He would get his own territory in order first.
"Big Brother Good, there's more good news."
The four took turns reporting that Boss Kaido had sent money and assigned Good to receive one of the Shichibukai.
Ten thousand gold was equivalent to a hundred million Beli.
Half the Four Emperors couldn't scrape together that much money!
Thanks for the recognition, Boss Kaido.jpg.
There was also a task.
"Doflamingo?"
Good raised an eyebrow, then quickly understood.
To make it big in the New World, you either had to specialize in a particular field like the Ship King and the News King, muddling along somewhere in the middle and eking out a living between the Four Emperors.
Or you had to pledge yourself to a powerful patron.
Take Crocodile and Moria. After failing to defeat the Four Emperors, they could only retreat to the first half of the Grand Line.
It wasn't that they wanted to go back. They had no choice.
If they stayed in the New World, they would die!
Doflamingo was no different. His World Government connections had allowed him to thrive, but to take the next step, he needed one of the Four Emperors backing him.
"Understood."
Good nodded.
It was only a reception assignment, hardly difficult. No matter how arrogant Doflamingo was, he wouldn't dare act up at the Beasts Pirates' headquarters.
"Big Brother Good, there's another huge piece of news."
Blue Worm and the other three clenched their fists excitedly.
"Boss Kaido has announced that we're launching an expedition in a month! He's also going to select the six strongest Shinuchi to form the Flying Six, ranking just below the All-Stars!"
"An expedition, huh."
Good narrowed his eyes.
The day had finally arrived!
He wasn't interested in the expedition itself.
It was just killing people and seizing territory. The money they plundered after wasting all that time probably wouldn't even match a single day's profit from the Hot Spring Shop.
What mattered was Wano Country after the expedition.
Good stood and put on his coat. Under the massage therapist's reluctant gaze, he headed into the rear garden, where the white-haired girl sat sulking in a pavilion.
When she saw Good approaching, Yamato immediately turned her head away.
"Hmph!"
She was upset!
She had watched so many Kozuki Samurai die at Good's hands. If this was the price of patience, it was far too cruel.
"Come with me."
Good didn't comfort Yamato.
After a moment of hesitation, Yamato followed him gloomily. She knew Good was the only person she could trust.
They headed south from the Flower Capital and soon reached the outskirts of God of Wealth Town. From a distance, they couldn't see a single intact house in the dilapidated settlement.
"All the fields here have been abandoned."
Good focused on the vast stretches of barren farmland surrounding the town.
He was deeply displeased.
If people had built a town here, it meant the surrounding environment was suitable for human habitation. Apart from certain industrial or commercial towns, water and fertile farmland were standard necessities.
But now, because the water was polluted, God of Wealth Town's fields lay abandoned, leaving its people with no grain to eat.
It wasn't that he pitied the people. He cared about all that fine farmland. Seeing it go to waste genuinely hurt.
After all, he came from China.
"My father caused all this."
Yamato's spirits sank.
When she first left the island, the girl had been as happy as a husky let off its leash. But brutal reality soon wiped the smile off her face.
Everywhere she looked, there was devastation.
Smack!
Good slapped Yamato hard on the butt and scoffed. "It's not your fault. What are you blaming yourself for?"
"I-!"
Yamato clutched her stinging backside and glared at him.
Was she not even allowed to feel sad and guilty?
"Oh, you're Kozuki Oden!"
Good abruptly changed tack, as though realization had dawned on him. "Then you really do bear some responsibility for what we're seeing. Go ahead and keep blaming yourself."
"..."
Yamato grew even angrier.
"Why would Oden be responsible?!"
"Because Kozuki Oden carried the hopes of Wano Country's people, yet failed to protect his country and its people. Is that reason enough?"
Good posed the question calmly.
In this brutal world, no one sympathized with losers, especially those who played a winning hand so disastrously.
An incompetent general could doom an entire army.
Even unrivaled personal strength didn't make someone worthy of praise.
That went for Oden, and for Yamato too!
The difference was that Yamato hadn't reached that final step yet. With his help, she still had a chance to turn things around.
Yamato opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Good shook his head slightly and walked toward the town.
"Let's have some tea in town."
God of Wealth Town was desperately poor. Its residents survived on scraps from the Flower Capital, and the whole town didn't even have a decent teahouse.
"Pirates! The pirates are here!"
The children's cries echoed through the town.
The town descended into chaos. Residents scrambled back to their homes, while those who couldn't make it hid along either side of the street, watching the pair with fear-filled eyes.
Good took Yamato for a stroll through town.
The scenes of poverty and the fearful looks of the surrounding residents left the girl deeply troubled.
Good could tell what Yamato was thinking.
"Want to help them?"
"Huh? Can we?"
Yamato's eyes widened.
After last night's battle, Good had seemed even more coldhearted to her. She hadn't imagined he would show kindness to these impoverished people.
Good nodded slightly. "I told you I'd help you save this country. Of course, I'm doing this for myself too."
"Yes!"
Yamato nodded vigorously, her eyes full of anticipation.
"What do we do?"
"It's simple."
Good looked out over the town.
"We buy this place!"
Chapter 21: A King on Equal Footing!
God of Wealth Town, the teahouse.
Calling it a teahouse was generous. It was simply the only place in town that could receive guests, with a barely usable set of table and chairs.
Crack!
The wooden chair broke apart in Good's hands.
Good calmly dusted off his hands.
"Sorry. I misjudged my strength."
"I-it's all right."
The village chief forced a smile, his heart bleeding.
That was the only set of furniture his family had left.
"Lord Good, please have some tea."
A chipped earthenware cup was set on the table. The tea inside was clear enough to see the bottom, with only a single green leaf floating in it. It was mostly for ceremony's sake.
Good ignored the tea and looked at the village chief in his heavily patched clothes.
If he remembered correctly, this village chief was actually Shimotsuki Yasuie, the former daimyo of Hakumai.
But that was all in the past.
He hadn't come here to expose the man's identity. There wasn't much point in killing an old, frail samurai, either.
Good took the initiative to introduce himself.
"Mr. Old Kō, I'm Good, a Shinuchi of the Beasts Pirates. This is Kaido's daughter, Yamato. I'm sure you've heard of us."
"You're the Devil Muscle Man!"
Old Kō was utterly shocked.
The opening of the Hot Spring Shop had long been the talk of the country, and news of last night's battle had spread throughout Wano Country overnight.
Two hundred Kozuki Samurai had all died at the Devil Muscle Man's hands. Compared with Kaido's daughter, the Devil Muscle Man drew far more attention.
Good: "..."
Stay calm. Stay calm.
That nickname does sound pretty intimidating!
Old Kō felt uneasy. The deaths of the Kozuki Samurai grieved him deeply, but he was no longer Shimotsuki Yasuie. He was Tono Yasui of God of Wealth Town, an old man who had lost his strength.
Old Kō clasped his hands and forced a smile.
"My lord, what brings you here?"
"I've come to discuss a business deal."
Good spoke evenly.
He had made a fortune from opening his shop. His immediate priority was to spend it, or too many people would start coveting it.
Buying property and collecting rent was his first choice.
Within Wano Country, the valuable properties were all in the Flower Capital. But his funds wouldn't buy him many properties there, and there weren't that many for sale anyway.
So he might as well find somewhere with cheap property and make a big play. Of course, the target needed plenty of potential to appreciate in value.
Before you continue