But Kane didn't lower the price.
Doing business was exactly like this.
"This isn't expensive," he continued.
"Think about it—just 5 billion Beli, and I'll settle everything in your country."
"I'll even deal with the rebels directly."
"Your daughter will probably be back in a few days."
"She'll see that everything has already been resolved."
"And it'll show just how great you are as a father."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"And I'm taking on huge risks here."
"Your country won't even lose a single soldier."
"Isn't that worth it?"
Nefertari Cobra finally snapped out of his shock.
But then—
He gave a bitter smile.
"Vice Admiral…"
"Alabasta doesn't have that much money."
"…You're kidding, right?"
"Such a large country can't even come up with 5 billion Beli?"
"…We really can't."
"Fine. For the sake of me being a Marine, I'll lower it."
"How about 4 billion Beli?"
"Thank you, Vice Admiral…"
"But we still don't have that much…"
"Enough with the useless talk."
"Final price—3 billion Beli."
"Considering the strength of a Warlord—"
"This is already very cheap."
That—
Was actually Kane's psychological bottom line.
For a country—
This wasn't an unbearable price.
Trading this amount for stability—
Was absolutely worth it.
If he remembered correctly—
That guy Donquixote Doflamingo once demanded 10 billion in Dressrosa.
So his price—
Was already very reasonable.
But what annoyed him—
Was that even after saying 3 billion—
Cobra still looked miserable.
"You're not telling me…"
"You can't even come up with 3 billion Beli?"
Kane's expression darkened.
Just earlier—
He had extorted Crocodile and his organization—
And got 2 billion Beli in less than half an hour.
And now—
The ruler of an entire country—
Couldn't even produce this amount?
Cobra immediately sensed Kane's dissatisfaction.
But he had no choice.
"Your sincerity… isn't enough."
"Vice Admiral…"
"Forget 3 billion—"
"Even 1 billion Beli is extremely difficult for me to produce right now."
"What kind of joke is that?!"
"1 billion Beli?!"
"Do you think I'm begging for food?!"
"This isn't some small matter!"
"It's about suppressing a national rebellion!"
"And taking the risk to eliminate a current Warlord of the Sea!"
"Where did all your money go?!"
Kane was clearly displeased.
"For the past three years…"
"There hasn't been a drop of rain in the entire country."
"Most of our food has been imported."
"And because of the Dance Powder incident…"
"To compensate, we…"
"So you spent all your money buying supplies for your people?"
Cobra nodded.
Kane's expression darkened.
A sense of frustration rose in his chest.
It seemed—
He had overestimated Alabasta.
Before this—
He thought that no matter how difficult things were—
A country with a thousand-year legacy—
Should at least be able to produce tens of billions.
If this hadn't happened—
He could've even asked for 10 billion.
But now—
Reality proved otherwise.
Meanwhile—
Baroque Works had gathered 2 billion in less than half an hour.
Kane's gaze turned cold.
A "legal" pirate like a Warlord—
Was far more dangerous than imagined.
Seeing Kane's expression—
Cobra felt helpless.
Three years ago—
Forget 3 billion—
Even 5 billion—
He could've easily taken it out.
But now—
With so many citizens to support—
The fact that Alabasta had endured three years—
Was already a miracle.
Still—
Thinking of what Kane said—
If it could reduce casualties…
And protect his daughter—
Cobra gritted his teeth.
"Vice Admiral Kane…"
"Give me some time."
"I can gather 1 billion Beli."
"As for the rest…"
"I'll pay you within two years."
His thinking was simple.
Solve the crisis first.
Once the country stabilized—
Revenue would return to normal.
Repaying the remaining 2 billion within two years—
Wouldn't be a problem.
Most importantly—
If Kane acted—
There likely wouldn't be casualties.
That—
Was what he valued most.
As for mobilizing the army—
That was the last resort.
Kane's eyes lit up.
This—
Was actually a pretty good arrangement.
But soon—
He began calculating.
Was this deal worth it?
The Nefertari family—
Wasn't an ordinary royal family.
They were one of the original Twenty Kingdoms from 800 years ago.
And if he remembered correctly—
In two years—
The Reverie would bring major events.
One of the most critical—
Was Cobra's death—
And Vivi's disappearance.
If he agreed—
And couldn't collect the money later—
What then?
A one-time deal was clean and simple.
But Cobra—
Clearly didn't have the funds right now.
But in the next moment—
Kane made his decision.
Money was money.
Not taking it would be stupid.
Besides—
Things had already come this far.
He wasn't going to push too hard.
And frankly—
He really disliked Crocodile's fake act.
From the start—
He hadn't planned to squeeze much out of Cobra anyway.
The real profits—
Were Baroque Works—
And Ace.
Seeing Kane fall silent—
Cobra grew uneasy.
He had already learned about Kane's strength from the captain.
And Kane was right—
The Marines couldn't easily intervene in this matter.
Unless everything exploded into the open.
But Cobra didn't want that.
Just as Kane said—
By then—
It would be too late.
"Alright."
"It's settled."
"But this is only an agreement between you and me."
"If it gets out—"
"I won't acknowledge it."
"And I have one more condition."
Cobra froze.
"…What condition?"
"I want the Poneglyph beneath your country."
Even after agreeing—
Kane wouldn't miss out on extra benefits.
As for what to do with it?
Simple.
Sell it.
He already knew the secret of Pluton anyway.
Cobra's expression changed.
He fell silent.
"I can reduce 1 billion Beli."
"…Alright."
"I agree."
Kane was stunned.
That easy?!
Why did it feel like—
He just made a loss?
Could he have not reduced the price at all?
But Cobra thought differently.
The Poneglyph—
Was important.
But this disaster—
Had been caused because of it.
And they couldn't even read it.
Even if Kane took it—
It wouldn't cause any problems.
More importantly—
He didn't want Vivi to go through this again.
Ending everything here—
Was enough.
If their ancestors were to blame—
He would bear it alone.
Trading it for peace—
Was worth it.
Kane still found it a bit strange.
He had expected refusal—
And was even preparing to persuade him.
After all—
It was a secret passed down for nearly a thousand years.
But then—
He remembered—
Cobra was a complete daughter-obsessed father.
And that—
Made perfect sense.
Seeing Kane's expression—
Cobra was about to explain—
But Kane waved his hand.
"No need to explain."
"I take the money."
"And I do the job."
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