A dazzling light flooded the dark cell, forcing both men to squint. When their eyes finally adjusted, they saw who had arrived.
"It's you!" The recognition hit them both at once, and their expressions hardened.
The person standing in the doorway was Takero, the young man who had defeated them with terrifying ease—a living nightmare. Behind him stood a man with green hair, a shrewd smile permanently fixed on his face.
"Yo, you two seem quite energetic," Takero said with a casual smile, his tone as relaxed as if he were greeting old friends. "Looks like you've recovered well."
Ignoring the pleasantries, King spoke up impatiently. "Cut the useless chatter! Do whatever you want with us! If you think a member of the Beasts Pirates will beg for his life, you're mistaken!"
Katakuri, who was sitting beside him, was stunned by his words. 'No, buddy, who's 'we'?' he complained furiously in his mind. 'If you want to die, go right ahead, but don't drag me into it!'
Katakuri didn't want to die. It wasn't that he feared death itself, but he worried about his younger siblings. If he were gone, who in the Charlotte Family would be left to protect them?
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. He looked directly at Takero and asked, "Tell me. What do I need to do for you to let us go?"
"I like dealing with smart people," Takero smiled, then nodded at the man behind him. "Tesoro."
"Yes, Boss," Tesoro responded immediately. He pulled a small notebook and a pen from his pocket and began to calculate with an extremely professional tone.
"First, the two of you trespassed into our territorial waters and maliciously attempted to assault a key figure on our side. This act constitutes a declaration of war. You lost the subsequent conflict, and according to the rules of the sea, your immediate execution would be perfectly justified. However, my Boss is benevolent and is willing to spare your lives. For such a grace, let's say… one billion Berries per person. That's not too much, is it?"
Tesoro paused, then continued. "Secondly, there are the medical expenses. Our side utilized the most advanced medical resources available to pull you both back from the brink of death. This is another life-saving grace. So… another two billion Berries also seems reasonable, wouldn't you agree?"
"Finally, we have accommodation, food, and emotional distress fees for the past two days. Considering your high-profile statuses, we provided you with the highest-standard single-room cells and prepared top-grade meals. You didn't eat them, but they were prepared nonetheless. So, to keep it simple, we'll just charge one billion Berries for that."
He closed the notebook with a snap, pushed up his glasses, and offered them a benevolent smile. "In total, that comes to four billion Berries. As long as each of you pays four billion Berries in 'compensation,' you'll be free to leave."
"Hmm, not bad," Takero nodded in satisfaction from the side. "What do you think, gentlemen? My guy's calculations are very fair, aren't they?"
Fair?! King almost choked with laughter at the sheer shamelessness of it all. Four billion Berries?! Kaido's own bounty wasn't even that high! And that was before even considering the ridiculous charges for accommodation and "emotional distress." And the two "life-saving graces"? Damn it! They hadn't mentioned a single word about who had beaten him half to death in the first place!
He was about to explode, to angrily denounce their twisted lies and the audacity of trying to extort him, King the Conflagration! But just then, Katakuri spoke first, his tone unnervingly calm.
"This is a serious matter. I need to contact Mama first."
King stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? You're actually planning to pay?! Can't you see this kid is openly blackmailing us?!"
Katakuri shot him a sideways glance. "At this point," he retorted coolly, "do you have any other options?"
King fell silent. He was right. They were fish on a chopping block. Besides paying, what other choice did they have? Defeated, he could only say reluctantly, "...I also need to contact Lord Kaido."
"No problem!" Tesoro's joyful smile widened, as if he'd been expecting this all along. He pulled out the two Transponder Snails that had been confiscated from them, his benevolent expression never wavering. "Thank you for your patronage. The communication fee will be one billion Berries per person."
"…!!!" Katakuri's composure finally cracked.
"…!!!" King looked ready to commit murder.
Those were their own Transponder Snails!
At that moment, Tesoro's benevolent smile looked more hateful than the most hideous demon in the abyss. Using their own snails to call their own captains for a ransom, and they had to pay a one billion Berry "call fee" first?! Was there no law in the world?! No justice?!
A surge of pure rage shot straight to King's head. In his entire life, he had never suffered such a humiliating disgrace. He was on the verge of going berserk.
Katakuri, however, remained much calmer. He gave Tesoro a long, hard look, then glanced at Takero, who was watching the show with his arms crossed. Finally, he squeezed a single word through gritted teeth.
"...Fine."
When you're at someone else's mercy, you have no choice but to bow your head.
"Excellent!" Tesoro snapped his fingers, his smile becoming even brighter. "We trust Mr. Katakuri's credibility!" With that, he handed one of the Transponder Snails to him.
King watched from the side, his heart still burning with anger and humiliation, but he could only accept the reality of their situation.
Katakuri took the familiar Transponder Snail, inhaled deeply, and dialed the number he knew by heart.
"Purupurupuru… Purupurupuru… Kachak!"
The call connected instantly, and a sharp, witch-like female voice erupted from the snail like a volcano.
"KATAKURI—!!! YOU SCOUNDREL, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!!!"
"I TOLD YOU TO GO 'INVITE' SOMEONE! WHY HAS IT TAKEN SO LONG?! NOT EVEN A SINGLE MESSAGE! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT MAMA... HATES WAITING THE MOST!!!"
The Transponder Snail perfectly mimicked Charlotte Linlin's heavily lipsticked, gluttonous face, making it look exceptionally hideous. Even through the snail, the terrifying, unreasonable pressure of a Yonko radiated into the cell, making both King and Tesoro flinch.
Katakuri, however, was used to it.
"It's like this, Mama…" he began, his voice steady and calm. "I've been captured."
Charlotte Linlin: "???"
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