A light drizzle fell today, and within the mountain forests, the leaves looked as if they had been freshly washed, appearing vibrantly green.
A man dressed in black shinobi gear, his head wrapped in a greyish-white cowl, walked slowly along a narrow mountain path. If anyone were to stumble upon him here, they would likely shriek, thinking they'd seen a ghost.
Indeed, the man's eyes were bizarre. Where a normal person has black pupils and white sclera, this man possessed ghostly green pupils set against blood-red sclera. Furthermore, the forehead protector he wore bore the mark of a rogue ninja, specifically, a deserter from Takigakure, the Village Hidden in the Waterfall.
He walked along the path for a long time until he reached a stone monument. The slab was dilapidated and weathered, appearing quite unremarkable. However, upon seeing it, a flicker of satisfaction finally touched the man's cold gaze.
He stepped forward and fumbled around the monument, searching the back for a mechanism. With a slight twist, two boulders beneath a large tree nearby slid apart, revealing a dark, yawning passageway.
"So, I was right," the man murmured.
Facing a dark tunnel in the middle of a desolate mountain range, the man showed no sign of fear. He entered naturally, following the path deep underground. Shortly after he entered, the boulders outside slid back together, leaving not a single crack visible.
The tunnel was lined with glowing stones for illumination. They weren't rare as one could buy a crate for ten ryo. Usually useless, they served well to decorate dark corridors like this. Thanks to them, the passage wasn't pitch black.
Soon, the man reached the depths of the underground facility at the end of the hall. There was a door, which the man knocked on several times.
Showing little caution, the door was soon opened from the inside, revealing a man's head. He looked like a petty thug, his expression annoyed, clearly a low-level lackey.
The lackey glanced at the man who had knocked and asked, "What do you want?"
"Exchange for gold," the man replied calmly. He didn't seem bothered by the other's attitude. He knew the people in places like this were all the same: little skill, big tempers. It didn't matter; he didn't care. On the contrary, he loved these places because he could get paid.
This was a Black Market. By the standards of the One Piece world, it could be called the "Underworld," but to the public, it was known as an Exchange Point.
They dealt in all sorts of shady business here: assassinations, contraband, smuggling, human trafficking, dark bounties, and… collecting corpses.
Yes, corpses.
The Exchange Points had a massive business in collecting bodies. Of course, they didn't just take any random corpse, nor were they interested in organ harvesting. They collected the bodies of important dignitaries, ninjas, or individuals on bounty lists. For these, the Exchange Point paid well.
The reason was simple. First, the Exchange Point controlled trade channels for these bodies; some were specifically requested by clients, while others were for the Exchange Point's own use.
Corpses were a vital source of intelligence!
While a body might not speak, certain specialized ninjas could force the secrets hidden within a corpse to "talk." Since the world was currently at war, the bodies of ninjas, especially Chunin and Jonin, were highly sought after and very valuable. While ten bodies might yield nothing, if one corpse "spoke," the information gained could be sold to warring nations or organizations for fifty or a hundred times the initial cost. Thus, corpse collection was a primary economic pillar for the Exchange Point.
Now, if corpse-hunting was so lucrative, why didn't the great Hidden Villages do it themselves instead of buying from the Exchange Point? The answer was "prestige." Such actions were notorious; if discovered, it would damage the village's reputation, which wasn't worth the risk. It was better to spend some money and buy peace of mind.
That was how the Exchange Point stayed in business.
Upon hearing the man wanted to exchange for gold, the lackey nodded indifferently. With zero defensiveness, he let the man in. It could be said that the Exchange Point was a necessity for many factions and thus had to exist. Because they followed the rules and lacked political ambition, they had no true enemies. Even rogue ninjas rarely raided them; the Exchange Point had vast connections. If you dared to strike them, your own corpse might be turned in before you could even spend the stolen money.
The small fry couldn't afford to offend the Exchange Point, and the big players had no reason to. Thus, the Exchange Point was one of the few "safe" havens in the chaotic Shinobi World, with branches nearly everywhere.
"What are you turning in?" the lackey asked once they were inside.
"The corpse of a Jonin from the Land of Earth," the man said coldly.
The lackey's heart skipped a beat, and his annoyed expression shifted to one of slight respect. The corpse of a Land of Earth Jonin? Unless this guy was a scavenger, he must have the strength to kill a Jonin. That was no small feat; every Jonin was a powerhouse.
"Please follow me," the lackey invited.
Soon, after following a familiar procedure, the man pulled out a sealing scroll. Once released, three corpses appeared. Based on their value, 2,000 ryo was brought forward.
The man took the money but shook his head. "My name is Kakuzu. I am a Level 5 Gold Member of your Exchange Point. I am entitled to a discount. 2,000 ryo is the 80% rate, you're still short 400 ryo."
