately tossed a fruit pit at his head.
"Keep your eyes in check. Even though I got you out, you're not an official member of the crew yet. If you see something you shouldn't... heh, you'll find out just how terrifying I can be."
Queen was just trying to intimidate them. There really were a lot of things here that shouldn't be seen, but if Apoo did see them, Queen, as the guide, would be the one held responsible.
"Um... Lord Queen, where are we going exactly?"
"To my dancing partner. You're going to get acquainted with him first."
The boar cart sped down the roads of Wano Country. Though they passed many strange creatures along the way, Apoo kept silent, afraid of inviting trouble, until a grand mansion came into view before them.
"Lord Queen, does that person live here?"
"Nope. At this hour, it's probably just playing around here."
"Someone who lives in a place like this... must be a big shot too, right?"
Even before officially joining, he was already meeting other big shots. Apoo started thinking maybe his own status wasn't that low, but reality always had a way of being cruel.
"What nonsense are you spouting? This house is actually a doghouse. The one I'm taking you to meet isn't even human, it's a kappa."
"A doghouse!?"
Looking at the mansion-like building, Apoo felt like his worldview had been shattered yet again.
"Yup. The owner of this house was one of the earliest to pledge loyalty to us. He's gone from a fallen merchant to the richest man in Wano Country. All these years, he's been loyal and devoted. Lord Arceus and Lord Kaido are both very pleased with him."
"In short, we won't treat you unfairly if you work for us. But if you try to play any tricks, then that mine will become your permanent home."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened, and Arcanine and Ludicolo ran out, followed by Meowna, Wolff, Bepo, and other Minks.
Little Kai's house was nominally called a doghouse, but it was actually a three-story villa with over a thousand square meters of total floor space, fully equipped with modern amenities. Because of their species traits, some of the facilities specially made for Arcanine also happened to be very suitable for the Minks. This place had already become a gathering spot for young Minks.
However, Queen's real target was only Ludicolo. Due to its racial traits and love of dancing to rhythm, Ludicolo happened to get along strangely well with Queen.
"All the animals in this place became sentient?"
"Not just that, the rocks in the mine move too. So animals that can talk aren't even that surprising. If someone can build a house like this for a pet, then buying them clothes also makes sense. Maybe this is just how the New World is."
"Shut up! Besides keeping your eyes in check, control your mouths too! You've already made it to the New World, and you still have no awareness? Haven't you even heard of the Minks before?"
As he spoke, Queen pulled out a pamphlet and tossed it at Apoo.
"Have your people memorize what's in here. There are still some things you don't need to know yet, but being completely ignorant of even the basic knowledge of seas, if word gets out, that would be too embarrassing."
"Lit..literacy handbook?"
"Wano Country shut itself off from the world. In their eyes, Fish-Men, Merfolk, Minks, and the Longarm Tribe are all monsters. This was originally teaching material prepared for those old fogies. Who would've thought you people are just as clueless? Study it thoroughly so you don't offend someone because of your ignorance."
Queen wasn't being kind-hearted, he simply couldn't bear to lose this DJ team. Talented people showing up on his doorstep was a rare thing, and it'd be a real shame to lose them over some pointless reason.
"Uncle Queen? Are you here to play games too—hic."
"No, I just came to look for Ludicolo. Wait, you two... did you drink alcohol?"
Meowna and Wolff had both inherited Setsuna's pure white fur. At this moment, their cheeks were slightly red. At first, Queen thought it was just the result of some roughhousing, but Meowna's tone made him realize something was off.
"No, it was just juice."
"Yes, just juice."
"Don't treat my nose like it's for decoration! This'll make your mom think I took you out drinking! Just how much did you...Alright, I get what happened."
No matter the situation, Queen's top priority was always himself. What he feared most was taking blame for something out of nowhere. After all, according to Hawkins, he wasn't in any real danger but was cursed with bad luck due to Mercury retrograde.
Just as he was about to trace the source of the problem, he saw a Pokémon resembling a turtle crawl out from inside, which gave Queen all the answers he needed.
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