Chapter 95: The Magnates Of The Falling Dark World
The world does not revolve around any one person, but the actions of certain individuals are enough to influence the winds and clouds of the world. There is no need to do anything deliberately; just his arrival and appearance are enough to inadvertently stir up a Storm.
The Black Prince ended his trip to Paradise and returned to the New World with the title of Seven Warlords.
Upon returning to the Eckmond Kingdom, the Black Prince was extremely well-behaved. He no longer continued his restless wandering around, stirring up trouble everywhere. He stayed obediently on his own territory for more than a month without leaving. Even so, the wind direction in the New World still changed.
The crux of the problem is still the Maritime Transport Network in the New World.
In this world where Maritime Transport reigns supreme, controlling the Maritime Transport Network is equivalent to grasping the lifeblood of people. As long as it is not a country like Wano Country or Zou, no one can escape dependence on maritime transport—especially the magnates of the Dark World. Their influence spans numerous islands in the New World, making them even more inseparable from maritime transport support.
Take Stussy’s Red Light District, for example. Besides the girls with Technology inside, they also sell some pills, and one-stop services like Casino and Loan Sharking are all available. The businesses of the magnates each have their own systems, while also being intertwined and mixed.
The most core among them is maritime transport.
On this vast sea, no one can do without the support of maritime transport.
In the past,
Umit, as one of the magnates of the Dark World, though bearing the title of King of Maritime Transport, never used the maritime transport channels he controlled to threaten other magnates. Doing so would provoke everyone’s resentment, and in the end, only Umit himself would suffer.
But Umit’s era has been swept into the dustbin of history.
The Maritime Transport Network is now Elus’s Territory.
Because Elus’s moral bottom line is not low enough, some magnates of the Dark World cannot rely on the Maritime Transport Network established by Umit as before; it has reached the point where they want to pledge allegiance to Elus but have no opportunity.
In short, these Dark World magnates have no ready-made maritime transport channels available and cannot find a way to pledge allegiance. They have no choice but to grit their teeth and build their own maritime transport channels, providing manpower, effort, and money. But such behavior is undoubtedly opposing Elus.
During the time Elus went to Paradise, wars over Shipping Routes never ceased.
Even after Elus returned,
The war continued this month. It is not that these Dark World magnates have the guts to confront Elus head-on, but if they do not fight desperately for survival, they will sooner or later fall into a dead end due to losing maritime transport support.
So even after receiving intelligence that the Black Prince had returned to the New World, they could only grit their teeth and continue the war while continuing to contact the BIG·MOM Pirate Crew as their backer, desperately seeking opportunities for reconciliation with Elus.
As for war, besides Doflamingo the Weapons dealer, the President of the Bounty Hunter Guild is the happiest.
These so-called Bounty Hunters are just a pretty skin; in reality, they are a group of mercenaries who follow the money—whoever pays gets their help in fighting. The more brutal the war, the more money they make.
Besides that,
Few magnates like engaging in such time-consuming and laborious wars.
If they had a choice, they would not choose to fight Elus. So while continuing the war head-on, they have never given up seeking possibilities for reconciliation.
······
Nigoshit Island,
Commonly known as Negotiator’s Island.
This is the public Island used by the Dark World magnates for meetings.
However, this time the number of magnates coming to the Island for talks was sparse—only four people landed on the Island: “Big Hand” Dragul Pakuro, “Poison Master” Walter, “Human Snake” Bessy, and “Organ Merchant” Jigra. All were unlucky ones who could not pledge allegiance under Elus.
“Has the BIG·MOM Pirate Crew still not responded?” “Poison Master” Walter sat on the Sofa, holding a lit Cigar in his hand, puffing heavily on the clouds of smoke, using the aroma of tobacco to relieve the Pressure in his heart. Though this crude smoking method proved the effect was basically nil.
“I contacted the Juice Minister, who spouted a bunch of vague nonsense without giving me a straight answer.”
