Chapter 38: Large-Scale Trade

What pirates need above all else is strength.

Having been a pirate for over ten years, I’ve only grown more convinced of this belief. And I’m not wrong. Having fun is important, but ordinary people can’t enjoy themselves unless they’re strong enough to do as they please—and even someone like me can’t act freely without strength.

Moreover, to achieve Kaido’s goals, we needed to prioritize strength as pirates above all else. That includes basic physical power, muscle strength, and more—but also the will to survive, the ruthlessness to take extreme measures, weapons, tools, swordsmanship, artillery, martial arts, Devil Fruit abilities, Haki… and for me, most importantly—vitality.

The power to endure any situation, and the sheer instinct for survival that exists in both beasts and humans—that’s what I value most.

After all, true strength is born in extreme conditions—awakening at the very brink of death.

So, if you keep dancing with death over and over, it’s only natural you’ll grow stronger. That’s why training—even if it’s the kind that would kill an ordinary person—is meaningless unless it pushes you to that limit.

---

"Ahhh, this brings back memories! Kaido and I were constantly on the verge of death back when we were rookies too!"

"Hah! Those were the days!! Man, that was fun!! No matter where we were, there were always bastards trying to kill us—let your guard down for even a second, and you were done for!!"

"Right, right! Every day was a fight for survival!! But, well, I do feel kinda bad for our subordinates if we put them through that all the time. Gotta show ‘em a little mercy, y’know? They’re precious comrades, after all!"

"WORORORO!! Damn right!! You lot are my most valuable assets!! So get stronger!! You hear me!?"

Laughing together, Kaido and I drank. It was a damn good time. Fighting, killing, enjoying delicious booze and food—this is what it means to revel in life with your crew, your comrades.

...Hm. Though, maybe the mood’s still a little lacking? After all—

"Hey, hey! C’mon, get up!! Training’s over—let’s drink! Quit playing dead already!"

"Guh… Ugh… Aah…"

I tried inviting my bloodied, collapsed comrade on the beach to join us, but it seemed he wasn’t in any state to drink. I tilted my head.

"Hmm. Maybe I went a tad too hard? But if I hold back too much, there’s no tension—no point in training at all!"

"WORORORO!! Let the ones who wanna die, die!! Every man’s got the right to choose where they kick the bucket!!"

"Mmm~ But if we do this every day, it’s gonna be hard to keep up with actual pirate work. Maybe I should dial it back just enough so they can recover in a day?"

As I sat on a chair set up on the night beach, tapping my cheek in thought, someone approached from beyond the bonfire. One of our top executives—

"...Nue… You gotta tone it down… or the crew won’t last..."

"Oh, King~! You’re already recovered? That’s our right-hand man for ya!"

"Hell yeah, King!! That’s what I call a reliable subordinate!! You deserve a damn reward!!"

"...Guess I’ve gotten used to it..."

King, one of the Beasts Pirates’ top officers, slowly walked over and slumped into a chair, exhaustion plain on his face—but at least he was well enough to join the nighttime barbecue and feast.

And right behind him—

"Another day, another beach drenched in blood… our crew’s blood."

"Oh, Queen~! Good work today! C’mere, let’s drink! Eat as much as you want, too!"

"Yeah!! Help yourself!! Hell, put on a damn show if you feel like it!!"

"Nah, Kaido… Not tonight. Just let me eat in peace for now..."

The other top officer, Queen, also took a seat and dug into his meal to recover. Yeah, yeah. Food’s important. Eat and sleep, and you’ll be fine!

"You’ve both gotten way better with Haki~! Not that you weren’t talented to begin with, but you’re really coming along! Especially Armament—both of you are solid!"

"Tch… At the very least, I won’t lose to this idiot."

"That’s my line, King. Don’t think for a second you’ve got me beat…! Watch your back…!!"

As usual, King and Queen bickered and butted heads. Unlike the rest of the crew, these two had been training in Haki from the start—both were damn good with Armament, and their rivalry probably pushed them further. Though, if I had to pick… Hmm, King’s maybe a hair stronger? Queen’d throw a fit if I said it out loud, but facts are facts.

