Chapter 61 The Player Who Loses Face and the...
"The eggplants, carrots, and corn we brought this time are... According to the price we agreed on before, the amount of peles you should pay should be this much."
Luo quickly wrote down a string of numbers on the notebook. Marco solemnly took the paper, compared it with the list Sachi had made, and mentally calculated the numbers. After a few seconds, he nodded.
"The amount is correct, but as our first customer, your island lord and our Whitebeard Pirates promised a discount." Marco adjusted his glasses and recounted verbatim the detailed discount policy that Vera had mentioned back then, a policy that was as complex as a calculus problem.
Luo glanced at Vera.
Oh no, I forgot to inform Luo beforehand.
Whitebeard glanced down at Violet, who was quietly hiding behind him, and stepped forward responsibly, allowing Violet to be hidden by his broad back and fluffy, soft blond hair.
Luo withdrew his gaze. No matter how much he felt that Vera was going to back out every now and then, he still had to give face to the island lord in front of outsiders.
Luo: "In that case, we should calculate it using this method..."
Marco: "It would be cheaper to use this discount method..."
Luo: "But this way you'll use up all your discounts this time. With my method, you can keep one discount coupon for next time. As long as you buy the same amount next time, this method will be even more cost-effective."
Marco: "I saw it, Yoi. Your discount coupons have an expiration date. Putting aside whether you can grow a new batch of fruits and vegetables and deliver them before the expiration date, the Moby Dick is not always in this sea area. Once the distance is far and the delivery time is long, there is a risk that the discount coupons will expire."
Luo squinted his eyes: "How about this..."
Violet, listening to the two's heated discussion: Abba aba...
Whitebeard raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, then raised his hand again a few seconds later.
"This price is good, it's a pleasure to do business with you."
After the two finally finalized the price and the sales method for the fruit and vegetable business, Violet, who was so bored that she started poking at Olbia in her backpack, and Whitebeard, who was counting the planks on the floor of the captain's cabin, both breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, it's over...
Marco: "Now let's talk about the compensation for escorting the fruits and vegetables. The initial production of fruits and vegetables in R'lyeh was not much, and it was barely enough to supply the Moby Dick. Moreover, the brand name had not been established, so it was unknown how much could be sold."
Marco proposed, "Let's use a commission system. For each escort mission, we'll take a percentage of your profits based on the escort's strength, number of people, and the distance covered."
Luo calmly and incisively pointed out the problem with this approach: "Perhaps at the beginning, the commission system sounds good. But the quality of La Leyeh's fruits and vegetables is extremely high, and we can completely predict their future sales. If we still use commissions then, you will make too much money."
Violet and Whitebeard: Help! Why are they arguing again?
Vera: "Lo, we don't have much cash, so a commission system is fine."
Whitebeard: "Marco, it's too troublesome to recalculate the commission every time. It would be better to just set a rough number."
After haggling for a long time, Luo and Marco, their mouths dry and heads spinning, turned to look at the two of them at the same time.
Marco: "Dad."
Luo: "Island Owner."
Marco: "Sachi's lunch should be almost ready. Dad, if you're bored, go grab something to eat."
Luo: "Didn't the captain have something to tell you? You two can talk while you eat."
Whitebeard and Valerie stood outside the captain's cabin, staring at the tightly closed door: ...
Whitebeard: "You bastard Marco, I'm your old man!"
Vera: "You bastard, I'm your savior!"
Whitebeard and Violet exchanged a glance.
The status of the captain/island owner on this vast sea is far too low!
Whitebeard snorted, gripped the Murakumogiri, and turned around with a flourish, his long, wavy golden hair dazzlingly bright: "Let's go, I know a place on the ship where we won't be disturbed!"
Violet: "I have plenty of vegetable cocktails here."
Whitebeard: "Tsk, that stuff has no taste at all, it's no fun to drink. I can let you try my treasure in a bit."
