Chapter 37
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After giving Aqua a lesson, Zyhark ultimately decided to hang the sign offering "Free Meals for Acolytes of the Axis Cult" back up at the front door.
From the pirate Smophis, he saw the feasibility of this approach.
Typically, the vast majority of pirates are cunning people driven solely by profit.
The lure of a "free meal" could further stimulate their inherent greed, increasing the likelihood of them attempting to dine and dash.
In this way, Zyhark could harvest more bounties.
Moreover, considering Aqua's power is related to faith, although the effect is minimal, it also serves as a means of promoting the Axis Cult.
At least among the merchants and tourists who come to dine, there would always be a few with a screw loose, right?
By harvesting pirates' bounties while also enhancing Aqua's powers, Zyhark saw it as killing two birds with one stone.
'Could it be that Aqua had considered such a far-reaching plan when making the sign?'
Sitting at the reception, Zyhark suddenly had such an illusion and looked up at Aqua, who had several bumps on her head.
Due to the release of a large amount of water causing the tables and chairs to be in disarray, she was now taking responsibility for her actions, setting the tables and chairs back in place.
"What a bunch of scoundrels who would die a hundred times without regret, daring to impersonate followers of the Axis Cult to swindle food and drink!"
"With the sea so vast, there definitely are a super large number of devotees of the Goddess of Water, and to think we encountered fakes just by stepping out!"
The more Aqua thought about it, the more irritated she became, especially since the unconscious Smophis was right beside her, prompting her to kick him repeatedly.
Watching Aqua with such a strong vengeful spirit, Zyhark facepalmed, ashamed of the unrealistic thought that had crossed his mind earlier.
This one is truly hopeless…
In the following three days, the Infinite Dreams continued its journey as planned.
During this time, Zyhark and Aqua "warmly received" a total of five pirate groups.
With the "Free Meals for Cultists" sign as "bait", the pirates, accustomed to looting and plundering, all fell for it without exception, allowing Zyhark to fill his coffers.
Among the five pirate groups, three captains were wanted criminals.
Their strengths were not significant, similar to Smophis, with bounties around two million each.
The remaining two pirate groups, without any bounties, 'voluntarily' paid for their meals, amounting to nearly one million Belly in total.
Initially, Zyhark was reluctant to accept such disproportionate amounts compared to the meal prices, but given the pirates' enthusiasm, claiming they had never eaten such delicious food before and insisting on giving more as a tip, he had no choice but to accept it tearfully.
At the same time, he had Aqua put away the flintlock pistol pointed at their heads.
Notably, aside from bounties and Belly, Zyhark and Aqua also seized various gold and silver treasures, firearms, a yellowed treasure map of the East Blue, and about a dozen civilians who had been forcibly taken to be sold as slaves.
In just three days, Zyhark's total assets exceeded twenty million Belly!
This made him, who had worked hard for a year to save up a million, couldn't help but be filled with emotion: making money at sea is indeed incredibly easy!
Such a harvest far exceeded Zyhark's initial expectations.
He had underestimated the chaos and brutality of the early to mid-Great Age of Pirates.
Not to mention those at the pinnacle of the world, just the sheer number of pirates at the bottom is astonishing.
The required ten million Belly for the Wishing Well has been met. Under normal circumstances, they would just need to safely head to the Organ Islands, where the Buggy Pirates are active.
However, these encounters with pirates, while profitable, also brought significant trouble.
That is, the Endless Dreams now had too many people onboard, and it was difficult for just Zyhark and Aqua to manage.
If they encountered more pirates seeking meals, the situation could become quite complicated.
Furthermore, food distribution became an unavoidable issue.
In the storage hold of the Endless Dreams, where miscellaneous items were kept.
"Speaking of which, Zyhark, to claim the bounty, just the heads would suffice, right? Why are we still keeping them alive?"
Aqua reluctantly set down the leftovers in her hand, looking disdainfully at Smophis and the other tied-up pirate captains.
The dozen or so slaves they had rescued, mostly beautiful women and cute children, knelt down and sincerely joined the Axis Cult after learning they were saved by Goddess Aqua, viewing her as a "god" who brought them light from the depths of hell.
Compared to the villagers of Windmill Village who believed out of kindness and pity, these people who had experienced hell truly regarded Aqua as their savior.
Thinking of these devout new followers who, despite their weak and tired bodies, insisted on helping clean the restaurant, Aqua's disdain for the pirates in front of her grew.
She didn't care about the tragic lives of ordinary people, but those who genuinely believed in her were very important to her!
Hearing such brutal words from the delicate and cute girl in front of them, the gagged pirate captains were terrified, struggling and making muffled noises.
"So you see, Aqua, your thinking is still too conservative."
Zyhark calmly looked at the pirate captains, slowly saying, "Their pirate lives have been interrupted, and they surely harbor great resentment, desperately seeking an opportunity for revenge."
Big brother, we wouldn't dare seek revenge against you!
The pirates frantically shook their heads, losing all their previous arrogance.
If given a chance to start over, they swore they would always pay promptly after meals, even if it meant death!
No, pay in advance, as soon as they enter the restaurant!
"Zyhark, you're really silly, that's exactly why we should deal with them!"
Aqua blinked her blue eyes, looking at Zyhark with disdain.
"…Someone like you, where do you get the confidence to call others silly?"
"If they don't come back for revenge later, where would we get the chance to collect their bounties again!"
Being called silly by Aqua felt like an insult to Zyhark.
"I see!" Aqua had an epiphany, letting out a sinister laugh.
The cornered pirate captains heard everything clearly, realizing they were being seen as cash crops to be harvested!
This man's thoughts were even more terrifying than those of the blue-haired girl!
For a moment, they were unsure who were the pirates and who were the respectable restaurateurs at sea…
In fact, this was only one of the reasons Zyhark spared them.
Once they were released or escaped from naval custody, Zyhark estimated he would already be venturing into the Grand Line, making another encounter highly unlikely.
The main reason was that the Endless Dreams carried the pure sailing dreams of three carpenters.
On this ship, it was best to avoid bloodshed if possible.
(End of Chapter)