Same goes for me and Kaido—we fight sometimes, but I’m still no match for him. His endurance is reaching straight-up monster levels, and his raw power and Haki keep growing. I’m getting stronger too, sure, but since I started weaker, matching his pace won’t ever let me surpass him.

Not that I mind—Kaido should be the strongest. But that doesn’t mean I can slack off. Gotta keep pushing myself. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with coating my Devil Fruit powers in Haki—tricky, but fun. If I can develop new techniques, maybe I can contribute even more to Kaido and the crew. Just imagining the terror I could instill, the lives I could snuff out—it makes me giddy like a kid.

And hey, getting stronger’s just plain satisfying.

As I idly sipped booze while manipulating a UFO, a pururururu rang out. I grabbed the Den Den Mushi beside me.

"Report?"

"Lemme check~. —Hellooo~♡ Yeees? What’s up?"

[Ah, Vice Captain!? This is the harbor district—]

"Yeah, that’s me~ So, what’s up? Trouble~?"

When I picked up the receiver, sure enough, it was a call from one of our subordinates—from the harbor, no less. Nine times out of ten, that meant some kind of trouble. I was a little tipsy, but I asked anyway. The subordinate hesitated slightly before answering.

[Well, not exactly… It’s just, we’ve got a guest at the—]

"A guest?"

I tilted my head at the word—but then my expression shifted instantly. Already? That was fast.

"Ahhh, got it~! Then go ahead and send ‘em over!"

[Understood. I’ll bring them right away.]

"Okey-dokey~! Later~♡"

Click. I hung up the Den Den Mushi. Kaido, tossing aside an empty bottle, glanced at me.

"What, they’re here already?"

"Yep, seems so. —Ahhh, I’m out too~! More booze, pleaaase!"

"Right away!"

I barked the order at the crew member handling food and drinks, then popped a snack into my mouth. Queen, swallowing a mouthful of food, spoke up.

"Who’s this ‘guest,’ Nue?"

"Seems like an… unconventional visitor this time."

"Ah, well. This time, it’s—"

I grinned, taking a swig from the fresh bottle the waiter handed me.

"—Mr. War Profiteer~♡"

---

About ten minutes after the report of the guest’s arrival, they appeared on the beach, escorted by a few of our Beast Pirates and their entourage.

A dark-skinned, flamboyant man with an afro. Sunglasses, a pirate coat—but for a pirate, he was on the smaller side. Compared to the Beast Pirates' top brass (minus one exception), he had to crane his neck up, clearly feeling the pressure—yet he strode forward confidently, arms raised in a showman’s flourish.

"—MARVELOUS!! The Beast Pirates, in the flesh!! Y’all hyped or what!?"

"Oh, hey there, War Profiteer~! Long time no see♪"

"WORORORO!! Loud as ever, you bastard!!"

"...Hmph. So this is the so-called ‘War Starter’…"

"Well, well. ‘The Carnival King,’ huh…? Interestin’. Seems properly unhinged, muhaha."

King and Queen finally seemed to recognize who’d arrived. Kaido and I already knew him, so we were pretty casual about it. The uninjured crew members around us, though? They were stunned.

Yeah, no surprise there. Any pirate worth their salt would know this guy. Less a pirate, more a big shot in the underworld.

Bueno Festa—the "Worst War Instigator."

"Hey, hey!! Call me the ‘Carnival King’!! That other name’s for the shadows, got it!?"

That’s right—also known as the "Carnival King," a pirate deeply tied to the underworld’s information brokers, intermediaries, and arms dealers. A man who throws parties to whip pirates into a frenzy, all while igniting wars under the guise of festivities.

Quite the lunatic.

But his connections? Useful. As a business partner and a referral source. That’s why we’d reached out to him before.

Didn’t expect him to show up this fast, though.

Kaido, chugging his drink, voiced the same thought.

"You’re early. Impatient bastard."

"HAHAHA!! What, can’t a guy come see the infamous ex-Rocks rookies for himself…!? Y’all are a real pack of monsters. Almost feel bad for the pirates who gotta face you—"

"—Oh, the blood-covered guys on the beach? Don’t mind them, they’re our subordinates."

"WHAAAT!? YOUR CREW!? Thought they were enemies!! Damn, y’all are even crazier than I heard!!"

