Chapter 244: Ian's Conditions
"200 billion? That's more like it!" Whitebeard said with a disdainful snort after a brief pause. "But come to think of it, I bet that money came from the Celestial Dragons, didn't it?"
The feathered mask man didn't say a word, but his attitude was as good as an admission.
Everyone knew that a huge portion of the World Government's massive maintenance costs came from the Celestial Dragons, the world nobles. Why did the Marines and the World Government provide protection for the Celestial Dragons? It wasn't just because they had given up their power to establish the World Government in the first place. It was also because, after gaining their privileges, the Celestial Dragons had amassed an enormous fortune over the years, and that fortune was funneled to the World Government.
This was also the reason why, whenever a country proposed abolishing the Heavenly Tribute system at the Reverie, the World Government would do everything in its power to suppress the motion. The World Government knew full well that the Heavenly Tribute was a vital source of wealth for the Celestial Dragons. If the Heavenly Tribute were cut off, the support the World Government received from the Celestial Dragons would diminish accordingly.
Maintaining the Marines and the intelligence agencies required massive military expenditures. Without the Celestial Dragons' support, the Marines' influence in this world would shrink by at least half.
In truth, the World Government was quite cunning. The Heavenly Tribute was given to the Celestial Dragons, so if any member nations complained, they would curse the Celestial Dragons. The World Government essentially used the Celestial Dragons as scapegoats. From this perspective, it wasn't without reason that the World Government went to such lengths to protect them...
200 billion Berries was a colossal sum. The Salamis Duchy had only suffered damage to its port and a small part of the city center. This amount was more than enough for reconstruction. However, Whitebeard wasn't entirely satisfied and added, "Aside from the money, you must guarantee that you won't cause any trouble for the Salamis Duchy over this incident. Marine warships are not allowed within a hundred kilometers of Salamis Island!"
The feathered mask man hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "Agreed. We can accept that."
Regardless, Salamis was indeed a non-member nation. Although the Marines were furious that they had sent troops to fight them, pursuing the matter further just to cause trouble for Salamis and risk angering Whitebeard again wasn't worth it. Even if Whitebeard hadn't brought it up, the World Government and the Marines would likely have chosen to overlook the Salamis Duchy in the future anyway.
"Good!" Whitebeard nodded. "Then, the deal takes effect when the money is delivered."
However, to the surprise of Whitebeard, Ian, and everyone else, the feathered mask man simply snapped his fingers. The other masked men behind him turned around, went back to the warship, and soon carried out dozens of large leather suitcases, returning to the Moby Dick.
"Thump, thump, thump!" One after another, the suitcases were opened, revealing stacks upon stacks of green Berry bills, packed to the brim.
All of them were in the largest denominations...
"This is 200 billion Berries," the feathered mask man stated.
Ian stared wide-eyed. He hadn't expected these guys to come fully prepared. Once the deal was struck, they handed over the money on the spot. They were ridiculously wealthy.
If he had known their ship was carrying so much cash, he would have robbed them before they even docked. Wouldn't that money have been his?
Ian wasn't the only one thinking this. Many members of the Whitebeard Pirates had the same thought.
What they didn't know was that the World Government had no choice but to do this. Although they had sent CP0 to negotiate with the Whitebeard Pirates, once the deal was made, there was a risk that the Whitebeard Pirates would leak the information. If other pirate crews got wind of the money, the World Government would be in a bind. 200 billion Berries—the other three Emperors wouldn't hesitate to make a trip for that...
If the ship transporting the money had its information leaked and was robbed, the World Government would be left crying. Whitebeard wouldn't care about excuses like the money being stolen. As long as he didn't receive the payment, the deal wouldn't be considered complete.
So, to keep things simple, the World Government had CP0 bring the maximum amount of money they were willing to offer. Once the deal was struck, they paid up immediately. It was the most efficient approach.
Whitebeard burst into laughter. "It seems the Five Elders aren't that stupid after all. I thought they might be getting senile in their old age... Alright, I've received the money. The deal is done. My crew will withdraw shortly. Now, you sneaky rats can get lost!"
The feathered mask man, despite the harsh words, actually breathed a sigh of relief. Showing the 200 billion had been nerve-wracking. After all, they were dealing with pirates. They couldn't be sure Whitebeard wouldn't go back on his word after getting the money. Fortunately, Whitebeard was true to his reputation. He had no such dirty intentions. This man, known as the strongest in the world and the emperor of the seas, indeed possessed a magnanimity and breadth of vision that ordinary people could hardly fathom.
