“Then twenty million is enough.” Kael smiled.
“I don’t need fifty.” He was easy to deal with as long as the other party treated him sincerely.
If someone showed him genuine goodwill, he was more than willing to return it.
Still, 20,000,000 Berries was about as low as he was willing to go.
Black Rose Castle needed money to develop.
Without capital, there was no way to build a functioning local economy from nothing.
After several years of recovery, Kuraigana Island had finally begun transitioning into a proper cash-based economy.
But the population was still tiny.
Only a little over three thousand residents lived in the settlements around the castle, which meant the number of people producing and consuming goods remained limited.
The entire market was still fragile.
As lord of the territory, Kael needed enough wealth in reserve to keep everything stable.
Zephyr looked apologetic.
“All right.” “Sorry about this, Kael.” The situation really was unfair to him.
More importantly, Headquarters suddenly changing its own bounty policy made the Marines look ridiculous.
Rules that changed whenever convenient were a good way to destroy public trust.
“It’s fine.” Kael waved it off.
“Don’t worry about it.” “I’ll go sell the cargo first.” Zephyr nodded.
“Then we’ll meet at the tavern later.” “The usual place.” “Sure.” Kael left the Arbiter under Borsalino’s supervision, then took Quinn and the others toward Grove 40.
That area contained tourist attractions, souvenir shops, and numerous small markets dealing in local goods.
Kael had always enjoyed business.
Of course, given his status, “doing business” mostly meant negotiating prices and giving instructions.
Quinn and the guards handled the actual heavy lifting.
As they walked through the streets, passing merchants and residents repeatedly glanced toward Mihawk.
A swordsman carrying a weapon like his wasn’t something people saw every day.
“That kid’s carrying a black blade…” Anyone with even a little knowledge of swords could tell that Yoru was extraordinary.
“That thing has to be worth more than eighty million Berries.” “Only eighty?” A middle-aged man with short silver hair stroked his chin from a short distance away.
“Look at the craftsmanship.” “A black blade with that kind of hamon…” “If it has any historical significance, I’d say it could sell for close to two hundred million.” Whispers followed Mihawk down the street.
His frown deepened with every step.
He had only just arrived at a place as crowded as Sabaody for the first time, and he was already beginning to hate how noisy it was.
Eventually, his frustration over the bounty issue became too much to ignore.
He quickened his pace and caught up with Kael.
“Brother.” Kael glanced at him.
“Why did you just accept that?” Mihawk’s irritation was obvious.
“They broke their word.” Kael thought for a moment.
Then he laughed.
“I stopped caring about that five minutes ago.” “You’re still angry?” “Of course I am.” Mihawk frowned.
“They issued the bounty themselves.” “If they refuse to pay when someone brings the pirate in, why should anyone bother hunting more dangerous pirates for them?” Kael considered that.
Mihawk wasn’t wrong.
The policy was clearly intended to save money.
The problem was that the people running the Marines had no idea what was coming.
The Great Age of Pirates was just around the corner.
Soon, pirates of every level would flood onto the seas by the hundreds every day.
Within a single year, their numbers could increase by tens of thousands.
If Marine Headquarters could see the future, there was no chance they would make a decision like this now.
They would probably be begging people like Kael to capture more pirates and trying to establish some kind of long-term arrangement with him.
“Mihawk.” Kael smiled.
“There’s no point getting worked up over something like this.” Mihawk looked at him.
“Think about it.” “If the Marines refuse to honor their own bounties, the biggest thing they lose isn’t money.” “It’s credibility.” “And once people stop trusting their word, they’re the ones who’ll suffer for it.” Kael shrugged.
“We only lost a little money we would’ve added to our reserves.” “That’s not worth ruining your mood over.” Berries, after all, were merely currency recognized by the World Government.
If the World Government collapsed one day, a mountain of Berries could become little more than printed paper.
Kael continued, “And if you look at what we actually gained, we’re not exactly losing.” “We still get twenty million Berries.” “On top of that, a Vice Admiral and an Admiral now feel like they owe us.” Mihawk blinked.
Kael smiled.
“People remember favors.” “If I ever need their help later, they’ll be far more willing to give it.” “So that’s how it is…” Some of Mihawk’s anger faded.
Then he thought about something else.
Kael rarely left the former Shikkearu Kingdom.
Yet somehow, he already had people all over the sea who respected him.
Pirates.
Marines.
Merchants.
Powerful men who genuinely enjoyed dealing with him.
Mihawk stared at his brother’s back.
As expected of Brother.
Apparently, swordsmanship wasn’t the only thing he still had left to learn.
…
The various merchant associations at Sabaody each posted their own seasonal purchase prices.
Kael’s shipment of grain and fruit consisted of goods already in demand at this time of year.
He could have sold everything himself for a better price.
He simply didn’t have the time.
Selling directly to a merchant association was easier.
And because he was a regular customer, Kael received a favorable rate.
The shipment brought in 210,000 Berries.
Afterward, he instructed Quinn to spend 100,000 Berries on firewood, charcoal, meat, and breeding pigs for Kuraigana Island.
Once everything had been arranged, Kael took Mihawk toward Grove 13.
Mihawk looked around as they approached.
“Brother.” “Hm?” “Isn’t Grove 13 part of the lawless area?” “It is.” Kael smiled.
Mihawk hesitated.
“Then won’t someone try to attack us?” Kael looked at him.
Fourteen-year-old Mihawk was already approaching adulthood in height and demeanor.
But every now and then, he still asked questions that reminded Kael exactly how young he really was.
Kael shook his head.
“No.” “Why?” Kael kept walking.
“Because I’m here.” His smile never changed.
“And with me here, they won’t dare.”
Add to library.
Send some Power Stones.