Tofu was also a tough man. He clenched his teeth and did not make a sound.
But blood seeped from his skin, staining a large part of the deck red.
Just as Bartholomew Kuma grabbed another handful of pain and was about to press it into Tofu's body, Chinjao opened his eyes in agony and said, "Enough. I will talk!"
"Wouldn't it have been easier if you had done that earlier? You had to make it so ugly…" Valthior finally smiled.
"Even if I tell you where the Jewel Ice Sheet is, you will not be able to take my treasure. Not just you. Now that Garp has bent my head, even I cannot open it," Chinjao said through gritted teeth.
"As long as it is a glacier, there is no way I cannot open it," Valthior said with great disdain. "Besides, do not compare your strength to mine."
The Jewel Ice Sheet was indeed very hard, but saying only Chinjao's head could open it was nonsense.
Whitebeard in his prime could probably smash the whole glacier apart with one punch. The world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, or someone like Shanks, could probably split it open with one strike too.
Chinjao believed it could not be opened only because he judged it by his own strength and vision.
Garp could flatten his head, so how could he not open the Jewel Ice Sheet?
Thinking of Valthior's ability, Chinjao looked helpless in the end. He took a deep breath and said, "Southeast of Kano Country in the West Blue. Pass through the Whirlpool Sea, known as a forbidden sea in the West Blue, and you will see a glacier continent shining like jewels. That is the Jewel Ice Sheet…"
Although the Four Blues were not as dangerous as the Grand Line, they still had many very dangerous seas. Over time, people began calling those places forbidden zones.
Valthior had never been to the Whirlpool Sea of the West Blue, but it was said to be full of hidden currents and reefs. Because of that, the surface was covered with countless whirlpools of all sizes. Ships found it extremely hard to sail there. Without knowing the fixed routes, they could easily be caught by the whirlpools and end up destroyed.
And Chinjao's treasure was hidden there.
"Good. I may not be a good person, but I do keep my word. After this, we will head to the West Blue. Once I see the Jewel Ice Sheet, I will set you free," Valthior said, raising his brow.
"If you let me go, aren't you afraid I will come after you again in the future?" Chinjao looked straight at Valthior and asked.
"With just you?" Valthior laughed loudly. "You are welcome to come settle accounts with me anytime!"
If Chinjao did not come, then so be it. If he did, Valthior could use him as a whetstone for Shanks, Bullet, and the others. He hoped Chinjao would keep challenging them.
But when Valthior's gaze shifted back to Tofu, Chinjao froze. Then he cursed, "You bastard, you tricked me?"
"When did I trick you?" Valthior asked in confusion. "You are you, and he is he. You paid the Jewel Ice Sheet as your price, but he has not paid anything yet…"
Without wasting words on Chinjao, Valthior looked at Tofu with a smile. "Do you have any treasure to buy your life?"
Tofu glared at Valthior angrily. "I do not!"
"You sound proud for someone who has nothing. Poor bastard," Valthior said with a curl of his lip. "Chinjao, I will give you one more chance. You tell me, does he have any treasure to ransom himself? If not, I will kill him now."
Chinjao's face turned very ugly, but he still shook his head. "As far as I know, he really does not…"
"Didn't you say he is your sworn brother? One of the pillars of the Niho Navy? You have treasure, but he has none?" Valthior said, somewhat annoyed.
But Chinjao still shook his head, showing that Tofu truly did not have any treasure.
Seeing this, Valthior waved his hand. "Bullet, send him to feed the fish."
"Yes, Young Master." Bullet grinned fiercely, grabbed the heavily injured Tofu, whose body was covered in blood, and prepared to throw him into the sea.
Tofu was a Devil Fruit user and was also locked in Seastone cuffs. If he were thrown into the sea, he would definitely die.
At that moment, Chinjao quickly said, "As a pillar of the Niho Navy, Kano Country will definitely be willing to pay a high price to ransom him. Five billion Berries! When we reach Kano Country, I will explain the situation to the king and use five billion Berries to buy his life!"
"Five billion? Are you trying to send away a beggar?" Valthior said with disdain.
Chinjao was speechless.
Damn it, five billion Berries was almost the same as the bounty on Roger, the Pirate King, and Valthior still thought it was too little?
But compared to his Jewel Ice Sheet, it really was only a drop in the bucket.
The Jewel Ice Sheet was the treasure vault passed down through generations of the Happo Navy's leaders. It did not belong to Chinjao alone. For hundreds of years, wealth had been stored there, and even Chinjao did not know exactly how much it was worth.
He had only kept adding more to it.
