APJ CHAPTER 162 HIGH COMPENSATION AND HUNTING

Demanding an exorbitant price, and paying on the spot, but the requested amount was simply impossible to pay. The other party doesn’t seem sincere with their attitude.

“This is simply impossible! No one in Wano Country can come up with this much money!” Ten thousand Platinum is one million gold, which is 10 billion Berries. Even the shogun would have to empty the national treasury to come up with this amount.

Wano Country’s currency is metal money, and they can’t even print money even if they want to. This amount requested by King makes it impossible for them to continue the negotiation, and even Denjiro, for a moment, lost his composure.

Denjiro was too young and lacked experience in handling major affairs. Kin’emon is his good friend, and for a moment, he couldn’t control his emotions. On the other hand, Shimotsuki Yasuie remained calm.

“Speak, what do you want in order to release Kin’emon?”

“Don’t speak so harshly. He’s the one who broke the laws. Kojiro, explain it.”

Immediately, the side door opened, and Kojiro, with a bandage wrapped around his head, walked out. The injury is genuine, but it’s not from the previous fight with those thugs. He inflicted it on himself to make it more believable. In this aspect, he’s quite ruthless.

“Yes, King-sama.”

“Yasuie-sama, I’m just an ordinary merchant. That day, I was doing business in the Flower Capital when a group of thugs came out to destroy my stall. Despite my desperate resistance, I couldn’t match their numbers, and it was the Beasts Pirates’ people who caught those people.”

“As you heard. Those people injured a lawful merchant, but your Kin’emon wants to rescue them from prison. Isn’t he the one asking for trouble?”

“The incident has already happened. What’s the point of discussing this? Name your price.” Shimotsuki Yasuie ignored King’s words. Now that they have Kin’emon in their hands, it will undoubtedly require an enormous sum to exchange for his release.

“Very well, we want the right to use this place.”

Removing a cloth from the table in front of him, a sand model of Wano Country was revealed. King pointed directly at the Paradise Farm in Kuri.

Although Shimotsuki Yasuie was reticent in his youth, the height difference between him and King is quite significant. While Wano Country indeed has its share of tall individuals, Shimotsuki Yasuie is an exception. Under such circumstances, the oppression brought by King was much greater.

However, that’s not the main point. Shimotsuki Yasuie’s attention was on the sand model in front of King,  where every detail was clearly marked, from the smallest blade of grass to the tiniest tree. If they only wanted an area, there would be no need to be so specific. It’s evident that this is intentionally conveying some kind of information to him.

“Are they trying to demonstrate their control over Wano Country?” Shimotsuki Yasuie thought to himself. And as he contemplated this question, King urged once again:

“Either ten thousand Platinum coins or hand over this farm to us. Otherwise, we’ll follow the rules and send him to the mines, or you can choose the fourth option, which is to kill that guy as Kurozumi Orochi instructed.”

Whether it’s forcing Kin’emon to mine for 20 years or executing him, neither option is acceptable. Paradise Farm is the Beasts Pirates’ objective, and no matter what Shimotsuki Yasuie said, King showed no signs of backing down.

In the end, in order to ensure Kin’emon’s safety, they reluctantly agreed to lease the Paradise Farm to the Beasts Pirates at a rate of five silver per year. This was the final concession achieved by Denjiro. At least this way, the farm still technically belongs to them.

“Can we take Kin’emon with us now?”

“No.”

“Why not? Didn’t we already give that place to you?”

“What you gave was just to redeem him, but there are medical expenses for the guards, repair costs for the buildings, service fees for Chief Warden, and other losses suffered by the guards. These amount to a total of 500 gold.”

After paying another hefty sum, Denjiro finally saw Kin’emon. At this moment, he was wrapped up like a mummy and in a coma, completely unresponsive no matter how they called out to him.

“What did you do to him?”

“Nothing. He just needs to sleep for about ten days or half a month and he should wake up. We’re giving him back alive, but we won’t be responsible for anything that happens after that.”

Over the years, King’s interrogation techniques have gone beyond mere physical pain.

Compared to the pain of the flesh, the exhaustion and pain of the mind were more torturous. He hadn’t done anything else but used a drug concocted by Nightin to sharpen his senses and also heighten his perception of time.

Then he was locked inside the soundproof box constructed by Queen, remaining in an absolutely quiet environment for a long time. While his injuries still seem to be the one left behind by Babanuki, it is evident that the current Kin’emon has suffered greater mental trauma.

This incident may seem to have concluded, but it wasn’t truly over. Paradise Farm is a vital agricultural source in Kuri, and the food supply for Oden Castle largely depends on it.

In order to retrieve Kin’emon, they had no choice but to rent this place to the Beasts Pirates at a ridiculously low price. Afterwards, they also had to pay another sum of money. The most obvious consequence of this is that they are now broke.

Their food and drink all cost money, and the same goes for the hired people in Oden Castle. Although Shimotsuki Yasuie lended some money to them, it was only enough for immediate needs.

As a result, these retainers found themselves in a cycle of borrowing and repaying from various sources, and even their clothes gradually became patched up.

In the following half month, everyone lived peacefully on the surface, but secretly harbored their own thoughts. Meanwhile, Arceus played with the children and continued to make use of Yamato’s luck.

This time it was probability theory, allowing Yamato to choose more locations, and then selecting the place she chose the most as the next exploration site.

But the world would not remain peaceful forever. First, Kaido returned from his outing. This time, he didn’t bring back any children but found a Devil Fruit, the Zoan-type Spider-Spider Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Rosamygale Grauvogeli Model.

Soon after, a battle erupted in the sky above the Flower Capital. It was more like a hunt than a battle. King and Shayna were hunting down a person in white attire.

With a white cloak, a peculiar patterned mask, and neatly tailored suit, there is only one type of person who would dress like this on the seas, and that is CP0.

The reason he appeared here was due to Kurozumi Orochi. Although Wano Country hadn’t fully become a weapon-producing nation, with Kaido’s help, Udon had seen the emergence of numerous weapon factories.

Weapons were constantly being produced there, and naturally, these weapons needed to be sold. Initially, Kaido used the connection with Beasts Fruits to sell them on the black market.

However, Orochi believed that the profits were insufficient, so he took it upon himself to have Kurozumi Higurashi contact the World Government, and a CP0 member came to negotiate business.

But he didn’t know that he unknowingly violated the Beasts Pirates’ taboo once again. Although the Beasts Pirates conducted many business, Kaido adhered to one principle: he never directly engaged in any transactions with the World Government.

Although they cannot avoid the World Government during maritime trade, engaging in direct trade with them is an entirely different matter. And the reason he didn’t engage in direct trade was because within the Beasts Pirates, King, Shayna, and especially Arceus harbored a certain animosity towards the World Government.

Although Kaido himself didn’t mind, he had to consider their feelings.

So he would rather let some middlemen earn the price difference, than engage in direct trade with the World Government. The moment that CP0 set foot in Wano Country, the guillotine above Orochi slightly lowered once again.