APJ CHAPTER 155 KOJIRO’S AMBITIONS

He was born into a merchant family, and his father had demanded he learn a wide range of subjects from a young age. Even if Wano Country was closed off from the world, doing business successfully in this country was still a formidable task.

The flow of products between the six regions and the purchasing power of the citizens were all things that needed to be thoroughly researched. Before Kurozumi Orochi took action, it was still manageable, but lately, his behavior has been very strange.

He recklessly changed the prices of goods, and recently, there were more circulating coins in the Wano Country’s market, and many of them were new coins. If it weren’t for Wano Country’s currency being based on metal coins and limited trading with the outside world, the impact of this would have been even greater.

It wasn’t just his family that was affected. Almost everyone who chose to collaborate with Kurozumi Orochi in various industries used unethical means to eliminate their competitors and gain a monopolistic position.

In Kojiro’s view, Kurozumi Orochi’s actions were pushing the limits, and with just one opening, the economy of Wano Country could completely crumble.

This behavior became even more apparent around the Flower Capital. The wealth gap began to widen, and only the wealthy could survive in the capital. Many families who relied on small businesses were forced to leave the Flower Capital and settle in nearby villages.

In other regions, because the several daimyos had jurisdiction over their own regions, this trend was less prominent. However, Wano Country’s economy was a unified entity, and the Flower Capital was the economic center. Under its influence, other regions were inevitably affected.

And Beasts Pirates played an extremely special role here. They maintain a lukewarm relationship with Kurozumi Orochi, and it seems like they have some kind of agreement wherein they would help Kurozumi Orochi establish factories, but there were contradictions in the details.

Orchards and ranches require long-term investment, which is completely different from  Kurozumi Orochi’s policies. Kojiro had been observing for a long time, and it seems that Kurozumi Orochi neither supported nor opposed the Beasts Pirates’ actions.

Or rather, he dared not openly oppose it. Kojiro had never seen anyone in Orochi’s circle dare to intervene in the Beasts Pirates’ affairs.

This meant that the Beasts Pirates had something that made Kurozumi Orochi fearful. Even though Kojiro was quick-witted, he had never left Wano Country before, and a frog at the bottom of a well cannot imagine the vastness of the sky. Thus, he could only make a rough guess about the situation.

Him coming here alone was a gamble that he had made as he could tell that the Beasts Pirates also wanted to intervene in Wano Country’s economy, and they would inevitably get involved sooner or later. If others couldn’t accept it, they would eventually be abandoned since the Beasts Pirates hold an overwhelming advantage.

For example, the issue of draft cattle. He knows that the Beasts Pirates were raising two special types of cattle, and the labor capacity of those three-tailed beasts was at least ten times that of ordinary cattle. Moreover, they are also stronger, and one could even argue they are more intelligent, as they can understand their owner’s commands.

In practical work, one Tauros could do the work of over twenty ordinary draft cattle, and yet the Beasts Pirates rent them out at the same price as regular cattle.

Most people are still afraid of those strange cattle, but some have started to try them out. Eventually, they will be able to cultivate more land or free up their hands to do other jobs.

When neighbors see this, if they don’t want to be left behind completely, the best way would be to learn from them and rent a Tauros.

He has also seen the goods sold by the Beasts Pirates, many of which are novel things not seen in the country before. The market is very vast, and as long as the issue of Wano Country’s xenophobia is solved, the rest of the things can be easily solved.

He is taking a gamble, betting that he has not guessed wrong. If he has guessed wrong about the relationship between the Beasts Pirates and Kurozumi Orochi, then the outcome will not be so good.

However, after he finished stating his reasons, he did not immediately get a response. Shayna made a gesture towards the two pirates and they left. After a long wait, the two pirates who had left returned.

“Boss, we’ve checked it out. He’s telling the truth about his experience.”

Beasts Pirates are indeed looking for a local merchant, but they haven’t reached a point where anyone will do. Kojiro’s reasons are sufficient, but Shayna didn’t believe him immediately, and sent someone to check it out.

It didn’t take long for the spies left behind in the Red-Light District to easily gather this kind of information, and if what he said is true, news of the bankruptcy of such a merchant will quickly spread and become a laughing stock among the people.

After all, his father is just a merchant, and not some big philanthropist. Many people are jealous of the rich and would be happy to see him suffer, rather than be sad.

“How many people do you need?”

“I have a few trustworthy elders at home. I don’t need many people in the early stages, as long as Orochi’s people don’t obstruct us.”

“You two will follow him from now on, remember to bring the flag and show it when you encounter Orochi’s people.” Shayna gave new orders to the two who brought Kojiro.

With the support of the Beasts Pirates, Kojiro has already devised plans for the future and is determined to take back what he has lost with his own hands.

“By the way, you are a smart person, so it’s best not to do anything foolish.”

Before he left, Shayna gave him a piece of advice, or rather a warning.

His family was already struggling financially, and Beasts Pirates offered him a solution: he only needed to sell their goods and didn’t need to worry about anything else, but he refused.

Because he knew that merchants are not difficult to find. Right now, it’s because of Wano Country’s xenophobic nature, but once they get used to Beasts Pirates’ presence, his existence would become irrelevant.

Therefore, he wants to show his worth before the Beasts Pirates gain acceptance from the public, and make them understand that he has abilities that others don’t.

He borrowed money from the Beasts Pirates to purchase a batch of goods from them and made a “bold promise” that he would always pay for the goods upfront in the future.

“Interesting, let’s see what he’s capable of. If he’s good enough, Beasts Fruits’ side is still lacking excellent manpower. If he’s trustworthy, we’ll take him in. He could be a valuable asset.”

Looking at Shayna’s report, Arceus gave new instructions. The current Beasts Pirates still lack some professional talents.

Although he’s bankrupt, his family used to be a big merchant in Wano Country, and his family crest still has some prestige in Wano Country. Within a few days, he started his business journey from scratch, just like any other ordinary peddler, pushing a small cart.

Being followed by two people of Beasts Pirates did help him avoid trouble with Kurozumi Orochi. Orochi is good at enduring patiently, and although the actions of the Beasts Pirates were different from what he expected, he was able to achieve many things with their military power that were impossible in the past.

Since Kaido did not approve, he dared not directly say that it was Kaido’s intention. However, he deliberately acted recklessly, which made those daimyos somewhat wary of him.