"I... I just had a bit of a wobble in my legs earlier," Dragon muttered awkwardly.
Daren chuckled but didn't bother responding to the prideful act.
"So, what is it you need me to do?" Dragon asked eagerly.
A faint gleam flashed in Daren's eyes, as if he were already formulating a plan, but it quickly faded. He smiled and said calmly,
"No need to rush. I just need to know that you're capable of handling it."
He glanced at the straightforward Kuma beside him.
"At first, I thought you might not make the cut, but now... it looks like you'll manage."
Dragon was still confused, but he'd already made up his mind. As long as he could get enough financial backing from Daren, he'd do whatever it took.
"So... how much funding will you give me?"
His eyes lit up with anticipation. Rubbing his hands together, he stared at Daren with burning hope.
"No, the question is—how much do you need?"
Daren leisurely puffed on his cigar, crossed his legs, and gave a composed smile.
How much do I need?
Dragon froze for a moment. He honestly didn't have a clear answer to that yet.
Despite being a Marine by blood and upbringing, he'd never been too involved in the military's internal operations.
The Marine system was well-established. Besides the combat units, there were whole divisions of staff officers and administrators to handle communications, budgeting, and day-to-day operations.
But Dragon, having inherited Garp's more free-spirited personality, had never cared much for that sort of logistical grind.
Now that he was starting from scratch, though, he realized just how in the dark he was.
Rescuing civilians, sourcing weapons, recruiting manpower… Dragon began counting on his fingers, his face full of worry.
Daren didn't rush him and let him think.
Truthfully, Dragon's request hadn't caught him off guard at all.
Starting a military force from the ground up wasn't something anyone could do on a whim.
Daren had only managed to build up the North Blue Fleet because there was already an existing Marine presence in the region.
All he really did was "pull" that fleet out from under Marine command.
Of course, after years of effort—managing, reinforcing, and expanding his forces—the North Blue Fleet was now completely independent from Marine Headquarters. It had nothing to do with the frail unit it once was.
That alone showed how difficult building a proper military could be.
Daren had practically stripped the North Blue clean, squeezing every possible profit out of those waters just to sustain his fleet.
If it weren't for draining the gold reserves from Sky Island's City of Gold, he'd probably still be losing sleep trying to fund its future growth.
As for Dragon's request? Lending money wasn't something Daren liked doing.
Sure, with Sky Island's treasure now in his hands, he had more wealth than he could ever need. But loans always came with strings—and problems.
Especially with someone like Dragon, constantly on the run. Odds were, he'd never pay it back.
And if he didn't, Daren would be left stewing in frustration. It'd strain their relationship.
Better to just give it outright.
At least that way, he'd get something meaningful in return—like Dragon's promise.
A favor from someone with Admiral-level power, or even someone who might one day become a legendary force? That was a trade Daren would make any day.
But more than that... he genuinely had too much money to spend.
Sky Island's gold was overwhelming.
It just sat there, piling up day after day, and he had no idea what to do with it.
When you have that much, money becomes just a number.
And if you can't spend it, it might as well not exist.
So, why not use it to earn a favor from Dragon?
"I've got the number!"
Dragon suddenly raised his head, clenching his fists with determination.
Daren smiled. "Alright then—how much?"
Dragon glanced at Daren's face, gauging his reaction, and cautiously offered,
"One billion Belly?"
His voice wavered a bit.
After all, a billion Belly was a massive sum no matter how you looked at it. In Marine terms, that kind of money could build fifteen standard warships, or five Buster Call-class battleships. It could also fund a 2,000-man elite unit for an entire year.
For someone like Dragon—who currently had nothing but himself and Kuma—that amount was astronomical. It would cover all operating costs for the coming year and allow him to form a small, functional force.
He knew Daren had money. But how much? That, he wasn't sure. And for pride's sake, he didn't dare ask for too much.
"Uh, Daren... if you think a billion is a bit steep…"
"No problem."
Daren casually waved his hand and cut him off without hesitation.
Dragon froze.
That was way too easy.
Regret instantly surged in his chest. Had he asked for too little?
Even Kuma blinked in confusion. He'd never seen someone so casually generous. Right now, Vice Admiral Daren looked ten feet tall.
"No—I spoke too soon. I meant 1.5 billion!" Dragon blurted, blushing with embarrassment.
"Sure."
Dragon: ???
"Wait, no, 2 billion!"
"Deal."
Dragon: ???
He stared at Daren, who was still calmly puffing his cigar, like he'd just seen a ghost.
"H-how rich are you?"
Even his voice was shaking now.
Daren shrugged.
"I have no idea."
Damn it!!
"Then I want 2.5 billion!!" Dragon shouted like a gambler going all in, his eyes bloodshot.
Daren gave him a glance.
"Alright."
Dragon: ...
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"
Losing his mind, Dragon spun around and screamed at the stunned Kuma.
"So how much should I have asked for!?"
Kuma shook his head slowly and swallowed hard.
Dragon looked back at Daren—who had just promised 2.5 billion Belly and was still lounging there, smoking without blinking an eye.
His frustration hit the ceiling.
Damn it!!
You rich bastards are the worst!!
I, Monkey D. Dragon, swear I'll overthrow the World Government… and wipe out all of you filthy rich elites!!
I'll build a better world!
"Forget it, I'll just give you 3 billion," Daren said impatiently, finally cutting the drama short.
Three… three billion...
Dragon was stunned, his face twitching.
After a brief pause, he finally snapped out of it.
He shoved down Kuma's head again, and the two bowed in perfect sync.
"Thank you!!"
Dragon's voice was full of emotion as he declared,
"Daren, you really are my best friend!"
He turned to Kuma, stretched out his hand, and laughed.
"Kuma! Today marks the official start of our journey!"
Kuma smiled and was about to return the handshake but paused.
He glanced around, walked over to the coat rack, picked up a pair of black gloves, put them on, then came back and finally shook Dragon's hand.
Dragon: ...
...
Daren gave Dragon instructions to return to the North Blue to pick up the money, then waved him off.
"That's all for now, Dragon."
"I've got to head back to HQ."
Dragon nodded but suddenly stepped forward and lowered his voice.
"Hey, Daren—those pirate bodies you just had carried out... mind handing them over to me?"
Daren gave him a skeptical look.
Dragon chuckled.
"They're mostly small fry, sure. But all together, I could probably cash in two or three hundred million in bounties."
Daren: ...
"Fine, take whatever you want," he said gruffly, waving him off like swatting a fly.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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