24 Easy Money

Holy Land Marijois

Another high level meeting was underway after Nova and Mihawk allied together and Saint Judas was taken as hostage. It has never happened before so the Gorosei were in a bind about to handle the situation. They couldn't send a full-scale attack for a foolish Celestrial Dragon as the political situation was quite troublesome. Their battle with Rocks D. Xebec was brutal and claimed the life of one admiral, the other one was mortally injured and now bedridden with only Zypher present to man the helm. Training and selecting Admirals takes a lot of time and resources. Also, there is the threat of Yonkos making a move or Golden Lion Shiki attacking the Holy Land from the sky if they decide to go on a full-scale attack, leaving their home vulnerable.

"This is a blatant challenge to our authority; we must deal with him with an iron fist!!!" The Gandhi Gorosei slammed his fist in anger.

The other Gorosei remained silent, deep in thought about the situation. After a moment, one of them spoke up. "I understand your concern, but we must be careful about how we proceed. We cannot afford to let this escalate into a full-blown conflict with the Devil's Child and Dracule Mihawk, especially given the current state of affairs. We need to find a way to diffuse the situation and secure the release of Saint Judas however, we cannot simply ignore this challenge to our authority either."

The Gandhi Gorosei scoffed. "Then what do you propose we do? Negotiate with this Devil's Child? That would only embolden him and set a dangerous precedent for future challenges to our power."

The youngest Gorosei replied, "Indeed. If we think about it logically, we did not have any direct conflict with them, CP9 has confirmed that Nova did not have any relations with the archaeologists in Ohara prior to the Buster Call. Also, both of them don't have a pirate crew or a jolly roger so technically our bounty forced them to become pirates. Since they are willing to negotiate, it means they do not want to become our enemy. These young men are hot-blooded and love to play hero!! "

Saint Jaygarcia Saturn also added his views, "Perhaps we can use this as an opportunity to initiate our Shichibukai plans?? Not only will it bolster our forces, but it will also deter the small-time pirates from entering the Grand Line. We could offer him amnesty for his past crimes, in exchange for the safe release of Saint Judas. With his skills and abilities, he could be a valuable asset to us in the future."

The fifth Gorosei, with a bald head and large moustache, nodded eagerly. "Yes, and we could use this as a way to shift the balance of power in the New World. With lesser new blood among the pirates, their numbers will eventually dwindle over time. If we can convince the Devil's Child and Mihawk to work for us, he could help us shift the balance of power."

The tallest Gorosei nodded slowly, considering their options. "Very well. Send Admiral Zephyr and Guernica to deal with the negotiation, we must give them a show of our power to keep them from acting against us again. Our utmost priority is to make sure that Judas is brought back safely, even if it results in bloodshed."

Finally, after much deliberation, the Gorosei came to a decision. They would send a delegation to negotiate with Nova and Mihawk, offering a deal in exchange for the safe return of Saint Judas. They also prepared a backup plan in case the negotiations failed, but they hoped that diplomacy would prevail.

Meanwhile in Salvador:

Mihawk and Nova have tied Judas to a chair in a secluded dimly lit warehouse away from prying eyes. Mihawk took charge of the extorti..*cough* *cough* negotiation. Being more experienced in this stuff he decided to teach Nova the ways of pirates.

"Nova, you are strong but there are moments where you have to think before you act. Attacking Celestrial Dragon in front of so many witnesses was a very dumb move. Not only did you endanger your life, the lives of the common people will also be at risk."

Nova nodded his head understanding how reckless he has been. He clearly underestimated the power of the world government. Mihawk told him that there were a lot of strong powerhouses in the world with weird abilities that even he will have trouble defending against. Snatching one's soul, shadows and even memories, Mihawk told him to never underestimate the powerhouses in the Grand Line.

"What do you want from the World Government Mihawk??"

"As a swordsman nothing interests me more than swords and strong opponents. On that note why don't we have a battle when all this boring stuff is over?"

"I am always ready for it!!" Nova nodded

"What do you want Nova? These World Nobles are very rich, you don't have to shy away while bargaining."

"Can we release all the slaves they own?"

"Unfortunately not! Even if we free them they will secretly capture more, can you prevent that?"

Nova nodded thoughtfully, he cannot be everywhere at the same time at once. "Currently I lack money, how much should a Celestrial Dragon cost in the market?"

Judas couldn't help fuming in anger and feeling humiliated whenever he heard this brat's words. He started praying to the Gods inwardly hoping to be rescued soon from these devils. He was sure his family must be worried sick by now and the Elders must have sent a massive fleet to kill these criminals.

*Beri Beri Beri..Clank" Mihawk picked up Judas's den den mushi that they had taken beforehand.

"Pirates! I am admiral Zephyr, We have surrounded Salavador, release the hostage at one or you will suffer heavy consequences."

"Are you in a position to threaten us Admiral? Agree to our terms and conditions if you want this thing back 'Alive'." Mihawk said menacingly.

After a moment of silence, Zephyr replied, "What do you want?"

"One Great Grade sword"

"Agreed"

"Three logia devil fruits."

"Don't push your limits Mihawk, those are strategic items."

"One devil fruit of our choice."

"Agreed"

"10 Billion Bellies upfront."

"5 Billion at max"

"You will receive half if you pay half."

Everyone was stunned by Mihawk's cryptic words, Judas started sweating buckets after hearing this. He immediately started shouting, "Yo..You!!! Pay him whatever he asks for, I will pay from my personal vault!!!"

"You heard the man!" Mihawk was about to end the call when Guernica said from the other side, "Mihawk and Nova, we have another deal that might be of your interest."

Nova nodded at Mihawk who was looking towards him, "What's the deal?"

"The Five Elders have invited you both to join our new unit, The Sichibukai, Warlords of the Seas?"

"What's in it for us?"

"Bounties frozen, free reign to do anything excpt attacking the World Nobles and government support when fighting against the pirates. But keep in mind, if you agree then you will surely be targeted by other pirates."

Nova and Mihawk looked at each other and came to a tacit understanding. This is what Nova needed the most, time to grow his influence without pesky Government targeting his business. Mihawk will also get plenty of strong opponents who would want to snatch his title.

"Okey we accept but don't expect us to follow any orders that goes against our will!!"

" No problem!! We won't need your help unless its an emergency."

"What about the ransom?"

"It will be delivered after you deliver Saint Judas unharmed, we will be waiting at the port."

"Try anything funny and he dies." Mihawk said before ending the call.

Zephyr watched this conversation with a frown on his face, he couldn't understand why the World Government is hiring pirates in their midst. The reputation of the Marines will suffer another blow after this humiliating event. His hatred for pirates increased a notch today.

The next day another explosive news was released:

"Devil's Child Nova and Dracule Mihawk became Warlords of the Seas?"