Unequal Shares

"What do you mean, hogging it all? Didn't I stop and wait for you after shaking off those seals?"

Even while lying, John sounded utterly righteous.

"If that's what you think of me, then I'm too hurt. Apologize to me!"

"Sorry."

Newgate, Linlin, Shiki, and Kaido did not hesitate in the slightest. They immediately lined up and bowed to John in unison.

No one would ever turn down money!

"Mm, I forgive you." John nodded in satisfaction. That was some excellent emotional validation.

"Hehe."

Seeing how easygoing John was, Kaido bashfully rubbed his hands together and got down to business.

"Let's talk about how to split it."

"Didn't we agree from the start? Split it evenly!" Shiki shot Kaido a vicious glare.

He felt that this horned guy had something wrong with his brain. The optimal distribution plan had been decided long ago, so what was there to discuss?

"Bullshit!"

John flared up and sprang to his feet from the ship's railing.

"I did the most work, took all the blame, and earned the hatred of every pirate out there. I'm a public enemy now, so I should get the biggest share!"

The one who worked the hardest having to take the same reward as those who slacked off—that was the greatest inequality. The greatest injustice!

Hearing that, the four exchanged looks and came to an agreement.

"Go on. How do you want to split it?" Shiki lit a cigar and tilted his chin at John.

"I want half." John kept it brief.

"Half?!"

Such an enormous appetite made all four cry out in surprise.

This Golden Ship looked to be over a hundred meters long and twenty meters wide. It was worth at least fifty billion Beli.

If they split it evenly, each of the five would get twenty percent, more than ten billion Beli apiece.

They could tolerate John taking thirty percent, but they would never allow him to take fifty!

Otherwise, their shares would plummet from over ten billion to six or seven billion, nearly halved!

"Bastard! If you don't want to split it, just say so. At worst, we'll fight!"

Kaido rolled up his sleeves, his fighting spirit surging. He had been wanting to test the power of the Azure Dragon Fruit on these old companions.

Shiki and Linlin also assumed fighting stances, weapons in hand as they warily watched their surroundings.

"Since we can't reach an agreement, we'll settle this the pirate way!"

"Calm down. Haven't we had enough trouble today already?" Newgate irritably scratched the back of his head.

He still held some feelings for the Rocks Pirates. Now that Captain Rocks's fate was unknown and the pirate crew's dissolution was a foregone conclusion.

He did not want these fairly close companions to part on bad terms. Even if they were each going to pursue their own ambitions, they should at least preserve some goodwill.

"Then let's fight! Who's afraid of who?!"

John ignored Newgate's attempt to mediate. Conqueror's Haki and the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit erupted at once, unleashing vicious bolts of lightning like serpents.

Kaido, Linlin, and Shiki refused to be outdone, each releasing their own Conqueror's Haki.

In an instant, the gently breezy sea became violently turbulent as incomparably fierce shockwaves swept outward.

Fish and sea beasts floated to the surface, their eyes rolled white as they drifted atop the water. Even the clouds hanging in the sky were blasted into vapor and dispersed.

Alice clutched Teach and curled up at the stern. Though her special bloodline kept her from being knocked unconscious by the Conqueror's Haki, her mind was still hazy and she struggled to breathe.

"Don't think that just because I can't beat all of you, I'm easy to bully."

John raised a hand and angrily pointed at those heartless bastards.

"At worst, I'll sink this Golden Ship into the deep sea and make sure none of you get anything!"

"Bastard, threatening us? Go ahead and try!"

Shiki talked tough, but his body was far more honest. He bent down and slapped a hand against the deck.

At once, the Float-Float Fruit's power activated. The entire Golden Ship lost gravity and rose into the air.

"Then I'll try!"

Surging currents burst from John's body, transforming into powerful magnetic force that dragged the Golden Ship downward.

The Float-Float Fruit's power, which could be moved by a storm, had no room to resist such powerful magnetism. In the blink of an eye, the Golden Ship slammed heavily into the sea, raising towering waves.

That was not the end. Even after crashing into the sea, the Golden Ship continued sinking. Seawater soon rose over the railing and flooded onto the deck.

As the water covered their calves, Shiki and the other three, being Devil Fruit users, felt a slight discomfort. Only then did their eyes flicker as they gave in.

"Stop! Half it is!"

"John, you damned madman, get the ship back up!"

"You already have so much treasure, yet you can't bear to give us a little more. You're a miser unlike any the world has ever seen!"

"Hmph!"

John snorted and controlled the Golden Ship as it rose back up.

At the same time, he used Thunder Metallurgy to open several drainage holes in the hull and drain away the seawater.

"You should've agreed sooner. Why make things so unpleasant? It's not like you're good people either."

He had always believed in one principle: dignity was won through strength, not begged for with a wagging tail.

If he lacked the strength and could not win, then he would use ruthlessness!

As long as he was ruthless enough, he could still earn respect!

"Tch!"

Shiki and the others turned their heads away in displeasure, but did not continue making trouble.

They were quite surprised that John had become so domineering, but they happened to respond well to that sort of strength.

Only then could he earn their recognition.

Conversely, if John had cried and begged them, they would not only look down on him, but carve him up until nothing remained.

Next came the very pleasant distribution process.

They found a deserted island. John used lightning to refine the Golden Ship into an enormous gold brick, then cut off half for himself.

Newgate used Murakumogiri to divide the remaining half into five equal portions. After the four each took one portion...

They started arguing over the last portion again.

Kaido proudly raised his head, showing off the sword scar on his chest that had yet to fully heal.

"If I hadn't held off Rocks, none of us would've made it out of God Valley. This share should go to me!"

"You stole my Devil Fruit, so use this gold to repay me."

"I took a kick from Rocks too! There's still a shoeprint on my face!"

Shiki tilted his head and raised a hand to point at his left cheek, where a shoeprint indeed had yet to fade.

Newgate sat on a stone stool nearby, one leg crossed over the other as he watched them argue and sighed helplessly.

He had originally wanted to bring these people together and establish a warm pirate crew that was like a family.

But now, it seemed that if these bastards stayed together, they would have a small fight every day and a big one every three days.

Forget it. He should find other people instead.

"Um..."

John set down the coconut with a gold straw stuck into it and raised his right hand to show that he had something to say.

Once the three bastards turned their eyes toward him, he pointed at Alice and Teach beside him.

"Rocks's fate is unknown. Leave this share of gold to the mother and son for living expenses. I'll hold onto it for them first."