This is also the custom here. People of the Long-armed Race write words on their chests, mostly related to their profession or hobby. For example, Apoo's chest has the word "music" written on it, and those people, as thieves of the Long-armed Race, naturally wrote the word "thief."
"Kid, if you're going to teach me how to do my job, you've got a bit more to learn. We're very different from Mr. Kaidou. We still have to follow some rules. Just watch how it's done."
...
After another day of being observed came to an end for Brook, the thieves of the Long-armed Race started counting the tickets. It was at this moment that Tesoro walked into the room with Dice and Tanaka.
"Gentlemen, excuse us for a moment. We'd like to discuss a contract with this skeleton gentleman."
Then Tesoro directly ignored the three thieves of the Long-armed Race and walked straight up to Brook, taking out a contract.
"Mr. Skeleton, would you consider joining our company? We are the industry leader now.
If you sign, I assure you that you'll become a world-class singer within a year and I'll take you away from here. You can see the detailed share here.
Oh, let me introduce myself, Gild Tesoro. You shouldn't be unfamiliar with me, right?"
"Of course, I watched your show before... yo-ho-ho-ho, it seems like a good deal, but the five-year term is too long. Can I give up some shares and sign for just two years?"
Brook didn't have any ties with these thieves of the Long-armed Race; he was singing just to gather information about the outside world.
On the Thousand Sunny, he had also watched the performances by Tesoro and others. If not for this kingdom being somewhat closed off, Tesoro and the others would have encountered their avid fans.
He had received the message Luffy sent. No matter how you look at it, being an artist under this enterprise is far better than being an exhibit here. Apart from the term, he had no complaints.
"Of course, but in terms of shares...."
"Yo-ho-ho-ho, it doesn't matter. I said I don't care about such things."
Brook picked up the pen Tesoro handed over, intending to sign the parchment when the onlooking thieves of the Long-armed Race finally realized something was amiss. They had taken things too much for granted.
"That's enough from you! Don't ignore us so easily!"
"Oh, sorry, sorry, almost forgot about you. How about this, 50 million Belly and I'll take him away."
"Are you trying to brush off a beggar? Selling a rare talking skeleton for just 50 million?!"
"One hundred million."
"This..this...."
"Two hundred million."
"Deal!"
Influenced by the power of money, the thieves of the Long-armed Race readily agreed to the transaction. Even the young Mermaid could be sold for this price without the markup of the Heavenly Celestial Dragon.
Many of the Long-armed Race were willing to come and see Brook, but the ticket revenue was just that. Tempted by Belly, they didn't consider Brook's future value.
Dice left two briefcases filled with money, and then Tanaka led Brook directly out of the prison.
"BOSS, isn't two hundred million too high a price, especially since they are just ordinary thieves not fit to deal with us?"
After leaving the prison, Tanaka whispered his grievances into Tesoro's ear, still feeling that the price was too high.
"Although, BOSS, you see Brook's potential, but... isn't his personality a bit problematic?"
At that moment, Brook's skull had two additional cracks, and he was replenishing calcium with milk to repair the damage.
When he saw female members, he instinctively asked to see their panties, only to have his luck sapped a little by Baccarat, causing him to fall over a dozen times right there.
"Such minor issues can be easily managed, much easier than dealing with Cavendish's spoiled behavior.
As for those thieves... do you think they could openly hold an exhibition here without the King knowing? I don't want to cause trouble during a good team-building, but those guys aren't valuing the opportunity."
If those thieves had just taken the money and left quietly, Tesoro wouldn't have done anything and would have simply approved of the transaction.
But the greed of those thieves led them to have more thoughts, and Tesoro had already sensed someone tailing them.
"Dice, Tanaka, go handle it, and don't let it affect this side."
"Yes."
"Yes."
Under Tesoro's orders, Dice and Tanaka temporarily left the group, returning two hours later with the briefcases they had taken earlier back in Dice's hand.
The team-building activity had transformed into a celebration for the addition of new members, similar to Nightin and Uta, who were also temporary contract workers under them, cooperating for mutual benefit and profit.
In the absence of major conflicts, they could withdraw at any time.
After signing Brook, Tesoro began reorganizing future development plans, planning Brook's music activities, while also adding new products like Shuckle concentrated juice and Shuckle fruit wine to the sales channels.
Time slipped away quietly as Nightin and Bingjack arrived at another gathering place, witnessing the fruits of Bingjack and others' efforts from the past thirty years—a new ship belonging to the Wald Pirates.
However, due to the lack of funds, many crucial parts were missing, making it look like just a large framework. Now, with Nightin's funds injected, the massive ship construction began to expedite rapidly.
Meanwhile, the Hundred Beasts Pirates received an order from the Black Market—a super large cannon.
The ones purchasing this custom cannon were Nightin and her crew, and her share had circled back to the Hundred Beasts in a roundabout way.
Ghost Island had fallen into a peculiar cyclical state, with Kaidou periodically returning from the outside world, causing subsequent waves of the Judgment aftermath. Kaidou would rest for a while and then head out again, repeating this cycle upon his return.
Arceus was also in a similar status, venturing out to search for Plates and further honing his body under Kaidou's requests whenever they encountered upon returning to Wano Kuni.
Yamato, on the other hand, experienced liberation, not being beaten by Kaidou for a while, but an inexplicable shadow lingered within, making her feel impending disaster.
To ward off such misfortune, she continued to intensify her own training.
Thanks to the contrast with another "Yamato," the frequency of communication with Reshiram increased somewhat, marking a rare instance of progress.
...
Wano Kuni, Kuri, in Setsuna's room, it was still that familiar table, but with a new diary.
[Sea Circle Calendar 1521, February 17th, Clear.
Recently, The Sea is anything but calm, even the Fluffy Kingdom on Zou's back had some minor troubles, but fortunately, they were smoothly resolved.
Lindbergh returned to Zou once, attempting to recruit people for the Revolutionary Army, but few responded. Only a handful left Zou with him, may they be in good fortune.
Pedro and Jebo have been living well lately; according to Sister Misu, they've become quite devout followers. When Pedro went out, he even encountered that Egg Baron, reportedly infuriating him but not getting into a fight.
Jack finally achieved his goal of becoming Kaidou's right-hand man. Neither Mandfeish nor I held back, yet he ultimately bested us, taking nine days in total to complete his ascension battle.]
"Mom, it's time to go to Ghost Island for Brother Jack's banquet."
"Yes, Dad is ready."
The heads of Miaona and Wolf popped up by the window.
"Didn't I say, use the stairs unless there's a special situation, don't crawl on the window."
"Nope, Mom, see, we mastered that ability."
Both raised their hands, indicating that they weren't relying on body support. Simultaneously, a significant electrical current was visible on their fur, showcasing the skill of electromagnetic floating, their method of flight.