On the deck of the Moby Dick.
As Scarlett unleashed her Haoshoku Haki, an invisible shockwave swept across the deck. Several weaker pirates rolled their eyes and instantly collapsed, falling to the floor.
Seeing this, Whitebeard wasn't angry. Instead, he burst into hearty laughter, looking up at the sky. "Gurahaha!... An interesting little girl!" His gaze then lowered, settling on Scarlett with new interest. "Very well, for now, I will listen to your intentions!"
"The Dressrosa Kingdom is willing to be included in your sphere of influence. For this, we will pay you ten billion Beli annually," Scarlett declared, her voice now more steady, as if her Haoshoku Haki had dispelled all doubt.
"Ten billion...?" A flicker of interest appeared in Whitebeard's eyes. This sum of money was not insignificant to him.
In fact, under Whitebeard's dominion, the "protection money" offered by islands varied. Due to different circumstances, it wasn't solely in the form of treasure. Some was in food, and some in daily necessities. For instance, Matthansas Island gave him a fixed amount of food each year, while Bazhang Island provided him with exquisite handicrafts. The items offered by each island were truly diverse.
Speaking of which, Whitebeard had a very strange hobby. Whenever he saw a young person he liked, he would say, "Be my son!" Honestly, most people who were suddenly told this by someone slightly wished to punch them. It was just that they couldn't defeat him, otherwise...!!!
Returning to the main point, the sons Whitebeard raised needed money to support them! Although the subsidiary pirate groups under the Whitebeard Pirates would pay him a certain amount of money each month as tribute, his own rules, such as not attacking ordinary people or poor islands, meant their income wasn't much. What they could pay him was even less!
The Whitebeard Main Fleet had over a thousand people, almost all of them skilled, but also big eaters. Just to feed this group of "sons," Whitebeard had to spend a lot of money and resources every day, and in the end, he didn't have much money left throughout the year.
Additionally, he also had to anonymously send a certain amount of illegal money and resources he obtained back to his hometown, Sphinx. Even though his brothers and friends had long left there, he was still born on that land. In short, Whitebeard was actually very short on money!
However, facing Scarlett's proposal, Whitebeard didn't immediately agree. Exchanging ten billion Beli for the Whitebeard Pirates' protection was an excellent proposal. But, if Whitebeard agreed too easily, when more and more countries in the New World came to him with similar terms seeking his protection, things would become very troublesome.
Because those territories would be brought under his dominion, he would have to bear responsibility for security issues caused by pirates. If it were just one or two more countries, everything would be fine; the Whitebeard Pirates' military strength and elite status would be enough to handle it.
But once the number of territories exceeded a certain point, the Whitebeard Pirates' current military strength would be stretched thin. Whitebeard was confident in his strength and fearless of challenges, but his sons were different, so he had some concerns about certain matters.
Of course, if military strength was insufficient, the scale of the pirate group could be expanded. But Whitebeard wouldn't take just anyone! People he disliked, or scumbags with a history of bad deeds, weren't even considered.
So, Whitebeard couldn't help but ask Scarlett in return, his tone testing, "With just this, you want me to agree to your request?"
"Of course not just this!" Scarlett turned and glanced at Tesoro, who immediately understood the signal and stepped forward with a confident smile.
The pink-suited, green-haired youth smiled faintly and said, "Hello! Mr. Whitebeard, I am Tesoro, the Boss of the Umbrella Corporation. This negotiation was actually initiated by the Dressrosa Kingdom and the Umbrella Corporation together."
He continued, "If you agree to lend your pirate flag to Dressrosa, then our Umbrella Corporation's future weapons will be sold to you at a preferential price below market value, and certain new weapons not sold externally will also be supplied to the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Umbrella Corporation...?" Hearing this, Whitebeard's brows furrowed slightly. He vaguely remembered the name but couldn't recall the details.
Seeing that, Marco, who was standing nearby, immediately walked to Whitebeard's side. "Whitebeard, the Umbrella Corporation is a recently famous underground arms company. Their weapons are better than their competitors'... Our pirate group has also ordered a batch of weapons..." After Marco's explanation, Whitebeard finally remembered, a smirk appearing on his face.
"Since this is a joint initiative by two powers, then your Umbrella Corporation must also show sincerity," Whitebeard stated. "From now on, you must provide us, the Whitebeard Pirates, with ten billion Beli worth of military equipment free of charge every year. If you agree, I can lend you my pirate flag!"
Hearing this, Tesoro only thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. For this negotiation, Sephiroth's bottom line was twenty billion Beli. At first glance, this amount seemed incredibly high! But, in fact, twenty billion Beli wasn't that much!
Just like in the original story, the Arlong Pirates went to Coco Yaxi Village to collect protection money, one hundred thousand Beli for adults, fifty thousand Beli for children. One village could collect twenty-five million Beli per month, and the Arlong Pirates controlled twenty villages and towns. Using Coco Yaxi Village as a standard, the Arlong Pirates could collect five hundred million Beli every month, with an annual income of six billion Beli!
In comparison, the Whitebeard Pirates, a top-tier pirate group in the New World, only collected ten billion Beli in cash and ten billion in military equipment annually. This price, though somewhat high, could be considered a reasonable one! Furthermore, ten billion Beli worth of military equipment wasn't its cost, but its selling price! The arms business was originally a highly profitable industry. By the time the Umbrella Corporation truly ran it, the cost increase would be at most two to three billion Beli, which was well within expectations!
After the negotiation concluded, Whitebeard picked up the wine barrel beside him and tilted his head back to take a deep gulp of wine. "Gurahaha!... It seems your preparations were thorough!"
Tesoro smiled and nodded, then said, "Of course, after all, we're doing business with you, the ruler of the seas..."
"Marco, give them our flag!" At Whitebeard's command, Marco immediately nodded in agreement, turned and swiftly walked into the cabin, brought out their proud black skull flag, and handed it to Tesoro.
Subsequently, after Tesoro discussed relevant matters regarding military equipment with Marco, everyone left the Moby Dick, returned to the three-masted sailing boat, set sail, and departed from Matthansas Island.
On the deck at the bow of the three-masted sailing boat.
Scarlett's face was beaming with a wide smile, radiating satisfaction. She looked at the silver-haired youth, her tone unconsciously a little cheerful, as if seeking praise: "Sephiroth, how was it? I performed quite well just now, didn't I?"
"Mm! You performed exceptionally well! It was truly beyond my expectations..." Sephiroth smiled and praised her sincerely, his eyes widening slightly in admiration. A moment ago, he had almost prepared himself for the negotiation's failure, both sides parting unhappily, and he himself having to escape with everyone. After all, with their small numbers, they likely wouldn't be able to withstand a single blow from Whitebeard before they fell.
After Sephiroth learned that Scarlett possessed Haoshoku Haki potential, the young girl's importance in his heart slowly increased. When he attacked Wano Country and fought with Kaido in the future, Scarlett should be able to provide him with substantial assistance. A faint, calculating smile played on Sephiroth's lips.
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