Hades said joyfully, "This ship was originally going to be sold for one hundred million Berries. Since Miss Raiden Ei wants to buy it, we can sell it to you for eighty million Berries."
Raiden Ei didn't expect it to be so expensive. She calculated her Berries and realized she didn't have enough: "Boss Hades, this is a bit too expensive. You have no buyers here right now, so selling it to me for forty million Berries should be fine."
When Hades heard the price, his heart clenched. Although the materials used for this ship were not the world's top tier, they were still the best in the East Blue. Never mind its small size, the materials alone cost fifty million Berries, not to mention the five months it took to complete construction.
Hades was truly unwilling to sell it for such a small amount of Berries: "Miss Raiden Ei, this price simply won't work. We won't even cover our costs. How about sixty million Berries? That is my absolute lowest price."
Raiden Ei didn't expect the price to drop so easily. Seeing Hades' pained expression, she figured he wasn't trying to cheat her: "Sixty million Berries, fine. Let's go take a look at the ship."
Seeing that Raiden Ei accepted the price he offered, Hades quickly said, "Come, come, let me introduce it to you." He took the lead in boarding the ship with White.
Hades said, "This ship is 8 meters long, and the hull material is the best in the East Blue because it was intended to be sold to nobility. Its sailing speed is also faster than some larger ships. The cabin is equipped with a hall, a kitchen, and a restroom, and there are three rooms inside the compartment sufficient for your use."
Raiden Ei looked at the ship she fancied. Its hull was light purple, and the bow had a decoration similar to the Merry, although it was a bird, its posture of spreading its wings as if about to fly looked very imposing. She could sail it away by herself. After touring the entire ship, she was quite satisfied.
Hades smiled and asked, "How is it, Miss Raiden Ei, are you satisfied?"
Raiden Ei considered that sixty million would take all her Berries, so she decided to sell the three-masted ship in her backpack instead: "It's acceptable. I have a large three-masted ship here that I seized from a pirate. Do you buy those?"
"We do! As long as it's not too broken." Hades didn't care which pirate he seized the ship from; once he dismantled it, he was sure no one would recognize it.
Raiden Ei said, "That's good. Let's find an open area, and I'll take it out for you."
Hades was slightly confused: "Take it out??"
Raiden Ei thought for a moment and decided to tell Hades since he would see it soon anyway: "Uh... I am a Devil Fruit User and can store items. That ship is in my backpack. Find an open area, and I will take the ship out."
Hades was a little surprised, but having dealt with important figures for years, he maintained his composure: "I didn't expect Miss Raiden Ei to also be a Devil Fruit User. Then please follow me!"
Hades and Raiden Ei got off the ship and found an open area to bring the ship out. The massive three-masted ship occupied several dozen meters, making all the other ships look a bit small in comparison.
Hades looked at the ship. Although he hadn't inspected how many materials could be salvaged from the interior, the quality of the wood looked high. He started calculating his profits. However, the ship looked a bit familiar, but he couldn't place it.
Hades really couldn't recall: "Raiden Ei, the materials used for this ship are excellent. They look a bit familiar. Which pirate's ship was this?"
Raiden Ei didn't hide anything from him, as she had already secured Kuriya's bounty anyway: "Uh... this is a pirate crew I killed a while ago. They called themselves the Silver Axe Pirate Crew. How much is it worth in Berries?"
The smile on Hades' face was somewhat strained. The Captain of the Silver Axe Pirate Crew was a great pirate with a bounty of twenty-eight million. For this young lady to have eliminated them, just how strong was she! He shouldn't have tried to sell the ship so expensively earlier. Was it too late to regret it now?
Hades had been the owner of a shipyard for many years, and shipwrights were known for their stubborn temperaments on the sea; he would have gone bankrupt long ago without some skill.
He quickly adapted to Raiden Ei's status. This was someone he couldn't afford to offend. At worst, he would just set a high price for this ship.
Hades said directly: "The hull surface is severely damaged, but fortunately, the frame is still good. All these are fine materials. I estimate it at two hundred million Berries!"
Raiden Ei didn't overthink it; she didn't understand the ship market and felt that if the price was close enough, it would do: "Fine, this ship is yours."
Hades felt a little depressed inside, but not too much; it was only a few hundred million Berries. He could earn that back by selling a few more ships. If he angered Raiden Ei, it wouldn't be easy to appease her.
Hades knew he was taking a loss, but he still had to smile and say to Raiden Ei: "Miss Raiden Ei, I don't have the Berries on me right now. Do you want to come back to my office to get them, or wait here while I go get them for you?"
"I'll wait by my ship. You can find me there," Raiden Ei said. Although she didn't know why Hades suddenly became so respectful toward her, her Observation Haki sensed his insincerity, so she became a little wary.
"Very well, I will come find you as soon as I prepare the Berries. Please wait patiently for a moment," Hades said before quickly walking toward his office.
Seeing Hades leave, Raiden Ei didn't linger there either and walked toward the ship she had just bought. It wasn't far; she reached it in a few minutes. She jumped directly from the ground onto the deck; this wasn't the first time she had done something like this.
"Haa... I haven't named the ship yet. What name should I give it!" Raiden Ei stood on the deck pondering, and suddenly thought of a name: "I have it! Why not call it the dream!"
Raiden Ei was very satisfied, not realizing at all that she was terrible at naming things; she was only borrowing half of the name.
Raiden Ei busied herself on the ship for nearly half an hour. Only then did her Observation Haki sense Hades approaching. She was almost done here, so she got off the ship to wait for him.
Hades found Raiden Ei waiting for him and hurried forward, handing her a box: "Miss Raiden Ei, this is one hundred and forty million Berries. Please check if it is correct."
Raiden Ei didn't suspect anything and took the box, but she remained cautiously alert for any sudden developments. This person was becoming increasingly insincere; she feared a trap, so she slowly opened the box just a little.
In her Observation Haki, Hades' heartbeat had accelerated threefold, and his eyes were fixed intently on the box, which made her hesitate to open it fully. She was afraid she might fall into one of Hades' schemes. Although he seemed weak in her perception, she knew there were many strange Devil Fruits in the world. She decided not to take the risk and closed the box after opening it just a crack.
Raiden Ei stared fixedly at Hades, causing cold sweat to stream down his forehead. His heart was pounding as if it would jump out of his chest. He handed the box back to her.
Hades had been inexplicably nervous since a moment ago, and now his hands were trembling. He took the box from her hands: "Lei... Miss Raiden Ei, what's wrong?"
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