One Piece: Starting with Coercing and Enticing Nami

Moreover, he had instinctively noticed that the greedy rat colonel from the 16th branch was subtly trying to please the boy in front of him.

This shocked him greatly.

He didn't know the boy's background. If the rat was only being nice to him because of his possible connections, it proved that the boy had enormous potential.

But if... it's because of his own methods that he made the rats obey, then this boy has limitless potential.

What's especially noteworthy is that he had previously saved his entire family.

"What I want to say is that I want to cooperate with you. I am the controlling shareholder of the Ya'an Chamber of Commerce, which covers channels in pharmaceuticals, tourism, clothing, and beverages."

My chamber of commerce has influence in several prosperous sea areas of the East China Sea.

I own 15% of the shares in 'Heypanda,' a top clothing brand in Donghai.

At this point, he took a deep breath:

"I would like to establish an alliance with you by using 5% of the equity of 'Heypanda'."

This 5% stake can generate an annual net profit dividend of 5 million peggs.

All I need is for you to come to our rescue if we ever face an insurmountable crisis.

Of course, this rescue is conditional on not crossing your bottom line. If it does, you can refuse directly.

This is practically free money.

They give away 500 million peles every year for free.

This guy has quite the guts.

Thoth's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at the pleading look in the middle-aged man's eyes. He had to admit that Thoth was very humble, giving the man face while speaking in a pleasant tone.

"I will not stay in the East Blue forever. When I think the time is right, I will take my companions and set sail for the Grand Line."

Merka's expression froze, but then Thoth spoke with a smile:

“I don’t need the shares, but I can be your friend.”

When I was still in the East China Sea, if you encountered any trouble, you could come to me; killing is my specialty.

However, in return, I need you to regularly purchase various rare and high-quality medicinal herbs, top-notch culinary recipes, and top-tier nautical books for me, as well as provide me with useful intelligence on the East China Sea.

For example, if you discover any Devil Fruits or information, please let me know immediately.

Can you agree to these conditions?

Merka couldn't help but blink hard. For him, apart from the Devil Fruit which relied on luck, the other conditions were actually not difficult to meet.

The ease of it all made him feel somewhat unreal at that moment.

"That's it?"

He couldn't help but ask.

079. Advanced Observation Haki!

"It's that simple?"

Merka found it hard to believe; the man in front of her didn't seem like the kind of person who was easy to talk to, did he?

Could he have some other purpose?

His instincts as a successful businessman compelled him to speculate in that direction.

Thoth nodded calmly: "These are exactly what I need right now."

"The deal is done?"

Merka asked somewhat guiltily.

"make a deal."

Thoth nodded with a smile.

Merka took a deep breath, solemnly extended his right hand, and Thoth also extended his hand to shake it.

The two loosened their light grip, and after a moment's thought, Merka couldn't resist asking:

"How about I transfer my shares in my other businesses to you? You don't have to do anything, you just need to collect the money when the contract expires."

Thoth sensed his hesitation; he wanted to build a deeper relationship with him, so he smiled faintly:

"If you become too openly involved with me, it won't do you any good."

I'm the kind of person who easily incurs resentment, like Du Field, the current kingpin of the underworld and a loan shark.

I just killed the East China Sea's trade general manager, Drago, whom he dispatched.

For a big shot like him, killing his dog would inevitably lead to him retaliating against me to save face.

Are you sure you want to get to know me better?

Merka's pupils constricted sharply. Even as a mere merchant from the East China Sea, he was intimately familiar with the infamous reputation of the King of Loans. Moreover, he had seen the ruthless Drago several times at banquets, but he never expected...

He wiped the fine beads of cold sweat that had unknowingly seeped from his forehead, and looked at Thoth with a hint of horror in his eyes.

"If you regret it, you can pretend the current transaction never existed."

"Aren't you afraid?" Merka's voice unconsciously carried a hint of anxiety; after all, the man before her was her family's savior.