Not counting the value and history of the treasures and antiques frozen there for centuries, Chinjao estimated that it had to be worth at least five or six hundred billion Berries.
Valthior also believed it should be at least around that amount.
Chinjao had paid such a huge price to buy his life, while Tofu only paid five billion. How could that be fair?
They might not think much of it now, but once they were free, whenever Chinjao remembered this, would he not beat his chest in regret? Would he not feel bitter? At that time, he would surely have some complaints toward Tofu, right?
Would that not damage the bond between brothers?
How could Valthior do something so shameless?
"Fifty billion Berries," Valthior said after thinking for a moment. "If Kano Country sends Fifty billion Berries, I will set him free."
Before Chinjao could speak, Tofu said directly, "The king will never pay Fifty billion Berries to ransom me. If he had that money, he would only use it to buy over the Niho Navy after losing me as its pillar, then turn it fully into his private force. So if that is your price, you might as well kill me."
"Bullet, throw him to the fish," Valthior said at once.
Bullet did not hesitate. He grabbed Tofu and walked toward the edge of the deck. Chinjao angrily tried to stand, but Bartholomew Kuma pressed him down hard.
At that moment, Spencer said, "Bullet, wait. If you throw him to the fish now, are you not throwing away Fifty billion Berries for nothing?"
Valthior froze.
That did seem to be true.
"I will pay the Fifty billion!" Chinjao shouted, throwing caution aside. "But I need time. I will gather Fifty billion Berries to buy his life!"
"Chinjao!" Tofu looked at Chinjao with deep emotion and shouted.
"You are my brother. We came to the New World together. If both of us died, then so be it. But if I live and you die, how could I go back and face anyone?" Chinjao said with emotion.
"Then it is settled. Fifty billion," Valthior said, too lazy to watch their brotherly feelings. He waved his hand. "Lock them up."
As he spoke, he stood and used Moonwalk to fly toward the dog-headed warship sailing nearby. "I am going to talk with that bastard Garp. Do whatever you want."
On the warship deck, Garp was wrapped in bandages, and his presence seemed a little weak. He hung up the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
He had just contacted Fleet Admiral Kong and confirmed their positions. They would regroup soon.
Before he could put away the Den Den Mushi, Valthior dropped from the sky. At first glance, Garp did not care. At second glance, he suddenly stood up in shock.
"You recovered!?"
Whether judging by his senses or Valthior's presence, Valthior's condition was far better than his own.
When they left together, this guy had still looked half-dead. How had he become like this in the blink of an eye?
"Hey there, Vice Admiral Garp. It has only been a few hours, and you still look this weak?" Valthior smiled wickedly. "This is a pretty good chance to finish you off, isn't it?"
"Feel free to try." Garp clicked his tongue. "What do you want?"
"I want to ask you a technical question," Valthior said, his expression turning serious. "Can Conqueror's Haki be stored?"
"What are you talking about?" Garp said in confusion. "How would that be possible?"
As expected, just like Roger and the others, Garp also did not know any technique for storing Conqueror's Haki.
"Then how did you keep such a full supply of Conqueror's Haki? You fought me for three days, yet you could still use Conqueror's Haki coating…" Valthior asked in confusion.
"You are a pirate, and you are asking me, a Marine, that kind of question. You think I will tell you?" Garp said with an annoyed look.
"Please call me Saint Valthior, Garp!" Valthior raised his chin arrogantly and ordered, "As the young master of one of the Five Elders' families, I now order you to answer this question."
"I have even punched your grandfather before…" Garp said with a cold laugh, not buying it at all.
This was the confidence of a Marine who feared nothing.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Valthior flicked his hand and threw a small notebook to Garp.
"I will trade this for it."
Garp opened the notebook in confusion. After looking at it twice, he read aloud, "Garp's middle school grades…"
The moment he said that, Valthior froze. He quickly reached out and snatched it back.
"Wrong one. Sorry, sorry…"
As he spoke, he threw another notebook to Garp. "This contains some of my notes on developing freezing abilities. You should understand that when it comes to this area, I am an authority on the sea. This will be very valuable to that young follower of yours. It can save him many years of wasted effort. How about it? Fair enough, right?"
"Hold on. What was that thing about Garp's middle school grades just now?" Garp stared hard at the other notebook in Valthior's hand.
"Oh, that is a manuscript Captain Roger sent me. Looks like he is writing your biography," Valthior lied with a calm face.
"Roger? Writing my biography? I never went to middle school," Garp said, not really believing him.
"He is a pirate. How much culture do you expect him to have? It is already good enough that he can write words. Do not mind the small details." Valthior waved his hand, then changed the topic. "So? I trade this for a talk about Conqueror's Haki…"
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