"Heavens, must you take away our last chance to survive?!"
"Grandma, is our home gone?"
Despair engulfed everyone.
They were only shabby thatched huts, but they still offered warmth, giving them something to cling to as they struggled to survive.
Now, everything was gone.
Homeless, they could only die in the wilderness.
"The pirates are here!"
As the beast-drawn cart approached, the villagers, left with no way to survive, stopped hiding their hatred. If looks could kill, Good would have died ten thousand times over.
"Pathetic."
Good jumped down from the cart. Looking at the elderly, women, and children glaring at him, he found them both pitiful and laughable.
Only when driven into a corner did they learn to resist.
Where had that spirit been before?!
Twenty years ago, if they had shown the courage they had now, this country would never have fallen so far, even without Oden.
Old Kō shuffled forward, his back hunched. His trembling hands offered Good the contract, his heart filled with anguish.
"Lord Good."
"Mm. You did well."
Good accepted the contract. After confirming everything was in order, he carefully tucked it into his clothes as though it were a priceless treasure. An unprecedented sense of security welled up within him.
From this moment on, this town and the tens of thousands of acres of fertile land surrounding it belonged to him alone. They were his property!
"Heh heh heh... Hahahahaha!!!"
Good threw his head back and laughed. Like a Super Saiyan transforming, an unimaginably savage aura erupted from his body!
Crack!
The earth beneath his feet split apart!
"Such powerful Haki!"
Yamato leaned forward to steady herself, her clothes whipping violently in the rushing air. Her eyes filled with disbelief.
When had Good's Haki become so powerful?!
Old Kō was startled too.
"Ryuo!"
He knew Good was strong, but he had never imagined he was this strong. Only a handful of people in Wano Country possessed such ferocious Ryuo!
Soon, the raging wind subsided.
"Phew..."
Good let out a long breath.
A massive amount of Haki had surged through his body in a brief instant, nearly bursting him apart. His body had instinctively released it all, causing the scene just now.
Now, he was spent. Completely spent.
Though a little drained, Good felt remarkably upbeat.
He could still go another seven rounds, at least!
Good looked at Yamato and beckoned.
"Yamato, bring the cart over."
"Okay."
Yamato blushed and hurriedly lowered her head to avoid Good's gaze. As she pulled the cart, her thoughts ran wild.
Good likes me!
I-I-I... how should I respond?!
Wait, I'm a man!
No, no, I'm a woman now!
Huh?
Am I a man or a woman?
Thud!
Her forehead bumped into Good's chest.
Yamato stumbled backward, instinctively covering her forehead with both hands. "Ah, sorry."
"..."
Good sighed, speechless.
With so many outsiders watching, couldn't she have a little self-awareness? Acting like such an airhead was dragging down his imposing image.
Forget it. There was no point arguing with an idiot.
Good walked over to the cart and pulled off the canvas covering it. Under the sunlight, a golden radiance dazzled the villagers' eyes.
"∑(°口°)!!!"
The villagers' eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
Gold!
Ten thousand gold piled together, like a little mountain of treasure!
Standing beside the pile, Good said calmly, "Here's the ten thousand gold we agreed on. It belongs to you now."
"..."
The villagers recovered from their shock and immediately erupted into an uproar.
"My money!"
"You bastard, that's my money!"
"Don't grab! Everyone gets a share!"
The old men and women who had barely been able to walk moments earlier were suddenly bursting with vigor, moving with astonishing speed like peerless masters hidden among ordinary townsfolk.
In the blink of an eye, the ten thousand gold had been snatched clean.
And that wasn't the end of it. The villagers turned on one another, rolling up their sleeves and accusing others of taking more than their share. A full-blown village brawl was about to begin.
The kinder their faces usually looked, the more vicious they appeared now.
Yield to others?
No. They wouldn't give up a single coin!
Good watched with relish.
"Look at that. Such simple, honest folk!"
"Huh?"
Yamato's jaw dropped.
From what she had seen, the town's elderly residents had all seemed quite kind. Why did they suddenly feel like strangers?
Was a little money worth all this?!
"Everyone, stop!"
At the critical moment, Old Kō stepped forward.
A worn straw sandal promptly flew into his face.
"You bastards, you're hitting me too?!"
With the village chief joining the melee, the fighting continued for another several minutes. At last, the villagers calmed down and convened the first shareholders' meeting of God of Wealth Town.
"Let's move farther away."
Good pulled Yamato aside, took a fine tea set, a table, and chairs from the cart, and leisurely sipped tea while he waited.
Yamato looked utterly puzzled.
Since the deal was done, why were they still here?
"Good, is there something else?"
"Mm. You'll see soon enough."
Good merely smiled.
Half an hour later, the God of Wealth Town shareholders' meeting ended.
Clutching the gold, the villagers returned it to the cart with anguished expressions. Yamato watched, dumbfounded.
"Why are they giving the money back?"
"Well, you see..."
Good chuckled.
Money was nice, but it could also bring harm.
A group of frail, defenseless elderly villagers holding an enormous fortune was like a child carrying gold through a busy market. Disaster was bound to follow.
Most of the villagers were ignorant and struggled to grasp the danger, but their clever village chief could not possibly have missed it.
They absolutely could not keep this money.
That left only one option.
Spend it as quickly as possible!
Old Kō approached Good and asked with a bitter smile, "Lord Good, you mentioned building a city here, and something about buying homes. Does that offer still stand?"
"Of course."
The corners of Good's mouth lifted.
If they wanted to spend ten thousand gold quickly, their only option was to buy homes from him. After making its rounds, the money would end up right back in his pocket.
He had worked it all out long ago.
They discussed the home purchases for a while.
Good stretched and pointed at the cart.
"There's clean food and water in the rear compartment of the cart. Take it all. It's not much, but it should be enough to give every villager a full meal."
"Lord Good, thank you for your generosity!"
Old Kō's gratitude was heartfelt.
Good could have taken their homes without spending a single coin, yet he hadn't. He had even deliberately offered ten thousand gold to demonstrate his intentions.
Now he was giving them food and water too.
Such kindness moved him deeply.
If only this young man weren't one of Kaido's subordinates.
The old man knelt and bowed his head, apologizing with Wano Country's most formal etiquette. "Lord Good, I apologize for my earlier behavior!"
"Don't worry about it."
Good waved a hand.
"Go on. Those old geezers nearly beat each other up just now. If they don't eat something, a few more will starve to death today."
Toward evening.
The two rode the beast-drawn cart toward the Hot Spring Shop in the Flower Capital.
Yamato suddenly sprang to her feet.
"Good, you're despicable!"
Before you continue