Bessy, nicknamed “Human Snake,” did not sip fine Red Wine in small tastes as she usually did. This old woman nearing sixty years old had disheveled hair, her cold triangular Eyes staring straight at Walter sitting diagonally across from her. She picked up the large oak Wine Glass favored by pirates and chugged a mouthful of Rum. “That is a bitch who turns hostile and denies everything. She took so many benefits from me and now does nothing but laugh it off!”
Such crude and rude words, in the past, she would absolutely not dare say in front of outsiders.
But now she was almost forced to a dead end.
Bessy is a Human Snake, strong Effort, beautiful women, battle-hardened soldiers, doctors and craftsmen with specialized skills… as long as it is human, there is nothing Bessy dares not sell. Over the years, she has even sold more than two handfuls of Prince and Princess.
Otherwise, she would not have become a magnate in the Dark World.
It is just that her Ambition was too great, and she spread her operations too wide. Without maritime transport channels to help transport her goods, her originally booming business immediately suffered a huge blow—especially those Big Shots who had already paid deposits but had not received their goods for a long time. They did not care what Trouble Bessy encountered; they only recognized that Bessy had not fulfilled the Trade within the agreed time.
This not only caused Bessy to lose many big clients but also offended quite a few people.
Coupled with the constant strikes from the Black Prince’s Influence, Bessy’s business has now plummeted. She is truly forced to a dead end. Before coming here, she contacted the BIG·MOM Pirate Crew again to no avail, completely plunging her into Despair, even leading her to curse the Juice Minister Smoothie.
“If this continues, I won’t last much longer either.” At this point, “Organ Merchant” Jigra, who usually loved watching the fun, said no sarcastic remarks. His Organ Trade had also been severely affected, and his situation was only slightly better than Bessy’s at the moment.
“Everyone is the same; my days are almost unbearable too.”
The last to speak was “Big Hand” Dragul Pakuro, who operated the Undertaker’s. Of course, the Undertaker’s was just a surface disguise; his real business was slaves and Organ Trade. He was actually a competitor to Bessy and Jigra, and they had often fought fiercely in the past.
Yet now they were all in the same boat as fallen people, unable to laugh at their rivals’ dejection.
“······ Are there any other ways out?”
Jigra, unwilling to sit and wait for death, raised his head, roughly wiping the liquor from the corner of his mouth with his Sleeve, and looked at the other three in the Room with red Eyes.
“If there was a way, would we be here today?”
Bessy sneered.
“People like us probably aren’t even worth as much as the trash that can be exploited for taxes in that Black Prince’s eyes.” She mocked herself harshly. Jigra’s face flushed red, unsure if it was the alcohol or boiling emotions. Walter just silently puffed on his Cigar without a word.
At that moment—
“I didn’t expect you to have such self-awareness. This is truly something I didn’t anticipate.”
A cold voice came from outside the Room.
“Big Hand” Dragul Pakuro, wearing a mask, was the first to stand up. He grabbed the huge scythe beside him and warily watched the tightly shut door. The other three’s reactions were only a bit slower than Pakuro’s—including Bessy, who seemed thoroughly despairing, as she pulled a handgun loaded with Seastone bullets from her lady’s bag.
“Bang—!”
The oak door was Violence broken open.
Dillon stepped in over the shattered door. This Aide-de-camp, stubborn in mind and most fond of greeting all Lawbreakers with the iron Fist of rules and Order, coldly eyed the four in the Room. “For the sake of your slight self-awareness, I can give you a chance to surrender.”
“Damn it, my Subordinates…”
Dragul Pakuro’s words were not finished. Seeing the blood-red footprints left behind as Dillon walked in, he already understood what had happened outside. Deep gloom surfaced in his heart—he had left quite a few Subordinates outside the door.
Yet so many people could not even send a warning.
He knew what that meant.
It meant that the guy nicknamed ‘Executioner’ in front of him was a genuine Monster.
【Executioner】—
This was the nickname Dillon had earned over this period by trampling thousands of corpses.
