Sure-Fire Investment:

"Wh…" Laki almost asked before Jin made eye contact with her, and her brain replayed what happened to Tibo just moments prior.

"Excellent question!" Jin exclaimed, confusing Laki before relief washed over her.

"You see, based on our sources, no matter how bad things get, you all somehow manage to bounce back despite the odds. With your main force gone, I have been sent to ensure you can't threaten Sabertooth's position in the future," Jin explained before appearing at the guild's bar and beginning to pour himself a glass.

"You have until I finish this drink. Afterward, anyone still standing in this hall will be deemed a Fairy Tail wizard and, therefore, be exterminated," Jin said, finishing pouring his glass.

'Bisca and Alzack are missing; they must be with their kid. Romeo's also gone,' Jin thought to himself in the silent guild hall before a no-name mage bolted for the door.

"Sorry, master, but I don't want to die!" the mage exclaimed as they ran.

Soon after, almost a third of the mages present fled.

Seeing this, Macao felt a bit of his spirit break, forgetting the imminent threat briefly and turning to look at the fleeing mages, as did most other mages left in the hall.

Then he saw them all fall to the ground at the same time.

"What did you do to them!?" Macao asked, enraged, meeting Jin's eyes despite the threat he posed.

"Nothing much, just erased their memories of ever being a Fairy Tail wizards, as well as what transpired here, of course," Jin said with a sly smile.

"YOU BASTARD!!!" Macao shouted as he, and all other mages present, tried to attack only to be force into place right befor either spells activated.

"Bit harsh. It's not like I'm actually here to exterminate you," Jin said, appearing right beside Macao and shifting to meet his eyes.

"THEN WHY DID YOU DO THIS?!?!?!" Macao shouted, while the rest's words were muted by Jin.

"Simple, to ensure I only talk to those loyal to the guild. As for the gunslingers and your kid, I'm sure they're good enough. Don't ask; I do my research. Anyway, I'm here to offer you protection," Jin explained.

"...What?" Macao questioned after quelling his rage, not believing a word Jin said.

"Well, it's not exactly a secret that your guild is in a mountain of debt because of Twilight Ogre's loan with an insanely high interest rate. Clearly, they don't actually intend to ever let you free from their grasp, meaning you'd have to fight for your freedom," Jin stated before pointing at the still terrified Twilight Ogre grunts on the floor.

"While a group of grunts like these is nothing to you, the entire guild may prove difficult to deal with. Especially if corrupt authorities get involved," Jin continued prior to pointing at Macao.

"I'm offering to pay off your debt and protect you from the fallout thereafter. Hell, I'll even ensure your monetary bottom line is always met. I'm giving you an out," Jin went on before appearing right in front of Macao.

"Why? What do you gain from this?" Macao questioned, still rightfully very suspicious, but internally shocked at the fact he felt some sincerity in Jin's offer.

"I wasn't lying when I spoke of your guild's miraculous ability to always come back stronger from every challenge or setback. My intuition tells me it's only a matter of time before your lost members are found, and it's never been wrong before," Jin said, staring right into Macao's eyes.

"So think of this like an investment in your ability to surpass your former glory one day. I've heard Fairy Tail doesn't treat its allies poorly; I'm banking on that being true. Plus, if nothing else, I plan on starting an alcohol business; providing you with my product to spread the word is great advertisement. Just don't accept new members until your old ones return; I don't want to invest in mages lacking loyalty," Jin went on before extending his hand to Macao.

"Sound good?" Jin added, his tone softening.

Macao stayed silent for a moment, struggling to believe what he was hearing.

At the mention of his guildmates returning with such certainty, though, Macao couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope.

He knew it was foolish; he knew it was reckless, but internally, a part of Macao cried out for him to trust Jin.

To believe in his friend's return as Jin claimed to.

To believe Jin's trust in that happening was so strong he'd be willing to wager on it.

"...Yes," Macao said, though hesitant, as he moved his hand to shake Jin's, no longer restrained by him.

"Great!" Jin replied with a cheerful smile before snapping his fingers and finally releasing all of the other guild members, who seemed a little out of it, still processing what was happening.

"Excuse me for a moment then; I've still got to handle the Ogre grunts," Jin said in an upbeat tone before he appeared in front of Tibo.

"Are you sure about this, Macao?" Wakaba whispered into Macao's ear before lighting a cigar, still a little uneasy.

"I don't think we have much choice," Macao replied in a normal volume as he saw Jin pull Tibo up from his collar and against a wall to wake him up.

"Suppose so," Wakaba added, letting out a helpless smirk as he saw Jin place the cube holding Tibo's heart in his unused hand while threatening him.

==========

"I don't care what any of you say or do because you'll never amount to anything that could threaten a Sabertooth wizard like myself. Remember that," Jin told Tibo with a deranged look in his eyes as he returned Tibo's heart, as well as all of his goons', mentioning his title to set the Sabertooth guild as his backer in their minds.

"Here's your money; hold it tight, and when you go cry to your guild master, tell him that if he dares retaliate, he'll be lucky to have me spare enough of your members for Twilight Ogre to be considered the worst guild in Fiore," Jin declared, slamming a bag full of expensive jewels into Tibo's chest before all of the Twilight Ogre mages disappeared.

"Although they were bad, that was still a bit much, don't you think?" Macao said to Jin, feeling slightly more relaxed around him than before.

"Hardly… Anyway, the first delivery of supplies will arrive in a week's time without fail. Don't worry about looking for my presence; though I won't be here physically, I can assure you I'll appear if needed," Jin replied as he straightened his back and adjusted his clothes.

"Here's some money in the meantime; think of it like a no-interest loan; pay it back at your own pace," Jin continued before a pile of cash appeared in front of Macao and Wakaba. 

"In fact, I'd rather you not pay it back at all. The more in my debt you feel, the better my payout when you bounce back," Jin added before raising his right hand in a wave while facing away from them and disappearing.

==========

*Huff* *huff* *huff*

Jin exhaled loudly as he lay against a tree nearby the current Fairy Tail guild building.

'That was close, almost ran out of energy,' Jin thought before squeezing out all the energy he had left and appearing next to another tree a good distance away.

Jin then sat down and admired the tree's leaves before collapsing from exhaustion.