Arceus's Pirate Journey

Chapter 163: Chapter 162: High Compensation and the Encirclement Battle

Exorbitant opening price, yet when sitting down to negotiate, they offer an impossible figure, then the other party’s attitude may not be so conciliatory.

”That’s impossible! No one in Wano Kuni can afford that much money!” Ten thousand platinum, one million gold, which equals to ten billion Belly, even the General of Wano Kuni would have to empty the national treasury to come up with that amount.

Wano Kuni’s currency is all metal-based, they can’t even print money, and that amount from King makes it impossible for them to continue negotiations, even Denjiro momentarily lost his composure.

Denjiro is too young, lacking experience in handling major issues, and Kinemon is his friend, so he can’t control his emotions, whereas Shimotsuki Yasuie is much calmer.

”Go on, what exactly do you want to release Kinemon?”

”Don’t make it sound so harsh, he violated the rules, Kojiro, you explain it.”

Suddenly, a side sliding door opened, and Kojiro, with bandages wrapped around his head, walked out. The injury was genuine, but it wasn’t caused by those thugs before; he inflicted it upon himself for authenticity, being ruthless in that regard.

”As you command, Lord King.

Lord Yasuie, I am just an ordinary businessman. That day I was doing business in the Flower Capital, but a group of thugs came to destroy my stall. Although I resisted with all my might, I was outnumbered. It was the Hundred Beasts who captured those people.”

”You heard it, those people injured a legitimate businessman, and your so-called Kinemon wanted to break them out of jail. Wouldn’t you say he brought this on himself?”

”The situation has happened, what’s the point in discussing it? Name your price.” Shimotsuki Yasuie disregarded King’s words. With Kinemon in their hands, rescuing him would clearly come at a high cost.

”Very well, we want rights to use this place.”

Pulling back a cloth on the table in front, a sand table map of Wano Kuni was revealed, and King’s finger pointed directly at Peach Blossom Spring Farm in Kuri.

Although a younger Shimotsuki Yasuie rarely laughed, his stature was much less than King. Wano Kuni does have some tall individuals, yet Shimotsuki Yasuie was not among them, putting him at a significant disadvantage against King’s imposing presence.

However, that’s not the key point; what caught Shimotsuki Yasuie’s attention was the sand table in front of King, where every tree and grass was marked meticulously. If they just wanted land, there was no need to be so detailed. Clearly, this was an intentional disclosure.

”Is it to show that Wano Kuni is fully in their grasp...” Shimotsuki Yasuie thought inwardly, and as he pondered this, King urged once more:

”Either ten thousand platinum or give us this farm. Otherwise, according to the rules, we’ll send him to the mines, or you could choose a fourth path, where we do as Kurozumi Orochi says and kill him.”

Neither letting Kinemon mine for 20 years nor being executed could be accepted, and Peach Blossom Spring Farm was the Hundred Beasts’ goal. Regardless of what Shimotsuki Yasuie said, King showed no sign of relenting.

Ultimately, for Kinemon’s safety, they had to agree to lease Peach Blossom Spring Farm to the Hundred Beasts Pirates at the annual cost of five silver, a final concession won by Denjiro, allowing them to nominally retain ownership of the farm.

”Can we take Kinemon with us now?”

”No.”

”Why not! Haven’t we already given you the place!”

”You paid his Redemption Scroll, but there’s still the guards’ medical expenses, housing repair costs, warden’s labor fees, and other guards’ mental distress compensation, totaling 500 gold.”

After paying another hefty sum, Denjiro finally saw Kinemon, who was bandaged like a mummy and unconscious, unresponsive to any calls.

”What did you do to him?”

”Nothing much, he should wake up in about ten days to half a month. He’s alive, given back to you, the rest is up to you.” For many years, King’s methods of interrogation had long surpassed mere physical pain.

More agonizing than physical pain was the mental fatigue and suffering. He didn’t do much else, just used a concoction made by Nightin to make Kinemon’s senses sharper, and his perception of time more acute.

Then he was placed in a Silence Box crafted by Queen, kept in an absolutely quiet environment for a long time. Although his wounds seemed caused by Babanuki, Kinemon’s mental trauma was now even greater.

On the surface, this matter seemed resolved, but it wasn’t completely over. Peach Blossom Spring Farm is Kuri’s critical agricultural base, fresh produce for Oden Castle mainly relies on it.

To exchange for Kinemon, they were forced to lease it to the Hundred Beasts Pirates at a bargain, and paid another sum, leaving them broke as the most direct consequence.

And their eating and drinking require money, as do the people employed within Oden Castle. Although Shimotsuki Yasuie lent them some money, it was only a temporary fix.

As a result, these household attendants started borrowing and repaying debts, even patching their clothes...

In the subsequent half month, everything was seemingly peaceful, but everyone had their thoughts, while Arceus amused himself with children and continued leveraging Yamato’s luck.

This time, it was probabilities, letting Yamato choose more places, using the one she selected most as the next excavation site.

Yet the world won’t always be this calm; firstly, Kaidou returned from abroad, without bringing back a child this time, but he did find a Devil Fruit, Zoan-type Spider-Spider Fruit·Ancient·Rosamyga le Grauvogeli Form.

Soon after, in the skies above the Flower Capital, a battle erupted—not so much a battle, but a hunt, with King and Shaina hunting a white-clad man.

A white cape, strange-patterned mask, neat suit, only one type of person from The Sea dressed like this, namely CP0.

And his presence here was because of Kurozumi Orochi. Wano Kuni hadn’t completely become a weapons-producing nation, but with Kaidou’s help, Udon saw many weapons factories emerge. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Weapons were continuously manufactured there, and naturally, they needed to be sold. Kaidou originally used Hundred Beasts Fruit’s channels to sell them on the black market.

However, Orochi thought the profit wasn’t substantial enough, so he independently instructed Kurozumi Higurashi to contact the World Government, and CP0 was here to negotiate business.

Little did he know, he had unknowingly infringed yet again upon the Hundred Beasts’ taboos. Although the Hundred Beasts conducted substantial business, Kaidou adhered to one principle—he conducted no direct transactions with the World Government.

While sea trade couldn’t bypass the World Government, directly transacting with them was of a completely different nature, and he avoided direct transactions because among the Hundred Beasts Pirates’ ranks, King, Shaina, and especially Arceus had a certain aversion to the World Government.

Although indifferent himself, he couldn’t ignore such sentiments.

Therefore, he preferred middlemen take part of the profit rather than engage directly with the World Government. The moment that CP0 stepped into Wano Kuni, the guillotine hanging over Orochi’s head lowered ever so slightly again...