Chapter 150: Toll

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In addition, many pirate Supernovas were passing through the seas governed by the G-5 Marine base. 

These pirates could also become Byakuya's hunting targets. 

With this in mind, Byakuya asked Ferguson to bring him the daily navigation records of the G-5 base. 

These records detailed the ships passing through their territory and the forces behind them. 

As Byakuya reviewed the records, he noticed a significant increase in the number of Big Mom Pirates' ships passing through their waters recently.

"Fergus, do you know what the Big Mom Pirates are up to these days? Why are there so many ships passing by every day?"

"I do," Fergus replied. 

"It seems Big Mom is hosting a tea party, and they're gathering all sorts of dessert ingredients from across the world, which explains the increased traffic."

Byakuya glanced at Ferguson in surprise. He casually asked the question but didn't expect Ferguson to know the answer. 

As he continued looking at the records, Byakuya muttered, "You see, the Big Mom Pirates have over thirty ships passing through our waters." 

"What if we charged one million Berries per ship? That would mean we could earn over 30 million Berries in just one day."

Ferguson noticed the excitement in Byakuya's eyes as he suggested this plan, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. 

He knew that Byakuya had been frustrated with the base's lack of funds recently, but targeting Yonko's crew for money wasn't exactly a safe or sensible idea.

"Byakuya-sama, these are the Big Mom Pirates… a Yonko crew," Fergus said, emphasizing the weight of those words.

Byakuya, feeling indignant, retorted, "I don't care if it's the Big Mom Pirates." 

"Why should a pirate get to throw a massive tea party while we, the Marines, are struggling to feed over 3,000 people? Does that seem fair to you?"

"Uh…" Fergus realized that Byakuya was driven by jealousy. 

A notorious pirate was rolling in wealth and throwing lavish events, while a Marine commander had to deal with food shortages.

"Starting tomorrow, take the men and patrol the seas in our territory. When you spot one of Big Mom's ships, intercept it." 

"If they don't pay, don't let them pass. If the officers aboard are too strong to handle, report back immediately, and if needed, I'll step in."

Fergus hesitated. "Won't this cause problems with Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"

Byakuya waved off his concerns. "I don't care. Let the old man be unhappy. If we had enough supplies, I wouldn't need to resort to this." 

"Besides, this can be seen as us easing the Marines' burden by taking on the Big Mom Pirates. Sengoku should be grateful, not upset."

The next day, every Marine at the G-5 base was dispatched to patrol their waters in a massive search operation. 

Byakuya remained at the base while Vergo, Ferguson, and other high-ranking officers took charge of a designated area. 

If they encountered forces too powerful to handle, they were to immediately report to Byakuya, who could reach them quickly and prevent unnecessary casualties. 

This also served as a training exercise for the Marines. 

Besides the Big Mom Pirates, any other pirate ship passing through would be treated the same way. 

The toll was one million Berries per ship, and if the passengers didn't pay, they would be captured along with their money. 

If no one came to pay ten times the ransom to free them, they would be sent straight to Impel Down.

Far from being afraid, the G-5 Marines were thrilled when they received Byakuya's orders. This felt like the kind of action they were meant to take. 

After all, they knew how strong Byakuya was. If things got tough, their powerful commander would handle it. 

Plus, which Marine dared to demand a toll from a Yonko crew? But now, G-5 was doing just that. 

No Marine would ever dare question G-5's courage if word got out. If anyone doubted them, they could challenge Yonko's crew themselves!

However, as soon as the plan was implemented, the Big Mom Pirates resisted it strongly. 

In their eyes, they were the ones who bullied the Marines, not the other way around. 

However, the officers responsible for the shipments were relatively weak. Under the combined might of Vergo, Fergus, Ain, and Tashigi, they had no chance to resist and were easily captured along with their ships.

Everyone started wondering what had gotten into the G-5 Marines. How dare they provoke the Big Mom Pirates? 

Was this a signal that the Marines planned to go to war with the Big Mom Pirates?

All eyes on the sea were suddenly focused on the growing tension between the G-5 base and the Big Mom Pirates. 

People began to sense that something unusual was brewing, thinking this could begin a war between the Marines and Big Mom. 

But if they knew the truth—that the G-5 base was simply out of money and its commander, Byakuya, had devised this crazy plan in desperation—they would be terrified of his reckless boldness.

Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku, upon learning of the situation, felt his head spin and his blood pressure rise. 

"What on earth is this guy up to now? Whose idea was it to transfer Byakuya to the New World?!" Sengoku thought, exasperated. 

In his mind, someone as unpredictable and dangerous as Byakuya should have been kept where he could be watched. 

Now that he had been let loose, it wouldn't be long before he stirred up serious trouble.

When Sengoku asked Byakuya about his actions, he was left speechless. 

Cutting off G-5's supplies for just a month led Byakuya to demand toll fees from the Big Mom Pirates. 

If we cut off supplies for a year, would you lead your soldiers to raid the Celestial Dragons and overthrow Mariejois?

Immediately, Sengoku ordered the nearby G-4 base to send two months' worth of supplies to G-5. 

Their supplies would be delivered later. When the order was received, the G-4 soldiers were devastated. 

"Last month, G-5 already took our supplies. Now we have to give them this month's too? How are we supposed to survive?" 

It was said that when the G-4 base commander heard these complaints, he almost passed out from fear. 

He quickly sent the complaining soldiers to the brig to clear their heads.

The soldiers may have been confused, but the G-4 commander was not. 

Although he and Byakuya were vice admirals, that didn't mean their strength was comparable. 

Byakuya was the man who could defeat Jack, while the G-4 commander wasn't sure he could withstand three moves from Jack. 

Byakuya had the guts to extort the Big Mom Pirates, while the G-4 commander could only sit in his base and wait for supplies from Marine HQ. 

The gap in strength was just too great. Even though Marine HQ had sent supplies, Byakuya and his soldiers seemed to have developed a love for extorting pirates. 

They had no intention of stopping. On the first day, they captured 37 ships from the Big Mom Pirates. 

On the second day, they seized 33 ships, with three paying the one million Berries toll. 

By the third day, they captured only ten ships, while the remaining 22 ships paid the toll.

For those transporting goods to Big Mom's tea party, the consequences of delay were far worse than paying the toll. 

If they arrived late, Big Mom would extract their souls, leaving them in a fate worse than death. 

Paying one million Berries seemed a small price to avoid that disaster. 

The Big Mom Pirates knew that whatever the Marines took, Big Mom would make them pay back tenfold.

But it wasn't just the Big Mom Pirates being extorted. 

Other Supernovas that had just entered the New World contributed to G-5's growing wealth. 

Even Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, couldn't escape the tolls. 

If he refused to pay, Byakuya's men would detain his cargo, claiming it contained dangerous goods, and wouldn't release it until the toll was paid. 

Doflamingo, already troubled by how to deal with the Beasts Pirates, had no intention of provoking the unpredictable Byakuya.

In just three days, Byakuya had collected nearly 40 million Berries in tolls. 

This made both Byakuya and his soldiers ecstatic, believing they had embarked on a grand venture. 

They were determined to expand their toll-collecting "business." 

Soon, the name of G-5 and its daring commander, Byakuya—who cared more about money than his life—spread throughout the New World.

<End Chapter>

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