Chapter 144: The Meaning of Five
Axel's small frame stood beneath the lights of the reception hall.
"A very good suggestion."
His words sounded almost like a concession.
Franklin was not surprised.
From the moment Axel appeared, his actions had already proven he was not an ordinary child. He was sharp, direct, and far more mature than his age suggested. Accepting a negotiated compromise was the natural choice.
If he did not even understand that much, Franklin would have overestimated him.
Franklin's smile became warmer. He was just about to say, "Then let us cooperate happily," when Axel's next sentence lodged itself in his throat.
"But I think arresting you all at once would solve the problem more cleanly."
Franklin's expression froze.
After all that, it still came back to arresting them.
Persuasion had failed.
Force was out of the question.
So Franklin turned to threat.
"I hope you think carefully, Captain Axel. This is St. Poplar, and Enies Lobby is not far from here. Even if you are a Marine Colonel, you still fall under the World Government's authority. If you arrest us without cause, Enies Lobby will not ignore it."
Franklin believed that anyone with a brain would understand the warning.
Openly opposing Enies Lobby was not something a normal Marine would do.
Unfortunately, Axel once again lowered his expectations of what a "normal Marine" should be.
He did not even pause to consider it.
"I've thought it through," Axel said. "The answer is still the same."
His red eyes swept across the hall.
"I'm arresting you."
He did not waste another word.
A strange force enveloped the entire reception hall.
Almost at the same moment, every merchant felt an unbearable weight crash down on their bodies. Their knees buckled. Their chests tightened. Breath vanished from their lungs.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
One after another, the pampered merchants were forced to the floor.
Before an overwhelming difference in strength, they could not even struggle. All their wealth, titles, and carefully maintained dignity became meaningless. They could only cry out, gasp, and beg like helpless men crushed beneath a falling building.
Franklin was pressed flat against the ground as well.
Only then did he truly understand the gap between them.
His earlier threat now seemed laughable.
His bloated cheek was smashed against the cold floor. The material beneath him was made from rare minerals that naturally carried a faint chill. Franklin had once loved that cold elegance. Nearly every room in his estate was paved with the same expensive stone.
Now that chill seeped through his face and into his skull.
He shivered violently.
When he returned, he swore he would tear up every single one of those floors.
"We can… talk…" Franklin squeezed out.
His round belly was jammed against the ground, lifting his chest awkwardly as if a slab had been wedged beneath him. Even speaking became difficult.
Axel looked down at him and sneered.
Begging for mercy.
How typical.
Even if these people agreed to his demands today, they would repeat the same trick before long.
Desire was always the original sin.
They might learn a lesson for the moment, but faced with enough profit, they would happily forget that lesson and do it all again.
Still, as if accepting Franklin's words, the pressure suddenly vanished.
The merchants gasped and struggled back to their feet.
The sudden humiliation had shaken them badly.
Among them, Franklin looked the most miserable. His enormous belly had been a burden from beginning to end. It took him several attempts, rolling and pushing against the floor, before he finally managed to grab the edge of a nearby table and haul himself upright.
He tried to straighten his clothes.
No matter how much he tugged and smoothed them, the wrinkles refused to disappear.
His earlier confidence was gone.
He did not keep Axel waiting for long. After barely tidying himself, Franklin forced a foolish grin onto his face.
"We can talk. Of course we can talk…"
Axel looked at him.
"Since you say we can talk, how exactly do you plan to talk?"
Franklin nearly cursed.
He was the one who wanted to negotiate, yet the brat had thrown the question back at him without even giving him a chance to test the limit.
Aren't you supposed to be the one making demands?
Franklin swallowed his irritation.
"Prices reduced by twenty percent?"
Axel gave no reaction.
Franklin's smile stiffened.
"Thirty percent?"
Axel still gave no reaction.
Franklin's heart sank.
Had he gone down the wrong path from the beginning?
A thirty percent reduction would basically return prices to normal. If Axel had come for the inflated prices, he should have accepted by now.
After a moment of hesitation, Franklin tentatively rubbed his thumb against his index and middle fingers.
Money.
Berries.
This time, Axel smiled.
Franklin's eyes brightened.
At the same time, he felt speechless.
Were children nowadays already this greedy?
Had he fallen behind the times?
When Franklin had been Axel's age, he had grown up listening to heroic tales and dreaming of becoming someone great. That was why, when Axel first brought up the price increase, Franklin thought the child had come to plead for the common people.
At most, Franklin had assumed Axel wanted to pressure them into sharing a portion of the benefits.
He had not expected Axel to be no different from a seasoned Marine veteran.
Shrewd.
Direct.
Here to collect his bonus.
Originally, giving a "bonus" to the officer responsible for local affairs was standard practice. But since Captain Axel was only a child, no one knew his preferences. Considering his public image as a young hero with strong justice and little interest in Berries, Franklin had not prepared one.
Of course, most of the other Marine officers had already been bribed.
And yet this was the result.
Franklin inwardly sneered, but outwardly kept his smile warm and flattering.
"No problem, no problem. Would this amount be acceptable?"
He opened his palm first, showing five fingers.
Then he raised two fingers.
The meaning was simple.
Five followed by two zeros.
Five million Berries.
It was a common gesture among merchants. Since Axel understood the idea of a bonus, he should understand the code too.
After Franklin finished gesturing, Axel frowned and looked troubled.
"Isn't that too much?"
Franklin almost laughed.
Too much?
He really was still a child.
He covered his mouth, barely suppressing his amusement.
Axel's reaction gave him the satisfying feeling of regaining control through money.
Five million Berries was indeed a fortune to ordinary people. But to the merchants gathered here, it was entirely affordable. With so many people present, each contributing a little would easily cover the amount.
Unfortunately, their happiness did not last.
Axel continued with a conflicted expression, "Can I really get that much just by threatening you once? I feel unworthy."
Franklin's smile faltered.
"Shouldn't I threaten you a few more times to make the value match?"
The last trace of Franklin's smile vanished.
He had no desire to experience being smashed against the floor again, so he shook his head repeatedly.
"No, no, not at all. It is exactly what you deserve."
Axel appeared reluctant.
"Oh. Since you insist, I'll accept it without hesitation."
Then he deliberately raised his voice, letting it carry across the entire hall.
"Giving me fifty percent of the profits twice a year. You really are generous."
The previously quiet reception hall exploded.
The merchants did not know how Franklin had negotiated.
But they heard Axel's words clearly.
"Franklin!"
"You cannot represent all of us!"
"How did you negotiate such a thing?!"
"Are you working with him to swindle us out of our money?"
Fortunately, the angry crowd still retained some reason and did not dare cross the sword mark on the floor.
Otherwise, with their current emotions, they might have rushed toward Franklin and torn him apart.
Franklin's face turned pale.
"What did you just say?"
His voice rose sharply.
"Fifty percent of the profits? When did I ever say I would give you fifty percent of the profits?"
Axel looked at him with genuine confusion.
"You showed five first, didn't you?"
Franklin froze.
Axel continued calmly, "That means fifty percent of the profits."
Then he raised two fingers.
"And then you showed two. That means two payments per year."
He tilted his head.
"Was I wrong?"
.....
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