"Huh? Really? I mean, we might’ve gone a little overboard, but ‘crazy’ seems like a stretch…"

"Hell yeah it is! Callin’ this crazy’s an insult!! Right, you two!?"

"...Yeah."

"Sure…"

Oh? King and Queen’s expressions just went super awkward. Like middle managers forced to nod along with their boss’s drunken ramblings while screaming internally!!

Hilarious!!

I mimed holding a mic and shoved it toward Queen.

"—Truthfully~?"

"Yeah, it’s crazy—DAMMIT!! I SAID IT!!"

"You… idiot…!! Why’d you play along!? Now I look bad too…!!"

"Yaaay!! Got the truth outta them~!! Which means—more drinks!!"

"Whoa!! I’ll drink, just stop hittin’ me, Nue!! …Glad you’re not mad, at least…"

"O-ohhh… You guys are wild… Wait, no, you’re just getting harassed by drunks, huh…"

"We ain’t drunk!!"

"Not even a little!!"

Kaido and I shot down Festa’s remark in perfect sync. That’s right. Sober as judges. Or at least I was. If I were actually drunk, things wouldn’t be this tame.

Most of the uninjured crew didn’t seem in the mood to drink anyway, so this worked out fine. I tossed a bottle to Festa.

"Alright then—cheers!!"

"Sure, sure… Can’t say no to that. …Still… kukuku, you guys’ve climbed real high, huh…? Guess that’s what happens when you sailed under that bastard…!!"

"We ain’t even started yet!!"

"Damn right!! We’re gonna be the strongest pirate crew!! That’s why we’re dealin’ with you in the first place!!"

"Honored to hear it. Kukuku, man… When I heard that ‘unkillable’ Rocks bastard actually died, I thought I’d lost my damn mind… Now it’s Roger’s era—the guy who beat Rocks—and the rest of Rocks’ remnants runnin’ wild…!! This is why the age of pirates is so damn fun…!!"

"Rocks… The crew once called the strongest in the world…"

"Where Kaido and Nue spent their rookie days, huh…"

King and Queen narrowed their eyes, intrigued by Festa’s sly grin and muttered words. Yeah, we don’t talk about the old days much. Just the occasional "Man, those were fun times" from me and Kaido.

I wouldn’t mind sharing, but Kaido’s got a lot of bitter memories mixed in—ask too much, and he’ll just get pissed.

But Festa wasn’t here to reminisce. His intel was current. Part of our deal with him was information brokering, so he dished it out freely, taking a swig from the bottle I’d thrown him.

"In the New World right now, ‘Golden Lion’ is buildin’ a pirate armada, claimin’ territory. ‘Big Mom’s’ started her own kingdom, pumpin’ out brats. Roger’s still roamin’ everywhere, not just the New World… Then you got ‘Silver Axe,’ the ‘Red Count,’ the World Pirates runnin’ amok… Latest intel says even the West Blue’s top bounty—the ‘Chinjao’ of the Happo Navy’s Flower Kingdom gang—is makin’ moves in the New World. It’s a free-for-all festival out there… So? You two not headin’ to the New World yet?"

"Ooh~! Sounds fun! But we’re still in prep mode, y’know?"

"Yeah!! But we’ll butcher every last one of ‘em soon enough!!"

Kaido and I were itching at the news, but it was still too early. We’d agreed—another six months to a year of prep minimum.

Festa’s grin didn’t waver, though his brow twitched slightly.

"That so? Well, the first half’s gettin’ rowdy too. ‘Wang Zhi’ and ‘Captain’ John are stirrin’ shit up, and the Marines are mobilizin’ more than ever. ‘Hero’ Garp, ‘Buddha’ Sengoku, ‘Great Strategist’ Tsuru… Then there’s Zephyr, the ‘Black Arm,’ goin’ hard since becomin’ an Admiral… Oh, and you guys. Kukuku… Y’all been real efficient, huh?"

"That’s Nue’s doing!!"

"Yep!! All me!!"

Kaido’s praise had me puffing out my chest proudly. Heheh. All those disguises with my ability paid off.

Still, Festa’s intel was a goldmine. But one name was conspicuously missing…

"—Oh yeah, what about Whitebeard?"

"! Yeah!! Where the hell’s that bastard lurking!?"

