After arranging the matters concerning Tom, Sphinx, and Rengar, Valthior asked again, "Has there been any interesting intelligence from the Government recently?"
"Speaking of that, there really is one matter. Previously, Lord Saturn paid attention to a civilian scientific research team on the sea called 'MADS,' and he even invited the leader of that team, Professor Vegapunk, the one who won the Ibel Peace Prize, to go to Mary Geoise for an audience.
Not long ago, because this team seemed to have researched something extraordinary, Saint Saturn turned his eyes to them again and forcefully ordered the team to be disbanded, while also absorbing its main members into the Science Unit that the Marines established not long ago.
Our CP agency assisted the Marines in their disbandment and arrest operation.
However, the process was somewhat complicated. The members of that team were very resistant toward the World Government, and several of them escaped without being caught. We only captured a man named Caesar Clown, as well as Professor Vegapunk. Those two have now been detained on a prison ship and are being transported to Impel Down. Afterward, according to the plan, they should be absorbed into the Marine Science Unit."
MADS actually had quite a few members, but its main members were Vegapunk, Vinsmoke Judge, Caesar Clown, Queen, and Buckingham Stussy.
People like Queen all had some real skills of their own, and when the Marines and CP came to arrest them, they all ran off.
Only Vegapunk and Caesar were captured.
Hearing this information, Valthior clearly became interested. He sat up a little straighter on the sofa in the cabin and spoke to the Den Den Mushi. "Can we pull some strings here? I want to bail someone out."
"Young Master, this matter is being watched by Lord Saturn..." Spandine said, hesitating for once.
"The old man is watching Vegapunk. That Caesar or whatever shouldn't be important, right?" Valthior asked.
"Indeed. The mission clearly stated that Professor Vegapunk had to be captured. The others were not named specifically. However, Caesar seems to be a specialist in weapons, and the Marines value him quite a bit..." Spandine said.
"What do the Marines count for? If they have anything to say, tell them to come and talk to me." Valthior said this in an extremely arrogant tone. "Since the old man did not name Caesar, arrange it this time and send Caesar to Wano together with Master Tom. If the old man asks, just say he is someone I wanted."
When he had contacted his old man before, the old man had said it himself: he wanted Valthior to grow bigger and stronger in the New World, and he would offer help where he could.
Now I only want one person. What is there that cannot be allowed?
Although Caesar was not a good person, and although he created poison gas, researched weapons of mass destruction, carried out human experiments, and persecuted children, Valthior felt that none of this was much of a problem.
The scum in Wano were worthy of Caesar.
Since his young master had already spoken to this point, Spandine could only agree. "Understood. I will make the arrangements on my side."
"Then sort out all the information from the past ten years on the World Government's weapon and equipment production and procurement. Once it is organized, send it to me as well," Valthior instructed again.
This kind of thing was considered a fairly high-level classified document even within the World Government.
Of course Spandine knew this, but this time, he did not hesitate at all and immediately said, "No problem."
The Celestial Dragon lord wanted to look at these documents. What was not allowed about that?
If there was a problem, then go talk to the Jaygarcia family.
After all, the head of his family was the Warrior God of Science and Defense, the one in charge of this field. It was perfectly reasonable for the Young Master to want to look at those materials.
Very clearly, after taking control of Wano, Valthior was preparing to follow Kaido's path and become an arms tycoon.
After all, compared to a wild path like Kaido's, Valthior had a much deeper network within the World Government. If he did not make use of it, it would simply be a waste.
Especially since Wano already had the necessary production capabilities, and now he had even recruited a monster like Caesar. Combined with the various family techniques and inherited crafts in Buggy's possession, they could easily build a massive advantage in the field of weapon manufacturing.
After ending that topic, Spandine seemed to remember something else and said, "Right, Young Master, Lord Doflamingo contacted my side not long ago. He said he wants to enter the pirate business and plans to head to the New World to join you..."
"Huh?" Valthior froze for a moment and said, "Didn't I tell him to stick to the North Blue and properly act as his own underworld boss first?"
