"You got a hundred million ryō?"
The oddly dressed ninja glanced at a book, then tossed the corpse in his hand aside like trash, asking the man who called himself "Dracule Mihawk."
The man froze.
If he had a hundred million ryō, would he still be sitting here wasting time?
But seeing the killer's blazing intent, answering "No" meant becoming another body on the floor.
"I-I-"
"Since you've got no money, you can't buy your life," Kakuzu said coldly before tightening his grip and crushing the man's throat.
Gulp!
Everyone stiffened, instinctively swallowing hard. A few tried slipping toward the door, but one mocking laugh froze them mid-step.
Terrifying killing intent!
"Who issued this wanted poster?"
Kakuzu asked grimly.
"Sir, these are just promotional posters, not actual wanted notices. We put them up because this manga called One Piece is themed around pirates, so we posted some near the entrance."
A young boy crawled out from behind the counter. His face was pale with fear, but he found the courage to speak up.
Kakuzu fell silent.
This tavern clearly didn't have that kind of money either. For now, there were no rich fools left to extort.
So this thing in his hand was a manga?
He looked at it and frowned slightly. When he last visited the Land of River, nothing like this existed—where had it all come from?
"This town's transformation should be attributed to that manga," Akaba said slowly, rising to his feet. "If you're interested, why not sit and read while you drink? My treat tonight."
If Kakuzu destroyed the place, he'd have to look for new subordinates again. Besides, the person managing this tavern had shown creativity by running a manga-themed establishment—it would be a shame if he died under Kakuzu's hands.
Kakuzu hadn't paid much attention at first, but as Akaba approached, he suddenly sensed an instinctive threat.
This guy's a powerful expert!
Kakuzu studied him carefully. A sword hung at his waist. Though he wore no forehead protector, his style resembled someone from Mist.
Kakuzu could feel the chakra radiating from his opponent—it was strong, and it unsettled him deeply.
"Sir, th-there's no need for you to p-pay. Tonight, all drinks will be on us," the boy stammered nervously as he stepped forward.
Despite being scared and nervous, he stood his ground, bravely addressing both Kakuzu and Akaba.
"Not bad. Are you new here?"
Akaba's admiration grew.
What boldness from such a young kid.
Whether or not he possessed strength could wait, but clearly, with proper guidance, this youth could handle the tavern—and maybe even more.
"And you are?"
The boy seemed puzzled. He'd been here over a month and had never seen this ninja before.
"Let the leader of this area come see me."
Akaba spoke indifferently, then sat down opposite Kakuzu at the table.
Kakuzu's fingers twitched slightly, barely restraining his urge to strike.
He suppressed his killing intent—he was ready to negotiate.
Akaba understood immediately. He took the bottle and poured Kakuzu a glass, murmuring as he did, "We're all out for money and survival. Right now, Konoha and Suna ninjas have a lot of people stationed in Chaochuan Town. Causing a huge scene helps no one."
Half warning, half threat.
If Akaba lacked strength, Kakuzu wouldn't have wasted words—he'd have killed him outright. But with that ominous, dangerous vibe...
Forget it. I'm here to earn money. No need to quarrel with him.
Kakuzu snorted coldly and picked up the manga to read.
The young boy was thoughtful, quickly bringing over a complete set of One Piece comics for Kakuzu to look through and enjoy.
The others, seeing the killer intent had faded, let out sighs of relief one after another and swiftly fled the tavern.
So even though they said drinks were free for everyone, in the end there were only two customers left in the tavern—Akaba and Kakuzu.
"Pirates? Hmph, what nonsense."
Kakuzu flipped open the book and immediately sneered.
Taki Village bordered the Frost Country, with the sea to its north. He'd seen some pirates before—they had no real power, just wandering samurai and rogue ninja with no actual skills.
Just like those people currently on Chaochuan's streets.
He flipped through a few pages and gradually found himself getting a little interested. Though it seemed somewhat boring at first glance, as a way to pass the time, it wasn't bad.
Before long, he finished one volume.
The plot was actually pretty good, and judging from its popularity in Chaochuan Town, the seller must be making a fortune.
Kakuzu's mind began forming new ideas.
Before he could speak, Akaba quietly said again, "I've heard about you. You're Taki Village's most talented ninja, and your strength is formidable indeed. I wonder if you'd be interested in cooperating with me."
"Oh? Cooperation?"
Kakuzu didn't answer directly, instead picking up the second volume and continuing to read.
He wasn't dumb.
Quite the opposite—in fact, surviving countless assassination attempts meant Kakuzu was cautious and smart. Otherwise, earlier he wouldn't have forcibly restrained his killing intent and accepted Akaba's offer to back down.
"You've read the manga. What did you think?"
"Not bad. No wonder there are so many stupid wandering swordsmen these days."
Kakuzu answered indifferently.
The increase in wandering swordsmen clearly had something to do with this manga—it was obvious from Roronoa and Dracule Mihawk's popularity.
Akaba gave a slight nod and said, "This was brought here by a caravan from the Land of Fire. Yet instead of selling it, they freely gave it to us, placing it in our tavern for guests to view at no cost. I suspect they'll start sales later. When that happens..."
