"Baby5! Come take a look at this blueprint!" Minos held the Bat Fighter blueprint in his hand and passed it to Baby5.
In the Pirate World, it seemed that no one had ever paid attention to the skies. There was clearly so much Black Technology, yet the only one who had truly developed aircraft and even spaceships was Enel, that half-baked scientist from Sky Island.
Theoretically, flying through the sky or even from orbit should have been the fastest method, yet everyone in the Pirate World turned a blind eye to it.
Having long understood the importance of Air Supremacy, Minos would not be like those fools in the Pirate World.
Hearing Minos's words, Baby5, who had been gloomily weighing herself, ran over without another word. "Master Minos, did you discover something again?"
During this period, Minos had used Vegapunk's Weapon Blueprints to exchange for quite a few weapon blueprints from other worlds. For example, there was the Melt Gun from Warhammer. Its destructive power was absurdly high, capable of firing an energy beam with temperatures reaching tens of thousands of degrees. Ace would cry himself to death in the bathroom over that thing. It truly killed gods if gods stood in its way, and slaughtered Buddhas if Buddhas blocked its path.
Even Katakuri's expression had turned extremely serious after seeing the Melt Gun's destructive power. He had personally admitted that even he would be unable to withstand a shot. Even Charlotte Linlin would definitely be injured if she took a shot without using Haki.
Of course, with Baby5's strength, even possessing a Melt Gun was useless. Draining all her stamina would only let her fire one attack, and she would need at least a minute of preparation beforehand.
Anyone with even a little Observation Haki would not be hit by that move.
Even so, Baby5's meager strength could produce an attack capable of threatening a Pirate Emperor. That was far more impressive than a certain King's Fist that needed an hour of warm-up and supposedly could defeat even the Four Emperors. It also let everyone truly understand the power of the Arms-Arms Fruit.
"Here, can you transform into this?" Minos handed the Bat Fighter blueprint to Baby5. After taking two looks, Baby5 revealed a surprised expression.
"So cool! It can actually fly through the sky. What kind of weapon is this?"
"This thing is called a Bat Fighter! Give it a try and see whether you can transform into it," Minos said.
"I should be able to. I can feel from my Devil Fruit ability that I really can transform into this Bat Fighter, but I'll need to study this blueprint for a while." Baby5 spoke again. "I still haven't finished studying the Laser Sword from last time! Master Minos, where did you get all these Weapon Blueprints? Even Dr. Vegapunk's research probably can't compare!"
"It's good as long as you can transform successfully." Minos did not answer Baby5's question and directly changed the subject. "With the Bat Fighter's speed, going anywhere will be easy. Baby5, I have high hopes for you. Work hard."
At those words, Baby5 immediately beamed and tossed the origins of those blueprints to the back of her mind.
The Bat Fighter could fly out of the atmosphere in a short period of time. It was even faster than the Blackbird Reconnaissance Aircraft and could even travel through space for a short time. Calling it the fastest vehicle in the entire Pirate World would not be an exaggeration. At several times the speed of sound, circling the entire Grand Line within a few days would be far from impossible. In the eyes of the pirates, that was practically a Divine Miracle.
All one could say was that the Pirate World's technology was not only incredibly advanced, but also absurdly crooked. They had created AI robots and genetically modified humans, yet had not even invented a Hot Air Balloon Airship.
"Maybe the World Government has been suppressing it too? After all, if planes filled the skies in this world, the Red Line wouldn't be able to guarantee anyone's safety."
Just as Baby5 was completely engrossed in the brand-new Bat Fighter, and Minos had nearly finished mastering Rokushiki, the Charlotte Pirates' annual Tea Party began once again.
During the previous Tea Party, Minos had basically been training on Wheat Island. Katakuri was a rather stern teacher, and while their foundations had not yet been solidified, he strictly forbade them from leaving the island. Therefore, neither Minos nor Talon had attended.
This time, Talon and Minos could be considered graduates. Minos especially had practically saved the lives of Katakuri and his two brothers on Punk Hazard. Otherwise, facing a large number of elite Marines along with a Marine Admiral in that situation, the three brothers would likely have gone sightseeing in Impel Down.
Therefore, Katakuri planned to bring Minos and Talon to Cake Island with him. It was also a sign that the two had completed their training and could officially join the crew.
Minos had no objections. Although he had already planned to temporarily leave the Charlotte Pirates, and might turn that "temporarily" into "forever" depending on the situation, it was only for his future development and because he disliked the Charlotte Pirates' ways. That did not mean he could simply erase the kindness they had shown him.
No matter how much Minos grumbled internally about Charlotte Linlin being a crazy old woman, he would not forget that she had rescued him from a slave ship. He also could not remain indifferent to the Charlotte Pirates' training and Katakuri's guidance, then simply leave without a word.
Besides Talon and Minos, Baby5 and Violet were also among those going to pay their respects. Although neither woman was particularly strong, being Devil Fruit Users alone gave them sufficient qualifications to join any Pirate Crew.
When reading manga, it felt as though Devil Fruit Users appeared one after another without end, but that was because powerful people drew others toward them. In reality, Devil Fruit Users were pitifully rare across the entire sea. Any Devil Fruit User, whether among the Marines or pirates, was considered a promising prospect. Even a Yonko Crew would never overlook one.
Otherwise, Kaido would not have created that so-called army of ability users. Even those crooked rejects were regarded by Kaido as trump cards, much less genuine Devil Fruit Users.
Violet was rather anxious and went to ask Minos whether the Charlotte Pirates would assign her a husband.
In response, Minos merely rolled his eyes and explained, "Don't overthink it! Under normal circumstances, if you were still the princess of Dressrosa, it really might have been possible. But now you've fallen from grace and are merely a Devil Fruit User. Captain Charlotte would never waste one of his sons on you!"
Violet: "..."
Although she felt somewhat offended, she was finally relieved.
Minos was not wrong. Generally speaking, if someone joined the Charlotte Pirates alone without any backing, then unless they were strong enough, they should not even think about Charlotte Linlin marrying off one of her daughters to them or accepting them as a daughter-in-law.
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