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"Dream?"
Inside the ship's cabin, in a room of unparalleled luxury, Saint Jalmack, wearing his glass helmet, had his slave women strip naked and take turns warming him with their bodies.
It was a scene of utter absurdity.
But the CP0 agent was used to it.
"Yes," he said. "It has mycelia like tobacco. When used, you smoke it like a cigar. It brings a profound sense of pleasure to both mind and body. A feeling of freedom, of euphoria, as if you're flying, floating in a dream world. It's non-toxic and has no medicinal properties, but it is slightly addictive. However, as long as it's not consumed in excess, there are no ill effects. I've already had the slaves try it. According to them, one puff is enough to make them dream of the most wonderful things."
Saint Jalmack was skeptical. "This is the tribute from that new king? He couldn't afford the Heavenly Tribute, so he's trying to pass this off as a substitute?"
"He paid the tribute," the CP0 agent replied. "This is a gift. He hoped you would try it. If you find it to your liking, he proposes to use it in place of the Heavenly Tribute in the future."
"He paid?" Saint Jalmack said. "Well... since he's being so respectful, this Saint will graciously take a puff—"
Following Jin's instructions, the CP0 agent took a bit of the mycelia from the mushroom and placed it in a crystal pipe. He lit it and had a slave take the first puff.
After confirming there were no issues—just one puff, and the female slave was lost in a beautiful illusion, a smile on her face as she began to dance with joy—Saint Jalmack was intrigued.
"Is it really that good? Quick, let me try."
He removed his glass helmet. Wisps of smoke curled into his mouth, quickly spreading through his body, stimulating his nerves.
"..." His vision filled with a field of green grass. He was chasing butterflies, playing, filled with an indescribable sense of joy.
The Celestial Dragons, who considered themselves the "Descendants of the creators," were born with everything.
Money, power, women... material possessions were theirs for the taking.
But their spirits were empty. Combined with their twisted worldview and absurd beliefs, it led to all sorts of bizarre behavior.
Ever since he had been attacked in the Goa Kingdom, Saint Jalmack had been the subject of ridicule back in the Holy Land. He had been depressed and miserable for a long time. He hadn't been happy in ages. This trip was supposed to be a way to clear his head.
And now—one puff of smoke—and he was experiencing a long-forgotten joy. The spiritual pleasure was intoxicating, and he was completely hooked.
It was better than any high he'd ever known.
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After a long while, Saint Jalmack, who had been lying like a lump of clay on a pile of women, sat up, eager for another hit.
"Is this all there is? It's not enough! Go tell that king to hand over all of his 'Dream' to this Saint!"
The CP0 agent paused. "The king informed me that 'Dream' can only be produced on Drum Island. The annual yield is only 300 plants. This year, there are only 100 left. He had planned to sell them to other kings for 1 million Berries apiece to purchase supplies. As you know, Drum Island is a harsh, cold land. It was a great struggle for them to gather the 100 million Berries for the Heavenly Tribute. His people have already suffered greatly this year."
Saint Jalmack was unmoved. "What's that got to do with this Saint? They're just peasants. If they starve, they starve. Can't they just go catch fish in the sea? What a bunch of idiots."
"You're right, of course," the CP0 agent said. "But with the Revolutionary Army causing trouble these days... what if they overthrow the new king? Who will harvest 'Dream' then?"
That gave Saint Jalmack pause. "You have a point. Go tell him to hand over the rest of the 'Dream.' This Saint will speak to the World Government on his behalf. From now on, his kingdom will be exempt from the Heavenly Tribute. 'Dream' will be designated as an official tribute for Mary Geoise. If he does a good job, he will be handsomely rewarded."
"Yes, my lord," the CP0 agent replied. "And the 100 million Berries we collected this year... shall we return it?"
"Return it?" Saint Jalmack scoffed. "Of course not. How would this Saint explain that? Wait... don't we have a Devil Fruit on board? Consider it payment. Take it to him. Let him eat it. A little something to help him protect himself. Can't have him getting killed by some filthy pirates."
"As expected of Saint Jalmack," the CP0 agent said, bowing. "A true sage among the Celestial Dragons. You've thought of everything."
Saint Jalmack just giggled, lost in the haze of the smoke.
The CP0 agent turned and left. He had spoken up for Jin not because he had been bribed, but because he had seen the power of "Dream." He knew the Celestial Dragons' weaknesses all too well.
They would be clamoring for it. That king was about to hit the big time. And if he played his cards right, established a good relationship with the king now, he could bide his time and eventually seize control of the "Dream" plantation.
Or the king himself...
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"IT WORKED! IT WORKED!" Jin was ecstatic. A hundred million Berries for a Devil Fruit from a Celestial Dragon... it was a steal.
The Celestial Dragons' values were different from those of ordinary people. They lived for pleasure. A Devil Fruit was just a toy to be tossed to a slave.
"Dream" was a new species that Ai had accidentally created in the breeding chamber. It was a hybrid of a local poisonous, hallucinogenic mushroom and several other fungi with hypnotic properties. It was from the same batch of experiments as the Hypno-Shrooms and Poison-Gas Shrooms.
Jin's plan for Hannabal Island and Asuka Island was to build mushroom factories there. Drum Island was too cold for optimal breeding.
When he'd heard the Celestial Dragon was coming, he'd wracked his brain for a way to handle the situation, and then he'd had a flash of inspiration.
No matter what world you're in, what do the "celestials" want? What do they lack?
It's all the same. They want to get high.
And Jin had no qualms about corrupting them.
The CP0 agent had started with the stick, lecturing Jin about the rules of the World Government. Then he'd moved on to the carrot, talking about how he had spoken up for him to Saint Jalmack. It was a classic manipulation tactic.
An average person would have been completely taken in.
But Jin was from the information age. He'd seen every trick in the book.
The CP0 agent's little games were child's play.
But Jin played along, putting on a show of being completely duped, thumping his chest and promising his undying loyalty.
After handing over the rest of the "Dream," the CP0 agent left a communication Den Den Mushi for future contact and departed.
True to his word, Saint Jalmack, when contacted by the Five Elders, gave the new king a glowing review.
The World Government officially recognized the renaming of the Drum Kingdom to the Winter Blossom Kingdom and Jin's succession to the throne. The news was announced to all member nations and published in the World Economic Journal.
With the official procedures out of the way, the meeting at Marine Headquarters concluded.
As expected, now that he had the World Government's official recognition, Fleet Admiral Sengoku readily agreed to all of Jin's conditions.
Including his request to be trained by Vice Admiral Garp—
And just like that, Jin's identity crisis was resolved. He was no longer an unknown. He had made his grand entrance onto the world stage.
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