When Marco and Law finally finished discussing the two matters and were about to go find their beloved father/island lord, they saw Vale clinging to Whitebeard's arm, grabbing his hair and acting drunk, and Whitebeard sitting cross-legged on the deck, covering his face with one hand in a helpless manner.
Violet: "Gold nuggets, gold nuggets, all my gold nuggets."
His crescent-shaped beard twitched: "Hiss—wait, don't put my hair in your pocket!"
Marco looked at the empty barrel in front of Whitebeard, and all the guilt he had felt for kicking his father out of the captain's cabin vanished.
Marco's eyelids drooped, and there were dark circles under his eyes from staying up late these past few days: "Dad, explain yourself?"
Luo stepped forward and lifted the obviously drunk Violet up by her arms, while also rescuing Whitebeard's blond hair, which had only recently grown out but was almost bald.
Drunk and powerless, Vera let Luo half-drag and half-carry her up as if she had no bones. She leaned back and rested her head on Luo's shoulder, staring at him with hazy, drunken eyes.
Luo raised an eyebrow: "What?"
Vera: "Mushrooms! They're a variety of mushrooms I've never seen before... Strange, why can mushrooms talk?"
Ha, not only can mushrooms talk, but they also want to hit people now.
Vera: "Why is the ground shaking... Ugh, so sleepy, snoring..."
Her alcohol-numbed brain felt drowsy, and Vera closed her eyes, falling into a baby-like sleep.
Marco was still criticizing the white-bearded man, saying, "How can you give alcohol to a child?" The tall and dignified man's gaze wandered between the deck and the barrels of alcohol, but he dared not look directly into the eyes of his first division captain.
Luo: "I'll take the island lord to rest first."
Marco rubbed his temples: "Have Sachi bring some hangover soup to Vil later. It's her first time getting drunk, she should be careful not to get a headache."
Whitebeard retorted, "That's a problem only with inferior wine. My treasured wines would never cause headaches!"
Under the effects of alcohol comparable to a sleeping potion, when Vera woke up again it was already dusk, and when she opened her eyes she was met with a blank face.
Violet: "Olbia, you're out again!"
Violet: "Mr. Edward said you're from O'Hara, uh bastard."
While Whitebeard and Violet were drinking in a corner, he casually told Violet about the Whitebeard Pirates' investigation.
With Olbia's name and his less-than-common appearance, the White Team identified the little ghost in just half a day—a resident of Ohara and an archaeologist who had once led an expedition to search for historical texts.
Violet thought of Olbia taking the Vista Journal: "So your treasure is a historical text?"
This is not easy to find. Whitebeard gave Val a brief explanation of the historical texts and seriously warned her about the World Government's cruel measures against anyone who tries to explore or interpret history.
Eurydius still did not answer.
Violet: "Mr. Edward also said that you seem to have another daughter named... Nicole Robin?"
“Robin…”
Violet jumped out of bed in surprise: "Ah, you reacted! So, is your treasure the Poneglyph or Robin?"
Olvia lowered her head, a look of guilt appearing on her usually calm and indifferent face: "Robin... I'm sorry."
After saying this, Olbia disappeared, transforming back into a little ghost and returning to Vil's backpack.
Vierkang said, "Wait, what does your daughter look like? Where is she now? Where should I go to find her?"
I didn't tell her anything, just based on a name, isn't that like looking for a needle in a haystack?
Fortunately, Marco quickly sent Vil two arrest warrants.
One is Nico Robin, the daughter of the little ghost Olvia, and the other...
Vera stared blankly at her own photo on the wanted poster.
R'lyeh was probably too self-sufficient and lacked contact with the outside world. The legendary mail gull, which could fly to every corner of the world, was something that Verlen had never seen, let alone seen his own wanted poster.
What is this? It's an arrest warrant.
Who is the person in the photo on the arrest warrant? It's a wanted criminal.
Who is the wanted criminal? I am the wanted criminal.
