Three days passed in a flash, and the Beasts Pirates entered their vacation period. The pirates scrambled to various villages, eager to splurge the money in their pockets.
Saving money was never a pirate's habit.
Gurd's Hot Spring Club also welcomed a flood of pirate guests, rivaling the crowds during its grand opening—packed to the brim every single day.
Especially the Headliners.
In the private hot spring at the club's backyard, Speed sat on the edge of the pool in a loose yukata, watching Gurd sprawled bare-chested in relaxation, her eyes brimming with envy.
"Gurd, I never imagined that just half a year later, you'd become one of the Flying Six—and so wealthy and powerful at that."
"You got promoted to Headliner too," Gurd replied, opening his eyes with an amused glint.
"Remember our old promise?"
"..."
Speed rolled her eyes.
Of course she remembered. But back then, she had only been joking—who could've guessed Gurd would actually make it happen?
Looking back now, it still felt unbelievable!
If only she had known...
Heh~
Damn, my judgment was spot-on!
Speed's gaze at Gurd grew even more envious. His current success was inseparable from the abilities he had gained. If she could become a Devil Fruit user too, maybe she could climb even higher.
Gurd beckoned to her.
"Come here, sit next to me."
"..."
After a moment of hesitation, Speed fidgeted her way to his side. Before she could even settle properly, her yukata was flung into the air, leaving her completely exposed.
The burly man pressed down on her.
"Huh?"
Wait!
She wasn't ready yet—
Plop!
Two hours later...
Speed gasped heavily, her hair disheveled and cheeks flushed, glaring at Gurd with indignation.
This bastard didn't even give her time to mentally prepare!
So domineering! So uncivilized!
Gurd, thoroughly satisfied, lazily narrowed his eyes.
"You came looking for me specifically—surely not just for romance?"
"Of course not!" Speed snapped. "The other Headliners asked me to sound you out, see if they could learn your money-making tricks."
Among the Headliners, only a few were on good terms with Gurd, and she was the closest to him. So naturally, they had sent her as their envoy.
They were broke!
In the pirate business, income was notoriously unstable. Sometimes, they went months without a decent haul—never enough to cover expenses.
The monthly dividends barely lasted two or three trips to the Pleasure Quarter. What pirate didn't want to live it up, indulging in wine and women every night?
Seeing Gurd rolling in cash, the Headliners couldn't help but get ideas.
"I see."
Gurd chuckled and nodded.
As the saying went, flaunt your wealth, and you invite trouble.
But he had deliberately shown off his riches—precisely to lure the officers into real estate with him. He couldn't handle it all alone.
Time to give them a taste of the rewards.
"Tell them to wait for me in the reception hall."
"Got it!"
Speed happily stood up—only to stagger after her first step, a faint trace of blood visible between her thighs.
Ouch!
Damn it, could he at least be gentler?!
Reception Hall.
The Headliners nearly filled the room to bursting, craning their necks in anticipation. The moment Gurd entered, they rose to greet him.
"Lord Gurd!"
"Mhm."
Gurd swept his gaze across the crowd—then paused, spotting a certain sneaky, rotund figure. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Queen, old pal... what are you doing here?"
"Muhahaha, Brother Gurd."
Queen rubbed his hands together, looking around: "I heard Komurasaki fell ill. How is she now? Is it serious?"
"Komurasaki caught a cold after returning and needs to rest for ten days to half a month. It's best not to disturb her during this time."
Gurd smiled and spun a lie.
There was no way he could tell Queen that after his "heart-to-heart" talk with Komurasaki last night, he had given her delicate backside a whack with the Firewood Stick, making her scream and faint—she still hadn't woken up yet.
With Komurasaki's frail constitution, she'd need at least half a month to recover.
"That's good to hear."
Queen sighed in relief.
Poor little Komurasaki-chan.
Once you're better, Queen will definitely prepare a gift for you!
But now, there's serious business to attend to.
Queen sat up straight, clearly not planning to leave.
Gurd gave him a questioning look: "Old Brother Queen, is there something else?"
"Nothing, I just want to hang around here for fun!"
Queen's eyes darted around nervously.
He needed to learn too!
As one of the world's top scientists, what did he lack the most?
Research funding, of course!
Developing powerful weapons often came with countless failures, and each failure cost money.
He wanted to follow Gurd and strike it rich!
"Sure, make yourself at home."
Gurd nodded with a smile, not calling him out.
In truth, what he wanted most was the involvement of high-ranking officers—he'd even love to drag Kaido himself into this.
As a pirate crew, the Beasts Pirates had pretty much peaked. No matter how much they developed, it would be hard to become a dominant force like the Rocks Pirates. But real estate was different—the prospects were boundless.
"Ahem!"
Gurd cleared his throat, casting a serious gaze over everyone: "Headliners, I understand why you're here, and I'm more than happy to share money-making methods with you!"
"But I think, given your intelligence, you probably won't grasp it easily. So, I plan to let you experience it firsthand!"
Making money wasn't easy, and teaching a bunch of brutes how to do it was even harder—but not impossible.
They could just copy!
"Follow me!"
Kuri, Amigasa Village.
The dilapidated village remained impoverished.
The new city constructions in each region had clearly defined planning zones, but the rest of the areas stayed as they were—barren land, starving people, at best able to fetch some clean water from the new cities.
Of course, this was intentional on Gurd's part.
Only with stark contrast could the prosperity of the new cities shine. Right now, property prices in the new cities were skyrocketing, almost rivaling the Flower Capital.
Every morning, Gurd woke up a little richer.
The ingenious down-payment system made homes affordable for the people while binding them tightly, forcing them to work tirelessly to pay off their debts.
"The pirates are here!"
The villagers of Amigasa Village were overjoyed.
Could it be that the pirate lords had taken an interest in their village?!
Everyone knew about the new city developments. If Amigasa Village could be part of the demolition and reconstruction, their lives would improve drastically!
Gurd led the group of Headliners through the village, surveying the surroundings, and asked: "What do you think these villagers need the most?"
"..."
The Headliners exchanged glances and shook their heads in unison.
No idea!
Gurd sighed in exasperation and explained: "These villagers are starving to death—what they need most is food. If you want to make money, you at least have to understand your target's needs!"
"Oh, that makes sense!"
The pirates had an epiphany.
"But Lord Gurd, we don't have any food supplies in hand!"
"I do!"
Gurd smiled cheerfully.
The Peach Orchard Farm's harvest was just enough for the Beasts to be self-sufficient, with no surplus to distribute, but his warehouses were stocked with large quantities of grain.
They could buy his food!
The Headliner still didn't understand: "Lord Gurd, these villagers are so poor. Can we really make money off them?"
"We can."
Gurd curled his lips into a smile: "Though they're so poor they can't even feed themselves, as long as they're alive, they can create wealth."
"Farming, weaving bamboo hats, textiles—"
"There are many ways they can generate value."
"And what we need to do is control their basic necessities—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation—so they can't survive without our protection. That way, they'll willingly work to make money for us!"
The basic necessities are indispensable conditions for human survival and reproduction. By firmly controlling these, one can manipulate everything.
Just like in Ebisu City.
Houses, farmland, jobs, and most importantly, order—all of it was in Gurd's hands.
The people couldn't do without him!
"Pay close attention, all of you. I'll only demonstrate this once!"
Negotiations, land purchases...
The entire process was already second nature to him.
The starving villagers had no reason to refuse. On the contrary, they were overjoyed, eager for the village to be demolished and rebuilt immediately.
When the Pirates come, the village finds peace!
(End of Chapter)