They ended up borrowing money from Arthur!
But a new problem arose, how do they proceed with the transaction now?
Should it be given to Griffin first?
No, that won't work!
Kasem strongly opposes it!
What if Griffin took the money and didn't release the hostage?
Shouldn't they aske for the hostage first?
No, that wouldn't work either!
Griffin is not foolish; once he had the hostage, how could they ensure he would really give the Queen back?
Besides, he knew his own strength. Being only at a commander level, he was no match for two vigilant Marine Captains. Apart from flying, he had no other advantage!
He wouldn't dare to take such a risk!
For a moment, both sides were stuck in a deadlock.
"Well, since both sides seem to be at an impasse, let me suggest something," Arthur helplessly shouted while looking at the stalemate.
If they continue like this, it would soon be dark!
"Okay, tell us!" Griffin knew that this deadlock wouldn't lead to a solution and readily accepted Arthur's suggestion.
The people from the Timothy Kingdom also realized that this deadlock wouldn't benefit either side and nodded in agreement.
"Since neither side trusts the other, I'll propose a solution using the reputation of the St. Martin Kingdom as a guarantee. The people from the Timothy Kingdom will give us the money, and we'll send our people to your ship with the money. You can then return the Queen. After you have gone far enough, we'll release your hostages. How about that?" Arthur said seriously.
Upon hearing this proposal, everyone present fell into deep thought.
After discussing for a while, Kasem stepped forward and agreed, "Alright, we agree!"
But the members of the Gryphon Pirates had concerns.
"Boss, that won't work! You know about the St. Martin Kingdom. If they send a powerful person with the money, and we release the Queen, they could turn on us!" Sam whispered to Griffin with a frown.
Griffin nodded slightly; he was afraid of St. Martin's people turning on them.
As for the concept of reputation... only someone foolish would believe in such a thing as a pirate!
"No, we can't trust who they'll send. What if it's someone powerful from their kingdom? Then what do we do?" Griffin frowned and shouted.
"Ah, they saw through it!"
Arthur's eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment. Indeed, he had such intentions. Otherwise, he wouldn't have suggested this plan. After all, what did it matter to him if the Queen of Timothy Kingdom died?
If Griffin agreed to his plan, he could not only gain a billion Berry as interest from the Timothy Kingdom but also get a ransom of two billion Berry. It would be an enormous profit!
However, he suppressed the disappointment in his eyes and righteously reproached, "Nonsense! How could we from the St. Martin Kingdom do such a thing? We have our reputation! Don't insult us!"
Ugh, what kind of good 'reputation' would do them?
Could it be eaten?
"Hehe, as a pirate, how could I possibly believe in such a thing as reputation? Do you think I'm crazy?" Griffin sneered.
"Then tell us, what should we do? Continue this deadlock? That won't be good for you either," Arthur said with his hands out, helpless.
Griffin furrowed his brows.
Arthur had a point!
Continuing like this wouldn't be good for them either!
What should they do?
After thinking for a moment, Griffin turned to Sam to discuss, and then he had an idea. He said seriously, "Alright, here's the deal. You bring out all the people from your ship, and we'll choose one. How about that?"
He didn't believe that all the people on Arthur's ship were strong!
"You think St. Martin is a joke? You want us to bring out everyone so you can choose one? Are you out of your mind?" Arthur raised an eyebrow disdainfully.
"I don't care. If you don't bring everyone out for us to choose, we won't accept this plan!" Griffin said firmly.
"Whether you accept it or not, it's not like the person in your hands is mine. It doesn't matter to me!" Arthur shrugged, indifferent.
That's right!
Griffin then remembered that he had Queen of Timothy Kingdom, not someone from the St. Martin Kingdom!
So, he turned his gaze back to the ships of the Timothy Kingdom.
Bentham felt his gaze once again and thought for a moment before shifting his gaze to Arthur. He gritted his teeth and pleaded, "Your Majesty, as long as you agree to their terms, I, as the authority, will add another billion as a reward for you. How about that?"
"Fine!" Arthur pondered for a moment and finally agreed. Since the hope of getting twenty billion was gone, having an extra billion was still a good deal!
"Clap!"
Arthur snapped his fingers.
Instantly, everyone on the ship came out and stood behind him.
Seeing this, the pirates Sam and Griffin began to discuss again, occasionally pointing and gesturing towards Arthur's people.
After discussing for a while, the two of them finally made a decision!
"Your Majesty, we've decided to choose the woman beside you!" Griffin pointed to the woman standing beside Arthur and said seriously.
He had a reason for choosing her. If they picked someone with too low a status, Arthur might not take it seriously, and then what would they do if he killed that person along with them?
So, he chose the woman standing beside Arthur, assuming she wouldn't have a too low status.
Moreover, it was less likely to pick a strong person if they chose a woman. In this world, the proportion of strong women was quite low. If one out of ten strong people was female, their chances of picking a strong woman were slim, right?
Considering everything, they chose the woman standing beside Arthur!
However, Griffin had chosen, and Arthur looked baffled!
The woman beside him?
There was no woman beside him!
There were only a few Golden Saints!
Wait a minute!
Why was there such a strong killing intent?
Arthur turned to see that the source of the killing intent was Scorpio Milo.
Now, Arthur realized what was going on.
Milo did have a somewhat feminine appearance, especially with his long hair, which made him look even more feminine!
And today, Milo happened to be wearing a relatively neutral outfit. If someone didn't observe him carefully from the front, they might mistake him for a woman.
In his heart, Arthur couldn't help but mourn for Griffin.
Did he just fall into a trap?
Out of all people, Griffin chose Milo!
And he even said Milo was a woman. Now, the situation was even worse. Although Milo's appearance was somewhat feminine, he hated being mistaken for a woman!
"Milo, be gentle with them later. As long as you don't kill them, do whatever else you want." Arthur patted Milo's shoulder and whispered.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Milo replied with a bitter smile.
Soon, the transaction between the two sides began.
Milo took a small boat and brought the money over, and Griffin kept his promise and released the Queen.
Then...
"Ah!!!"
"Have mercy!"
"Help us!"
"Please, save us!"
Even before the pirate ship set sail, the ship was filled with extremely miserable screams.
After a while, both pirate ships sank, and Milo returned with the money.
The captain of the Gryphon Pirates and other leaders were all brought back by him, and as for the ordinary pirates, they had to rely on their luck. If they were lucky enough, they might find a nearby island to take refuge.
But even so, Milo was not satisfied.
So, he took out all the maids' clothes on the ship and forced the ten or so burly pirates before him to wear them. He even brought out a recording of Shimotsuki Rin's extremely catchy "Pure Land of Bliss" and made these pirates dance to the music.
"Dadadadadadadadadadadadada!"
Accompanied by the music, under Milo's watchful eyes, the ten or so burly pirates danced the eye-catching "Pure Land of Bliss" with miserable expressions!
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