Bulu…Bulu…Bulu~
"Hello, this is Sengoku speaking. What is it now?"
"Hello, Grandpa Sengoku! It's me."
Hearing the familiar voice, Sengoku frowned deeply. He recognized that tone immediately. Only one person would dare to call him with such a carefree attitude.
"I heard the government cut the budget again. Must be tough for you, huh?"
Luffy's words were casual, but they struck a nerve. Sengoku's expression soured even further, his mood already foul.
Sengoku exhaled sharply. "Luffy," he said with irritation, "I'm not in the mood for jokes. Get to the point or hang up."
Luffy chuckled. "Tsk, tsk. Grandpa, you're too grumpy. I'm actually calling to give you some good news—and maybe some money."
"Money?" Sengoku's ears perked up, though he didn't show it.
Luffy's playful tone continued, "But if you're going to be rude, I might as well keep it for myself."
"Wait!" Sengoku barked, stopping Luffy from hanging up. His mind raced as he remembered an important detail—this brat wasn't just any Marine Vice Admiral. Luffy had control of the world's largest seastone mine, and he managed its operations independently.
The realization struck like a lightning bolt. If Luffy was offering financial aid, this could solve their current crisis. Perhaps they could even use him to fund next year's military budget.
Adjusting his tone, Sengoku forced a smile. "Ah, my dear grandson! How have you been? Everything going well in Wano Country? I heard your business on Onigashima is thriving. You must be doing well financially."
Luffy smirked on the other end, clearly enjoying Sengoku's abrupt change in attitude. "Well, it's alright, I guess. I barely make eight or nine million Berries a day from taxes. That's not even counting what my woman company brings in."
"Nani?!" Sengoku's jaw dropped.
Luffy laughed, clearly savoring the reaction. "You know how it is. Why squeeze money out of ordinary people when I can just target the rich?"
Sengoku's back straightened as he heard the figures. Eight or nine million a day in taxes alone? Adding his woman's company profits, that would be over 20 million Berries daily. More than 600 million a month. Over seven billion a year!
"What in the world are you doing, boy?!" Sengoku's tone turned serious. "Are you oppressing the people? Using your Vice Admiral status to bully others?"
Luffy burst out laughing. "Grandpa, do you think I'm that kind of person? Let me ask you—who has the most money in this world? Ordinary civilians? Or the wealthy elites who abuse their power?"
Sengoku didn't hesitate. "Of course, it's the rich and powerful."
"Exactly!" Luffy exclaimed. "Why bother squeezing the poor when the rich are practically throwing money away? It's like taking candy from a baby."
"You little brat!" Sengoku growled.
"Relax, Grandpa. I'm just making an analogy. I don't actually rob anyone. I've built everything legally—well, mostly legally."
Sengoku pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath. This boy was going to give him a heart attack.
"Stop talking in circles and explain yourself!"
"Tsk, no patience at all," Luffy muttered. "Fine, I'll tell you. Remember Olivia? My brilliant girlfriend? She invented a thing called a computer."
"A computer?"
"Yeah. It's this amazing device, and she even created mini-games to go with it. The thing sells like crazy on Onigashima. Rich merchants and nobles are flocking to Wano just to get their hands on it.
"And that's not all! She also opened a gaming establishment. It's packed every day. Just from the hotel alone, we're pulling in an average of 15 million Berries daily. Add the computer sales and game profits, and we're looking at 30 million a day."
"Thirty million?!" Sengoku couldn't hide his shock.
"Oh, that's nothing," Luffy continued nonchalantly. "You're forgetting the seastone business and the taxes from Wano Country. Want to guess how much all that adds up to? I promise it'll blow your mind."
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