Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 281 Destruction
"Hmph~ You really don't hold back at all~"

Seeing Willie empty the magazine in one go without even blinking, Tawon's impression of him changed somewhat.

I thought he was just an ordinary businessman who was good at flattering and currying favor, but I didn't expect him to actually have some guts.

Those skillful movements and calm demeanor... the other party was undoubtedly not a novice.

"no way."

After retreating to a safe distance and carefully observing the other person to confirm that they were indeed not breathing, Willie explained:
“This child is the son of the old butler Media, and belongs to Media’s direct line. I can’t guarantee that he might be a backup plan left by that old fox, so we can only be cautious.”

"Heh~"

"You business people are so cunning, always holding back this and that..."

"Don't worry, none of the guys on that list you handed in will be left alive, I guarantee it."

"After all, Miss La said that this is called... uh, cleaning the house before inviting guests."

Ignoring the cries for help and pleas for mercy coming from the luxurious villa in front of him, Tao Long turned around, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the sea in front of him.

The azure ocean remained as calm and endless as ever. The manor was not far from the shore, so one could clearly smell the scents carried by the sea breeze from this spot.

[The World Government, the Navy, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Grand Line, and the Four Seas... This is truly something to look forward to.]
……

Several days later, on the Grand Line, at Marinpirt Island.

At the invitation of Hanazawa, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Spandine, the head of the World Government's CP organization, Smith, the staff officer of the Navy's logistics department, Willy, the head of the weapons department of Beast Pirates' Beast Heavy Industries, and Tallon, the head of the development department, re-signed an agreement in a familiar private room at the Golden Glass Pavilion.

Compared to the previous smuggling-like transaction with Kaspar, this agreement was notarized by all three parties and was a legitimate transaction through official channels.

The agreement stipulates that the Navy, as an agency under the World Government, and other organizations will cooperate with the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Hanazawa, on arms trade...

Yes, with the World Government's backing, Hanazawa, as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, can legally trade with the Navy and the World Government.

In order to further bind the Seven Warlords of the Sea to themselves, the World Government even hinted that its subordinate departments should cooperate with them in various aspects as much as possible.

As for whether the weapons in the Hanazawa came from a pirate crew that the World Government has defined as a criminal organization... that's not something that should be discussed in the agreement.

Even though everyone present was fully aware of this, they all tacitly chose to avoid talking about it.

After all, Hanazawa, as one of the parties to the agreement, had been sitting on the sofa from the beginning, chugging bottles of the expensive liquor provided by the club, seemingly completely uninvolved.

Sitting across the table, signing the agreement on his behalf, were two people who openly wore clothing with the symbols of the beasts printed on them.

……

"Well then, it's a pleasure to work with you both."

After exchanging contracts, Willie smiled and extended his hand first, which Spandam immediately shook.

"Haha~ It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Willie."

"To be honest, this is probably the first time I've met you two. But I feel an instant connection with you both."

Skillfully using polite phrases to build rapport, Spandain habitually began to probe his new partner's personality and character.

"Not at all, I am but a small-time businessman, how could I dare to discuss matters with Mr. Spandam?"

As a seasoned veteran, Willie naturally accepted the other party's probing and started his own business model.

"Mr. Spandam, you are so young yet you hold such a high position in the World Government. You must be very capable. If you don't mind, I have prepared a small feast with some wine. Would you do me the honor of joining me?"

"Haha! No problem, no problem."

"Senior Willie has been running his business in the New World for many years and enjoys a great reputation. I would like to take this opportunity to learn from him..."

……

Seeing how they went from strangers to sworn brothers in just a few words, both Takalong and the newly appointed strategist Smith were completely baffled by their actions. Takalong, needless to say, as a typical Beasts Pirate, understood the most direct and effective way to navigate interpersonal relationships: fists.

As for Smith, compared to Singh, who had worked his way up through the ranks, Smith, who was parachuted into the position of logistics chief staff officer through family connections, was still somewhat clueless about these interpersonal relationships.

Fortunately, his family connections were strong enough that even though he knew nothing, he was able to directly replace the deputy chief of staff Singh who was supposed to attend and get a share of the pie.

"Speaking of which, I heard from Singh that the guy who used to work with our logistics was named Kasba. Why isn't he here?"

Seeing that Spandine and Willie were chatting enthusiastically, Smith couldn't resist trying to strike up a conversation with Tallun.

Meanwhile, Tōrō, whose gaze was fixed on the Hanafuda (flower cards) and whose mind was already simulating the outcome of a battle against it, casually replied to the question:
"That guy burned himself to death eating ice cream."

"Oh... um?!"

"no……"

Upon hearing this clearly fabricated answer, Smith paused for a moment, but before he could ask any more questions, Spandam stopped him in time.

"Officer Smith, we're going to have a drink at the Springtime Hall later. Would you like to come along?"

"Huh? Oh, okay."

……

With the signing of agreements with the World Government and the Navy, Beasts' arms trade officially entered a period of rapid expansion.

Despite the pressure from above and the consideration of restricting the flow of Beasts' weapons into the pirate market, the Navy's high command still felt a mix of emotions when they actually received the weapons bearing the words "Beasts Heavy Industries" and distributed them to their soldiers.

What bothered them even more was that, apart from a few soldiers with obsessive-compulsive tendencies who preferred the old flintlock muskets to the weapons produced by the pirates, the rest of the officers and soldiers alike favored the weapons of the Beasts.

These foreign gadgets are so pretty! ~.jpg
It has a long range, high accuracy, great power... and it looks good too.

In fact, many naval personnel had already privately acquired several guns produced by Beast Heavy Industries, but they were not comfortable displaying them openly due to their status.

Now things are much better. There's no need to be careful to hide anymore; some people are already carrying eight guns of various models on their backs to participate in daily training.

……

"Sengoku, do you think it was the right or wrong move for us to agree to let the Beasts' weapons enter the navy?"

Looking at the latest semi-automatic pistol from the Beasts Clan on the table, Kong, wearing the coat of the Righteous Marshal, didn't look too good.

Compared to the original revolver, this one has undergone several iterations and is now a completely new version. Its parameters are so excellent that even this old-fashioned navy man couldn't understand it.

"Suck~"

Taking a small sip of the steaming tea, Sengoku, realizing it was still too hot, put down the cup and picked up a bag of grilled rice cakes, eating as he spoke:
"At present, this move seems to be more beneficial than harmful, Marshal Kong."

"Not to mention that one of the conditions proposed by the Beasts was that the World Government should open trade channels, and the fact that they used the Seven Warlords of the Sea as their ostensible agents did not cause much of a public reaction."

"Just consider the quality and speed of the other side's weapons. If we continue to use the old flintlock muskets and allow the new weapons we are buying to enter the market, our soldiers will face many times more casualties in the future."

"Ah~"

Upon hearing Sengoku's analysis, Sora sighed helplessly.

"I never imagined that the Navy would one day have to rely on pirates' weapons, this is truly..."

"That's not a problem. The key is that our navy needs to establish its own weapons research and development team, just like Beast."

"In the past, due to various vested interests, our weapons development has always been hindered by our own people. Now, the sudden entry of the Hundred Beasts has broken these messy networks of interests, and we can take this opportunity to do something."

Sengoku stood up, walked up to Sora, and said earnestly:

"Marshal, I hope you can submit an application to the Five Elders in your name to establish a 'science unit' exclusively for the Navy."

(End of this chapter)