"Partnering to sell books? Heh heh, ridiculous idea."
Kakuzu scoffed, showing clear disdain for the plan.
He was a lone wolf who needed neither organization nor base. Compared to hunting high-priced black market targets, business methods like this weren't nearly lucrative enough.
Smiling, Akaba said, "Selling books is just the process. Once we're strong enough, we can absorb the other Forces in Chaochuan Town and gain control over all the manga distribution here. Then afterward, we'll move into the entire Land of Rivers."
Kakuzu kept reading halfway through another volume but paused briefly upon hearing this.
He was calculating.
Controlling an entire nation's profits would indeed be substantial, but splitting the revenue didn't seem worth it to him.
After all, running such a large operation would definitely require subordinates. Splitting profits wouldn't be as good as sticking to their original business.
Akaba didn't rush to add more chips, waiting for Kakuzu to keep reading.
One volume. Another.
By the time he finished five volumes, Kakuzu fell into deep thought.
He'd never seen a manga like this before. But judging from its popularity in Chaochuan Town, there was definitely profit to be made.
"Our business doesn't have to be limited to the Land of River. From what I know, surrounding countries import goods from here too. The returns could be huge."
Akaba kept pushing his arguments.
Neither he nor Orochimaru could permanently stay in the Land of River. If they could bring Kakuzu on board as a partner, they wouldn't need to worry about business here at all.
After all, Kakuzu managed finances for an organization as massive as Akatsuki. Sure, he was greedy, but he clearly understood money.
There was one concern—Kakuzu's tendency to betray.
The guy truly loved money above everything else. But Akaba himself didn't really care about wealth—as long as Kakuzu didn't try to claim everything built here in the Land of River for himself.
If Kakuzu dared to do that, Akaba wouldn't hesitate to strike back. Those in the shadows always had an advantage over those in the open—and Akaba intended to remain in the dark.
Kakuzu remained deep in thought.
He loved money, but even more than that, he hated being under someone else. Still, cooperation might not be a problem.
"I'll think about it."
After considering for a while, Kakuzu didn't immediately agree. His attitude wasn't cold or rigid either, indicating room for negotiation.
Akaba gave a slight nod. He hadn't expected to settle everything at once. Still, he needed to watch out for Kakuzu possibly striking in the night.
Kakuzu had no moral code at all. Moreover, since both distrusted each other and hadn't tested each other in battle yet, any cooperation wouldn't come from mutual trust.
A fight would probably be necessary.
Kakuzu took another sip, then left the tavern.
At that moment, the youth and another ninja finally walked out from inside the building.
The leader was the very ninja who had previously met Akaba and Orochimaru. Akaba subtly used his Sensor Ability to detect unusual chakra emanating from him.
Another of Orochimaru's creations?
Akaba examined carefully, noticing many similar traces.
For instance, his joints showed signs of Soft Physique Modification. It seemed Orochimaru had continuously enhanced these individuals.
Seeing Akaba's current appearance, the ninja immediately knelt: "Lord, what are your orders this time?"
"Konoha and Sunagakure may go to war within the Land of River. You're ninjas I painstakingly cultivated. It would trouble me greatly if you all died."
Imitating Orochimaru's tone, Akaba spoke indifferently, then glanced toward the door. "Recently, ninjas like him will increase. So for now, everyone should lay low."
"Lord, since you provided the detailed plan last time, we've focused entirely on conducting business properly without anyone causing trouble outside."
The ninja hurriedly explained.
Akaba felt annoyed again.
Once again, that damn Orochimaru was behind all this sneaky mess. Chaochuan Town had practically become a den of scoundrels.
The worst part was that he never expected the tech-obsessed freak to stir things up here without exchanging information. He didn't even know the man's real name.
Whatever.
He glanced toward the back and subjugated the youth accompanying him.
With his current spiritual energy, hypnotizing these minor henchmen was effortless. Soon, they spilled everything like there was no tomorrow.
A few seconds later, he got what he wanted and released the Genjutsu.
The two men had no objection — in fact, they were even more respectful, completely unaware that they had just been hypnotized. What incredibly powerful Genjutsu! Worthy of this great master indeed!
"Just now I checked things out, Nakagawa — you did well, though your strength still has room for improvement."
Akaba said indifferently, then turned toward the young boy called Nora.
Although the Manga Culture Tavern was created by a tech geek, one couldn't deny that Nora himself was impressive too — especially considering he dared to speak out against someone like Kakuzu, a rogue ninja who killed without blinking. That alone was impressive enough.
"Sir, his name is—"
"Araki Nora. You've done well. Do you know about chakra?"
Nora hesitated briefly, then nodded enthusiastically with barely contained excitement.
Chakra — the power possessed only by ninjas!
"Nakagawa, starting today, you'll be responsible for teaching him to refine chakra. Also, prepare a room for me — I need some rest."
"Yes, sir!"
Nakagawa replied respectfully.
Meeting him again, this master seemed even stronger than before — maybe it was because he had never seen his full power until now.
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