One Piece: Groudon of Beast Pirates

"5 billion Berries !"

Katakuri's fists clenched.

To put it into perspective, the cost of a medium-sized battleship was only around 100 million Berries . This amount of money was enough for Totto Land to assemble another large fleet!

"Too expensive?"

Gurd raised an eyebrow.

"If it's too expensive, you don't have to rent him!"

"..."

Veins bulged on Katakuri's forehead as his fists became enveloped in Haki!

Bastard!

"You think it's expensive? I think it's expensive too!"

Gurd pulled Caesar in front of him and spoke earnestly, "Our Caesar is one of the greatest scientists in the world—unique, with no equal. What's a mere 5 billion Berries to him, right, Caesar?"

"Shurorororo~~"

Caesar's face twisted with laughter, his arrogance growing wilder by the second.

"Of course!"

"Who do you think I am?"

"Fool, my scientific technology is the best in the world!"

Gurd pushed Caesar aside and looked at Katakuri with sincerity.

"See? That's what I call professionalism!"

"As long as you rent Caesar, forget about trivial research projects. If the funding is there, even if you want to develop the Giant Drug, Caesar can make it happen!"

"..."

Katakuri's expression darkened.

Gurd knew Big Mom's goal!

But as the man had said, Totto Land had no other choice. The world's top scientists were few and far between, and the only ones capable of developing the Giant Drug were Vegapunk and a handful of others, including Caesar, who had worked with him.

If he didn't bring Caesar back, Big Mom would fly into a rage. She had waited so long—if she didn't get Caesar, there was no telling what she might do.

For Totto Land, it would be a disaster!

The problem was that 5 billion Berries was too much. Totto Land could afford it, but doing so would drain their liquid assets.

Moreover, this bastard was openly extorting him. He couldn't swallow this insult, and neither could Totto Land.

Katakuri's face was ice-cold.

"2 billion Berries !"

"5 billion. Not a single Berries less!"

"3 billion Berries !"

"5 billion. Take it or leave it!"

"..."

Clearly, Mr. Katakuri wasn't skilled at bargaining. After a long silence, his clenched fists finally relaxed.

"I'll remember this debt!"

"Thank you. Come again!"

Gurd grinned from ear to ear.

If the man had held out a little longer, he might have relented—3 billion Berries had been his target price.

Hehehe, the company's startup funds were secured.

"Now it's your turn."

Gurd turned to Doflamingo, his expression instantly turning cold.

"Caesar's selling price to you—10 billion Berries ."

"Huh?"

"Huh??"

Doflamingo froze.

Katakuri was also stunned.

Damn, this was even more outrageous than the previous demand.

Wait a minute—hadn't this bastard just sold Caesar to him?

Doflamingo furrowed his brows, momentarily confused by Gurd's meaning. They had personal grudges, but they were still on the same side.

What did he mean by selling Caesar to him?

They were allies!

And 10 billion Berries ?!

That much treasure could fill an entire wagon!

"Fufufufu~~ Mr. Gurd, that's not a funny joke."

"Who's joking with you?"

Gurd snorted coldly. "Losing Caesar was your fault—what does that have to do with me? Caesar is mine now. If you want to take him, pay 10 billion Berries !"

"."

Doflamingo's expression darkened further.

He had received the banquet invitation and knew it was about Caesar's ownership, but the current situation was beyond his expectations.

Gurd leisurely swirled his wine glass.

"Doflamingo, Caesar is one of the world's top scientists. You should understand his worth."

"Besides, if you can't take Caesar away, you won't be able to produce SMILE. And if you can't produce SMILE, your deal with our Beasts Pirates will—"

"Tsk tsk, just thinking about it is terrifying."

"Big Brother Kaido will be furious!"

Kaido!

Doflamingo broke out in a cold sweat.

If he failed to provide SMILE, Kaido would undoubtedly kill him!

"If Kaido finds out—"

"And what if he does?"

Gurd smirked playfully.

"Doflamingo, don't tell me you actually think our Beasts Pirates are some reasonable, righteous folks? As pirates, we don't just give away our possessions for free."

"You're the one who made the deal with us. If you can't deliver, Big Brother Kaido will naturally come for you."

"When Big Brother Kaido gets angry, his spiked club is bound to draw blood."

"Besides, Caesar is now under my control. I can easily take him back and have him produce SMILE for us."

"But by then, you'll be useless."

Doflamingo's face gradually paled.

SMILE was his most crucial bargaining chip in allying with Kaido—the one thing that couldn't be replaced. If he lost it, his fate would be unimaginable.

He was terrified of facing Kaido's wrath.

"I can't afford that much money!"

"Can't afford?"

Gurd snorted coldly.

Still playing dumb?

He was determined to take this money—no one, not even a saint, could stop him!

"Six years ago, Dressrosa was invaded by a group of pirates. Faced with the threat, King Riku gathered the entire nation's resources to raise a ransom of 10 billion Berries to save the country."

"Need I say more?"

"The current king of Dressrosa—Donquixote Doflamingo."

Mingo felt as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss, his limbs freezing.

His secrets had all been uncovered.

Gurd spoke calmly.

"I'm actually quite reasonable. Here's the deal—you have half a month to deliver the money to Hachinosu Island. I'll be waiting there."

"If the money doesn't show up, you know the consequences."

"You may leave now."

"Wait!"

Katakuri couldn't hold back any longer and quickly intervened. The matter wasn't settled yet—how could they just let him leave?

Katakuri glared at Gurd. "You leased Caesar to me! Why are you now selling him to Doflamingo?!"

"Katakuri."

Gurd shrugged and explained, "I only leased Caesar's next project to you, not the man himself."

"After the banquet, you can take Caesar back to Totto Land and report to Big Mom to discuss the research details. Then, just hand him over to Doflamingo afterward."

"From what I know, Mr. Doflamingo is very understanding. He'll get it."

Gurd turned to Mingo with a smile.

"Right, Mr. Doflamingo?"

"..."

Beneath the table, Mingo clenched his fists tightly, suppressing his fury and humiliation as he forced a stiff nod.

The strong dominate the weak—he had long understood this principle. He just never expected that he, too, would one day become the weak.

Whether it was the Beasts Pirates or Totto Land.

He couldn't afford to offend either of them.

"Hmph!"

Katakuri snorted coldly, realizing he'd been tricked, but retrieving Caesar was now the top priority—everything else could wait.

Gurd stood up with a beaming smile.

"This banquet has been most delightful, and most importantly, we've reached a mutual agreement. This calls for celebration!"

"Come, come, let's have a drink!"

"A toast to the great Evil Scientist: Mr. Caesar Clown!"

"..."

Caesar blinked in confusion.

Hadn't he been sold out several times already?

Eh?!!!