Following the sound, dozens of pirates rushed over and flooded into the room.
Upon seeing the massive amount of cash piled up, they were all dumbfounded with excitement.
"My... God...!"
"This is crazy! Was Arlong planning to buy a country?!"
"Is there really a need to overreact? What a bunch of ignorant fools."
Allen spoke with a disdainful tone, pushing through the crowd and stepping forward. The Nyaban Brothers followed closely behind him at a leisurely pace.
The moment the three of them stepped into the room and saw the massive amount of cash used as bricks to pave the floor and build the walls...
"Pfft—!!" the three of them choked simultaneously.
Allen and the other two were so shocked that their eyes practically popped out of their sockets on the spot.
*This is way too fucking much!!*
Never mind the pirates being ignorant; even Allen had never seen a scene like this. Although he knew Arlong was definitely rich, seeing it in person still left him overwhelmingly shocked.
"Where's the accountant?!"
"Hurry! Get the accountant over here!"
The Nyaban Brothers immediately shouted toward the back.
Within seconds, a well-dressed man with glasses squeezed out of the crowd.
This person's name was...
Allen had forgotten.
But he remembered that the man was originally from Don Krieg's ship, specializing in appraising treasure and similar tasks. Now, he was a member of the Zero Division under the Nyaban Brothers.
It had to be said, at his peak, Don Krieg had thousands of men under his command, so his ship really did have all kinds of talents.
Soon, under Allen's orders, the accountant began counting the wealth in the room on the spot.
Besides paper bills, a massive amount of various coins was piled up in the corner.
The room was almost entirely filled with cash currency that could be directly used for trading. There were hardly any pieces of jewelry, which greatly sped up the counting process.
Everyone just stared at him counting, their hearts growing increasingly excited.
When about a third of it had been counted, the figure coming from the accountant's mouth had already reached one billion Berries!
Even Allen was so excited that he had to actively manage his facial expressions.
Knowing there was a baseline of three billion Berries, the exact figure of this wealth no longer mattered to him.
He was only worried about one thing right now.
*How am I supposed to spend all this money!*
If they followed the previous distribution method, every ordinary member would receive a massive sum of money. Allen was actually afraid they would just take the cash and quit being pirates.
"Speaking of which, it's about time we changed to a bigger ship. Perfect, with this money, our budget for buying a ship can be raised significantly," Allen suddenly said.
Their current ship—the *Bezan Black*—had a maximum capacity of only about a hundred people.
After absorbing Krieg's subordinates, public areas like the dining hall and deck were fine; although crowded, it didn't affect daily life too much.
But the resting space on the ship was clearly no longer sufficient.
Relying on the supplies plundered from the Marines, the Fifth Division had installed many hammocks, but it still wasn't enough for everyone to have a bed to sleep in.
Changing to a new ship was imperative. With this money, they could just buy a larger new ship.
Hearing this, the pirates couldn't help but look forward to it.
Eating well, drinking well, getting paid, and now they were going to sail a brand-new large ship. Ever since they started following Allen, their lives were truly getting better day by day.
While they were discussing the new ship, Allen continued to ponder how to use the money.
Based on current market rates, selling the *Bezan Black* secondhand would fetch about one hundred million Berries. Buying a new ship of the same specifications would cost between two to three hundred million Berries, depending on the quality.
Allen's goal was something larger, a grand ship capable of accommodating five hundred people. The price for a new ship of this size fluctuated greatly, estimated between five to eight hundred million Berries.
Buying one with poor quality was definitely out of the question. After all, their destination was the Grand Line, and the ship's quality concerned everyone's lives.
Now that they had money, Allen decided to go straight for the top tier, maxing out the budget to buy a high-quality ship, and then adding another two hundred million Berries to replace all the living supplies with high-end goods.
Even with that, throwing around one billion Berries, he would still have a full two billion Berries left over.
*I can't spend it all! I simply can't spend it all!*
...
Soon, all the money in the room was completely counted and neatly stored away.
Excluding the almost negligible jewelry, the remaining cash and coins totaled 3.4 billion Berries!
"Woohoo!"
"We're rich, Captain!"
"3.4 billion Berries! I wouldn't even dare to dream of this much money!"
