Rakuya was still luxuriating in visions of future riches when the pirate who had just swung on a Celestial Dragon tugged at his attention.
"God, can I hit them again?" The man looked nervous, a little unsure.
"You can. One slap is a hundred thousand Beli. Or give me a Devil Fruit and you can beat them as you please," Rakuya said, poised in the air, unreadable.
"Deal. God, here is one million Beli. All yours. I'm going to beat him until his own mother would not recognize him." The pirate exhaled in relief, yanked open a sack, and poured out a cascade of glittering loot.
A clean million Beli.
"Beautiful," Rakuya praised inwardly. Outwardly he was all calm breeze and pale clouds. "Go ahead. That first punch was on the house. Remember, you can go all out. They will not die."
"Right." The pirate nodded and cracked his knuckles as he strode up to one of the Celestial Dragons.
"This kick is for my wife."
"This kick is for my son."
"And this punch is for all the years I ate dirt."
He went red-eyed and brutal, and his favorite target was the Celestial Dragon's groin.
"Aaaah."
"Gaaah."
The noble's screams turned feral. His face twisted, his body curled in on itself, lower half trembling. Each time he was about to pass out, the mysterious energy jolted his mind awake again and forced him to feel the terror.
Even Rakuya was taken aback by how vicious the beating was.
Damn, straight for the jewels. Cutting off the family tree.
"Serves him right."
The surrounding pirates watched their mate take his revenge and felt a long-smothered breath finally release.
Back on the Sabaody Archipelago they had eaten humiliation again and again. Every time a Celestial Dragon appeared they had to drop to one knee. For adventurers who live on their nerve, what deeper insult is there?
Three hundred ships. Thousands of pirates. Dozens had old scores with the Celestial Dragons. Watching that first man swing set every vein alight.
"Hell with it, I am in. God, here is ten million Beli. I want one hundred punches."
"God, twenty million. I am making sure he never has heirs."
"That felt good. I want in too. God, a Zoan-class Devil Fruit."
One after another they rushed up, laying Beli and Devil Fruits at Rakuya's feet with reverent hands.
For a second Rakuya felt dazed.
"Is a hundred thousand Beli for one slap too cheap?"
He muttered to himself as he eyed the way these pirates tossed money like dirt. It felt like he was taking a loss.
A big one.
"No. Prices go up. Two hundred thousand a slap. No, five hundred thousand."
"Yes. Five hundred thousand per slap." Scarcity marketing. No one else in the world could kidnap Celestial Dragons and sell tickets to their public beating. No one but Rakuya would even dare.
Offending a Celestial Dragon used to be a death sentence, let alone laying hands on one.
People loved to joke the Celestial Dragons were pampered pigs raised in Mary Geoise. If anyone said that in front of Rakuya now, he would slap them.
"Does your family pig make this kind of money?"
"Neptune," Rakuya called after sweeping everything into his ring.
"Here."
The king hurried over, standing before Rakuya with careful deference, nerves jangling. His mind reeled. These were Celestial Dragons. Taking them captive was the very definition of dangerous.
"Ra—" He bit off the name at once, remembering the warning about names. "God, if you seize ten Celestial Dragons, the World Government and Marine Headquarters will hunt you to the ends of the sea."
Ryugu Palace had not yet received word that Flowing Cloud had destroyed the Holy Land. In Neptune's mind, the World Government and Marines were still a terror to be feared.
"It is fine." Rakuya waved it away. "I already erased the World Government. The Marines have bigger problems than me. Even if they cared, would they dare come down here? If they do, I will make sure they never leave."
Neptune opened his mouth to ask, but Rakuya's next words rolled over him.
"From today, Fish-Man Island is open to pirates. I have warned them. They will not start trouble here. If a single citizen dies, I will pay you one billion Beli and erase the crew responsible."
The sheer force of it stunned Neptune. How could Rakuya make such a promise without fear of some brainless thug stirring up chaos? Was it really that absolute?
Worry gnawed at him, but he swallowed it down. "As you command, my lord."
"Good. And assign people to collect the Beli and Devil Fruits for me."
Rakuya paused, then remembered the most important piece. "Neptune, I have connected Fish-Man Island to the surface. Soon a flood of ships will be coming. Prepare. This is a chance to make your revenues soar. I will not take a single coin of those earnings. It will be enough to sustain your people long term. If that solves the livelihood problem, can you give me the remaining six months' worth of Sunlight Tree sap?"
That was the point. He had burned through thousands of points to build the twin shafts for safe passage, all so trade could flow and Beli could pile up. That income would go to Neptune to keep the island running.
Rakuya only wanted the Sunlight Tree sap.
"God, will it really earn that much?" Neptune hesitated.
"If it does not, I will make up the difference." Rakuya had no patience for a debate.
"Very well. I will have the remaining sap brought at once."
"Good." Rakuya nodded, already weighing which ability to max out next.
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