Oho. Kaido’s temper flared. Big surprise. He hates Whitebeard and Big Mom—especially Linlin. The other names had been fine, but this omission set him off. The crew flinched back—smart. They’d learned. When Kaido’s drunk and pissed, collateral damage tends to follow.

…Not that distance matters if he goes all-out. You’d need to evacuate the whole damn island to be safe.

As I amused myself watching the crew panic, Festa’s grin widened. Hm? Something juicy about Whitebeard?

Then—

"—Kukuku… ‘Whitebeard’? Rumor has it… he’s sailing near this island right now."

"!"

"THE HELL!?"

I blinked. Kaido roared, slamming to his feet. King stayed put, but Queen had already sidled away. Smart move. But still too close. My experience with Kaido’s outbursts trumped theirs. Heh.

…Anyway. Back to Festa.

"That true?"

"Yeah—though I don’t got his exact coordinates. But… small chance he might swing by this island soon."

"FULL-SCALE WAR, THEN!!! GET READY, YOU BASTARDS!!!"

"Wha—!? That’s way too fast, Kaido!!"

"…If we’re doing this, we sink him before he makes landfall. Letting him ashore hurts business."

"Don’t encourage him, King!!"

"Scared? Then stay behind."

"THE HELL YOU SAY!? I ain’t scared of no Whitebeard!!"

Oho~! My executives were fired up. Kaido was already raring to go. Hmm…

"Well, he hasn’t shown up yet, right? Why not decide if he comes?"

"Fair. My bad gettin’ y’all hyped. —Though I wouldn’t mind a war…"

"THEN DON’T GET OUR HOPES UP, DUMBASS!!!"

"Uoooooh!!!?"

Kaido grabbed Festa by the collar, glaring at him from close range. Nice! Just like Kaido! The way he can lose his temper without a care about underworld figures or business partners—it's amazing.

Even Festa looks surprised. Well, in terms of strength, it’s really no big deal. And I bet he didn’t expect to be grabbed by the collar out of nowhere. After all, they’re business partners.

Normally, no matter how angry you get, you wouldn’t raise your hand... but Kaido is different. If he gets angry, he’ll just kill anyone, no matter who they are or what the consequences are.

Well, as long as the deal is still in place, he can have a proper conversation, but if he gets upset or something goes wrong in a deal, he’ll kill you without listening to any excuses.

That’s why it’s unclear whether he’s good or bad at making deals—he has this unstable side to him. Well, if you’re strong, you usually get recruited, so you’ll probably survive, but... since I don’t want to mess with this transaction, I decided to step in. It’d be interesting to watch, but I should step in when it’s time.

"Come on, Kaido. You brought a good deal today, so don’t scare him too much. Right? War Merchant?"

"That’s right!! So wait a second!!"

"Huh? ...Worororo!! If that’s the case, then hurry up and say it!!"

"Ugh...!"

Hearing my words and Festa’s desperate plea, Kaido paused for a moment, then understood, chuckled, and released Festa. Festa dropped onto the sand, letting out a shout as he crawled away, creating some distance.

(Damn... this crazy little brat...!! Does she even know what happens if she messes with me...?!)

Ah, I can sense the panic in his feelings. He’s probably cursing me in his mind. Heh—sorry, Festa♪ Well, it’s Kaido, so I guess you’ll forgive him. Kaido doesn’t show mercy to anyone, and if he gets angry, no matter who you are or what obstacles are in the way, he’ll come for you, even if it’s going to cause trouble.

The right way to handle things is to avoid making him angry when dealing with him. Well, typically, a transaction would involve more negotiations, reading the other side, and other strategies, but with Kaido, if you show any bad intentions or try to pull any tricks, the deal won’t fail—you’ll just be putting your life on the line. So, people who will deal with us in the future should be careful!! There was a business partner who was killed just for trying to haggle the price the other day!! That caused me a lot of trouble!! So, yeah, it’s fun to watch, but when it’s time to stop, you have to stop. I’m the vice-captain, after all, I should step in to cover.

"Come on, come on, show us the good stuff~♪"

"Tch... Fine... You guys, bring it over."

"Ha! --Here you go."

Festa caught his breath, stood up, and sat back down before accepting a black case from his subordinate.

Inside was, of course, what we had requested—a devil fruit.