“If we surrender, can you guarantee we live?”
Walter was very nervous.
He did not want to die at all. His age was not young anymore—people grow more afraid of death as they age. This Drug Dealer had risked his life countless times in his youth to rise to power, but now he no longer had the youthful spirit; he feared death more each year.
If not for knowing that showing even a hint of weakness would get him devoured by the other hungry wolves,
If he could live,
Even abandoning the Business he had built would not be impossible.
“You have no room to bargain. Either surrender right now, or I beat you to death alive. You have three seconds. If you don’t choose after time’s up, I’ll assume you want to be beaten to death alive by me.”
Dillon extended his tightly clenched Fist and slowly straightened his index finger, counting aloud at the same time.
“One!”
“Two!”
“Three!”
Three seconds passed in the blink of an eye, but none of the four in the Room chose to surrender. Without any promises or guarantees, they were asked to surrender—even the most despairing Bessy would not make such a choice. Just as Dillon counted to three, she chose to fire.
The Seastone bullet did not break through Dillon’s Armament Haki.
He was the most earnest of Elus’s four Aide-de-camps. No matter the time or place, he never underestimated any enemy. Even if an infant in swaddling clothes appeared before him, as long as it was an enemy, he would face it with utmost vigilance.
Deflecting the Seastone bullet, Dillon said impassively: “I’m glad you gave the answer I wanted. Compared to escorting trash like you back home for trial, I’d rather turn you all into meat paste here. Of course, this is all by the rules.”
As the words fell,
His Body suddenly expanded and grew massive. A Rhinoceros with long sharp horns charging forth collapsed the house standing on the Island.
————
Eckmond Kingdom, Skadi Island.
Bone-chilling north winds whipped snowflakes howling across the Island, but this cold could not stop the construction team from working. Over two hundred construction personnel were busy in a frenzy of activity—this was a professional team drawn from the army, naturally not like civilian crews that feared harsh weather.
Besides, Skadi Island is a Winter Island, with snow falling four-fifths of the year. If they only worked on sunny days, it would probably take two or three years to build the research Base Elus wanted.
“Your Highness, Dillon sent word: ‘Big Hand’ Dragul Pakuro, ‘Poison Master’ Walter, ‘Human Snake’ Bessy, ‘Organ Merchant’ Jigra—these four have all been executed on Nigoshit Island.” Fran braved the wind and snow, waving the Document in her hand, and hurried to Elus’s side, reporting the good News in a cheerful tone.
“Finally cleaned up? Well done.”
Elus, wearing a construction safety helmet, took the Document from Fran, flipped through it, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
“Tell Dillon not to rush back. Carefully comb through all the Shipping Routes and Sea Areas under our control again—try to patrol them all.”
“Eh? Patrol them all? That will take a long time!”
Fran’s Eyes widened.
“The capable should do more! Who let that lazy bum Kappas stay put!” Elus said, glaring irritably at the Subordinate snoring away atop a pile of building materials. Snowflakes falling on him were almost burying the guy, yet he still slept soundly.
“······ Isn’t that a bit… too unfair?”
Fran glanced at the soundly sleeping Kappas, then thought of Dillon still Sea Drifting on patrol, feeling a twinge of unfairness in her heart.
“Enough chit-chat? Just obediently relay the order.”
Elus waved his hand impatiently, too lazy to explain.
The Attendants and Aide-de-camps were not trained together after all. Plus, Fran’s main job was providing personal service to Elus, so her understanding of the four Aide-de-camps was not deep—or rather, as a woman, she did not understand the camaraderie between Dillon, Dick, Kappas, and Eschbach.
Dillon would not complain about unfairness. That guy with a head more stubborn than Seastone always took obeying orders as the highest principle, and moreover, he did not like idling around doing nothing—he was complete opposites with the lazy Kappas.
Even if Dillon and Kappas swapped jobs, without Elus’s explicit orders, Dillon would absolutely not agree.
