Orochi stared at Good, his eyes thick with murderous intent.
"Brother Good, do you dare take the job?"
"Lord Orochi, you've really put me in a difficult spot!"
Good picked up his bottle and took a swig, quickly weighing the gains and losses.
Ashura Doji would certainly be difficult to deal with, but capturing him would bring Good considerable rewards.
Most importantly, he was Kozuki Oden's retainer.
Whether now or in the future.
He had to die!
Bang!
Good slammed the bottle down on the table.
"It's just wiping out some bandits, isn't it?"
"Wipe them out!"
Chapter 38: The more you put in, the more you earn!
"Wipe them out!"
A vicious gleam shone in Good's eyes as he grinned fiercely. "A mere gang of bandits dared to push our shogun around? We can't stand for that. We have to wipe them out!"
"Well said!"
Orochi's face lit up at those words, and his mood immediately improved.
No matter who won or lost this campaign against the bandits, it would benefit him. Better still if both sides suffered heavy losses.
While two dogs fought over a bone, a third ran away with it!
He would be the winner!
A cold glint flashed through Good's eyes.
With the bandit campaign settled, ideas immediately began racing through his mind.
If Ashura Doji were easy to handle, the job would never have fallen to him. Whether he actually succeeded in wiping out the bandits wasn't important. What mattered was using the campaign as a pretext to rake in money.
And it wasn't just about money. Ashura Doji's identity was also crucial and might prove useful for his next plan.
"Lord Shogun, I'll certainly spare no effort in this campaign, but wiping out Shutenmaru's gang won't be easy."
Good took another swig and sighed dejectedly. "Boss Kaido is away on an expedition, and our forces remaining in Wano Country are limited. I have neither men nor funds and supplies at my disposal. I want to wipe out the bandits, but I have no way to begin!"
"Guhuhuhu, that's certainly true."
Orochi nodded, inwardly growing suspicious.
Was he trying to extort him again? Those fifty thousand gold had already hurt enough. No matter what, he wouldn't fork over another coin!
Good deliberately lowered his voice.
"Lord Shogun, I have a proposal!"
"Go on."
Orochi made a show of listening attentively.
Good chuckled softly, rubbing his fingers together.
"Lord Shogun, wiping out bandits is a great undertaking that benefits both the country and its people. Naturally, we should announce it nationwide and let the local gentry see our determination!"
"At a time like this, all you need to do is take the lead in funding the campaign. Once the other gentry hear about it, they'll naturally have to contribute as well. The more you put in, the more they'll have to put in!"
"Of course, once it's done, your contribution will be returned in full, and we'll split the gentry's money thirty-seventy!"
Good beamed.
"What do you think?"
"..."
Orochi stared at Good in shock.
They could wipe out the bandits and make a fortune in the process. How had he never thought of such an underhanded money-making scheme?
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!
This brat is a true genius at raking in money!
Orochi's gaze grew eager. All he could think about was making money as he hesitantly raised one finger.
"Then I'll put in ten thousand gold?"
"Lord Shogun."
Good reminded him, exasperated by his lack of ambition.
"The more you put in, the more you earn!"
"Right, you're right!"
Orochi swallowed and slapped his thigh hard.
"I'll put in a hundred thousand gold!"
"All hail the shogun!"
Good hurried to his feet and poured Orochi a drink.
This man was his god of wealth!
Over in Hakumai, although many things cost nothing, he was still building an entire city, no matter how much he scrimped and saved.
Processing the materials alone was an enormous expense, not to mention auxiliary materials, equipment, and all the other things that cost money.
He had less than forty thousand gold in his pocket. That would certainly be enough to build a small town, but his goal was to build Hakumai's Capital City.
"Oh, and Lord Shogun."
Good raised a toast to Orochi. "You know I'm short on people right now. With just Yamato and me, we might not even be able to find Mount Atama, so I'd like to borrow some troops from you."
"Guhuhuhu, no problem!"
Orochi was growing tipsy and was in an excellent mood.
The thought of squeezing the people for their hard-earned wealth filled him with excitement. Lending a few troops was naturally no issue.
Besides, sending his own men would let him secretly monitor Good and make sure he didn't just take the money without doing the work.
"Thank you, Lord Shogun!"
"Guhuhuhu, drink up!"
Toward evening, Yamato carried the drunken Good home on her back, her little face flushed with embarrassment and anger.
"Jerk! What do you mean, fiancée?"
"I don't want to get married!"
"You had such a good time drinking with that Orochi!"
"You're both big villains!"
"Hehe, what if I tossed you into the river..."
Yamato muttered the whole way. Once they returned to the Hot Spring Club and she put Good down, the man abruptly opened his eyes.
The girl's eyes bulged in fright.
"Huh? Huh?! You weren't drunk?!"
"Of course not."
Good stretched.
There was a special space inside his body. As long as he didn't want to get drunk, he could simply send the alcohol to the little fellow there.
He was a little tipsy now, but not much.
Yamato shuddered and hurriedly bowed in apology. "I'm sorry! I-I-I didn't mean anything I just said!"
"..."
Good sighed speechlessly.
The girl had seized her chance to curse him who knew how many times along the way, and she'd even wanted to throw him into the water.
Forget it. Why bother arguing with an idiot?
Good waved a hand. "Yamato, go get Blue Worm and the others. I have something to tell them."
"Okay!"
Yamato hurried off.
Early the next morning, on the streets of the Flower Capital.
"Extra! Extra!"
Vendors ran through the streets, sheets of Tile News fluttering overhead as they spread the latest major news.
"Shogun Orochi is going to wipe out the bandits?"
Soon, news of Orochi joining forces with the Beasts Pirates to eliminate the bandits spread throughout the Flower Capital, then raced toward the other regions.
The whole country was stirred!
Meanwhile, Tile News carried another bombshell.
"A new city in Hakumai!"
Most people couldn't take part in wiping out bandits, but building a city was different.
Word of Hakumai's massive construction project had long since spread throughout the regions. Such a huge undertaking couldn't possibly go unnoticed, especially by greedy merchants.
Building materials, furniture, fine wine...
Merchants in related trades had already flocked to Hakumai in search of business opportunities, and quite a few had already made a fortune.
The information published in Tile News this time gave the merchants an even greater boost in confidence and made those watching from the sidelines unable to sit still.
"Shogun Orochi generously contributes fifty thousand gold to support Her Highness Yamato's construction of Hakumai!"
Shogun Orochi was involved!
The backer behind Hakumai's new city was Kaido's daughter, and now she had the shogun's support as well. Although it was still under construction, it would surely become a bustling metropolis in the future.
To merchants, that meant opportunity!
Once the city was completed, whoever got in first would make a fortune. There was some risk involved, but the partnership between the shogun and the Bright King's daughter had reduced it to a minimum.
Three days passed in a flash.
Heavenly Residence, Hot Spring Club.
Inside the lounge.
Good sat in the boss's chair, leafing through the latest newspaper.
The Beasts Pirates' expedition had made enormous waves in the New World, causing a far greater stir than his small-scale efforts here.
Soon, Blue Worm and the other three arrived, excitement written all over their faces.
"Boss Good!"
"Mm."
Good closed the newspaper and looked up at the four of them. These underlings weren't particularly capable, but they had followed him for years. They were his trusted men and could be relied upon.
"How are things going?"
"Boss Good, the whole city is talking about the new city in Hakumai!"
Red Sparrow, the only woman among the four, answered first, making the red feather tucked into her horned hat bob along.
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