"Perhaps he was stimulated by the recent massive media coverage surrounding the Pirate King?" Spandine let out an awkward laugh.
Valthior thought for a moment, then said, "I understand. I will contact him."
Valthior was actually quite pleased that Doflamingo wanted to come join him, his Uncle. It meant the seeds he had planted previously had taken root and were starting to bear fruit.
However, he was very dissatisfied that Doflamingo wanted to come to the New World right now to rely on him.
What would he even do here? A kid in his teens bringing a few mediocre fighters would just be dead weight!
There were already too many brats on their ship. Valthior really didn't want to add to that situation.
It would be better for him to develop properly in North Blue first. After he became one of the overlords of North Blue's underworld, he could then follow the lines of the underworld toward the New World and the other seas.
Valthior's current arrangement for Doflamingo was to support him and cultivate him, but for now, not let him come too close.
If Doflamingo needed money, Valthior could give him money. If he needed support, Valthior could give him support. In short, he should think of a way to grow bigger and stronger on his own.
In the end, it was still because Doflamingo was too young right now, and his growth could not be separated from being beaten down by society and the sea.
The reason his changes over the past two years had been so obvious was entirely because of that.
If Doflamingo came to his side, would that not mean he was once again receiving direct protection? That would be very bad for the growth of his personality and the sharpening of his abilities.
Valthior fully believed that if Doflamingo stayed by his side, there was an eighty or ninety percent chance that he would once again turn into that arrogant, overbearing, brainless, bad-tempered demon brat from Mary Geoise.
Compared to Doflamingo, Valthior was actually looking forward to Bartholomew Kuma a little more.
After all, Bartholomew Kuma was almost sixteen this year. He could be considered a strong young man already. His racial talent, his ability, and his own natural gifts were all there, so he could already be counted as a useful talent.
Valthior was preparing to contact Bartholomew Kuma in the next two days and have him come to Wano to meet up with him, then join his pirate crew.
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Valthior walked out of the cabin and happened to see Sphinx and Rengar working hard to scrub the deck.
Beside them, Shanks had the air of a "deck-scrubbing senior." He wore his straw hat, held a toothpick in his mouth, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and looked like a little brat pretending to be an adult as he pointed and said, "That's right. This part also has to be scrubbed clean with force. The Oro Jackson is our most important companion. Everyone starts by scrubbing the deck after coming aboard!"
Buggy came over from the cargo hold, carrying tung oil and floor wax, and said, "After you finish scrubbing, remember to apply oil and wax. Don't look down on this job. The two of us are now passing on all the deck-scrubbing experience we've built up over so many years..."
The corners of Sphinx's mouth twitched twice as she said, "Didn't we agree that we came aboard as combatants? How did it turn into this?"
"Combatants still have to scrub the deck. Hell, even I, the captain, started from here," Valthior said with a smile as he stepped forward.
At present, the personnel setup of the Valthior Pirates was roughly like this.
The captain was him, Jaygarcia Valthior.
The vice captain was Spencer.
The helmsman was Sunbell.
The ship doctor was Bullet.
The internal affairs officer and combatant was Doringo, who was responsible for checking whether the various supplies on the ship were lacking and reporting in time so they could be replenished.
After that were Shanks and Buggy, the two veteran apprentice crew members.
Then came the sniper, Sphinx, and the assault fighter, Rengar.
Overall, even when looking at it by the standards of the Oro Jackson, they were still missing many positions. A crucial role like navigator, for example, currently had no one to fill it.
Fortunately, Valthior and the others were all old pirates. As long as they weren't heading to extremely special or harsh seas, any of them could fill in for a regular navigator.
Originally, the Roger Pirates had followed a route of extreme elitism.
That approach was suitable for adventure crews and pirate groups without a fixed base, but it clearly wasn't suitable for Valthior, who intended to dominate the New World.
He needed to develop at least like Shiki—building a large fleet and acting as an admiral himself.
Valthior had even begun considering how to militarize his pirate crew.
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