I've noticed that many readers are confused about the bounty amounts of the Four Emperors, often feeling that they are too low. Here, I'll provide a practical explanation.
First of all, a bounty doesn't represent the actual value of the person themselves, but rather the price the issuer is willing to pay to eliminate the target.
For example, Saddam's bounty back in the day was $25 million, which converts to 3.5 billion yen. Laden's final bounty was $50 million, though this is likely the highest publicly disclosed amount in the history of the United States, making it less of a reference point and more of a symbolic gesture based on stance.
Readers, viewing things from a god-like perspective, feel that the Four Emperors, who control entire regions, must be worth more than their bounties suggest. It's like how Laden couldn't possibly be unable to come up with $50 million. This is why the bounties seem low.
But as mentioned earlier, the bounties on the Four Emperors can be understood as the cost the Navy is willing to bear to eliminate them.
Otherwise, if the Emperor Crews were to unite, their combined value wouldn't be less than the Navy's. The Navy can't exactly sell itself off just to issue bounties.
That's the explanation for bounties. Next, let's talk about the purchasing power of Berries, which is quite interesting.
Many readers have been confused about the purchasing power of Berries, so let's start with the setting of Berries.
Purchasing Power: 1 Berry = 1 yen.
This is undeniably the official setting.
Now, the purchasing power of yen is somewhat perplexing to us Chinese. It seems to fluctuate, sometimes high, sometimes low.
First, the Pirate King was born in Japan in the 1990s. At that time, Japan's economy was in its twilight years, but it still retained some of its former glory. It was a high-income, high-consumption society, but the purchasing power was still relatively strong.
Even now, after thirty years of economic stagnation, Japan remains a developed country.
Due to differences in national conditions, China is a developing country with abundant resources and cheap labor. So, some things that seem very cheap to us are actually expensive in Japan, and some things that seem expensive to us are even more expensive there, or surprisingly cheap.
For example, Chinese people wouldn't understand how a round watermelon could sell for hundreds of thousands of yuan, because in the northwest, watermelons grown on sandy slopes are bigger than piglets and so sweet they could rot your teeth, costing just a few cents per pound in the summer.
This kind of regional disparity can also be seen within China. For instance, the cost of living in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou is high because these cities have reached the level of developed countries, with generally higher wages than elsewhere, though not by much.
From my backend, I can see the distribution of readers across provinces and their subscription levels, which also gives some insight into the economic status and personal qualities of readers from different regions… Guangdong has the most subscribers and the least trolls (whispering).
Back to the topic, the Pirate King's Berries are pegged to yen, but the purchasing power is also based on Japanese society. Remember, it's about purchasing power.
And it's based on the purchasing power of yen from the 1990s to the early 2000s, which was still relatively strong, though resources and labor were expensive. But as for big-ticket items like cars and ships… well, they're just too expensive here (_)
The World Economic News costs 100 Berries per copy, equivalent to 5 RMB. Nami mentioned that it originally cost 50 Berries, which can be seen as 2.5 RMB, aligning with the economic context of Japan at the time, including inflation.
However, some items that should be expensive, like Devil Fruits starting at 100 million Berries and Supreme Grade Swords costing tens of millions, seem somewhat unreasonable.
Personally, I think the reason is that Oda was still... well... what you might call a "loser" back then, lacking much worldly experience. But aside from these items, the purchasing power of other things in the original storyline was relatively normal.
So, after careful consideration, I set the protagonist's assets at 100 billion Berries, which can be understood as the equivalent of a coal tycoon in China with a net worth of several billion RMB. Any more than that, and he'd easily become a "cash cow"; any less, and he wouldn't have enough influence for people to take him seriously.
In terms of assets, after corporate revenue is taxed, half is set aside as reserves and operating funds. The remaining amount is then used to pay workers, distribute dividends to shareholders, and grease the wheels of relationships. Only then does the protagonist get his share. So, even if the company earns a net income of 10 billion Berries a year, the protagonist might end up with less than 1 billion. Compared to the Collection System, which is a cheat ability, this income is almost negligible.
Aside from the resource buff, I gave the protagonist the label of a "rising business star," a man with endless resources. You can think of him as a magnate in the resource industry, with wide-ranging connections that allow him to obtain any resource. He has some influence in the mineral resources sector, but that doesn't mean he dominates the entire East Blue business circle.
So, when some readers interpret this as him being a super-rich tycoon, a pure "cash cow," I really can't help it!
Some people even say, "If I were Doflamingo, I'd do this or that, I'd enslave you!" I say, don't you dare insult Doflamingo like that. He's in the business of zero-cost ventures, capturing slaves and making pure profits of hundreds of thousands to millions of Berries.
Who does he sell the slaves to? Which group's money is he earning? Where does he invest the money he makes?
There are so many paths in life, yet you choose the poorest one, crossing the Grand Line to rob a mining tycoon in Loguetown, East Blue? Then you'd offend all your clients and ruin your own reputation?
Are you out of your mind?
I can even imagine the mental state of the person saying this, probably right after their parents cut their allowance, realizing the harsh truth of the world. Usually cheerful, but once provoked, they turn into a dark, menacing demon, and everyone will suffer their terrible wrath...
I can understand if a teenager says something like this—who hasn't gone through an edgy phase?
But if you're in your twenties and still think this way, instead of reading novels, you should really go get your brain checked.
Honestly, when I first set up the protagonist's background, I did consider the issue of net worth. After all, I'm the author, and I anticipated most of the criticisms readers might have.
But after careful consideration, given the protagonist's conditions—a physical enterprise focused on resource extraction, not only lacking a "head start" but also having a resource cheat, with a bounty worth tens of millions of Berries, and a net worth comparable to a local coal tycoon in East Blue...
Thinking about how Capone Bege could dominate the West Sea underworld before setting sail, it doesn't seem too far-fetched.
I expected some people might think the protagonist's net worth is too high or too low, that his strength is too strong or too weak, or that they don't understand the Berries-to-yen conversion, or that he can't afford Devil Fruits despite being rich, but...
What do you mean you don't know what a business is? That assets equal liquid funds?
Listen, buddy...
A man can be immature, he can be broke, but if he hasn't eaten pork, he should at least have seen a pig run. Otherwise, he'll always be immature, always be broke. There are certain things or rules that you may not want to accept, may not be able to understand, but their existence is an objective fact that won't change no matter how much you rage, throw tantrums, or curse.
Consider this a subtle retort to those troll readers.
To put it bluntly: if you lack knowledge, you should read more. The world doesn't revolve around you.
Don't say things like "you're bringing reality into the world of pirates." Damn it, weren't you pretty slick with the survival-of-the-fittest logic when you were trolling me? At least I followed the rules of corporate operations to set the protagonist's background. What were you following when you trolled me? Your master's orders?
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