The minister immediately sensed that the soldiers' actions were very offensive and was about to reprimand them when he noticed that Roux, beside him, also had a flustered and discomposed expression.
The minister sighed in his heart.
A man's reputation precedes him, like a tree's shadow.
The fearsome reputation of Wald, the World Destroyer, wasn't something conjured by newspapers; it was forged through his iron fists and ferocious fighting style.
The minister shook his head with a complicated expression.
Wald walked down the ship's ladder, and the minister tugged at Prince Roux beside him. Prince Roux took a few quick breaths, his demeanor slightly calming.
"Mr. Wald, I am the minister of this kingdom, and this is Prince Roux, the King's son."
The minister introduced him with proper etiquette.
"Wald, this is my older brother, Binjack."
Wald's voice was rough and loud.
After seemingly pondering for a moment, Wald smiled and extended his hand.
The minister paused, then shook Wald's hand.
Wald laughed heartily: "Old man, you're quite astute! Hahaha!"
Even though Wald didn't use much force, the minister winced in pain.
"Let's see the goods!"
Wald waved his hand backward, and his subordinates immediately brought down two crates of firearms and cannonballs.
The subordinates skillfully loaded the bullets, aimed at a flag ten meters away, and with a bang, a bullet hole appeared in the middle of the flag pole, which was as thick as a bowl.
"How is it? The power isn't bad, right?" Wald said happily, taking the firearm from his subordinate's hand: "The effective range is 700 meters, which far exceeds the common flintlock firearms on the market."
The minister and Roux looked surprised and delighted, making a gesture of invitation.
"Mr. Wald, and everyone who has traveled so far, we have prepared a humble banquet. We can eat and talk during the feast."
Wald readily agreed, leaving his subordinates to await orders there, and then he and Binjack accompanied the minister and Roux to the nearby castle.
In the castle hall, a ten-meter long rectangular table was set, laden with various wines, meats, and fruits.
Wald's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked to the table and sat down.
Before the minister could even speak, he began to eat and drink ravenously.
"Mr. Wald's eating… is quite unrestrained, heh, heheh." The minister's mouth twitched slightly, and he stroked his beard as he forced out this remark.
As the few of them settled into their seats, Prince Roux suddenly felt a sense of superiority. Holding a knife and fork and donning a napkin, he was about to begin his meal to show the crude pirates aristocratic etiquette.
However, he noticed that eight or nine out of ten of the dishes on the table showed signs of having been touched by Wald's coarse hands, and his eyebrows twitched.
Roux sighed, and elegantly put down his knife and fork.
The minister took a sip of tea and said, "Mr. Wald, I would like to inquire about the price of your goods?"
Wald pointed to Binjack. Binjack coughed once and began, "Minister, Prince Roux, to be frank, the materials for our firearms are refined from rare and unique iron ore found on the Grand Line. The quality is absolutely solid, and due to shipping reasons, the cost is not low."
The minister chuckled, looking as if he had seen it all before, his expression remaining calm throughout.
"Mr. Binjack, please speak freely." The minister smiled slightly.
"For orders of less than ten thousand firearms, we sell them at 70,000 Berries per firearm. For ten thousand firearms or more, we sell them at a ten percent discount. Of course, considering you are our first customers, all our products will receive a ten percent discount."
The minister was slightly surprised. He had originally thought that given the kingdom's current precarious situation of internal and external troubles, Binjack would demand an exorbitant price, at least 80,000 Berries or more per firearm. He hadn't expected such a reasonable offer.
Amidst his surprise, the minister lowered his gaze, maintaining an unreadable expression.
"Could you reduce the price further?" the minister asked.
Binjack smiled slightly, his tone calm: "I believe we have shown sufficient sincerity. To my knowledge, ordinary flintlock guns sell for an average of 80,000 Berries on the market. You've seen our firearms; their quality and range are far superior to typical flintlock guns."
The minister and Prince Roux exchanged glances. Roux nodded gently, and the minister also nodded, then stood up, a hint of a smile appearing on his taut face: "In that case, Binjack, it's a pleasure to cooperate."
Bang!!!
Suddenly, a violent explosion echoed from outside the castle, followed by a cacophony of gunshots, cannon fire, and piercing screams.
Everyone in the castle's faces changed dramatically. The minister and Roux looked at Wald and Binjack in astonishment, and an uneasy thought involuntarily arose in their minds: Oh no, we've let the wolf into the house!!!
Binjack immediately knew something was wrong from their expressions. He and Wald hadn't ordered their subordinates to attack the kingdom, had they?!
Could it be a special mission!?
Binjack looked at Wald strangely, and Wald also looked utterly bewildered.
Then his face darkened. He threw away the roasted suckling pig in his hand and instinctively stomped his foot on the table: "Who in the world dares to ruin my good business?!"
Binjack hurriedly explained to the minister and Roux: "Gentlemen, I believe there must be some misunderstanding. Our people would absolutely not attack the kingdom."
"Prince Roux, Minister, something has happened! A monster has attacked the pirate ship! Now the Royal Army and the pirates are both fighting the monster!"
A soldier captain rushed in, flustered, and reported.
Wald's face was ashen. He clenched his iron fists and walked out with heavy steps.
Two hundred meters outside the castle, a Fishman was single-handedly fighting two hundred pirates and one hundred royal soldiers, slaughtering them!
The pirates uniformly raised their firearms, aimed at the Fishman, and pulled the triggers. Fire spewed from the muzzles, and dozens, even hundreds, of lead bullets flew out of the barrels.
What was astonishing was that the bullets hitting the Fishman were like an itch; they merely grazed his skin, producing a series of clinking sounds like colliding steel balls, and his powerful shark skin repelled all the bullets.
Even cannonballs only caused him to pause slightly in his steps.
The clamor and sounds of battle mixed together. The Fishman looked at the pirates closing in, letting out a chilling, earth-shattering roar, and violently hurled the pirate in his hand, sending the other pirates sprawling.
His massive body was like a rampaging rhino, shaking the ground as he ran, and in an instant, he charged in front of the pirates.
Without giving the pirates any time to react, his shark-like palm slammed down from above with a smack, and the pirate's head was literally smacked down to his crotch, blood and gore flowing.
He swung his shark-like palm, brutally crushing the pirate's skull, and his sharp hands pierced through the opponent's chest to pull out his internal organs.
He even Domineeringly lifted a pirate above his head, and under the terrified gazes of everyone, he brutally tore him in half!
Blood, mixed with minced meat and internal organs, flew everywhere!
The pirates and soldiers were powerless before him, like weak playthings!!!
The Fishman licked his blood-soaked palm, revealing an expression of greedy enjoyment!!!
The Man-Eating Shark, Bolonga!!!
"What does this bastard take my subordinates for?!!!"
Wald was enraged, veins bulging on his forehead, and muscles intertwined with prominent veins on his thick arms.
"Fifty times speed!!"
Wald took a step forward, and the next moment, he abruptly vanished from his original spot, reappearing directly in front of Bolonga!
His massive fist, carrying a gust of wind, slammed straight towards Bolonga's face!!!