Vera was shocked: "I'm a wanted criminal?"
Vera recalled what she had done after logging into the game and cried out that she was innocent; she was a law-abiding citizen!
Marco, who had learned about the background of Violet's wanted status during the interrogation of Lucci and the other two CP members, reminded them: "Sabaody Archipelago."
Sabaody Archipelago?
Violet remembered—it was those arrogant guys she'd met on the Sabaody Archipelago. Although she hadn't followed up after the Coating Craftsman locked them in cages, she could imagine what they'd encountered, given their precarious sanity when they were imprisoned.
Although she is involved in the whole incident, she wasn't the one who did the dirty work. How can you slander someone's innocence out of thin air?!
Violet slammed her head heavily on the table, startling Marco.
Vera: "My fruit and vegetable business..."
Marco chuckled, pulled Violet up, and then a flame of regeneration appeared on his index finger, landing on her slightly reddened forehead.
"It's only seventy million Berries, yoi, it won't affect your business at all."
The Navy and the World Government set bounties for pirates and those who pose a threat to the World Government's rule, and the profession of bounty hunter, who hunts these people and earns the bounty, came into being.
A bounty of 70 million Berries is neither a lot nor a little. If Violet were a pirate active in the four seas, she might attract the attention of some skilled bounty hunters who would target her.
Kovel is now in the latter half of the Grand Line, a paradise for pirates.
Violet, who can move freely in this place, is already far stronger than 70 million Berries. Even if a bounty hunter or a Marine were to get their hands on that money, they would not be a match for Violet.
Vera thought about it and realized that more than 80% of the members of the Whitebeard Pirates had higher bounties than her, yet they could go wherever they wanted and even casually plant their pirate flag on an island without any problem.
"There is still room for improvement."
Marco made a joke, saying that for high-ranking pirates like the division commanders, bounties actually became proof of their strength.
Vera asked curiously, "How much is Marco's bounty?"
"1.3 billion Berries, and by the way, Dad has 5 billion Berries."
Marco said with some pride, and that once the news of his father's return to his prime spreads and is confirmed after several battles, the bounty will increase significantly.
So this bounty is actually some kind of reputation system?
Violet did the math: 5 billion Berries, in units of tens, hundreds, thousands... that's many, many times hers!
Marco Bird's tail practically flew up to the sky as he met Violet's shocked and amazed gaze. Luckily, he still had some of the composure of a high-ranking pirate, so he didn't burst out laughing in front of Violet.
Violet put her and Robin's bounty posters into her bag. Olvia, who had been quietly sitting in the corner of the backpack, began to move quietly from one compartment to another without Violet noticing, until she was next to the bounty poster with Robin's picture on it, and then she became quiet again.
"A storm is about to break out over this sea."
As soon as news of the old man's physical condition spread, not only the Navy, but also Kaido and Big Mom, who are also Emperors of the Sea, couldn't sit still. They would at least test him a few times to confirm his current strength.
"The squad leader who went out to relieve the troops has brought back a lot of things."
Marco, referring to the agreed-upon compensation with Violet, asked, "Should we take Luo along to see it now?"
"I have prepared a large ship for you. You can take whatever you like with you."
Violet's treatment results far exceeded Marco's expectations, and his original half-joking, half-serious "take as much as you can" statement seemed somewhat insufficient.
Marco chuckled as he recalled the enormous ship that Izang had prepared. It must have been quite a feat for him to find such a vessel; he was worried that if it were loaded with too much gold, it would sink halfway through the journey.
Why not just transport it a few more times? No matter how hard Violet tries to move it, it's nothing compared to the wealth on the Moby Dick.
Marco easily lifted one leg, and the golden tassel anklet on his ankle bounced twice in his joyful mood.
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Author's Note: Whitebeard: As captain, I've never had the courage to drink with Marco. What I fear most is looking into Marco's deep eyes. The eyes of the person in charge of the treasury are the thing a captain fears most in his life...
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