"I... you..."
Hearing the other side boast about his honor, General Humil was practically dumbfounded. He couldn't even string a complete sentence together.
Internally, he couldn't help but curse: If you're so honorable, then all those innocent people who surrendered and still ended up dead in your hands must have died for nothing!
After a moment, seeing that Humil hadn't responded for quite some time, Onik's expression darkened. He frowned and growled, "Oi, what? You're not planning to go through with the deal anymore?"
Of course General Humil didn't want to continue the transaction. But when he looked back at the many pirates inside the warehouse, a wave of hesitation overtook him.
After wrestling with it for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine. I agree to the deal, but I need to inspect the quality of the weapons first."
"Kunhahaha~!"
Onik burst out laughing at the reply. Gesturing proudly to the rows of long, wooden crates stacked behind him, he declared loudly, "Inspect all you want! They're all the latest model flintlock rifles, complete with matching lead bullets and gunpowder!"
"But, about the price, we'll need to renegotiate."
"What do you mean by that?"
Humil had just started walking toward the crates when Onik's words made him freeze in his tracks.
"I mean it took me a hell of a lot of effort to get this shipment," Onik said smugly, holding up a thick finger the size of a carrot. "So naturally, the price has gone up. Not by much, just double. Six hundred million Berries, and you can take it all."
"Are you kidding me?!"
Humil flew into a rage. "We agreed on three hundred million! You can't just jack up the price on a whim!"
"Hmph! You may have made that deal with the courier. But I never agreed to it!"
Onik snorted coldly and suddenly stepped forward. The wave of killing intent that surged from his body made Humil's expression change instantly, his feet almost stepped back on reflex.
Seeing Humil visibly shaken, Onik sneered with open contempt. "Don't have the full amount yet? No problem. Just leave three hundred million as a deposit. You've got ten days to bring me the rest. Then the weapons are yours."
Humil's face darkened. He was embarrassed by his own reaction and lashed back with forced bravado. "That's too much. I'm not buying."
"Not buying?"
Onik's face twisted into a scowl. "You think you can just say no after I went through all the trouble hauling this load here? You playing games with me?! Fine, don't buy. But you're paying transport costs. A modest fee, three hundred million Berries."
"This is extortion!"
Humil yelled furiously.
"Oh? You're calling it extortion? Got any proof?" Onik scoffed. "If not, be careful, I might sue you for slander!"
"You—!"
Humil was trembling with rage.
"You've got two choices."
Onik raised two thick fingers and snarled, "One, pay six hundred million and take the goods. Two, don't buy, and hand over three hundred million for my trouble. Then you can leave."
Humil's face turned crimson, his dark brown skin flushing to a deep purple. He no longer had any illusions, Onik clearly had his eyes on the three hundred million Berries he'd brought.
"Let me handle this."
Suddenly, Cross, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, stepped forward and raised a hand to stop the nearly-exploding Humil.
Seeing it was Cross, Humil's raging fury cooled slightly. He silently stepped back a few paces, yielding the lead to the younger man.
"Oh? Swapping in a brat now?" Onik squinted, his wide ox-like eyes glaring at Cross with menace. "Let's hear what you've got to say."
Cross met his gaze without a hint of fear. His tone was calm and flat. "Six hundred million. We'll buy the shipment."
"Cross Count, you can't—"
"Silence. I'm in charge now."
Humil tried to interrupt in protest, shocked that Cross would agree to the outrageous price. But Cross cut him off sternly, and the sheer authority in his voice made Humil freeze and fall silent.
"Kunhahaha~!"
Onik grinned from ear to ear, laughing in excitement. "Very good! Very good! Didn't expect a little brat like you to be so decisive!"
"But I want to inspect the goods first," Cross added.
"No problem. Be my guest." Onik stepped aside and motioned grandly with his arm.
Cross didn't hold back. He stepped forward and pulled away the brown oilcloths covering the crates with a flourish.
As expected, rows of black, gleaming cannons were neatly arranged on the warehouse floor; four per row, five rows in total. Twenty cannons.
While modern naval guns are usually categorized by shell weight, Cross could still roughly identify the caliber based on the barrels: 8 eighteen-pounders, 8 twenty-four-pounders, and 4 thirty-two-pounders.
He ran his hand over the cold iron barrels one by one, inspecting each like a seasoned appraiser. He even pried open a few crates of cannonballs and checked the powder kegs to make sure the gunpowder hadn't gone damp.
Meanwhile, General Humil stood nearby in growing anxiety.
Because the kingdom's treasury only held three hundred million Berries, they simply didn't have the funds for this.
"Well? What do you think?" Onik asked with a smirk. "These cannons are fresh off the forge, made with top-grade iron!"
Cross returned to the front of the formation. A faint smile appeared on his youthful, handsome face as he said calmly, "The cannons are excellent. I won't bother checking the rifles. We'll take everything."
"Kunhahaha~! Then it's cash on the table, goods in hand!" Onik laughed heartily.
"No rush. Let's do some math first." Cross raised his hand and pointed directly at Onik. "You're asking six hundred million for the shipment. Fine by me. But what about your life? How much are you going to pay for that?"
"The Navy has you pegged at a 68 million Berry bounty. I doubt you're satisfied with that price."
"…What did you just say, brat?" Onik's face went cold. His gaze turned sharp as knives as he locked eyes with Cross.
"Heh... What I meant—" Cross chuckled softly, then without warning, wrapped both arms around the massive barrel of a thirty-two-pounder cannon.
With a powerful grunt, he lifted it, and with one swift motion, hurled it toward Onik like a giant club.
"Nani?!"
Onik's eyes went wide in disbelief. He had no time to react.
BOOM—
CRASH—
The cannon slammed into him like a meteor, sending his body flying across the warehouse like a baseball, smashing straight through the thick brick wall.
A massive gust of wind and a storm of shattered bricks exploded outward as he was launched clear into the grove of palm trees outside.
Half a dozen towering coconut trees cracked and collapsed in his wake, sending plumes of dust into the sky.
"HE ATTACKED!!!"
"CAPTAIN ONIK!!"
"THE CAPTAIN WAS SENT FLYING!!"
"WHAT IS THAT KID?! IS HE EVEN HUMAN?!"
Inside the red-brick warehouse, both General Humil and his dozen royal guards, as well as the pirates of the Mad Bear Pirates, finally snapped out of their stunned silence.
All of them clutched their heads, eyes bulging in disbelief.
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