Just as Edmund asked his question, Kuro took his first sip of wine. He smacked his lips, met Edmund's expectant gaze, and said:
"This wine is quite good..."
Edmund smiled and said, "You haven't answered my question yet, Golden Lion."
"Huh? What did you say?" Kuro took another sip of wine, swirling the glass as he commented, "This wine is indeed quite good, almost as good as my own private stash. A king is a king, he's got money."
As a high-ranking officer in the Navy and also a business tycoon, Kuro himself collects taxes, so it's no surprise that he's rich. He also has power, and he can enjoy all kinds of fine wines, but he has never tasted this particular wine.
But it makes sense. He's the king, after all. He has power and money. Look at how he exploits his people so much. Can't he still get whatever he wants?
"Of course, if you want, I have plenty more in my private stash. I'll have a waiter send a batch to your warship later."
Edmund smiled slightly and continued, "It seems General Jinni doesn't quite like my question."
"Huh? Questions? Questions are for learned people to answer. I'm an old illiterate man who's never been to school, how could I possibly answer any questions?" Kuro said.
Good heavens, there is no such thing as 'academic qualifications' in this world. To study, you either need to hire a knowledgeable private tutor or find your own way to learn. You can't rely on luck and be self-taught.
Kuro's literacy was purely due to his own efforts. He begged others to teach him to read when he was a child. As for semantic explanations, those were all from his past life.
He was certain that half of the navy's men were merely literate; otherwise, why would he like to use Kro so much? It was just convenient, wasn't it?
For an illiterate person, even someone who can read is a strategist.
The cunning strategist.
"The mighty Golden Lion General, the nemesis of the old era, is actually such an interesting person. It's quite a coincidence that I've never been to school either." Edmund smiled and said, "I've always disliked old scholars since I was a child. They teach such pedantic things and even make me write a diary. I am the king, why should I write a diary?"
“Yes, why do we need to keep a diary?” Kuro nodded.
"Do you keep a diary?" Edmund asked.
“I don’t write, I can’t read, what about you?” Kuro said.
“I won’t write either,” Edmund said. “Writing in a diary means you’re not expressing your true feelings.”
"Who writes their true feelings in a diary? It's much better to just curse them out directly," Kuro laughed.
"Yeah, who keeps a diary if they're a decent person?"
"Can someone who keeps a diary be a decent person?"
The two men looked at each other and smiled, then said in unison, "Despicable."
Edmund smiled, raised his glass to Kuro in a toasting gesture, took a sip, and then suddenly pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket. With a flick of his finger, the parchment slid smoothly to Kuro.
"I admire you, so I'm going to give you a little something in return. Here, this document is it. I've decided to fund your navy with 100 million Berries every year, and you'll personally receive an additional 30 million Berries. It's not much, but every little bit helps. How about it, sign it?"
As he spoke, he pulled a pen from his pocket and pushed it toward Kuro.
"I can't read."
Although Kuro said that, he still glanced at the parchment subconsciously when it came over, and then his smile froze.
The parchment on it really did say what Edmund said: to fund the Navy with 100 million Berries every year, and to give himself an additional 30 million Berries, but with a condition: Lucilfer Kuro must make sacrifices for Edmund if necessary.
pay?
What do we have to give in return?
Where did this contract come from?
"Did your brain get so soft from soaking in alcohol too much? How could you come up with something so outlandish?" Kuro said instinctively.
"Aren't you illiterate?" Edmund smiled.
A moment of silence fell over the scene.
Kuro looked up at Edmund, who was still smiling, and seeing the mockery and cunning in his eyes, he gritted his teeth and said, "Playing with me? What the hell did you call me here for?"
Edmund slowly stood up, chuckling, "As I just said, I actually admire you, Lucilfer Kuro. So, would you like to serve me? I'll show you a career that's even more exciting and noble than being a Marine. Of course, you'll still get paid. I'll give you 100 million Berries directly, and you'll become my servant."
"Idiot!"
Kuro stood up and walked out, saying, "Give me the agreed-upon 100 million Berries later. I'm off!"
What he wanted was the appearance fee of 100 million Berries that had been agreed upon beforehand.
But upon hearing this, Edmund's eyes gleamed, and a smile spread across his face. "The contract is complete..."
brush!
Before he could even utter the word "stand," a black light suddenly flashed from nowhere, slicing across his neck and severing his head. A large spurt of blood gushed from his neck, shooting high up towards his head before spinning and falling to the ground.
"Damn it, a trap of language-based abilities!"
Kuro wasn't stupid. As soon as he finished speaking, he instinctively felt a chill and a sense of danger. Coupled with what Edmund hadn't said yet, it was obvious that it was a verbal trap!
Kuro has encountered such people before; the "Reverse-Reverse Fruit" from back then, which could even reverse life and death through language, also had this kind of ability.
His own words just now seemed to have inadvertently fulfilled some condition; otherwise, his Observation Haki wouldn't have made him sense the danger.
Then it's time to take action.
So what if he's the king? Just kill him!
"You've got some nerve! You dare to even covet a naval admiral!"
Kuro stared at the head with wide eyes and said hatefully, "But with your meager strength, how could you possibly be faster than my sword just by relying on your abilities?"
If such unpredictable abilities are the result of conspiracies and tricks, then hard power is the only path to success.
When things are done uprightly and honestly, all conspiracies and tricks will naturally have nowhere to hide.
Especially since there were only the two of them left in this place, and they couldn't even stop them, so why did they dare to treat them like this?
They just rashly killed a king...
Kuro flicked his sword, wiping the blood off the blade, and sheathed it. He then rubbed his temples, looking troubled. "This is a bit of a problem. Although he had designs on me, he's still dead here, and I can't deny it. Everyone knows he invited me here, and now that he's dead, with his neck so clean, it's obvious I killed him... What do I do?"
This is different from before in the East China Sea, where he found clear evidence of the crime and killed the criminal.
But this time there was nothing. If he were killed, he would be complained about by the member states, which would be a big deal.
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