Chapter 145: Happy Cooperation
Axel's explanation left Franklin stunned.
For a moment, the wealthy merchant could only stare at him.
Five meant fifty percent of the profits.
Two meant twice a year.
What kind of nonsense was that?
This brat was absolutely doing it on purpose.
But Franklin had no time to argue over the meaning of hand gestures. There was something far more important behind him.
His colleagues.
The representative position he held only existed because he could bring them greater benefits. If their interests were harmed, these people would not hesitate to tear him down and elect someone else in his place.
And right now, the murmurs behind him were growing louder.
Franklin sensed the anger rising and immediately tried to turn around to explain.
A wooden blade rested on his shoulder.
His body stiffened.
He slowly raised both hands and turned back toward Axel.
It seemed he would not be allowed to face the crowd.
Unable to move freely, Franklin deliberately raised his voice.
"You misunderstood! I meant five million Berries!"
That sentence was less for Axel and more for the agitated merchants behind him.
That should be enough, Franklin thought.
Most of them were rational people. Once they heard his explanation, they would realize this was just the brat twisting his words.
Unfortunately, that was only what Franklin believed.
In reality, his voice never reached them.
The moment Franklin spoke, the sound vibrations traveling through the air were intercepted. Axel redirected them with his ability, altering the path of the energy so the words died before they could spread.
The merchants behind Franklin heard nothing.
Not a single word.
Then Axel lowered his voice, as if he had been forced to compromise.
"Five million? That's far too low."
Franklin's pupils tightened.
Axel continued calmly, "After deducting costs, transportation fees, brokerage fees, maintenance fees, and other expenses, your annual profit is still around three hundred and twenty million Berries. I won't even bother mentioning the smaller margins."
Franklin's heart skipped.
Damn it.
Where did this kid get those numbers?
In negotiations, once the other party knew your bottom line, the negotiation was already half lost.
That was common sense among merchants.
And yet common sense could be the most helpless thing in the world when it was used against you.
Franklin forced himself to think, then said, "That is a large number, yes, but it is the shared profit of all the merchants involved. Divided among everyone, it only becomes a few million Berries per person each year."
He paused and added carefully, "Five million is already around what I used to give as tribute to the previous Marine Captain."
Axel frowned, appearing to consider it.
If he had truly come for money, he should have stopped there.
Five million Berries was not a small amount. For an ordinary person, it might be the savings of an entire lifetime.
But Axel had never been after money in the first place.
So he had no reason to stop.
He looked at Franklin and asked, "So you think I'm the same as the other Captains?"
Only Axel could say something like that so calmly.
If anyone else had asked Franklin that question, he would already have slapped them across the face.
Assuming he could win.
"No, no," Franklin said quickly, shaking his head.
There was no other answer he could give.
That wooden blade still rested next to him. It looked harmless, but after seeing the slash that had carved open the floor, Franklin no longer dared judge it by appearance.
Compared to this brat, he suddenly found himself missing the old Captains.
At least those men accepted their money and followed the rules.
This one came in threatening people before the negotiations had even properly started.
As Franklin racked his brain, the shouting behind him became louder and louder.
The noise grated against his nerves.
What were those useless fools doing?
Aside from shouting nonsense, none of them were helpful when it mattered. When danger came, they ran faster than anyone. If they were so impressive, why had none of them stepped forward earlier to help negotiate?
Axel tilted his head.
"If I'm different, shouldn't the price be different too? I can deal with at least ten Captains by myself. So shouldn't the payment increase to fifty million?"
Could it be calculated like that?
Franklin stared at Axel, momentarily speechless.
"That… that is not how this should be calculated."
"You're right," Axel said seriously. "That calculation is unfair to me. I can deal with far more than ten Captains. If we calculate it that way, I'm the one losing money."
Seeing that Axel seemed ready to raise the price again, Franklin quickly spoke first.
"How about ten million Berries?"
Axel's face showed a troubled expression.
This time, Franklin noticed.
He had spent years dealing with money and reading people's faces. A greedy person hearing a higher offer would always show joy first. Even if they wanted more, that flash of satisfaction could not be completely hidden.
But Axel did not show that.
Franklin raised the offer again.
"Twenty million Berries?"
Axel's expression remained the same.
Now Franklin was certain.
He drew in a breath, his face turning serious.
"You're not after money at all."
Axel did not answer.
Franklin stared at him.
"What do you really want? Are you doing this for those residents?"
His voice lowered.
"Arresting us will not solve the problem. Without us, all the factories and shops will lose their leaders. Production will fall into chaos. Trade will slow, supply will collapse, and in the end, there may not be goods left to sell at any price."
Axel, exposed, showed no embarrassment.
Instead, he smiled.
"You reacted rather slowly."
Then he nodded toward Franklin's back.
"Look behind you first."
Franklin felt a chill.
He turned around.
Beyond the deep sword mark on the floor, his former colleagues were staring at him with bloodshot eyes. Their hands pressed against an invisible barrier, their faces twisted with resentment. Some looked as if they might transform into wolves and pounce on him the moment the barrier disappeared.
Franklin's mind went blank.
"What is going on?"
Or rather, what had happened?
Why were they looking at him like that?
Axel said, "Sound has vibration frequencies. Different vibrations create different sounds. But if you imitate the frequency, you can reproduce a similar voice."
He glanced at the reception hall.
"And there is wind here."
Franklin's face changed.
"You imitated my voice?"
"That's right. The frequency wasn't exactly the same, but it was close enough. People who have already lost their reason probably can't tell the difference."
Franklin's throat went dry.
"What exactly did you say?"
"Nothing special."
Axel's tone was casual.
"I just used your voice to say a few normal things. Cooperate with the Navy to seize their factories, kill them afterward and disguise it as a pirate attack, things like that."
Franklin nearly swayed.
Those were "normal things"?
No wonder they looked ready to tear him apart.
Franklin's face twisted into a bitter smile.
"So everything you said just now was to buy time. You refused to let me turn around because you didn't want them to see my reaction and become suspicious. And I suppose my actual voice never reached them."
Axel smiled without denying it.
Franklin looked at the furious crowd behind the barrier.
Then he looked back at Axel.
"So what is left for me? Cooperate with you, or something worse?"
"Cooperate?" Axel asked. "Do you have any other choice?"
Franklin was silent for a moment.
"What will you do if I refuse?"
"Then I'll arrest you," Axel said. "After that, I'll create the impression that you cooperated with the Navy and release you alone."
His red eyes curved slightly.
"Whether you choose to face their anger or continue working with them afterward will be your problem."
Franklin stared at him.
The reception hall was full of noise, but for Franklin, the world had become strangely quiet.
Behind him were merchants who now wanted him dead.
In front of him was a child who had calmly arranged all of it.
Power.
Manipulation.
Information.
Timing.
He had lost before he even realized they were no longer negotiating.
After a long while, Franklin exhaled.
"…In that case, I do not seem to have another choice."
He turned his head, no longer sparing even a glance for the colleagues he had once represented.
Then he extended his hand to Axel.
"Happy cooperation."
.....
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