The port fell silent for a moment.
Gloriosa thought she had misheard.
"What did you say?"
"Thirty billion," Kane repeated, leisurely extending three fingers.
The Kuja Warriors' expressions changed in unison.
"Are you insane?!" a young Kuja warrior blurted out. "Three billion is already an astronomical price, but thirty billion? Why don't you just rob us!"
"If I were robbing you, you wouldn't even have a chance to fight back."
Kane's tone was utterly indifferent.
Gloriosa's hand was already resting on her bowstring.
"Admiral Kane," she said, her voice low. "I don't believe this price is offered in good faith for a business deal."
"Why not?" Kane tilted his head, looking sincere. "Your Kuja warriors are born with the ability to use Haki, especially Armament Haki. This makes you a unique combat group across the entire sea. The Seven Warlords of the Sea are essentially for intimidation—the stronger you are, the more effective that intimidation becomes. Isn't a premium price only natural?"
"And," he raised an index finger, "scarcity premium, understand? There are only four spots left for the Seven Warlords, yet more and more people are coming to me to buy a ticket. Supply and demand determine price—that's the most basic economic principle."
Gloriosa's mouth twitched.
She had lived for over forty years, fought Sea Kings, weathered storms in the New World, but she had never taken an economics class.
"We..." Gloriosa gritted her teeth, "can't gather that amount."
"Then there's nothing more to discuss," Kane said, turning to leave.
"Wait!"
Gloriosa stepped forward, her body covered in a faint layer of Armament Haki Armor. Behind her, the Kuja Warriors drew their bowstrings taut in unison.
The atmosphere at the port grew tense instantly.
The Marines of G-5 also drew their weapons, and the heavy cannons on the turrets swiftly adjusted their aim.
Kane stopped and turned back.
He wasn't angry.
He even smiled.
"Gloriosa, I'll give you a piece of advice."
"Two weeks ago, someone stood in this square and said to me, 'Otherwise, I'll smash this whole place to pieces.'"
"Would you like to know where he is now?"
Gloriosa's Armament Haki fluctuated violently for a moment.
One by one, her fingers loosened on the bowstring.
Though their faces were filled with reluctance, the Kuja Warriors slowly lowered their weapons.
Gloriosa closed her eyes.
She had fought her entire life.
But today, for the first time, she realized that some enemies couldn't be dealt with by fists alone.
"Admiral."
Her voice was hoarse, her face weary.
"I beg you... give us a chance. There are still over two thousand female warriors on Amazon Lily, along with elders and children. They need a safe future."
"I can do anything for the Navy. Risk my life, fight battles, carry out missions in the most dangerous seas. Just... just to protect Amazon Lily."
Kane looked at this emperor bowing before him.
To be honest, he felt no ripple of emotion in his heart.
Playing the emotional card?
Sorry, but he was naturally immune to emotional appeals.
He only ever cared about one thing.
Profit.
But—
Kane's peripheral gaze swept over the three little girls behind Gloriosa.
To be precise, the eldest one.
Ten-year-old Boa Hancock was tightly gripping her two younger sisters' hands, looking up at him.
There was no fear in those eyes—only a stubbornness that didn't match her age.
Kane recalculated the ledger in his mind.
A peerless beauty who could captivate the entire world once she grew up.
A top-tier combatant who had awakened the Mero Mero no Mi, possessing the ability to petrify anything.
Only ten years old now, her personality not yet fixed, her worldview still malleable.
Wasn't this an uncut gem waiting to be polished?
And delivered right to his doorstep, no less.
Expected returns: infinite.
Investment cost: almost zero.
Kane narrowed his eyes.
He glanced again at Gloriosa's face, etched with despair.
He looked at the ten-year-old Hancock.
Then, the Navy Admiral revealed an exceptionally warm, kind, and trustworthy smile.
"Actually..."
"There might still be room for negotiation."
Gloriosa raised her head, a flicker of light in her eyes.
"Admiral, you mean..."
"Come inside to talk." Kane turned and walked toward the main building, his tone casual. "It's too windy on the dock—not the place to discuss money."
...
Main building, second-floor reception room.
The warriors of the Kuja Pirates were arranged to wait downstairs. Gloriosa led the three Hancock sisters and followed Kane into the reception room.
The three little girls sat on the massive leather sofa, their feet not even touching the floor.
Sandersonia nervously clutched her older sister's sleeve.
Marigold was already captivated by the fruit pastries arranged on the table, secretly swallowing her saliva.
Hancock sat bolt upright, her gaze fixed straight ahead.
But her eyes kept darting around.
This room was too big. She had never seen anything in it before—what was that sparkling chandelier? What was that map hanging on the wall? What was in that steaming pot on the table?
Having lived on the isolated Amazon Lily since birth, everything in the outside world was new to her.
Kane took his seat at the head of the table, personally pouring two cups of tea—one for himself, and one pushed toward Gloriosa.
Gloriosa didn't drink.
"What are the conditions?"
"Direct." Kane gave a thumbs-up. "I like that."
He set down his teacup, lightly tapping his fingers on the table twice.
"The three hundred billion entry fee—you truly can't afford it. That's a fact, and I won't make things difficult for you."
Gloriosa's tense shoulders relaxed half an inch.
"But I have a principle in business—no credit."
Her shoulders tensed right back up.
"So you'll need to provide... collateral." As Kane spoke these two words, his gaze inadvertently swept over the three little girls on the sofa.
Gloriosa's pupils contracted sharply.
"You—"
"Don't rush." Kane raised a hand to stop her outburst. "Hear me out."
"I've looked into the situation on Amazon Lily. The island has no mineral resources, no industrial base, no stable trade routes. Ninety percent of the clan's income comes from maritime plunder."
"With that economic structure, it would take a decade or more just to gather a hundred billion, let alone three hundred billion."
Gloriosa fell silent. It was the truth.
"But you have one thing that's scarce across the entire world."
"What?"
"People."
Kane stood up, walked to the window, and placed his hands behind his back as he watched the Marines running on the training ground below.
"The warriors of the Kuja Tribe have a natural, high affinity for Haki. Even without systematic training, ordinary tribeswomen can use basic Armament Haki. This kind of innate talent is unmatched anywhere else on the seas."
"I need Amazon Lily to dispatch one hundred outstanding young warriors to G-5 each year to serve as instructors, teaching my Marines the basics of Haki. The service term will be two years per rotation."
"In exchange, the entry fee for the Seven Warlords of the Sea will be reduced from thirty billion to three billion. You should be able to gather three billion. At the same time, Amazon Lily's Annual Tribute within the Seven Warlords system will be fully exempted. However, the Mandatory Conscription Order must be enforced. If the Navy requires it in the future, the Kuja must go to war."
Gloriosa rapidly processed this information.
Three billion... they could barely manage it.
Full exemption from the Annual Tribute—this was a genuine concession.
Sending one hundred warriors to support G-5 each year wouldn't cripple Amazon Lily, but it was still a significant burden.
Yet compared to the safety of the entire tribe, this price was completely acceptable.
The old empress instinctively wanted to agree, but decades of experience made her more cautious.
"...Is that all?"
"Of course not."
Kane turned around.
"There is one additional condition."
He walked back to the table, his gaze falling on the Hancock sisters.
"These three children will remain at G-5."
Gloriosa's hand slammed onto the armrest of her chair.
Hancock also sharply raised her head, staring directly at the tall man.
"You're taking children as hostages?!" Gloriosa's voice rose sharply.
"The word 'hostage' sounds too harsh," Kane said with a sincere expression. "I prefer to call them—exchange students."