Time: 6:30 AM
Location: The sea, northeast of Ando Three Islands, more than 4,000 kilometers away.
“Gulp, gulp, gulp…”
On the deck of the warship, the Beast who terrorized the New World and the entire sea, Kaido, drank heavily, his throat making noises as the alcohol went down.
He was drinking the sake Kaku had brought up from the lower deck. Luckily, Kaku had the foresight to use his Devil Fruit ability to transform and stack over a dozen barrels of sake, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been enough for Kaido.
Crash!
Kaido drank directly from the barrels, and after finishing, he casually tossed them aside, shattering them into pieces.
Nagato didn’t mind, allowing him to do as he pleased, so the deck was soon littered with the wreckage of sake barrels.
After downing all the barrels in just a few minutes, Kaido seemed slightly dissatisfied, but since there was no more sake, he turned back to business and spoke, “Alliance? Sounds nice, kid, but you want to use my name and I see no benefit for myself!”
Nagato nodded.
Indeed, as he had previously mentioned, he could leverage Kaido’s influence, but Kaido gained nothing from it. In truth, Nagato intended to use Kaido, and the so-called alliance was just a diplomatic facade.
However, since Kaido pointed it out, Nagato had to respond. Moreover, Kaido’s tone, though harsh, still indicated a willingness to negotiate. As long as negotiations were possible, there was room for discussion. After all, could he not convince and handle someone like Kaido, who operated on brute force?
“Of course, I will offer something in return,” Nagato replied. “Right now, the most valuable thing I have for you is SMILE. I’ll lower the price of each SMILE fruit by five million berries. How about that?”
“Bang!”
Seated on the ground, Kaido slammed the deck with his hand, shattering it. He leaned forward angrily, “You used my money to develop SMILE, then sold it back to me for fifty million berries each. I haven’t even settled that score with you, and now you dare to play tricks on me?”
Kaido’s anger wasn’t entirely unfounded.
He had provided the funding for SMILE’s development, yet he had to pay a high price to purchase them. His dissatisfaction and anger were understandable.
Nagato was essentially fleecing Kaido, the primary investor.
However, this couldn’t be said outright, especially given Kaido’s level of understanding, so it required some explanation.
“You still don’t understand the situation, Kaido,” Nagato calmly replied to Kaido’s questioning. “Developing and producing SMILE required a significant amount of money, but your money isn’t the critical factor.”
Nagato continued, “The production of artificial Devil Fruits is not just of interest to you; the World Government is also investing in this project. Moreover, countless individuals in this world desire a Devil Fruit to gain abilities. In other words, there is a vast market for this product.”
“So, as I said, your money isn’t critical. Even without your funding, I could find other investors or even invest myself. Once production is successful, it will undoubtedly be profitable.”
Nagato’s Rinnegan fixed on Kaido, “In this scenario, technology is the core factor, and the person capable of developing artificial Devil Fruits is under my command.”
“So, I have all the necessary conditions to produce SMILE, and you are the one urgently needing the product. Prioritizing you as a customer is already a courtesy, Kaido!”
After Nagato’s explanation, even Kaku was stunned. Though he felt something was off, he couldn’t argue against it.
Of course, it was off!
While it was true that artificial Devil Fruits had a wide market and essential production factors were in Nagato’s hands, taking Kaido’s funding equated to him being a stakeholder. Selling at a high price was acceptable, but Kaido should share in the profits, a point Nagato conveniently ignored.
In essence, Nagato was pocketing the returns from Kaido’s investment.
Expecting Kaido to understand this was unrealistic, especially since even digesting Nagato’s words was challenging for him.
As Kaido continued to mull over his thoughts, Nagato added, “That’s why this is an alliance. The five million berry discount is a favor I offer to allies.”
“Think about it, Kaido. One artificial Devil Fruit might not seem significant, but you plan to build an army of thousands. So many ‘five million’ discounts add up to a considerable amount. My offer is already generous.”
“Hmm…” Nagato’s words made Kaido ponder.
Using his simple logic, Kaido tried calculating the total discount for thousands of Devil Fruits but couldn’t figure it out. However, he knew it was a significant number.
As a result, Kaido felt slightly at a disadvantage and considered the deal favorable.
However, Kaido’s habitual arrogance wouldn’t let him be easily persuaded, so he still showed dissatisfaction, shouting, “You better be smart, kid! But five million is too little. At least lower it by thirty million!”
“That’s impossible, Kaido. The most I can offer is eight million,” Nagato firmly denied, showing no hesitation, making his stance seem justified.
“Twenty-five million!”
“Eight million.”
“Twenty million!”
“Eight million.”
“Twenty million, no less!” Kaido angrily slammed the deck again. “Otherwise, I’m out, and you can forget about your alliance!”
“Then ten million,” Nagato’s seemingly flexible concession had its limits, “but that’s my final offer, Kaido. Not a berry less, or negotiations will break down.”
Nagato locked eyes with Kaido’s fierce gaze, “But you should think carefully. Rejecting my offer means paying fifty million per SMILE later. The market may change, and the price could rise to sixty or seventy million. All I lose is some time and effort. If I can’t leverage your influence, I’ll fight Charlotte and Shanks!”
“Don’t get too cocky, kid!” Kaido retorted, eyeing Nagato’s chest and abdominal injuries from their fight. “Those wounds I gave you haven’t healed. Fighting those two might cost you your life!”
“That’s true. My broken ribs and internal injuries do affect my condition,” Nagato nodded, acknowledging Kaido’s words, “but even if Charlotte arrives now, she’s still four thousand kilometers from the Three Islands. I have a whole day to recover.”
Nagato’s Uzumaki Clan resilience was formidable, even if not as monstrous as Kaido’s, giving him enough confidence: “The choice is still yours, Kaido.”
Nagato, now on par with the Yonko, had no reason to bluff about his recovery. Kaido believed his words without hesitation.
“Hmph!” Kaido, out of options, grunted and shouted, “Deal! Remember, kid, from now on, each SMILE is forty million berries!”
Hearing Kaido’s agreement, Nagato nodded in satisfaction.
Though he spoke lightly, seemingly granting Kaido a great deal, the transaction ultimately benefited him.
Fighting Charlotte and even Shanks was possible but unpredictable. Leveraging Kaido’s established reputation as a Yonko was a safer bet.
More importantly, despite matching the Yonko’s strength, Nagato still lacked a solid foundation, making it challenging to control the territory. An alliance with Kaido, recognizing his claim, would help solidify his rule.
Moreover, Nagato had essentially zero investment. He inherited the SMILE project from Doflamingo, so selling at any price was profitable. Anyone else offering this deal to Kaido would be less satisfactory.
“Of course.” Responding to Kaido, Nagato continued, “Then let’s begin.”
“My ship and crew are gone,” Kaido mentioned.
Nagato nodded, then turned to Kaku, “Den Den Mushi.”
Kaku quickly retrieved his Den Den Mushi and handed it to Nagato.
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi connected to the Three Islands suddenly spoke up.
“Kaku, have you found His Majesty? Latest news, the Red-Haired Pirates have appeared!”
“Perfect timing. Bring him into the call,” Nagato said into the Den Den Mushi, silencing the other end. Then he ordered, “Cyrus, use your video Den Den Mushi to connect me with Charlotte and Shanks.”
A meeting of the four rulers of the New World was about to begin!
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