Turning willpower into a weapon-that was Haki. The principle sounded simple, but putting it into practice was far harder than it seemed.
When will I finally master Haki?
Speed's eyes lit up. "Good, have you heard? Lord Kaido is planning an expedition. This is our chance!"
"Haha, it's still a long way off."
Good smiled and shook his head.
He had heard about the expedition too. For him and Speed, it was indeed a perfect chance to earn merit and get promoted, but the preparations alone would take two or three months.
Besides, he wasn't all that interested in climbing the ranks. He would rather save up more money to buy property and start enjoying retirement as soon as possible.
"Quit pretending!"
Speed clicked her tongue in disappointment. Then she remembered that Good had just earned a reward and must have plenty of money in his pockets. Her gaze immediately changed.
Knowing how pirates behaved once they had money...
Speed narrowed her eyes. "Good, what are you going to the Flower Capital for? Don't tell me you're heading to the pleasure district to have some fun with women?"
"Of course not. I'm a little picky about that sort of thing. Even if I wanted a woman, I'd want someone clean and pretty, like you."
Good gave her a predatory look, staring at Speed without the slightest attempt to hide it.
He was a pirate now. Why bother pretending to be a perfect gentleman?
If he wanted something, he should just say it. How would anyone know otherwise? Maybe the girl had needs too, and a little mutual attraction would be all it took to set things ablaze.
After all, women who became pirates were ravenous creatures, their desires hardly any weaker than those of male pirates.
Speed rolled her eyes and said with amusement, "Sure. Become a senior officer, and I'll warm your bed."
"Hey, you said it! No backing out!"
Good chuckled.
A senior officer in the crew meant at least the level of the Flying Six. However, the crew hadn't established the Flying Six yet; there were only the three All-Stars.
Becoming an All-Star would be difficult, but securing a spot among the Flying Six in the future shouldn't be a problem with his cheat.
The only obstacle was that this woman would eventually eat an Artificial Devil Fruit and become a centaur. That was a little hard for him to accep-
Wait.
Based on his years of viewing experience, there were several ways to ride a female centaur. Maybe it wasn't out of the question.
"Snap out of it! Stop thinking weird things!"
Seeing the awful look on Good's face, as though he were seriously considering their compatibility, Speed snapped at him.
If Good really became an All-Star, she wouldn't mind latching onto him.
But was that even possible?
With their strength, landing a Shinuchi position someday would already be a great achievement. Becoming an All-Star was beyond their wildest dreams.
"You still haven't told me why you're going to the Flower Capital."
"Oh, I'm buying property."
Good didn't hide it.
Buying property was only the first step. He still had to rent it out at a high price to make money, and nobody knew how to rent property.
"Buying property???"
Speed was utterly bewildered.
Buying property?
What self-respecting pirate bought property?!
Burning it down would make more sense!
Speed resisted the urge to mock him and asked in confusion, "Why are you buying property?"
"Here's the plan."
Good immediately perked up and explained his grand scheme: buy property → rent it out → buy more property → rent that out too.
Even after that, he still wanted to keep talking.
Damn this irresistible urge to share.
The girl listened, dumbfounded. After a long silence, she finally managed a single sentence.
"Is there something wrong with your head?"
"Of course not. I'm telling you, I've never thought more clearly."
Good lifted his chin.
How could an inexperienced girl like her understand the joy of collecting rent?
Stable income, low risk, protection against inflation, and maybe even rising property values-with so many benefits, wasn't it better than fighting and killing?
"Uh, fine."
Speed didn't even have the energy to mock him.
"By the way, be careful going to the Flower Capital alone. The samurai have been restless lately. Quite a few of our guys have been attacked while on their own."
"Don't worry."
Good narrowed his eyes.
Anyone who dared get in the way of him buying property would die!
Chapter 6: Real Estate Haki!
The Flower Capital.
The streets bustled with people, filled with the aromas of food and the cries of vendors. Compared with the other impoverished towns, it was like another world.
Good walked alone down the middle of the street, his rough Viking outfit completely out of place.
Without him saying a word, passersby immediately moved aside when they saw him. They didn't even dare look him in the eye.
Fear, disgust, hatred...
Good could clearly sense all kinds of negative emotions in their reactions, and he knew perfectly well how unwelcome he was.
After all, to this country, the Beasts Pirates were a symbol of disaster. Even if the people dared not express it openly, hatred was inevitable.
But Good was thinking about another problem.
"Will I be able to rent out my property?"
With the people hating the Beasts Pirates so much, who would dare rent his property?
This was a serious problem that needed his attention.
Before long, Good reached the outermost part of the Flower Capital. Compared with the bustling interior, it was much quieter here.
Rumble~~
A convoy hauling household rubbish passed beside Good.
"It stinks! Hurry up."
"Dump all this rubbish in Scraps Town."
"Those paupers love eating garbage."
Amid a stream of curses, the convoy soon left the Flower Capital and headed toward God of Wealth Town, several kilometers to the south.
Despite its name, God of Wealth Town was really just a shabby village surviving on leftovers from the Flower Capital. Its residents were all elderly people, women, and children.
Looking in the direction the convoy had gone, and at the faintly visible God of Wealth Town, Good suddenly had an idea.
"Business first."
Good shook his head and arrived outside a warehouse.
An old man with a blissful smile had been waiting for a long time. The moment he saw Good, he hurried over.
"Lord Good, you're finally here!"
"Mr. Pinghao."
Good nodded.
He had met this old man a month earlier. Pinghao was a well-known wealthy landowner in the Flower Capital with a large property portfolio. This warehouse was one of his holdings.
For some reason, he had recently begun selling off his properties. Rumor had it that this had something to do with the courtesan Lady Komurasaki.
Good took out the money he had prepared.
The reward for capturing Yamato had been 500 gold, equivalent to five million Beli. He had left thirty percent for Ulti and distributed another 50 gold among the fan club members.
The remaining 300 gold was exactly the sum he had agreed on with Pinghao.
"Here's 300 gold."
"Ah, Lord Good, you certainly don't hesitate!"
Pinghao beamed and quickly pulled a deed from inside his clothes. Once both sides had checked everything, they swiftly completed the transaction.
With the money in hand, Pinghao's smile grew even brighter. He was impatient to leave. "Lord Good, I'll take my leave now."
"Mm."
Good nodded slightly, his gaze turning odd.
Has this dirty old man fallen for a honey trap?!
That courtesan...
Tsk. She's bleeding him dry!
Good strode into the warehouse. Looking around the spacious building, his shoulders began to shake, and he couldn't help laughing aloud.
"Hahahaha!!!"
After nearly three months of hard work, he was finally a property owner again. It was only an out-of-the-way warehouse, but this was just the beginning.
Wealth was within reach!
"And this feeling!"
Good clenched his fists, delight shining in his eyes.
It was Haki!
He had mastered Armament Haki!
So that's it! I finally understand my path to Haki!
Owning property meant having a basic guarantee of security in life. That security gave him the confidence to face the world, and it had transformed into Haki!
Put into a formula:
Property = confidence = Haki!
Wait. If my theory is right, does that mean the more property I buy, the stronger my Haki becomes?
This is too good to be true!
"Perfect. I can test what my Haki can do."
Good's gaze turned cold, and he roared.
"All of you, come out!"
"..."
After a brief silence, seven or eight scrawny figures rushed through the warehouse's entrances and quickly surrounded Good.
They were ronin!
Good stared coldly at the samurai.
Although he hadn't awakened Observation Haki, he had noticed someone following him long ago. The little Groudon inside him had sensed danger too, warning him several times.
"Is this all the trash you brought?"
Before you continue