At the center of Ebisu Town.
The villagers gathered together, pressing their palm prints onto the contract with bitter resentment, surrendering their last refuge.
As for Xu Nuo's promised money, they didn't even dare to think about it.
"Damn Pirates!"
"Heavens above, must you strip us of our last means of survival?"
"Grandma, is our home gone?"
Despair shrouded everyone.
Though they were just dilapidated huts, they still provided warmth—a lifeline that kept them going.
Now, everything was gone.
With nowhere left to go, they would eventually perish in the wilderness.
"The Pirates are here!"
As the Beast Vehicle approached, the desperate villagers no longer hid their hatred. If looks could kill, Gurd atop the vehicle would have died ten thousand times over.
"Pathetic."
Gurd jumped down from the Beast Vehicle, eyeing the crowd of elderly, weak, women, and children glaring at him with a mix of pity and amusement.
Only when pushed to the brink did they think to resist.
Where was this courage earlier?
Twenty years ago, had they mustered even half this resolve, Wano Country wouldn't have fallen to this state—even without Oden.
Old Kang hunched forward, trembling hands offering the contract to Gurd, his heart filled with anguish.
"Lord Gurd."
"Hmph, you've done well."
Gurd took the contract, verified its contents, then carefully tucked it into his chest like a priceless treasure. A sense of security unlike anything before surged through him.
From this moment on, this town and the surrounding tens of thousands of acres of fertile land belonged to him—his property alone!
"Kekeke—HAHAHAHA!!!"
Gurd threw his head back and laughed wildly, his aura erupting from his body like a Super Saiyan transformation!
CRACK!
The ground beneath his feet split apart!
"Such powerful Conqueror Haki!"
Yamato leaned forward to steady herself, her clothes fluttering violently in the gale, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Since when had Gurd's Haki grown so formidable?!
Old Kang was equally shocked.
"Flowing Sakura!"
He knew Gurd was strong, but never imagined him to be this strong. Such ferocious Flowing Sakura was rare even within Wano Country!
Soon, the storm subsided.
"Whew—"
Gurd exhaled deeply.
A massive surge of Haki had flooded his body in an instant, nearly tearing him apart. Instinct had forced him to release it all, resulting in the spectacle moments ago.
Now, he was spent.
Though somewhat drained, Gurd's spirits remained high.
He could still fight seven more times if needed!
Gurd turned to Yamato and beckoned.
"Yamato, bring the Beast Vehicle over."
"O-Oh."
Yamato's face flushed red as she quickly lowered her head to avoid Gurd's gaze, pulling the Beast Vehicle while her mind raced with wild thoughts.
Gurd likes me!
W-What do I do?! How should I respond?!
Wait, he's a man, right?
No, no—he's a woman now!
Huh?
Is he a man or a woman?!
THUD!
Her forehead collided with Gurd's chest.
Stumbling back, Yamato instinctively clutched her head. "Ah, sorry!"
"..."
Gurd sighed in exasperation.
With so many outsiders watching, couldn't she at least act composed? Her foolish antics were ruining his intimidating presence.
Whatever. No point arguing with an idiot.
Gurd walked to the Beast Vehicle and yanked off the tarp covering it. Under the sunlight, a golden radiance blinded the villagers.
"∑(°口°)!"!!"
Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Gold!
A full ten thousand gold coins were piled together, resembling a small golden mountain!
Gurd stood calmly beside the pile of gold and spoke, "This is the promised ten thousand gold. It now belongs to you."
"..."
The villagers snapped out of their shock and immediately erupted into chaos.
"My money!"
"Bastard, that's my money!"
"Don't grab! Everyone gets a share!"
The elderly men and women who had previously struggled to walk now moved with the vigor and speed of hidden martial arts masters, charging forward like tigers.
In the blink of an eye, the ten thousand gold was snatched up in the frenzy.
But it didn't end there. The villagers turned on each other, rolling up their sleeves and accusing one another of taking more than their share, as if preparing for a full-scale rural brawl.
The kindness they had shown before was now replaced with sheer greed.
Courtesy?
No, not even a single coin less would be tolerated!
Gurd watched with great amusement.
"See? This is what you call 'simple, honest folk'!"
"Huh?"
Yamato's jaw dropped.
From her observations, the elderly in the town had seemed quite gentle. Why had they suddenly become so unrecognizable?
Was it really worth it for just a bit of money?
"Stop this at once!"
At the critical moment, Old Kang stepped forward.
Immediately afterward, a tattered straw sandal smacked him in the face.
"You bastards, you're even hitting me now!"
With the Village Chief joining the fray, the chaos lasted another half-hour before the villagers finally calmed down and convened the first Ebisu Town shareholders' meeting.
"Let's step back."
Gurd pulled Yamato aside, retrieving an exquisite tea set, table, and chairs from the vehicle, then leisurely sipped tea as he waited.
Yamato was utterly confused.
If the transaction was complete, why were they still here?
"Gurd, is there something else?"
"Mhm, you'll find out soon."
Gurd smiled without elaborating.
Half an hour later, the Ebisu Town shareholders' meeting concluded.
The villagers, clutching their gold, reluctantly returned it to the Beast Vehicle, a sight that left Yamato stunned.
"Why are they giving the money back?"
"Well!"
Gurd chuckled.
Money was good, but it could also bring harm.
A group of weak, defenseless elderly villagers suddenly in possession of a fortune was like a child walking through the market with gold—bound to attract disaster.
Most of the villagers were ignorant and couldn't see the danger, but their wise Village Chief surely could.
This money absolutely could not stay with them.
That left only one solution.
Spend it as quickly as possible!
Old Kang approached Gurd with a bitter smile and asked, "Lord Gurd, you mentioned earlier about building a city here and purchasing land. Does that offer still stand?"
"Of course."
Gurd's lips curled upward.
If they wanted to spend ten thousand gold quickly, buying property from him was the only way. In the end, the money would circle right back into his pockets.
He had planned this all along.
After some discussion about the land purchase, Gurd stretched and pointed to the Beast Vehicle.
"The rear compartment has clean food and water. Take it all. It's not much, but it should be enough for the villagers to have a proper meal."
"Lord Gurd, thank you for your generosity!"
Old Kang expressed his heartfelt gratitude.
This man could have easily taken their land without paying a single coin, yet he had deliberately used ten thousand gold to make his intentions clear.
Now, he was even providing them with food and water.
Such benevolence moved the old man deeply.
If only this young man weren't one of Kaido's subordinates...
The old man knelt and bowed, offering the highest form of apology in Wano Country's tradition. "Lord Gurd, I deeply regret my earlier actions!"
"No matter."
Gurd waved his hand.
"Hurry up. Those old folks almost came to blows earlier. If they don't eat something, a few of them might starve to death today."
By evening.
The two of them rode a Beast Vehicle to the hot spring shop in Flower Capital.
Yamato suddenly jumped up.
"Gurd, you're so sneaky!"
"Sneaky?"
Gurd was stunned.
What the hell was this about?
The girl was indignant. "I've figured it all out now! You already knew that ten thousand gold would come back—you were just putting on a show earlier!"
"..."
Gurd helplessly rubbed his forehead.
So she finally caught on, huh?
And besides.
If this counted as sneaky, then he might as well be a damn philanthropist by now!
(End of chapter)