The pirates cheered and jumped for joy in a frenzy.
Allen unknowingly raised the corners of his mouth, instructing the Nyaban Brothers to put the money away, and then opportunely brought everyone back down to earth.
"Don't get too cocky, you idiots. Let me make this clear first: this money won't be entirely distributed like before."
"Hehehe, we all know that, Boss," Sham echoed with a sheepish smile.
Regarding this point, everyone actually had a good idea in their hearts. After all, it was such a massive sum of money.
If it were three or four hundred million and Allen didn't share it, they would think he was stingy, but splitting all 3.4 billion was purely wishful thinking.
As long as Allen wasn't planning to hog it all for himself, they wouldn't have any complaints.
*(Just kidding, having complaints would be useless anyway.)*
"I'll briefly explain the purpose of this money first, so you don't keep dreaming about it."
Allen held up a finger and said, "First is the ship. I've already planned it out. We'll buy a large ship that can hold five hundred people, so it won't be crowded when we recruit more crew members in the future."
"Then we'll replace all the furniture on the ship. The budget for this part is about one billion Berries. Then we'll take out four hundred million Berries and distribute it according to the previous system."
"As for the remaining two billion Berries... I plan to establish a pirate crew development fund," Allen said, biting down on his cigar.
As soon as these words came out, the crowd immediately burst into discussion.
"A development fund? What's that used for, Boss?" Buchi asked, scratching his head with a puzzled look.
Allen looked exasperated and explained, "It's a fund used to develop our crew's strength. For example."
"The public fund is enough for replenishing ordinary weapons and ammunition, but some expensive, high-end weaponry requires a massive amount of funds to acquire."
"As for Meito, Seastone, Devil Fruits, and so on, that goes without saying. In short, this is a fund used to enhance our pirate crew's strength. Do you understand now?"
Just as Allen finished speaking, two more voices came from below.
"Boss, what are Meito and Seastone?"
"Devil Fruits? Are those the rumored fruits that turn you into a hammer in the water once you eat them?"
"I heard you can also gain weird abilities. That Smoker guy we met at the Baratie seemed to be one of those ability users, right?"
The Nyaban Brothers raised their hands respectively to ask.
Allen clenched his fists, closed his eyes impatiently, and veins popped on his forehead.
*Fuck me.*
Having to explain these things to them was something Allen had absolutely never anticipated. He truly didn't want to stay in this crappy East Blue for a second longer.
"Anyway, it's like this and this, and then like that and that..."
Allen explained to them with an impatient face.
The pirates below listened with blank expressions, half-understanding.
But none of that mattered.
The captain said he would take out four hundred million Berries to distribute. As long as they understood that, it was fine; it didn't matter if they didn't understand the rest.
...
Meanwhile, the battlefield outside had already been cleaned up.
Sanji had someone go back to sail the ship over, docking it in the bay of Arlong Park. He then directed the subordinates to unload ingredients and tools one after another, preparing to hold a banquet according to Allen's previous instructions.
Gradually, sneaky unfamiliar faces began to appear outside Arlong Park one after another, hiding behind the walls in groups of three or five to observe secretly.
"It doesn't look like a major battle happened here."
"Is Arlong's gang really defeated?"
"They must be, otherwise why would there be so many humans inside Arlong Park?"
The villagers, who had rushed over from other villages after hearing the news, whispered among themselves as they looked into the park.
They completely failed to notice a ghostly figure approaching silently.
"Our captain said that since you're all here, you might as well stay," Gin said in an indifferent tone, reaching out to place a hand on a villager's shoulder.
Turning around at the sound and seeing his gloomy, cold face, the villagers were so terrified that their souls nearly flew out of their bodies on the spot.
"A ghost!!"
"Help! I don't want to die!"
"Run away!!"
"..." Gin stood there in silence.
Watching the villagers flee in panic, Gin looked down at his own hand, falling into a silence of self-doubt.
*Strange, I was just inviting the villagers to come in and join the fun. Why would they be so scared?*
Gin couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it. He didn't like interacting with strangers anyway.
Soon, clusters of bonfires were lit inside the park, and a banquet belonging to the victors officially began.
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