Wind-Snow Twin Islands

"But you don't have that much money right now. You can't afford the main framework... If you only buy the materials separately, they won't throw anything in for free. The materials will definitely cost much more..."

After hearing Baroen's words, Mark roughly understood what he meant.

It was a one-shot deal with a discount. Buying everything separately meant no discount, making it much more expensive.

"About how much more?"

"Around a hundred million Beli!" Jerry said.

"That much more?" Mark asked in surprise.

A hundred million Beli was enough for an ordinary civilian to live a lifetime without worrying about food or clothes.

"A hundred million it is." Mark gritted his teeth.

Daisy whispered by Mark's ear, "Mark, that's 1.4 billion. We only have 500 million Beli right now. Where are we going to get the rest?"

Mark patted Daisy's little hand and said softly, "Leave it to me."

At that moment, seeing that Mark had decided to pay the 500 million first, Jerry spoke up.

"Since you've decided, I won't try to talk you out of it. But 500 million Beli worth of materials will only cover one month of work. After that month, you'll need to pay all the remaining costs in full. Is that acceptable?"

"No problem!" Mark nodded, then casually asked, "Master Jerry, are there any pirate gathering spots nearby?"

"Pirate gathering spots?" Jerry glanced at Mark. After thinking for a moment, he said, "There are two islands south of here... One is called Wind Island, and the other is called Snow Island. Outsiders call them the Wind-Snow Twin Islands. They're a famous pirate gathering spot in the area."

After hearing that, Mark asked Jerry and the others a few more questions before leaving.

On the way back, their group of four became five, as Housen joined them.

Of course, he was only there to collect the money and appraise the pirate ship while he was at it.

Perhaps because of what had just happened, things were a little awkward between them, and no one said much.

The group silently arrived at the mouth of the alley.

Mark paid readily. Crocus had introduced them, and with his strength, he wasn't worried about them taking the money and refusing to work.

But it was a bit of a shame about the Moss. Its total value was only 80 million Beli...

The cannons alone accounted for 60 million Beli, which meant the Moss itself was worth only 20 million Beli.

That was related to how badly damaged the Moss was.

"If you choose to sell those five cannons, you can definitely get 140 million for them. That way, we can buy the main framework first, and you can save some money as well," Housen said.

Mark glanced at the five cannons. After thinking it over, he still shook his head.

Twenty-four-pounders could be bought on the black market, but thirty-two-pounders were priceless and unavailable. If he sold them, he might not be able to get his hands on cannons like those again for a very long time.

"Let's leave it at that."

Housen gave Mark a deep look. After humming in acknowledgment, he and Baroen sailed the pirate ship into the shipyard's inner dock. They still needed to dismantle the ship further.

Before leaving, however, Mark borrowed a small sailboat from them.

Perhaps because Mark had brought them such a big deal, Baroen lent him one for free.

Then Mark rented a travel shop from Solomon.

"Daisy, you and Chiu Chiu stay here and watch over our unfinished pirate ship. Don't let them cut corners. I'm going out for a while," Mark told the two of them.

Chiu Chiu asked, "Boss, what are you going to do?"

Mark said, "I'm going to find a way to gather the rest of the money."

Daisy said, "You mean..."

"Yes." Mark nodded.

A worried look flashed through Daisy's eyes. "Take me with you. If you get hurt, I can help treat you."

Mark smiled and rubbed Daisy's little head.

"You stay with Chiu Chiu. I'll be careful, and I'll make preparations beforehand. Don't worry."

Daisy was still concerned, but Mark had already made up his mind, and there was nothing she could say.

After settling the two of them in, Mark boarded the sailboat and headed straight for the Wind-Snow Twin Islands Jerry had mentioned.

The moment he set out, the Moss Pirates' bounty posters were updated.

New World—

A coffin boat burned with dark green candles, its cross-shaped mast rigged with sails. A well-dressed man in black wearing a top hat revealed a pair of hawk-like eyes. A massive black blade rested on his back, steady and magnificent.

The World's Greatest Swordsman—Dracule Mihawk.

He swirled a glass of crimson wine in his hand, savoring it slowly.

Not far from him was a massive twin-masted sailboat.

Just as the twin-masted sailboat drew closer and closer to the coffin boat—

Dracule Mihawk frowned slightly. That twin-masted sailboat was far too noisy. The clamorous shouting made the wine in his cup seem no longer sweet.

Mihawk set down his wine, slowly rose to his feet, and drew one of the Supreme Grade Blades, Black Blade Yoru, from his back.

Clang! Swish!

A faint sound of wind rose.

Then Mihawk sheathed Black Blade Yoru on his back once more, slowly sat down, picked up the wine on the table, and resumed savoring it.

Mm... It really did taste good.

Only, the twin-masted sailboat had gone from deafeningly noisy to utterly silent.

After Mihawk's coffin boat slowly sailed past the twin-masted sailboat—

Riiip! The sound of wood splitting rang out. Then came a creaking groan as the massive twin-masted sailboat split apart down the middle. The entire vessel broke into neat fragments and fell into the sea.

The people aboard still made no sound. Only the fragments sinking into the ocean revealed flecks of crimson red.

At that moment, a bounty poster lay beside Mihawk's hand.

It was... Mark's new bounty poster.

Moby Dick—

"Gurarararara! Have the descendants of those people already made names for themselves on the seas?"

A man over six meters tall burst into laughter. He wore a white cape, his mustache resembling two white crescent blades. His muscles were like stone, and he held a naginata in his hand.

This man was the World's Strongest Man—Whitebeard Edward Newgate.

"Pops, stop drinking already. The doctor said your body needs rest," Marco, commander of Whitebeard's First Division, said irritably.

"Gurarararara! Don't worry about that, Marco. Take a look at this!"

Whitebeard handed a bounty poster to Marco.

"Pops, what is this?" Marco accepted the bounty poster with a puzzled expression.

The division commanders all looked curious, wanting to see what Whitebeard was showing Marco.

Marshall D. Teach also pretended to be curious as he crowded closer.

"A bounty poster?" The division commanders looked confused.

"Pops, do you know this guy?" Marco looked at the man on the bounty poster, who seemed to radiate an aura of darkness, his expression full of confusion.

"He's the descendant of an old acquaintance..." Whitebeard said with a sigh.