The Right Way to Haggle

On the outskirts of the port.

Low shacks, overflowing sewage, and people passing by in ragged clothes—some fierce-looking, others barely clothed—formed a typical slum scene.

It stood in stark contrast to the clean, orderly streets within the port.

The attendant assigned by Gaza stood at the entrance to the slums and spoke to Gawain with a hint of apology:

"My lord, arms deals are mostly conducted on the black market. The place is full of all sorts of people. Even if the lord... the Lady Lord wanted to manage it, she simply lacks the means."

"Besides, ruling a port is far from easy. The norm is to focus on the major issues and overlook the minor ones. So long as nothing too serious happens, we usually turn a blind eye to this place."

"It would be inconvenient for me to go in with you. Please be careful."

The attendant bowed to Gawain and was about to leave when Kuro suddenly asked:

"Do only we get this treatment, or do they as well?"

The attendant froze slightly, an inexplicable smile appearing on his face.

"Please don't misunderstand."

"The Lady Lord's exact words were that, compared to that group, no matter how you looked at it, you two seemed more like real Marines."

With that said.

The attendant's gaze lingered on their faces for another moment. Then, with a faint smile, he turned and left.

"What did that mean?"

Kuro was taken aback.

"He said you're handsome."

A smile tugged at Gawain's lips.

Kuro's face instantly reddened.

After more than a decade at sea.

People had only ever said that he looked gloomy and frightening. When had anyone ever praised him so directly?

He instinctively muttered:

"Busybody."

The smile on Gawain's face only grew wider.

Food and medicine could be bought through legitimate channels in the city. Though the prices were somewhat high, the quality was reliable and the process was quick, so they finished the purchases in no time.

The troublesome part was the firearms and ammunition. For that, they could only seek out Kuro's contact, Harbinger.

Following the route Kuro remembered, the two soon entered a bar tucked away in a corner.

The thick smell of alcohol and an indescribable stench rushed into Gawain's nostrils, making him frown. He looked up to see Kuro heading straight toward the corner, so he followed.

There was a low door in the corner.

At over two meters tall, both of them had to stoop to enter.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Kuro knocked on the door.

With a creak, a rather shifty face poked out from inside. It was Harbinger.

"Yo~"

"Isn't this Kuro? I heard you were planning to retire. What, going back to your old trade?"

"Cut the crap."

Kuro's expression turned cold.

"Flintlock Pistol ammunition, three hundred batches. Five hundred 100mm shells. How much for all of it?"

"Let me calculate~"

Harbinger wiggled his fingers, looked at Kuro, then at Gawain's face, and named a price:

"Thirty million Berry in total!"

"Are you out of your mind?"

Kuro's face darkened as he roared:

"Last time, all of this combined cost less than ten million. You've tripled the price? Aren't you afraid you'll take the money and never live to spend it?!"

"You have to understand me~"

Harbinger spread his hands, wearing an expression that said he had Kuro right where he wanted him.

"I paid a huge price to get someone to fish me out of the Marines' hands. Now I'm drowning in debt. Besides, arms dealing is a business that gets people killed. Is it really appropriate to haggle with a dead man?"

As Harbinger spoke, everyone in the bar instantly surrounded them. Blades glinted coldly beneath the lights. They had clearly come prepared.

Kuro gritted his teeth. Unwilling to start a conflict here, he held up two fingers.

"Twenty million! No more than twenty million!"

"That won't do~"

A smile curled across Harbinger's lips. Just as he was about to speak, a cold voice rang out beside him.

"Kuro, that's not how you haggle!"

Gawain swept his gaze across the room and slowly drew the longsword at his waist. Murderous intent surged from him, and the pressure radiating from a single man kept nearly a hundred people in the bar from taking even one step forward.

Cold sweat streamed down Harbinger's forehead as he looked at Kuro in astonishment.

"Hey, hey, hey~ Kuro, where did you find a subordinate like this? This pressure is even stronger than yours!"

"Subordinate?"

Kuro looked at Harbinger, a savage grin spreading across his face.

"He's my captain!"

"Is he tired of living, becoming the captain of someone like you?"

Harbinger shot back.

"Heh, he's different. He's strong like a monster!"

Kuro refused to back down, but Gawain had already run out of patience. He stared coldly at Harbinger.

"Ten million."

Harbinger's back was soaked with sweat, yet he still withstood the pressure and gritted out:

"Twenty million."

The next instant.

Silver sword light flashed through the bar. Each flash was followed by a scream, and an ear fell from the air to the ground, severed from its owner's body.

Like the Grim Reaper, Gawain moved through the crowd, his sword drawing streak after streak of blood.

Panic instantly spread through the crowd. They gripped their weapons tightly, but those weapons could not bring them even the slightest sense of safety. They could only silently await the Grim Reaper's arrival.

"Eight million!"

Gawain's voice entered Harbinger's ears once more, making his entire body tremble. He kept calling Gawain a madman, with none of the arrogant confidence he had displayed moments ago.

How could he not understand?

If Gawain could slice off their ears so easily, he could just as easily take every one of their lives!

Kuro had not lied. This really was a monster!

"No, how can you keep lowering it?"

"Six—!"

"Eight million! Eight million it is!"

Harbinger hurriedly interrupted Gawain, his voice trembling. If the price kept getting cut, he would lose even his pants on this deal!

"I said six million!"

Gawain appeared before him, looking down at Harbinger from above. His tone allowed no argument.

Harbinger opened his mouth, but all he could see were his subordinates clutching their ears, trembling in pain yet not daring to let out a single cry. A chill ran through him.

"Six million. Six million it is!"

All he wanted now was to send this plague god away as quickly as possible!

He did not care even if he took a loss!

If Gawain kept cutting, the subordinates he had worked so hard to gather would probably all run away.

And being alone here would not end well.

"Don't try anything funny. Once Captain starts moving, I can't stop him~"

Kuro reached out and patted Harbinger's face. Seeing that the man did not dare resist at all, the smile on his lips could not be suppressed.

Gawain, meanwhile, looked at the battered sword in his hand and frowned slightly.

The Knight's sword that had followed the original owner for years was covered in chips along its edge, with several obvious cracks even running along its spine.

Most of that damage had been left behind during his previous fight with Kuro, while Kuro's Claw Blades still gleamed like new. Their quality was clearly not even on the same level.

"It's time to replace my weapon."

A few hours later.

The sun gradually sank beyond the horizon, and the afterglow painted the sky crimson.

A group of people dressed as Marines entered the slums and carried away crate after crate of ammunition sealed in wax paper.

After inspecting a few at random and confirming their quality was up to standard, Kuro nodded to Gawain.

"No problems. They can all be used normally."

"Mm."

Gawain answered, then turned to look out at the distant sea.

The wind was gentle, and the waves were calm. Several seabirds skimmed across the water.

For no reason, he felt a faint sense of unease. He then turned to Kuro and said:

"Take these supplies and weapons back to the ship. I'll go warn that woman. If our guess is right, once Krieg's men attack, this port will be destroyed beyond saving."

Kuro was taken aback.

"Is that necessary?"

A smile appeared on Gawain's lips.

"She praised you for being handsome this afternoon."

"Boring."