Inside the gothic-style castle, Moria stared wide-eyed at Jake, his expression was a mix of disbelief.
"Are you seriously not joking with me?! You want to store massive amounts of Marine Headquarters gold here and make me your warehouse keeper?! You damn brat, who do you take me for?! Do you know who I am? I'm Gekko Moria!"
Watching Moria's angry outburst, Jake maintained his gentle smile.
"Don't be so harsh, Moria. There's nothing shameful about this. We Marines trust your integrity, which is why we're entrusting these items to you. Do well as the keeper—no, as the guardian—and you'll naturally receive a share of the gold later."
Moria said nothing in response, simply holding up three fingers with complete seriousness.
"I want thirty percent of the gold!"
Jake's lightning powers momentarily flared out of control in surprise as he stared at Moriah.
"How much did you say?!"
Seeing Jake's reaction, Moria grinned widely.
"Thirty percent. That's my minimum. Refuse, and this information will reach the Celestial Dragons' ears soon enough."
Monet's eyes turned icy at Moriah's words.
A bone-chilling wind swept through the room, making everyone shiver.
Perona clung tightly to her stuffed bear with a frightened expression.
Noticing this, Moriah quickly amended.
"Twenty percent then! I've guarded treasures long enough to deserve some compensation! Otherwise, I'll really go tell the World Government—they'd reward me handsomely for such valuable information."
To this, Jake calmly replied.
"Even if I gave you that money, you wouldn't be able to keep it. Or rather, you wouldn't live long enough to spend it."
Hearing this, Moria narrowed his eyes.
His subordinate Absalom stood up immediately, ready to attack Jake and his companions at any moment.
"Are you threatening me? Or are you looking down on me?"
Jake looked at Moria, who was visibly displeased, his tone calm and indifferent.
"I have absolutely no intention of threatening or belittling you. Since we're entrusting these items to you, it's only fair you know some of the details. Let me put it this way—this gold doesn't just belong to the Marine Headquarters. It's also tied to the Whitebeard Pirates and Red Hair's crew.
The interests involved here extend to the current largest underground power, the Golden Emperor Tesoro, as well as the construction of the Ancient Weapon Pluton in Water Seven. Do you really think you can afford to scheme over this money now?"
Hearing this, Moria froze in shock.
He stared at Jake, his expression turning almost comical.
"You're not lying to me, are you?! Are you saying this stuff is a joint operation between the Marines, two Emperors, and the underground syndicates? Kid, there's a limit to jokes!"
Moria roared at Jake, but by the end, seeing Jake's utterly unfazed demeanor, his bluster completely deflated.
Jake, meanwhile, looked at Moria with a hint of resignation.
"Believe it or not is up to you. But leaving this money here isn't just my decision alone. Whether you agree or not, this island is no longer your personal territory from now on.
If you agree, this place remains your domain. When we come to retrieve the gold, we'll only operate on the outskirts. But if you refuse, well, we'd just be here to deal with one Warlord.
For a Marine Admiral or a Pirate Emperor, how much time do you think that would take?"
At this point, Moria fully grasped Jake's meaning.
Staring into his eyes, his voice turned hoarse.
"So it seems you're not giving me a choice. I have to comply with your demands, is that it?"
"Don't put it so harshly. It's a partnership. If you agree, you'll get one percent of this gold. Trust me, even that one percent is far more than your efforts are worth.
After all, this place of yours isn't exactly easy to find. Even Eternal Poses fail due to the chaotic magnetic fields here. Before I leave, I'll make sure the surrounding magnetic fields are even more disrupted—guaranteeing no one can locate this place. Except us, of course."
Moria's expression darkened slightly.
He sighed and said.
"One percent… that's acceptable, I suppose. But don't let me ever find out you've deceived me. Otherwise, your shadow and soul will remain here forever!"
"Suit yourself. You're welcome to try keeping them now—if you can. Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention: those who covered your retreat back then? Kaido didn't kill them. After capturing them, he threw them into the labor camps of Wano Country."
"If you want to rescue them later, you should start forming your team now. Once Kaido gets imprisoned, you might still have the chance to go on adventures with those companions."
Jake said this while flashing a radiant smile at Moria.
Moria stood frozen in place, his mind flooded with memories of his old friends' faces.
His voice came out hoarse, as if squeezed from his throat, thick with nasal tones.
"Are you sure you're not lying to me? Those guys are still alive?"
"Yes, they're all alive—in Wano Country. But now isn't the right time to save them. You are not to act on your own. Otherwise, before you even get to Kaido, we'll throw you into Impel Down first."
"The batch of gold you're involved with is extremely important. Do not, under any circumstances, let even a hint of it slip. Stay here, focus on building your Zombie army. You won't need to capture people for their shadows anymore—later, I'll arrange for fixed shipments of prisoners' shadows to be sent to you."
"Those will be prisoners from Impel Down. Their shadows, whether in strength or quality, are far superior to those of ordinary people."