Ten billion Berries!
A full ten billion Berries!
Even in the era of Monkey D. Luffy, that would be an astronomical figure—let alone in the year 1484!
At present, even Rocks' bounty stood at only 4,988,000,000 Berries. That was equivalent to the combined bounties of two top-tier overlords!
Seeing the greedy glint flash through the eyes of his subordinates, Rocks was deeply satisfied. Though Whitebeard had little interest in money, Rocks had done him a few favors in the past. Coupled with the captain's command, Whitebeard would certainly not be absent.
"Mamamamama! Those Five Elders really are generous this time! Ten billion Berries!"
Big Mom even set aside her favorite cake, already calculating how to seize the greatest possible share of the spoils.
"Jihahahaha! Captain, you should've said so earlier! So what's the plan? Should we start gathering our men right now?"
Golden Lion Shiki looked impatient. Ambitious as he was, he knew well that building an invincible fleet required an astronomical amount of money. Over the years, his savings hadn't amounted to much. But if luck was on his side during this operation, his wealth could easily double.
"Don't rush. My informant hasn't delivered the more specific details yet. For the time being, everyone should keep a low profile and begin preparations."
Rocks paused, then added:
"Shiki, after the meeting, take that brat Roldy to meet the shipwrights. It's about time he had his own ship built. And…"
Facts proved that brute strength alone wasn't enough to sit atop the throne of supremacy. Rocks possessed a sharp and flexible mind. His plans were meticulous and thorough. Seeing that no one raised objections, he gave a few final instructions and ended the meeting cleanly.
As for Roldy , he had only one thought—
Fleet Admiral Kong… you should learn from this.
Thinking back to the endless, long-winded meetings at Marine Headquarters, wasn't Fleet Admiral Kong always rambling on about useless nonsense? And yet this meeting under Rocks hadn't even taken half an hour.
"Jihahahaha! What're you spacing out about, brat?"
Shiki jabbed Roldy in the side, snapping him back to reality.
"The captain's already arranged for the shipwrights to come. Let's go. Time to order your ship. You've got enough money, right?"
Even among pirates, transactions like this required payment. If word spread that they refused to pay, their reputation would sour. Next time they needed repairs, the shipwrights would simply refuse. Even if forced through intimidation, the work certainly wouldn't be done with care.
"Uh…"
Shiki had struck a nerve.
Roldy had only been here a few days. Sure, he'd robbed a few pirates—but his savings totaled only a few tens of millions of Berries. That was enough for an ordinary pirate ship.
But something better?
Seeing Roldy 's expression, Shiki immediately understood that the kid was short on funds. His eyes rolled, and he burst into hearty laughter.
"Jihahahaha! No problem! If you're really broke, you can just stay in my Second Division. What's one more person aboard my ship? Just say the word, and you'll have all the Berries you need!"
Shiki spoke generously.
Roldy shot him a speechless glance.
Yeah right.
Generous? You're just trying to recruit me into your division—and you're not even subtle about it.
Roldy could board Golden Lion Shiki's ship if he wanted—but getting off later wouldn't be so easy. There was no way Shiki would make a loss-making deal for nothing.
Seeing that Roldy remained silent, Shiki didn't press the matter. In the end, he still generously lent Roldy 200 million Berries—one-tenth of his total savings. In the brutal and merciless world of pirates, that level of generosity was already astonishing.
With capital in hand, Shiki accompanied Roldy to the docks. The shipwrights had been waiting there for some time. The moment they saw Roldy beside Golden Lion, several sharp-eyed craftsmen immediately recognized him. Their hearts churned with shock, but none of them dared say anything aloud.
Roldy didn't think his requirements for the ship were excessive.
At least, that was what he believed.
However…
After listening to all of Roldy 's specifications and examining the blueprint he had drawn, the lead shipwright fell into a long silence.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
Roldy frowned, unable to understand what was so difficult about such modest demands.
"Uh… Captain Roldy , your design is a bit challenging for us. But I do have a very good suggestion! And it won't cost you a single Berry."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"How about you take your men and seize a Marine warship instead?"
The shipwright spoke cautiously.
Shiki glanced at the blueprint and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Wasn't that a Marine Headquarters warship?
And judging by the scale—it was a large-class vessel. The kind typically assigned to Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral s.
It was well known that a significant part of the Marines' dominance at sea stemmed from their warships.
Compared to the average pirate ship, Marine warships were practically a generation ahead. Even the smallest warship cost at least 50 million Berries to build. Medium and large-class warships increased in price geometrically. The funds Roldy had on hand were nowhere near enough for such a vessel.
"There's really no other way?"
Having grown accustomed to commanding Marine warships, Roldy instinctively wanted a pirate ship built in the same style. Unfortunately, even if he put up over 200 million Berries, these traditional shipwrights simply couldn't construct a large-class warship for him. Even a medium-class one would be pushing their limits.
"To be honest, we've been in this trade for over a decade and have never received an order to build a warship. On one hand, the cost of a Marine warship is astronomical. Many of the materials involved—forget purchasing them—private possession alone is considered a crime."
"And on the other hand… the blueprints for Marine warships have never been leaked."
As he spoke, the shipwright picked up the blueprint again, studying it carefully—as though trying to memorize every detail.
Roldy immediately understood.
In truth, he had seen the warship schematics in the Fleet Admiral's archives. They had been given to him as a reward by Vice Admiral Tsuru, his cultural studies instructor. He had only reviewed them twice before committing the entire design to memory.
"Fine."
Roldy reluctantly gave up on the idea of a large-class warship.
In the end, he emptied his entire savings and borrowed another 100 million Berries from Shiki—bringing the total to 330 million Berries.
Only then did he secure a vessel built to Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral standards.
So—
What should this ship be called?
(Ship name proposals welcome…)
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