"That big shot is a top-tier shrewd businessman who has business interests all over the world. To be his enemy..."

"Are you courting death?" Thoth uttered the terrifying conclusion he hadn't explicitly stated. Merka swallowed hard and nodded with difficulty. To him, the king of loan sharks was like the Grim Reaper. Thoth's gaze remained calm.

"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. If he kills me later, it just means I'm nothing special. But if he doesn't kill me, then my future self will make him kneel obediently at my feet."

It was the arrogance of youthful ignorance.

Or was he just born arrogant?

Merka wanted to see something in Thoth's eyes, such as fear or apprehension.

But he couldn't see anything; all he showed was a calm as deep as a still pool.

Under that calm gaze, the anxiety and fear in his heart began to disappear unconsciously. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. When he opened his eyes, his gaze had become calm, and he gave a bitter smile.

"Perhaps I'm getting old, or perhaps I've been through too much hardship in society, and I'm not as good as you."

"I'll do as you say. You can tell me anything you need. Also, I'll let you know immediately if there are any unusual developments in the underworld."

"Then I'll thank you in advance."

A smile appeared on Tote's face.

"By the way, how long can you stay in Xirob? What items do you need? For the first batch, I need two days to procure them from nearby islands."

"Of course, if you need anything, we can arrange a convenient meeting place, and I will personally deliver the goods to you with the caravan."

Thoth thought for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Two days isn't a long time, so I'll wait here for two days."

Upon hearing this, a smile also appeared on Merka's face, but at this moment, a hint of curiosity surfaced in his eyes:

"I can understand cookbooks and nautical books, but as for expensive medicinal herbs, do you have a highly skilled doctor on board?"

What he really wanted to ask was about the doctor. His daughter, Keya, had been frail and sickly since childhood. He had consulted many famous doctors, but the only solution they could come up with was to treat her with expensive medications.

Although his family was wealthy, medicine has its side effects, and Keya's health had not improved. She could only slowly recover as her body developed and her constitution strengthened, relying on her own resistance.

"For your daughter?"

Tote got straight to the point.

Merka was both surprised and unsurprised. After all, anyone with eyes could see that Kaya's condition was obvious. She smiled wryly and explained Kaya's illness.

This illness was actually congenital; before Ke Ya was born, his wife had a serious illness that threatened to affect the fetus.

When Kaya was born, her body was noticeably weaker than that of ordinary infants.

"Perhaps I can take a look at her."

After a few seconds of contemplation, Toth spoke.

Merka was stunned. "You?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look down on you, I'm just too shocked."

He apologized repeatedly, then gave a wry smile: "The doctors I've seen before are all middle-aged. Your appearance is just too young; I can hardly believe it."

But speaking of which...

A glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes. "Then could you please take a look at Ke Ya?"

"You trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I'm the kind of quack doctor who just talks big?"

Thoth joked, and Merka blinked, then said helplessly, "I believe you wouldn't say something like that lightly. Although I haven't known you for long, you have a convincing aura about you."

……

After a while.

Thoth brought some medical equipment from the workshop and went to the villa with Merka.

Along the way, they encountered many villagers who greeted Merka, a wealthy and respected man in the village, with bright smiles, and were also curious about Tote, who was walking and chatting with Merka.

They also noticed that Merka seemed to have great respect for the boy next to her.

There wasn't much fun to be had in the remote mountain village, so this scene quickly spread like a plague.

The rumors spread like wildfire, from one person to two, and from two to four, quickly reaching every corner of this quiet little village.

The second floor of the villa.

Kaya's Indoor Dollhouse.

When Thoth arrived, he saw Nami, Carina, and Nochiko, their girlish hearts awakened, playing with Kaya.

That beautiful young girl's radiant smile is enough to heal any unhappiness.

Of course, Tote wasn't unhappy at the moment.

"Hey!" Nami spotted Thoth immediately, and with a bright smile, she waved a rabbit-eared doll at him.

"Thoth, you're here! Want to come play with me?"