If one were to judge status based solely on bounty, then Queen was clearly the third-in-command of the Beasts Pirates. Apart from Arceus and Kaido, not even Yamato, despite being the future heir of the Beasts Pirates, could match his bounty, let alone the other officers.
Even when taking practical factors into account, Queen held an extremely high position within the Beasts Pirates. Gaining his special attention would be a great advantage for future promotions.
In the original timeline, Hawkins spent two years muddling through the New World before being coaxed by Kid and Apoo into forming an alliance in an attempt to take down Shanks. However, Apoo had long since defected to the Beasts Pirates and acted as a traitor, leading Kaido straight to the meeting place of the alliance.
Because of the overwhelming difference in strength, Hawkins was forced to join the Beasts Pirates at that time.
But this time was different. He joined the Beasts Pirates of his own accord and had even found his own stage to prove that he was not like those small fry.
The root of it all lay in the fact that he was, at heart, a diviner. Divining occupied a significant part of his life, and ever since he discovered that unfathomable vortex of fate, he had already chosen his future path.
What he truly wanted was to get in touch with the religious members of the Arceus Cult, but Queen was not a bad choice either; especially because of the special test Queen proposed. Staying by Queen's side would definitely speed up his promotion to officer rank.
The only issue was that the conditions Queen offered were a bit problematic.
"Your divination result is strange, as if it's destined—something you simply can't escape. No matter how you calculate it, at most you can delay it, but you can't avoid it altogether."
Then, Hawkins drew cards again in front of Queen, and a card depicting a tower appeared on top.
"The Tower—the only card with bad omens in both upright and reversed positions. Lord Queen, your fate is quite tumultuous… or perhaps, very stable."
Hawkins had already started respectfully calling him "Lord Queen," but the results he presented didn't exactly please Queen.
"No matter. I will give you some time to prepare. As long as you can prove your abilities to me later, that's all that matters. For now, just wait here. Once things are settled, I'll take you with me when I leave."
Hawkins didn't have the qualifications to attend the banquet, so Queen simply had him stay put while he returned to Ryugu Palace to report the things that happened just now to Kaido and Arceus.
The people who provoked were insignificant, but Big Mom's actions were worth mentioning.
As for Hawkins, Queen intended to let time test his abilities. If he could avert risks, that would be great; and if not, at least Queen would be prepared for what was coming.
"Lord Arceus, I just encountered someone from the Big Mom Pirates. It seems they also have their eyes on Fishman Island."
After returning to the banquet hall, Queen went to report the recent events to Arceus. Although Kaido hadn't done anything outrageous like swinging his kanabo around, he had clearly entered a drunken state and was currently drinking arm-in-arm with Neptune.
If it weren't for Arceus being present, the members of the Beasts Pirates might have already initiated emergency evacuation procedures.
But in this state, Kaido clearly wasn't in any condition to listen to intel, and Queen definitely didn't want to end up inviting disaster upon himself because of that.
"How did you handle it?"
"I already drove him off. Given that old hag's personality, she won't start a war with us. After all, we already took control of this place long ago, and it's not like we're fighting her for territory. But that Perospero is probably in for a rough time."
Queen didn't notice that while he was delivering his report, Yamato was wandering around the banquet hall with a notebook in hand, casually gathering information from high-status and veteran Fish-Men or Merfolk.
After the grand banquet concluded, Ryugu Kingdom saw off the Beasts Pirates. But on the way back, the young miss' revenge began.
"Uncle Queen, I heard Ryugu Kingdom used to have a secret treasure."
"Hm? What kind of secret treasure?"
"It was something called Energy Steroid kept in the Tamatebako. I heard it could stimulate a person's potential but at a heavy cost. Back then, Mandrell even brought it back for you to study.
But after all these years, there hasn't been any word about it."
"Oh… I vaguely remember studying that. It is worthless, it's just a short-lived power boost at the cost of one's life. Pretty useless. In terms of practical value, even the Swords Dance squad's burst power is much more useful. I should be able to find it in the archives once we get back to Onigashima."
"Is that so? Uncle Queen, you're really dedicated to your work, huh?"
Yamato made a mark in her notebook. It seemed like she was gathering dirt on Queen's past projects, likely planning to use it as payback for his despicable attempt to "go down together" with her during the Summit War.
That action made Queen nervous. Nothing had happened yet, but if Yamato really managed to dig up some dirt on him, he might get dragged into special training with Kaido.
"Miss Yamato, where did you hear about something like that? Weren't you not interested in this sort of thing before?"
"Oh, that? It's a secret. I've suddenly become really interested in past matters."
A very peculiar smile appeared on Yamato's face, one that Queen found extremely dangerous.
That smile reminded Queen of the "disaster involving bloodshed" Hawkins had mentioned earlier. It strengthened his resolve to expedite Hawkins' vetting process and assign him a position as soon as possible.
Combat ability could be discussed separately, but Hawkins' fortune-telling skill was simply too useful to ignore.
Ordinary people needed to check the weather forecast before heading out. If Hawkins really proved effective, he could function as a kind of special executive assistant.
Soon after, the Beasts Pirates began their return to Wano Country, where another grand banquet awaited them.
Meanwhile, the aftermath of the Summit War had begun to spread and take effect. Thanks to the efforts of the News Coo, the entire world was finally beginning to understand what had taken place.
[Four years ago, Red Hair Shanks rose to the rank of Emperor of the Sea. Four great pirates came to rule the seas like sovereigns, and people referred to them collectively as the Four Emperors.
Today, four years later, the eldest of the Four Emperors, Whitebeard-Edward Newgate, has died.
This also signifies the end of the era of the Four Emperors.
And Whitebeard's last words were simple: ONE PIECE is real!
World Economy News Paper - Flaming Attachan.]
Morgans commanded a team of daring reporters, and Flaming Attachan was one of them. He was formerly the chief of the Marines' Photography Department, but after being dismissed by the Marines, he joined the World Economy News Paper. When writing this article, he showed no regard for old ties whatsoever.
And this was only part of the report. The full chain of events surrounding the Summit War was far too vast to be captured in just a few articles.
Land of White Soil, Baltigo, the Revolutionary Army's headquarters.
Dragon continued to command the Revolutionary Army's operations across various regions. And today, the Den Den Mushi at the headquarters rang once again.
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