Undoubtedly, Bege was a wealthy man. With control over two-thirds of the arms trade in the West Blue, his entire fortune amounted to 100 Billion Belly, making him an absolute hegemon of One of the Four Seas! He was even wealthier than the War Mercenaries Germa Kingdom in the North Blue!!
However, the majority of his wealth, exceeding seven parts, existed in the form of various arms, island territories, and Black Market businesses— belonging to concealed assets. It was important to know one’s limits and have principles in life. Profiting from illegal activities was crossing the line, even for him and Rowen was well aware of this.
After the confiscation was complete, these items were handed over to the government for proper handling. The division of wealth that Rowen and Garp discussed was the additional fortune pried from Bege’s mouth, a sort of private stash.
Therefore, the biggest beneficiary of Bege’s downfall was actually the World Government. What used to be a yearly amount of resources to consume had now become a banquet to be devoured in one go.
Afterward, Shichibukai Don Sai took control of the arms business on behalf of Kano Country, and their annual dividends were raised to 40%…
Otherwise, where would Rowen have the opportunity to accept an investigation? The Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) would have immediately suspended him and launched an offensive to apprehend him with a six-part chance!
So, this division of wealth was merely a matter of attitude. Whether they gave more or less, as long as Rowen had no ulterior motives, they would turn a blind eye, which was also the fundamental reason why Rowen dared to withhold the Seastone from them.
Garp thought he had made a profit, but Rowen remarked, “That’s right, that’s right! You made a profit, and I’ve become the wealthiest man in the Marines!”
…
After inviting Shichibukai to handle the mission and taking a short break, they set sail for the return journey. Garp needed to stay in the West Blue to supervise the establishment of the arms factories in Kano Country in his capacity as “Shichibukai Inspector” and to review the trading partners.
Rowen, on the other hand, really wanted to stay and see if there would be any sparks between him and Chinjao… sparks from friction! But unfortunately, he had orders, and he didn’t dare to stay for too long.
The next day, at the port of Kano Country, the Qilin was ready to set sail. The Happo Navy soldiers and King Ramen came to bid Rowen farewell, carrying out the formalities to the extreme.
While waiting for the soldiers to board the ship, Garp and Rowen chatted for a few moments. Suddenly, Garp reminded him, “You’d better be careful from now on. After Bege’s downfall, the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) demanded that Tesoro hand over Bege’s account information, and he lost a substantial amount of money as a result…”
With that, Garp glanced at him. “You must have heard of Tesoro’s reputation. He owns 20% of the world’s Belly and is known as the ‘Gold Emperor,’ a man even the government wouldn’t dare to provoke!”
“This time they took the opportunity to make Tesoro suffer a loss, and he will undoubtedly put the blame on you!”
As the world’s largest bank behind the scenes, Tesoro’s business spread throughout the world, managing transactions, deposits, money laundering, and other operations for various factions in the Black Market. He was a true world’s richest man!
Not to mention a mere Bege, even some of Doflamingo’s hidden funds were stored in his bank. It’s worth noting that Tesoro’s Gold-Gold Fruit was stolen from Doflamingo, and he had no intention of selling that Devil Fruit.
Being able to join forces with Doflamingo despite past grievances showed Tesoro’s influence in this regard.
However, Bege was different from Doflamingo. As a Celestial Dragon, when Doflamingo fell from power, Tesoro was more than happy to have the government freeze his accounts. So when government officials asked, he immediately sold out Doflamingo.
While others thought Doflamingo was hiding after the Dressrosa incident, given his good relations with certain Celestial Dragon households, how could he not be aware of their hidden secrets? Losing such hot money was nothing to him, as he didn’t care about this small amount.
But Bege was just an arms dealer!
After his downfall, the funds he had stored naturally fell into Tesoro’s hands, becoming Tesoro’s primary source of income apart from the tourism and gambling industry in “Gold City” Gran Tesoro.
Previously, the dark forces that had fallen didn’t have evidence of Tesoro holding their money, so they couldn’t take action. But Bege had been dealing with the government for many years, and the contract clearly stated him as the guarantor. Tesoro couldn’t escape this debt.
Cutting off someone’s source of wealth was like killing their parents.
Considering Tesoro’s dream of becoming even richer than the most wealthy people in the world, Garp’s reminder might very well turn into reality.
“It’s okay, he can’t defeat me…” Rowen answered without hesitation.
Tesoro, who primarily relied on metal for combat, was completely suppressed by Rowen’s Thunderous High-Temperature ability, making it difficult for him to fight back in any aspect.
If he dared to make a move, Rowen guaranteed that he wouldn’t live to see the next day.
Garp: “…”
Duang!
“Is this a question of whether you can defeat him? Do you know how many people would trouble you to please him?!” Garp roared in anger, and Rowen instinctively covered his head as he crouched defensively from the punch.
“Ouch… You Old Bastard, how much power are you still hiding in that body?”
Rubbing the lump on his head, Rowen was filled with astonishment.
At the moment when Garp attacked, he had the same feeling of helplessness as when he faced Zephyr’s Military Wrist·Deep Gate. He couldn’t avoid it until he was struck by the fist.
“Go back and stay at G-10 honestly. Otherwise, you’ll face the consequences!”
Garp didn’t notice Rowen’s shocked expression and snorted in annoyance, waving his hand dismissively. “Alright, you can go now!”
Suddenly realizing that the investigation order concerning him might be a sort of political asylum in disguise, Rowen stood up and bid farewell to the people of Kano Country, boarding the Qilin amidst a harmonious chorus of blessings.
“Well, let’s take it one step at a time…”
Watching Kano Country gradually shrink in his line of sight, Rowen tightened his military uniform and the corner of his mouth slightly curled up.
“After all, I don’t have time to deal with him now…”
…
(End of this chapter)
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