Although everyone was annoyed, they eventually agreed after Jay assured them he had a certain level of confidence in resolving the incident, he just needed some funding.
After some consideration, they gave in.
Each person contributed 100,000 Berries.
That amount wasn't much to them.
If it worked out, they could say they had done their part, and it would sound good when talked about.
If it didn't, then so be it, just treat the money as wasted, like buying a coffin for that kid Jay.
Jay didn't mind the amount either. With 100,000 from each person, he could collect over a million.
If not for the recent spike in deaths among lieutenants and junior officers, the total could have easily doubled.
Now that he had the money, it was time to get to work.
Jay called on Buck and the others, and they once again boarded that old-fashioned small military ship, heading toward the island where the incident had occurred.
Two nights later, in the dead of night
Inside an ordinary tavern.
Jay, dressed in a black hooded coat, pushed the door open and walked in.
Inside, there was only a short man sitting at the bar, dressed in a suit, savoring a glass of red wine with a cigar between his fingers.
Jay sat down beside him, poured himself a glass without hesitation, and casually took a fine cigar from the box. He trimmed and lit it with practiced ease.
The entire process was smooth and unbothered, as if no one else were around.
Veins on Capone Bege's forehead were already bulging in the shape of a pound sign as he tried to maintain his composure.
"Kid, I came as agreed. If what you've got to say isn't worth my time, you'd better run now while you still can. Otherwise, I'll blow your brains out."
Smack!
Jay casually pulled out a pistol and placed it on the bar, sliding it over to him.
Then he continued sipping his red wine and puffing on his cigar without a word.
But sometimes, silence spoke louder than a thousand words.
A flash of menace flickered in Capone Bege's eyes, but Jay met his gaze without the slightest fear.
Back then, Jay had managed to tangle with him just by bluffing. Now that he actually had some ability to protect himself, it was a different story.
If they really turned on each other, it wasn't certain who'd come out worse.
That strong confidence of Jay's turned into a tangible aura, clashing head-on with Capone Bege's mafia boss presence.
Bege even felt a hint of danger emanating from this kid, which truly surprised him.
Thinking back to their previous encounters, this kid really wasn't ordinary, he was bold, even fearless.
"Alright, tell me. What kind of partnership are you proposing? Considering the intel you gave me last time, I'll hear you out."
With Capone Bege finally speaking, the tense standoff between them eased up a bit.
Jay retrieved the gun and put it away. "Have you heard about the recent events happening around here?"
Capone Bege exhaled a cloud of smoke, nodded slightly, and said with a touch of gloating in his tone, "That fence-sitting Colonel Hammond must've pissed someone off. He's lost a lot of income sources and, from what I hear, quite a few of his men too."
"I arranged that."
"…Huh?!"
Capone Bege was genuinely shocked this time. His first instinct was disbelief, but his gut told him Jay might actually be telling the truth.
And as if to confirm it, a cold, bone-chilling killing intent briefly swept through the area outside, only to vanish as quickly as it came.
Still…
"Why would you do that? Aren't you all part of the Marine? That guy's your direct superior."
"Because… he was in my way."
Jay downed the red wine in his glass and gave Bege a deep, meaningful look.
Bege frowned, then slowly relaxed and took a large gulp of his own wine.
"You want my help to get rid of him and take his place?"
That was the first possibility that came to mind.
But Jay shook his head. "No. That's my business. What I want to talk to you about tonight is this: I'll help you eliminate the other four mafia families and unify the West Sea's underworld under your control."
When Capone Bege heard that, his first thought was this kid's insane.
His second thought was you, of all people?
His third was to actually consider the feasibility of that offer.
"You? A mere petty sergeant in the Marine? Even Colonel Hammond wouldn't dare say something that arrogant."
"Of course he wouldn't. Because that guy would rather side with the four families that have already formed an alliance than back you."
Jay sneered, "You've had time to investigate, haven't you? Isn't it true that Colonel Hammond has been cutting back on transactions with your family and instead supplying your enemies with more and more weapons?"
"Here's something else, those guys are paying double your rate now, and the price is still going up."
"Sure, under your leadership, the Capone family can suppress the other four. But thinking you can swallow them whole just like that? Total pipe dream. Combined, their wealth could support a prolonged war of attrition. They could bleed you dry."
"When the day comes that Colonel Hammond fully turns his back on you, that's the day your Capone family gets wiped out."
Crash!
Capone Bege's expression darkened as he crushed his wine glass in one hand.
Everything Jay had just said was exactly what he'd feared all along.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to a secret meeting with a low-ranking sergeant in the first place.
His original intent had been to use Jay to stir up some trouble for Hammond, maybe even flip him as an inside man to pass along information.
But now, it seemed he had underestimated the kid's ambition and guts.
If Jay really had the strength and bargaining chips, Bege wouldn't mind collaborating as equals.
"I could just kill that traitor Hammond myself."
"Spare me the childish talk," Jay snorted. "Kill Hammond? A Marine colonel? Your enemies would throw a week-long party to celebrate."
Jay retrieved two more bottles of expensive red wine, poured a glass for each of them.
"And then what? The new colonel will come after you first. Whether to make a statement or flex some authority, you'll be the perfect target. The only ones who'd benefit are your enemies."
"But I'm different. I like high-risk, high-reward deals. And whoever gets in my way, Hammond or anyone else, there's no chance of peaceful coexistence."
Jay raised his glass. After a moment of thought, Capone Bege raised his as well.
"I have to admit… you've piqued my interest."
"Now tell me your plan. What do I have to give, and what do I get in return?"
A smile spread across Jay's face. "First, I need you to publicly admit that everything that's happened to Colonel Hammond recently was orchestrated by the Capone family, just as a warning."
"What? That would just push that bastard completely into my enemies' camp!"
"That's the whole point. Come on, it's do-or-die time. Keeping things vague will only backfire. Instead of feeding your enemy, rip the mask off and go all in."
Jay gave him a sideways glance. "Surely I don't need to teach you something that basic?"