"Kakuzu?" The mid-level lackey handling the transaction was stunned.
The name Kakuzu might not be well-known in the general Shinobi World, but in the Underworld of the Exchange Points, it was legendary. Tales of his activities circulated through Exchange Points across the continent. Rumor had it the man was obsessed with every penny, a miser who would haggle for half a day over a single ryo.
Moreover, he was powerful, proficient in various types of ninjutsu, and frequently brought in the bodies of elite ninjas. He was also a fervent taker of secret bounty contracts and almost never failed. Sometimes, he even dabbled in smuggling. It seemed that as long as it paid, he would do any job. He had no pride as an elite ninja; if you gave him money, he'd do anything, even pick up trash.
Beyond that, Kakuzu was a legend for another reason: he had been active in the Exchange Points for a full fifty years. According to their records, he first started doing business with them fifty years ago. To have remained active for fifty years was utterly ridiculous.
For the last half-century, wars had been constant. Currently, the Third Shinobi World War was raging. If the Great Nations were suffering, the smaller ones fared even worse. The Shinobi World had not known peace for fifty years; it was either a Great Power causing trouble or a Small Power acting as a proxy. Ninja was a high-risk profession with a staggering mortality rate. To live to fifty was impressive; to be active for fifty years was unheard of.
If Kakuzu had been active for fifty years, he had to be at least sixty years old. After all, he couldn't have started working for the Exchange Point the day he was born. From an age perspective alone, Kakuzu was a legend of the Exchange Point.
He pulled out his identification. The mid-level lackey didn't hesitate and added the extra 400 ryo. For a Level 5 Gold Member, 400 ryo was a small price to pay!
Kakuzu didn't like to dawdle. Having received his full payment, he nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave.
However, the lackey spoke up: "Kakuzu-sama, please wait."
Kakuzu was generally easy-going as long as someone wasn't an enemy and wasn't wasting his time making money. He actually liked the Exchange Point; it was a friendly place to him. Hearing the call, he stopped and turned. "Is there a mission suitable for me?"
"Ah... our Boss in the Land of Bears wants to see you. He left instructions that if you came, we must pass on the message. If you would do us the honor, please follow me. The Boss happens to be on the third floor today," the lackey explained.
A flash of surprise crossed Kakuzu's eyes. The Boss of the Exchange Point.
In reality, the Exchange Point was a sort of alliance. Although they existed in every country and claimed to be one entity, the branches in each nation were relatively independent, each with its own "Dragon Head," or Boss. These bosses would elect a representative as a figurehead leader, which didn't mean much, but it added prestige and allowed resources to flow between branches. Most of the time, the bosses didn't bother one another. Their local leader was the supreme authority.
Anyone else might have lacked interest in meeting a "Boss," but Kakuzu was different. He thought purely in terms of wealth. Was the Exchange Point rich? Undoubtedly. By extension, the Boss of the Exchange Point must be incredibly wealthy.
A rich man looking for me? That sounds like business.
Thus, Kakuzu nodded without hesitation. "Lead the way."
They passed through the second floor and soon reached the third. Kakuzu's eyes lit up. This area was essentially a treasury. There were many rooms, large and small, and several held open treasure chests. At a glance, he saw rows upon rows of neat, glittering gold bars!
"I like this place," Kakuzu said, nodding in approval.
"Hahaha, if you like it, why don't I give you some?" A boisterous voice boomed from nearby.
Before Kakuzu could locate the source or reply, the voice spoke again: "Go, pack two crates of gold for Kakuzu-sama and seal them in a scroll."
"Yes, Boss," a subordinate replied.
Kakuzu finally saw the speaker. His first impression: handsome. The man looked heroic and sharp, possessing a chillingly cold aura. Having been a veteran of the Shinobi World for decades, Kakuzu had seen many important people, but this man felt unique. He looked like a true heavyweight, possessing a dense, unreleased aura of power. His eyes were full of confidence, as if facing a powerful ninja like Kakuzu didn't faze him in the slightest.
The second impression: tall and robust. Just how tall? Kakuzu had to tilt his head slightly to see his face. Kakuzu himself was 185cm. He estimated the man before him was roughly 212cm. He didn't know that this man's height used to be even more exaggerated, but had recently begun returning to a more normal state.
"May I ask your name?" Kakuzu said softly, sounding surprisingly polite.
"The Boss of the Land of Bears Exchange Point, Rodriguez Diarmuid. You can just call me Diarmuid. I've been looking for you for a long time, Kakuzu," Diarmuid said with a brilliant smile.
Indeed, this man was the former Marine Admiral from the world of One Piece, Rodriguez Diarmuid!