Betting

"That way, we can seize wealth equal to the Heavenly Tribute, while taking far less risk than robbing the Heavenly Tribute itself."

After laying out the plan, Vincent smugly raised his brows at Dragon, wearing an obvious expression that said, Praise me already.

Dragon ignored Vincent's plea for praise and rested his chin on his hand as he pondered.

The same amount of money meant completely different things before and after it was handed over to the Marines.

Once handed over to the Marines, it became the "Heavenly Tribute." Before that, it was merely ordinary "tax revenue."

There was nothing wrong with Vincent's plan, but the problem was...

"If we take this money, what will the Leon Kingdom use to pay the Heavenly Tribute?"

"If the Leon royal family cannot come up with an equal sum in a short time, they will most likely find a way to squeeze it out of ordinary people."

"If ordinary people suffer even harsher exploitation because of us, I absolutely cannot agree to this!"

The moment he spoke those final words, the smugness on Vincent's face froze, and the atmosphere between them turned heavy.

Just as Dragon thought Vincent would argue with him, perhaps even start a huge fight...

"Then we only need to take the portion from Shells Town."

Vincent raised an arm around Dragon's shoulders, his gaze lingering on the darkness within the warehouse.

"It was us Feloce people who first reclaimed this wasteland and built the houses and port here."

"Especially when we built the port, a Sea King caused trouble. We lost twenty or thirty lives before we managed to capture and kill it."

"And now that Shells Town has been established, the locals here want to break their promise and drive out those of us who gave everything."

"This is what the people of Shells Town owe us!"

"Before we leave, we should take back the compensation that belongs to us!"

"..."

After hearing of this resentment and injustice, Dragon nodded and agreed to Vincent's proposal.

Vincent had told him that afternoon that it was not only the gangs who wanted to drive out the Feloce people. The mayor and all the locals wanted the same.

They were even planning to hold a legislative meeting and invite Old Felo to attend.

All so they could establish a law specifically targeting the Feloce people, then legally and justifiably drive every last one of them out.

Here, the law was not the embodiment of justice. It was merely a tool for excluding outsiders and seeking profit!

"By the way, where are we going to buy weapons after we get the money?"

Dragon put away his emotions and moved on to discuss the next step.

Weapons capable of overthrowing a kingdom's regime were not something ordinary arms dealers could provide.

Furthermore, although there had been plenty of discord between the East Blue's affiliated and non-affiliated nations in recent years, they had all remained extremely restrained.

At most, there had been minor skirmishes between them. No major conflicts had broken out.

In such an environment, the East Blue was a wasteland for arms dealers. Any dealer with real ability would not come to a place like this.

As a result, even having money did not mean they could buy a large quantity of weapons!

"Hehe."

Vincent bared his teeth in a grin and mysteriously lowered his voice.

"I have an acquaintance in the Marines. We already agreed that once I have the money, I can buy a large batch of weapons."

The Marines?!

That word pierced Dragon's heart.

His former faith had become increasingly unbearable.

Seeing Dragon's grim expression, Vincent thought he was worried. He patted Dragon on the shoulder and said:

"Don't worry. The person in the Marines even helped me work out this plan. It is absolutely reliable!"

"Fine."

Dragon sighed and did not ask further.

He only assumed it was another person who had become disappointed in "justice."

Meanwhile,

By the swimming pool of a luxurious manor in town.

"How about we make a bet?"

The pretty blonde, blue-eyed female broker in a black office dress took off her suit jacket and undid the collar of her white shirt, revealing her fair, delicate collarbones.

John leaned back in a beach chair, took a sip of iced beer, and asked curiously:

"What are we betting on?"

"If you win, you can do anything you want to me."

The pretty broker flirtatiously threw him a sultry glance and lightly bit her red lips.

"If you lose, you give me this manor you just bought."

John raised a brow and spread his hands in confusion.

"Why would I make that bet with you? I paid ten million Beli for this manor. It has a pool, an incredibly soft bed, and a gorgeous fountain."

"Because I'll make you so happy that you'll soar into the clouds."

The pretty broker bent down and extended her slender fingers. Her pink manicured nails slowly trailed from her calf to the root of her thigh, snagging a long tear into her black stockings.

Fair flesh showed through the run, carrying a fragile and pitiful kind of temptation.

"Emmm..."

John rubbed his chin and openly appraised her.

Her thighs were plump, her calves slender, and with the hazy texture of black stockings around them, they really were a fine pair of legs.

But higher up, the proportions of her waist and hips were a little lacking. She did not have the narrow waist and rounded hips he liked.

Higher still, uh... there was no hope to be seen in that barren land.

At that point, John lost all interest.

What was the point of having a pretty face? What was the difference between being flat as a board and being a man?

He withdrew his gaze and coolly gave the order to leave.

"Get out."

"What?" The pretty broker thought she had misheard him.

"Get the hell out of my manor!" John's tone turned stern.

Startled, the pretty broker did not dare linger or argue. She hurried away in her high heels.

"Ridiculous."

After the broker left, John waved a hand and used electromagnetism to shut the manor gates from afar.

Forget being flat as a board—even if she had the voluptuous figure he liked, she was still not qualified to negotiate terms with him.

No woman could ever use that to threaten him. Never, ever!

"Now, it's time to handle some real business."

John took out a Den Den Mushi and placed it on the coffee table, covered its eyes, then called Morgans.

"One hundred million Beli. I want information on the whereabouts of Buckingham Stussy, a remnant of the Rocks Pirates."

"Uh..."

On the other end of the call, Morgans was momentarily stunned by the bluntness of this unfamiliar number.

But he quickly realized that this was likely an old client unwilling to reveal his identity, which was why John had skipped the pleasantries and probing and stated both the reward and mission outright.

"She is a famous remnant of the Rocks Pirates. Two hundred million Beli!"

"Eighty million Beli. If you won't take it, plenty of others will."

"Fine, fine, fine! I'll take it!"

After hanging up, John called intelligence brokers in the Underworld as well, also putting out a reward for Stussy's whereabouts.

In the predetermined fate, not long after the Rocks Pirates disbanded, Stussy joined MADS as a "guest."

MADS was the name of an illegal scientific research organization, led by Vegapunk and funded by the "Loan Shark King," Du Feld.