The arms trade in Wano Kuni wasn't discontinued; most of the business relies on the underground black market of the New World for circulation. The underground industry of the New World has long been divided up; aside from the Hundred Beasts, no one else can get a foothold in it.
There are specialized merchants for warehousing and shipping, and the Hundred Beasts only need to handle the dispatching.
As the business expanded, letting intermediaries take a share of the profit resulted in even greater earnings for them.
However, certain new customers would have the Hundred Beasts Pirates deliver directly, such as those located in the first half of the Grand Line.
With the escalating influence of the Great Pirate Era, various countries, factions, and pirate crews are increasingly dependent on weapons. Just mixing some Wine Iron Ore powder into blades makes them sharper.
Adding a bit of Wine Iron Ore powder into the barrels enhances the durability and lifespan, making the Hundred Beasts Pirates' arms consistently occupy a high-end market share.
The standard weapons leaked from the Navy and those produced by the Hundred Beasts have always been the most popular types. This trip to Mandfeish is to meet their new client.
The West Kael Kingdom, a non-affiliated nation on the island of Kuraigana in the first half of the Grand Line, is currently embroiled in warfare; the kingdom's army is engaged in battle with the rebel forces.
The war started not long ago, prompted by taxation issues. Two years ago, West Kael V ascended the throne. Despite being royalty, he was dissatisfied. He wanted to join the World Government and become an affiliated nation, ultimately becoming part of the World Nobility.
Joining the World Government required paying an additional tribute known as the Celestial Gold. To gather this, he targeted taxes. Within a year, West Kael Kingdom saw the emergence of various bizarre taxes.
But this was far from enough, not even sufficient for bribing others. The world had numerous countries, and joining the World Government without introductions was impossible, and they wouldn't introduce anyone without reason, so he had to pave the way with Belly.
In such circumstances, he chose to further raise taxes. The original taxation made life harsh, but people could still survive, so none opted to join the rebel forces.
However, he breached the citizens' tolerance limits this way. When a household couldn't pay taxes and got arrested, tensions finally exploded.
The kingdom saw its first upheaval, initially aiming only to demand the abolition of taxes, but a genius minister gave him an outrageous suggestion: As long as the commoners can still resist, the taxes aren't high enough. Just keep raising them until they can't resist anymore.
Thus, a protest turned into a rebel force. Since they had to pay heavy taxes anyway, they pooled money to buy weapons from passing merchant ships.
In this Great Pirate Era, weapons were more valuable than gold. Eight out of ten merchant ships would carry them, and that's how the West Kael rebellion fully erupted.
One side had more numbers, the other better equipment and training; this stalemate left West Kael in a deadlock.
As time passed, both sides pondered how to resolve their opponent, while the rebel forces began seeking more refined arms, ultimately finding the Hundred Beasts.
This had little to do with the Hundred Beasts themselves—when selling weapons, they didn't check birth certificates. Mandfeish was delivering this batch simply because their offer was high enough.
"Brother Mandfeish, we've arrived!"
"I see it, but the fight is quite lively. Where's the recipient? It would be embarrassing if we delivered to the wrong side; reputation is still very important."
This chaotic battle scenario wasn't ideal for them. If they accidentally delivered weapons to the owner's enemy, it would be a joke.
"They said they'd wait for us at the East Coast harbor."
"Furl the sails, we'll head over at night. Their conflict doesn't concern us."
Mandfeish had no intention of meddling in their battleground. The Hundred Beasts Pirates offered mercenary services, but that was an additional fee. Encountering the opponent's squad during the day couldn't be resolved satisfactorily by either fighting or not fighting. Mandfeish wouldn't let the other side get free use of their force.
In the evening, Mandfeish took a few men to first land at the eastern harbor of Kuraigana Island by small boat.
"Who's there!"
As the boat docked, several armed figures appeared from the shadows. In Mandfeish's perception, a few others were hiding elsewhere, not revealing themselves.
"Bringing weapons—is Jeff your guy?"
Mandfeish mentioned the recipient's name, but it didn't ease the others' vigilance; instead, they questioned Mandfeish for the agreed-upon password.
Only after receiving the correct answer did they lead them to the rebel army's base. That's what they called themselves, but to the kingdom, they were rebels.
"Ammunition, blades—we've brought everything you asked for. Where's the money?"
"It's here, but it's only half… The remainder will come after we defeat the others. Our funds are a bit…"
"Hey, old man, are you joking with me? You think our business is a buy-now-pay-later kind?"
Upon hearing there was no money, Mandfeish's expression changed abruptly. This line of business had no room for credit; once started, it would never stop.
"Don't think I'm a pushover, alright? Your budget is your problem. If you can't settle the balance, we certainly won't refund the deposit."
If money was available, they were clients; if not, they were stringing them along.
"We lost a huge amount of resources due to a front-line defeat, so…"
"And that's not my concern! Just tell me, do you have the money or not?"
As he spoke, Mandfeish slammed his fist onto the table. In his mind, this punch would surely shatter the table, but a massive recoil nearly sprained his wrist.
"Wait, Brother Mandfeish."
His subordinate suddenly held Mandfeish back, which slightly displeased him.
"What's up?"
"Brother Mandfeish, that thing... seems to be... that..."
While it hadn't broken, the force from Mandfeish's punch had knocked the items on the table aside. The toppled table revealed the shape of a plate.
The Hundred Beasts Pirates had a straightforward method for testing plates—if it didn't break, it was real. Mandfeish was confident in his own strength; seeing the undamaged surface, he realized he'd struck gold.
"Ahem, don't worry, everyone. This is actually a show; you're new clients, so here's a little discount. But this stone is pretty solid—hope you don't mind if we take it?"