"This... is the Devil Fruit for our deal..."

"Wow! It’s been a while since I saw this!! This dangerous-looking fruit!!"

"It really exists!! But damn, it’s so nasty! I still remember the shock when I ate it..."

"Hmph... But the power gained from it is great."

"Worororo!! Looks good!! What kind of fruit is it?"

We all reacted to the Devil Fruit, which we hadn't seen in a while. Honestly, it’s rare to see the fruit itself, even as ability users. Most of us only see it once when we eat it ourselves. When you see it again like this, the rarity of it really hits you... Kaido, grinning, asked what kind of fruit it was. Festa raised the corner of his mouth.

"Oh, it’s an ancient species of animal-type Devil Fruit...!! Kuku, it was quite a hassle to get my hands on this, you know...?"

"Nice!! --But it’s expensive, right?"

"No, no, believe it or not—ah, it’s not going to be cheap! It’s expensive, of course! Five hundred million berries!!"

"Five hundred million?! Hey, can you lower the price~? ♡ Oh, I’ll give you my swimsuit photos, so take off one hundred million~♪"

"How much confidence do you have in yourself!!"

Tch, guess not. I thought my swimsuit photos would be worth that much.

"Sigh... Fine, I guess I’ll pay. Right, Kaido?"

"Yeah. Normally, I’d just kill you and take it... but you're useful, and we might do more deals, so I’ll pay properly."

"...Well, if you put it that way, I guess it’s fine..."

And so, the deal was made. I ordered my subordinates to bring the money. Ugh... That’s a lot of money gone now... I worked really hard to gather it... It’s going to be tough to make any big deals for a while. Managing money is the hardest part... Not that I’m an expert or anything. Honestly, we’re just fine using what we want and stealing when we run out. If our operations grow bigger, it’ll probably be different.

"---Alright. I’ve given you the money, and I’ve received the Devil Fruit. You can go now."

"Hey, hey, you're so cold!! It's already night, at least let me stay for the night!!"

"Ahaha, just kidding! —Anyway, we're drinking till dawn!!"

"Worororo!! Today's the day we got our hands on a Devil Fruit!! You lot better drink up like there's no tomorrow!!"

"Nah, the crew’s busy patching up their wounds—not really in the mood for booze right now..."

"...More importantly, we gotta keep a close eye on it so no one snatches it while we're passed out drunk..."

"Leave that to King! —Alright then, how about we all play some cards instead?!"

And so, we decided to drink until we dropped. King was on watch for the Devil Fruit, so no worries there. Well, not that I can guarantee nobody’d just up and eat it on a whim. But hey, if King’s got it covered, it’s fine. We’ll just store it properly once we wake up tomorrow.

—Still… since what we got this time was a Ryu Ryu no Mi… maybe one of the rookies here’s the future officer? If they are, they’re probably still too young to tell by looks… Eh, whatever. Doesn’t matter if they’re here or not—we’ll just feed it to someone strong either way.

And so, after wrapping up the Beast Pirates’ big deal, I kicked back, threw a massive feast with Kaido and the crew, and before I knew it, passed right out.

———

Just a stone’s throw away from where the Beast Pirates’ top brass were partying, about a hundred members of the crew lay resting on a bloodstained beach, tending to their wounds.

Most were young—boys picked up as rookies. But eight out of ten of those rookies had already died in the first round of training, and the survivors were barely clinging to life.

After all, even grown men ended up severely injured in these drills. All they had to do was take—or dodge—the captains’ attacks and survive.

Sure, Kaido and the others held back—but there was no way kids could withstand monsters’ blows, even watered-down ones.

Yet, the handful who made it through were patching themselves up alongside the adults, forcing down whatever food they could stomach.

Gasping for breath, the surviving boys shoveled meals into their mouths, muttering their ambitions between ragged gulps.

"Damn it… I ain’t dyin’ in a shithole like this… I’ll get stronger… and wreak havoc…!!"

The Beast Pirates were savagery incarnate—especially under their captain, Kaido, and his crew of monstrous officers. That brutality and strength were what drew this boy to piracy in the first place. Now, choking on blood from days far harsher than he’d ever imagined, he gritted his teeth in silence, vowing to rise above the rest and claw his way to power.