Chapter 258: Thunder Stone
Ian took it, pinched it between his fingers, and examined it. He noticed that this white crystal was a semi-translucent substance, but strangely, it seemed hollow inside.
As he looked closer, Ian suddenly saw a bolt of lightning flash through the interior of the crystal!
The lightning was only a fleeting glimpse, but it startled Ian. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he might have seen things.
"What is this thing?" Ian asked Konenai in surprise. "I think I saw electricity inside it..."
Konenai smiled slightly and said, "You didn't see wrong. There really is electric current inside. In fact, this kind of ore was only recently discovered by the miners!"
"What do you mean?" Ian asked. "You mean they've been mining for so long and still don't know what they're digging up?"
"Though I hate to say it, that seems to be the case," Konenai shook her head. "At first, the miners really thought the pirate king wanted them to dig up gemstones. But what they dug out were just raw ores. All these raw ores were hauled to the palace, where it seems a smelting facility was set up. They didn't know what was being refined at first—they always thought it was gems. But later, someone risked sneaking into the smelting facility and discovered that the final product refined from their ore was this kind of stone."
"So you're saying the so-called gem mines were already exhausted?" Ian picked up the crystal and examined it again.
"Yes. The miners didn't know what to call it at first, but later they discovered its properties..." Konenai took the crystal from Ian, drew her knight's sword, and brought the tip slightly closer to the crystal.
Then, a marvelous scene unfolded. With a crackling sound, a powerful electric current leaped from the white crystal and flowed toward Konenai's longsword!
Since the sword's hilt was wrapped in leather, Konenai wasn't afraid of being shocked. She held her sword steady, and the crystal continued to discharge electricity toward her blade without stopping.
Ian, Zeke, and the others were stunned. They never expected the white crystal could be used like this!
"See that?" Konenai sheathed her sword, and the white crystal stopped discharging. She tossed the crystal in her hand and said, "The miners eventually named this crystal 'Thunder Stone'! If you just hold it in your hand, you won't get shocked. But once it comes into close contact with a metal conductor, it produces a continuous discharge. And the amount of electrical energy stored is astonishing—this small piece of Thunder Stone can release continuous power for two hours."
"So that means the pirate king's agreement with the World Government is probably about supplying this Thunder Stone?" Ian frowned. "After all, just rare gemstones alone couldn't possibly sway the World Government..."
"Yes, that's what the miners suspect too," Konenai said. "The Four Emperors' crews wouldn't be interested in scarce gemstones, and this Thunder Stone is useless to them. But the World Government is different—they have dedicated scientists researching new technology. They might be able to use this energy-like ore. So the pirate king used this ore as a bargaining chip to gain the World Government's support. That's why even though a pirate became king, the World Government still pretends not to see it..."
"Energy ore... wait!" Ian suddenly thought of something and gasped. He quickly asked Konenai, "You said the pirate king took power eight years ago?"
"Yeah, that's right. What's wrong?" Konenai asked.
What's wrong? Plenty! The name 'Thunder Stone' reminded Ian of another term: 'Dynamis Stone'!
Dynamis Stone was also an energy ore containing enormous power. According to the original timeline, after Edward Weebel was invited to join the Seven Warlords by the World Government, Admiral Zephyr—whom Ian had fought—would completely defect from the Marines. He would lead the Neo Marines, reorganized from the former Pirate Hunter Squad, into the New World to seize this Dynamis Stone, intending to use it to trigger volcanic eruptions and bury the New World entirely.
Ian didn't know what Dynamis Stone looked like, but the Thunder Stone before him made him think of something else.
That was the Marine Science Unit's PX Project—the humanoid weapon project!
That's right—the body modification Kuma was undergoing!
Ian had always felt that this world's technology was a bit like black tech, as if the tech tree had grown crooked. They had submarines and steam ships, yet the Marines still used sailing ships. Most firearms and cannons seemed outdated, yet they could develop androids...
Well, Ian couldn't figure it all out. He could only attribute it to Vegapunk being a genius—the technology was too advanced, hence the black tech.
And Kuma's involvement in the humanoid weapon project was a prime example of android development. But since they were androids, they needed an energy source to operate. The high-energy lasers fired from their mouths and hands couldn't just generate energy out of thin air, could they?
The first energy source Ian thought of for powering androids was cola... No help for it—that freak Franky used cola as his energy source!
But as the energy source for the Marine Science Unit's humanoid weapons, could Kuma's modified body really use cola like Franky?
So Ian guessed that Kuma and his clone weapons probably used these small Thunder Stones!
This ore, containing massive electrical energy, would be perfect as a driving energy source for an android's steel body.
The reason Ian suddenly thought of this came down to timing. According to Konenai's information, the pirate king had come here eight years ago, become king, and forced miners to dig for him. If he had approached the World Government back then and offered them this Thunder Stone, then the reasoning held up.
Once the World Government got this energy ore, the Marine scientists would definitely study it. How long that took, Ian didn't know. And Kuma's body modification was also a long process, not something done overnight. Ian didn't know exactly when the modification started, but he could roughly estimate it took several years.
So Ian figured the PX humanoid weapon project was born after the World Government obtained the Thunder Stone.
"Damn! If I could get my hands on the refining technology for this Thunder Stone, wouldn't I be able to make endless money from the World Government?" Ian thought, holding the Thunder Stone.
Ian's original goal was just to get some territory. But since he had his own territory, he needed a business to generate income. Berries were a good thing. If Ian wanted to recruit more subordinates and expand his power, money was indispensable.
Plus, Ian's own card system was a money-sucking black hole. So finding ways to make money on his territory was top priority.
Actually, the simplest way to make money was to collect protection fees. Once his identity as a Seven Warlord was announced, he could easily find a country and charge them fees in the form of protection.
But there was a limit to this method. Charge too high, and it would cause resentment among the people. Charge too low, and Ian wouldn't be satisfied. Unless it was a country overflowing with wealth, how much could a Seven Warlord's protection fee be in a month? One or two hundred million Berries was the ceiling...
So finding a more stable source of income was safer.
And now, this Thunder Stone suddenly appearing before him—Ian couldn't help but be tempted.
You see, Thunder Stone was an ore containing electrical energy. And electricity wasn't just useful as an energy source for androids. In fact, electricity had the widest range of uses. As long as more applications for Thunder Stone were developed, demand would grow. Then, just by selling Thunder Stone, he'd be rich!
Ian wasn't the only one thinking this. Zeke and the others thought so too, staring at the Thunder Stone with gleaming eyes.
The more Ian thought about it, the more impressive it seemed. If Thunder Stone really was the energy source needed for the PX Project, he even considered that through Thunder Stone trade, he might be able to get Kuma's clone replicas from the World Government!
Don't forget, Ian was about to become a Seven Warlord. At that point, he could be considered on the World Government's side. Since even strategic materials like Seastone could be obtained by Seven Warlords, trading for one or two PX robots wasn't impossible...
Then, when the Dragon Hunter Pirates appeared, Ian would have two Kumas as bodyguards by his side... Damn! That would be awesome!