章節 52: Chapter 52： One hundred billion is not much!
White Beard fell silent abruptly.
His silence was perhaps a touch of astonishment, somewhat understandable given his name. After all, he had a white beard, and preserving his dignity was important to him.
But what was meant by "look at his rich face"?
What kind of saying was this?
After that, White Beard didn't immediately respond to this statement. Instead, he posed another question.
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?"
A puzzled expression formed on Kahn's face.
"Damn it! Screw you, Newgate. You're the one who's supposed to be dead, along with your entire family. If you're not going to discuss business, then I'll just kill this kid. Hang up!"
"Click!"
Kahn promptly hung up the phone.
After the call ended, he felt somewhat dispirited.
In order to minimize his influence, the World Government had relieved him of his position due to his apparent ill health.
He had faded into obscurity.
And in these turbulent times, it was easy to be forgotten.
Kahn had actually hoped for that. While some people within the Navy might remember him now, most believed he had returned to headquarters.
But then he heard what WhiteBeard had just said.
This had plunged Kahn into a state of dejection.
Hearing WhiteBeard's words today had depressed him significantly.
That punk Hawkeye hadn't even mentioned it.
Ace, too, was taken aback.
He had never imagined that someone would dare to speak to his father like this.
"What are you staring at?" Kahn said coldly.
Ace immediately averted his gaze.
He thought it was best to ignore this irrated old Navy officer for now!
The sound of the bug rang out again.
Kahn naturally answered.
Business still needed to be discussed, even if he was feeling down.
After picking up the call, Kahn got straight to the point.
"If you keep dragging your feet, the old man will stop the act."
"What are your terms?" WhiteBeard's voice responded.
The tone was not urgent, yet it was also devoid of unnecessary pleasantries.
Though WhiteBeard had considered it plausible that Kahn was alive, the fact that he had made the call was a surprise.
But since he had called, it meant there was something to discuss. Otherwise, given Kahn's nature, he might have killed Ace immediately.
If WhiteBeard recalled correctly, the old guy Kahn had harbored a great hatred for Roger!
Though he had received the news, he couldn't be sure of Kahn's identity.
After all, Kahn had appeared vastly different from the Kahn he knew.
But now, he was certain.
"One hundred billion Berries, and I'll send this kid back to you."
WhiteBeard on the other end of the line widened his eyes in disbelief.
Even for the Pirate King of the Seas, a hundred billion Berries was an astronomical sum.
How much was his bounty?
Over five billion Berries.
What on earth!
Twenty of his heads combined would be worth a hundred billion.
"Are you insane? Demanding such a fortune? I don't have it!" WhiteBeard's tone finally showed a hint of surprise.
"No? If not, forget it. The old man will simply hand this kid over to the World Government, explaining that he is the son of that damned Roger. I'm sure the World Government would be more than willing to arrange another public execution."
Kahn hung up the phone without hesitation.
The WhiteBeard on the other end was also left dumbfounded.
How did this guy know Ace's identity?
Yet, in the end, it didn't seem to matter.
Because it appeared that Kahn was perfectly capable of doing something like that.
No, he could be even more ruthless—that old guy could kill without hesitation.
But then, Kahn hung up the phone again, which infuriated WhiteBeard.
Who was he? WhiteBeard was a Pirate King's rival and strongest man alive , and even though Kahn was famous in his time, he wasn't a top-tier powerhouse.
On Kahn's end.
"It seems that the WhiteBeard guy doesn't value you as much as you thought."
"Don't try to manipulate the relationship between my father and me. I won't let you succeed," Ace retorted.
He felt overwhelmed by the figure Kahn had mentioned earlier.
A hundred billion—what an incomprehensible sum. It could buy a small country.
"Oh, really? You do have some backbone!" Kahn's tone was laced with sarcasm.
Ace regretted having made that call.
Soon, the bug rang again.
Kahn smiled knowingly.
"The old man is taking back what he said. It seems the WhiteBeard guy still values you."
Kahn picked up the call again.
But this time, he got straight to the point..
"Eighty billion Berries, and I'll release this kid."
"Impossible! I don't have that kind of money!"
"Why not? You're one of the Four Emperors of the New World, after all. Your territory alone generates astronomical protection fees annually. Don't think I'm ignorant of this."
Hearing Kahn's words, White Beard's voice fell silent.
"Didn't Papa's money go towards supporting his hometown?" A new voice piped up.
Kahn recognized the speaker. Wasn't that Marco, the captain of the first division?
Supporting his hometown?
Kahn furrowed his brow.
But soon, a sneer spread across his face.
"So, the Whitebeard Pirates possess such an extensive territory. Even if you're supporting your hometown, you can't possibly be spending tens of billions. Do you really think I'm a fool?"
Among the Four Emperors, WhiteBeard possessed the most expansive territory and influence. The Great Pirate Crew had more than fifty thousand core members and over a dozen division commanders.
The annual protection fee must amount to tens of billions, and the Whitebeard Pirates' source of income wasn't limited to that alone.
If this much money was being used to fund White Beard's hometown, Kahn could only assume that the people there were now incredibly affluent. But this wasn't a subsidy; it was more akin to White Beard's hometown sucking the pirates dry.
The entirety of the Whitebeard Pirates funding a small New World nation—this was on par with the World Nobles' modus operandi.
Regarding this, even if the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders were agreeable, not everyone would be on board. Such was the nature of the world.
WhiteBeard may have indeed provided some funding, but it was likely only a part of the overall sum. The primary benefactor was undoubtedly WhiteBeard himself!
(End of this chapter)
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