Whitebeard Newgate laughed heartily. As the World's Strongest Man, he had heard far too many flattering words, but hearing praise for his sons made him even happier.
Even so, he still wanted to hear Erza's terms.
Even he hadn't expected that when the New World achieved a balance of power among the Four Emperors, a merchant guild would dare to meet directly with Four Emperors, and even more incredibly, it simply wanted to conduct trade.
It's important to understand that even though they have the title of Four Emperors ) and a vast territory, they are still pirates at heart.
Erza was already prepared for Whitebeard Newgate's questioning, and she smiled as she spoke.
"Our main goal is to make money and improve the lives of more people who join us. Previously, the New World was focused on vying for the Four Emperors ' positions, so there was no trade."
"Even now, pirate crews searching for the Pirate King's treasure are as numerous as fish in a river, so for our own safety, we've come to you for cooperation."
"Before we came, our boss told me that Newgate was a gentle man, and even more so, a king among men. He said that if we did business on your turf, you wouldn't make things difficult for us!"
Erza subtly flattered Whitebeard, causing Newgate to burst into laughter, while Marco and the others also gave Erza friendly smiles.
Erza smiled slightly, and then continued.
"However, Boss also said that since we want to seek your protection, we certainly won't let you suffer any losses, and we will also show you our sincerity."
Erza paused deliberately at this point, Whitebeard Newgate's eyes, but he said with a grin.
"Oh, I wonder what your sincerity is!"
Erza looked around and deliberately lowered her voice, but still loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Senior Newgate, this time we're not only doing business with you, but also with the other Four Emperors. Our terms are 30% of the profits, and we'll send you supplies worth 100 million Beli every month."
"Furthermore, our boss greatly admires you, so he's giving you a guarantee that no one else has: your 30% annual profit will not be less than 2 billion Beli."
"If it's not enough to reach 2 billion Beli, our Chamber of Commerce will make up the difference. You must keep this a secret, as this promise is only made to you."
Upon hearing these conditions, not only was Newgate taken aback, but Marco and the others also began to breathe heavily.
Keep in mind that these conditions add up to over three billion Beli, while their annual protection fees are only around two billion Beli.
It's important to understand that the entire Whitebeard Pirates, including its affiliated pirate groups, numbered in the tens of thousands.
Just supporting the entire pirate crew nearly depleted all their money, and Whitebeard Newgate also privately funded his hometown, which was also a considerable expense.
In truth, the Whitebeard Pirates were also a bunch of poor people. They couldn't afford to further exploit their own territory; doing so would only be short-sighted and wouldn't last long.
However, now that the New World has been divided up, and they don't know how to do business, they can't steal many Beli anyway, since the other territories are not much weaker than them.
What surprised everyone was that the " Abyss " Chamber of Commerce had such great ambition, providing nearly 1.5 times their annual income.
Marco and the others all looked eagerly at Whitebeard Newgate, wishing they could get him to agree immediately, but they all suppressed their excitement.
Whitebeard Newgate let out a long sigh, deeply shaken, and murmured to himself.
"Is your chamber of commerce that rich? That's quite audacious. I'm even considering taking action myself."
Erza naturally understood what Whitebeard Newgate meant, but he remained calm and continued to speak with a smile.
"If you were to make a move, no one in this world could stop you, but you probably wouldn't get much in return. After all, we need to make money to give it to you, right?"
Whitebeard Newgate looked at Erza again, and finally a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Hahaha, very well, since that's the case, you can do business freely on my territory. Whoever dares to plunder you, I will personally eliminate them."
"Thank you very much then. Besides, protecting us is also protecting your property and business!"
"Haha, you little rascal, you've got a sweet tongue. Marco, have a banquet prepared; I'll personally entertain this girl."
"Okay, Pops, leave it to me! What are you all standing around for? Get moving and bring out all the good wine and meat."
Erza breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Whitebeard Newgate had agreed. To be honest, although she was not weak, Whitebeard Newgate's aura was too powerful.
Erza had only ever seen this kind of aura from Lin Yuan before, and she didn't know who was stronger between them, but Erza had complete confidence in Lin Yuan.
"After all, that's Celestial Dragons on the Red Line."
For some unknown reason, Erza's face suddenly flushed crimson, making her even more beautiful and captivating.
At the banquet, Whitebeard Newgate tasted the strong liquor brought by Erza. Even though he was a heavy drinker, he was choked by the first sip and his face turned red.
Then his eyes lit up as he looked at the bottle in his hand. That big gulp had given him a tipsy feeling, it was so comfortable.
Marco and the others stared at the liquor with shining eyes, their mouths watering, and exclaimed that it was a fine wine.
When Erza revealed that she had brought a full twenty cartloads of this wine, along with other daily necessities and local delicacies, Whitebeard Newgate was even more pleased.
Erza didn't stay long. When the banquet ended, Whitebeard Newgate was already a little drunk, but he still made a request.
The future revenue will consist of 2 billion Beli worth of living supplies each year, and other expenses can be paid for with Beli.
Erza naturally agreed, as this would save the merchant guild a considerable amount of money, since they produced many of the supplies themselves.
The next day, even though Whitebeard Newgate had drunk a bit too much the day before, he still had Marco wake him up, and then, along with a dozen or so captains, personally saw Erza.
Marco couldn't stop laughing as he watched the three merchant ships sail away.
" Pops, I never expected someone would personally deliver Beli and supplies to us. Now we don't have to worry about supplies and Beli anymore. The Abyss Chamber of Commerce is truly amazing!"
Whitebeard Newgate looked at his son, a deep, solemn expression on his face.
"This money isn't so easy to get. Don't forget, among those annihilated guys, there was one you couldn't even defeat: the Abyss Chamber of Commerce!"
But then Whitebeard Newgate, suddenly laughed again.
"But you're right, we don't need to worry about Beli anymore. Spread the word that the Abyss Chamber of Commerce is our friend from now on, and no one can touch them."
"Remember, they'll be our cash cows from now on, so protect them well! Sons, let's celebrate with a feast! Hahahaha..."
Marco and the others didn't notice that when Whitebeard Newgate returned to the cabin, his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the merchant ship again!
Erza relayed the news to Lin Yuan, while Tesoro, who was nearby, was also on his way back.
At this point, all three parties had reached an agreement, especially the Red Hair Pirates, who were only required to pay a billion Beli per year.
Lin Yuan estimated that this time, the three parties would only need about six billion Beli a year to cooperate with them, and he would gain much more than that.
Just as he was planning what to do next, his Den Den Mushi rang again. It was Genzo calling. The moment he answered, Lin Yuan's expression changed, and a murderous intent filled the entire sea.
" Lin Yuan, I'm in trouble..."