However, CP0 wasn't ready to leave just yet. The feathered mask man spoke up, "Not so fast. There's one more thing."
"Oh?" Whitebeard raised an eyebrow, glanced at Ian, and then fell silent.
The feathered mask man turned slightly to face Ian. "If I'm not mistaken, you are the captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, Black Dragon Ian, correct?"
Ian was taken aback. "Black Dragon"? What the hell was that? Was that a new nickname the Marines had given him?
What Ian didn't know was that, following the coverage of the Salamis battle by Pritz, Ian had become widely known across the world. What left the deepest impression on people was undoubtedly the Black Dragon Wave he had unleashed—that arrogant black fire dragon that seemed capable of devouring the heavens and the earth, along with the massive black flame wings that appeared when Ian floated in the air. These images had become recurring nightmares for many.
As a result, Ian now had a new title: "Black Dragon."
Surprisingly, the Marines had quickly accepted this new nickname.
The three Marine Admirals—Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru—were all named after animals. Many Vice Admirals also had animal-based epithets, like Momonga, Momousagi, and Onigumo. It seemed they were more comfortable with animal-themed nicknames. So, Ian's old epithet from his bounty hunter days, "Burning Blade," had been replaced by this new one. The Marines had also updated their internal references to Ian as a major pirate.
Ian hadn't noticed at the time, but his new wanted poster had already changed his alias. He had been too focused on the staggering bounty amount to pay attention to the change in his nickname. So, when the feathered mask man suddenly brought it up, Ian didn't immediately catch on.
After snapping back to reality, Ian studied the masked man carefully and asked, "What do you want?"
"We have another mission: to negotiate with your Dragon Hunter Pirates," the feathered mask man said. "The Marines are willing to drop their pursuit of the Dragon Hunter Pirates. However, the condition is that you return that item and change the name of your crew."
Hearing this, Ian felt a wave of irritation. He had thought the masked man might bring up the Shichibukai, but instead, it was just a simple offer to stop the pursuit?
As for changing the crew's name, Ian guessed it was because the Celestial Dragons found the name of his crew offensive. Those ridiculous nobles didn't want a name like that to continue existing.
What Ian didn't know was that, among the crowd behind Whitebeard, someone's heart stirred upon hearing the masked man's words. That person looked toward Ian from the back...
"Is that your bottom line?" Ian asked coldly.
"Yes," the feathered mask man replied. "You should know very well that holding onto that item does you no good."
"Is that so?" Ian said with a mocking smile. After pretending to think for a moment, he nodded seriously. "Hmm, you have a point. I'll go back, take it out, and just destroy it."
"Uh..." The feathered mask man was momentarily at a loss for words. He hadn't expected Ian to say something like that, and he wasn't sure how to respond.
However, part of CP0's mission regarding the Dragon Hunter Pirates was merely to test the waters. The Celestial Dragons had run out of patience and were eager to offer a Shichibukai position in exchange for the identity chip. But they were stuck because Fleet Admiral Sengoku suspected that the Dragon Hunter Pirates had some connection to the Whitebeard Pirates. He firmly opposed making a pirate who leaned toward an Emperor a Shichibukai.
The World Government had to consider the Marines' stance. So, they could only send CP0 to probe the Dragon Hunter Pirates first.
"So, what conditions would you accept to return that item?" the feathered mask man asked.
Ian thought for a moment and raised three fingers. "First, I want a Shichibukai position, and it must be announced to the world through the news. Second, the bounties on my crew members must be revoked. Third, I want 200 billion Berries."
"We can't answer you right now," the feathered mask man said, though he was taken aback by Ian's demands. "We need to return and report for instructions."
CP0 were intelligence agents, not professional negotiators. Since Ian's conditions fell outside their authorized scope, they had no choice but to go back and seek approval. Ian understood this and simply nodded without saying a word.
The feathered mask man and his team turned and left. After their warship had departed, Whitebeard looked at Ian with some surprise. "Kid, you want to become a Shichibukai?"
"Yeah," Ian admitted without hiding it. "I need the protection of a Shichibukai status to buy myself some time to develop."