The Greatest Disgrace in Marine History-Chapter 247 - 149: You’re Not Planning to Rob the Heavenly Tribute, Are You?
Chapter 247 - 149: You’re Not Planning to Rob the Heavenly Tribute, Are You?
"H-Hundreds of billions?!"
Momonga jolted upright, staring at Darren in utter shock. His jaw nearly hit the ground as he stammered:
"Darren... you're not joking, right?"
Clutching the Log Pose in his hands like a priceless treasure, he held it with extreme care.
Darren replied irritably,
"Do I look like the kind of guy who'd joke about this? It's just a few hundred billion berries in gold, what's with the drama?"
Despite his tone, a faint smile crept onto the corner of his lips.
"Where the hell did you get that much gold?"
Momonga was still reeling from disbelief. Then suddenly, as if something clicked, his expression shifted sharply.
"Darren... Don't tell me... you robbed the Heavenly Tribute?"
His voice dropped low, face shadowed with uncertainty.
"No, no, relax. This stash came from a perfectly legal source."
Darren shook his head.
"Although... you've reminded me—if money runs short in the future, the Heavenly Tribute might not be such a bad idea..."
He rubbed the stubble on his chin thoughtfully.
Momonga: ...
Dark lines seemed to rise from his forehead.
Wait, you're seriously considering it now?!
"Yeah... that's actually a great idea. You really are my trusted adjutant."
Darren clapped him on the shoulder with a satisfied grin.
Momonga: ...
That wasn't me. I didn't say that. Don't pin this on me.
Seeing the usually stoic Momonga completely dumbfounded, Darren couldn't help but chuckle and explained:
"Relax. This money came from a legendary place."
"You've heard of the City of Gold, haven't you?"
Momonga nodded slowly.
"Yeah, Shandora—the City of Gold, said to be floating tens of thousands of meters in the sky... But that's just a myth... Wait! Don't tell me you actually found it?!"
His eyes widened as he stared at Darren.
"Where do you think I got your Rumble-Rumble Fruit from?" Darren replied offhandedly, exhaling a ring of smoke.
Only then did realization dawn on Momonga.
"So Shandora really does exist... No wonder..."
Everything suddenly made sense.
No wonder Darren had acquired a Devil Fruit that had disappeared for over a hundred years.
No wonder he suddenly possessed such an enormous wealth...
If he had really found the legendary City of Gold, then everything checked out.
After all, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit had been hidden in a Sky Island nearly ten thousand meters above sea level. That's why it hadn't appeared in over a century.
"When the time comes, take a few trusted men and a couple of warships to that island. Keep it as quiet as possible—minimize leaks—and bring back the gold," Darren said calmly.
Momonga raised an eyebrow, hesitating.
"You don't seriously think anyone in the North Blue would dare try and rob our fleet's gold, do you?"
Darren shook his head and rubbed his temples, as if he had a headache.
"That's not it. I'm not worried about pirates or some mob family..."
"What I'm worried about is, if Headquarters finds out we have that kind of money, Sengoku himself might show up at the 321st Branch the very next day."
"He'd probably act like a broke ghost, loitering around the restroom just to beg for handouts. We wouldn't even be able to take a dump in peace."
Momonga: ...
He thought about it, his mouth twitching, then finally muttered:
"You're not wrong."
Darren may have exaggerated, but the logic was sound.
If Marine Headquarters learned the North Blue Fleet had access to such a massive sum of money, they'd never let it go.
They wouldn't outright rob them—Darren's strength and status wouldn't allow that.
But knowing Sengoku, he'd find a way to extract a large portion through "proper channels."
And if Headquarters made the request, refusing them completely would be unthinkable. Doing so would basically sever ties with the top brass.
"In any case, once you get the money, move quickly. Expand the military roster. Within a year, increase the number of warships in the North Blue Fleet to at least twenty."
Darren narrowed his eyes.
"And if I remember correctly, Borsalino should've deployed some of the latest tech weapons to the North Blue recently, right?"
Momonga nodded.
"Yeah, the Special Science Group's laser weapons have been installed on a few of our ships..."
His eyes lit up with growing excitement.
"These laser weapons—unlike anything we've ever seen. In initial tests, just one shot was enough to obliterate a vessel capable of carrying over a hundred men."
It was precisely this added firepower that had given Momonga the confidence to seal off Rubeck Island, ready to level the Donquixote Family at any time.
After all, fear always stemmed from lack of firepower.
"The only problem is, these laser weapons consume massive amounts of energy, and the recharging system is extremely complex. We still haven't figured out exactly how they work or what kind of energy source they use..."
Darren frowned.
"So what you're saying is: the weapons are powerful, but the core technology is still tightly controlled by Borsalino's Special Science Group?"
Momonga nodded.
"Exactly. So for now, our fleet's primary offensive strength still comes from traditional heavy artillery, supplemented by a few tech weapons borrowed from Germa 66."
"And to conceal the fleet's real strength, we only reported a procurement request for five ships to the Science Division."
"Hmm... Got it."
In the original story, the laser weapons only reached full deployment on the Pacifistas. But the power source had never been explicitly revealed.
After thinking for a moment, Darren suddenly said:
"Remove one laser cannon from a ship and send it to Vinsmoke Judge. Have him study and redesign the weapon's power system."
"You sure that guy can pull it off?"
Momonga asked with some doubt.
"So far, Germa 66's weapons are nowhere near as powerful as the SSG's laser cannons."
Darren nodded.
"Vinsmoke Judge used to work alongside Vegapunk. Everything the Marine Science Division has—those are just scraps from Vegapunk's most cutting-edge research."
"With Judge's skillset, cracking and reengineering the laser weapon's power system shouldn't be a problem."
"Germa 66's tech weapons are inferior because Judge never focused on weaponry. His real field of expertise is gene modification."
Back when Darren first saw the newborn Vinsmoke Reiju, he immediately recognized the signs of bloodline factor enhancement.
Of course, if we're talking about technological capabilities, that fat guy Queen would actually be the better fit.
Darren had seen with his own eyes how Queen launched laser attacks back in the Beasts Pirates' base.
But that suspender-wearing lump wasn't his subordinate.
"No problem. But if you're planning to redesign the laser power system... what kind of energy source do you intend to use?"
Momonga asked again.
Darren didn't respond. He just looked at him with a smile.
Momonga thought for a moment—then his face instantly turned black.
"#%@&$—!?@#*!%!!"
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To be continued...
