"Miss, this way please. The guild master is expecting you."
The white-haired beauty Mirajane opened the door to the office and gestured politely.
Nami nodded slightly and stepped inside.
"What kind of request do you have?"
Sullivan swirled the wine in his glass as he turned in his chair.
But the moment he looked up, his brows rose slightly in surprise.
Of course he recognized the orange-haired girl before him.
As a transmigrator, how could he not?
She was none other than one of the Straw Hat crew—the brilliant navigator, Nami.
Moreover, Sullivan already knew why she had come.
The Arlong Pirates—it's finally time to wipe them out.
Under Sullivan's sharp and calm gaze, Nami felt a sudden wave of nervousness.
"Don't be nervous, Miss. Have some tea first, then tell us your request," Mirajane said gently, handing her a cup of hot tea.
"Mhm…"
Nami took a small sip to steady herself.
Then, without holding back, she explained how the Arlong Pirates were terrorizing the region.
"That's horrible… Absolutely outrageous!"
The kindhearted Mirajane's pretty face filled with emotion and sympathy as she looked at Nami.
"Please… I'm begging you! Drive Arlong out of Cocoyasi Village—out of the East Blue! That's my request!"
Nami bowed deeply with sincerity.
"Alright then, what's the reward? How much payment have you prepared?"
Sullivan asked calmly.
Nami replied.
She could offer more. But—
First, she didn't know much about this guild and wasn't sure if Sullivan could actually take down Arlong.
Second, if she revealed her full offer right away, she'd lose all room to negotiate.
Lastly—
Even though it was hearsay, she'd heard Sullivan had accepted the bounty on Don Krieg—the so-called overlord of the East Blue—for only 10,000 Berries.
Compared to that, 1 million Berries should already be more than enough.
However...
"Miss Nami, 1 million Berries… don't you think that's just a bit too low for the kind of job you're requesting?"
Sullivan looked at her with an amused smile.
He was well aware of Nami's obsession with money.
Of course Arlong needed to be dealt with.
But before that, this little money-grubber needed a bit of a lesson.
"I understand the risks of this job. Name your price, Guild Master Sullivan! As long as you can get rid of Arlong and his crew, I'm willing to pay—no matter what it costs!" Nami bit her lip and declared.
"In that case, I won't be polite."
Sullivan smiled and held up two fingers.
"Two million?"
Nami asked.
Sullivan shook his head.
"Twenty million?"
She tried again, a bit more hesitant.
Still, Sullivan shook his head.
"Don't tell me… two hundred million?!"
Nami's eyes twitched. That number was way beyond her expectations.
But… if she grit her teeth and scraped together every last coin, maybe it was barely possible…
However—
Sullivan still shook his head.
Finally, he gave his quote.
"Two billion. One billion for Cocoyasi Village, and one billion for the nineteen surrounding villages.I'll make sure Arlong and his gang vanish from this world for good."
"NANI?! Two billion?!"
Nami jumped to her feet, internally screaming, "This is daylight robbery!"
Even Mirajane was visibly surprised, blinking in shock.
She had never heard Sullivan ask for such a ridiculous reward before.
Up until now, she knew Sullivan didn't care much for money when taking requests.
If the client had cash—great. If not—he'd sometimes accept just a meal.
Like with Don Krieg—she'd heard the bounty was 10,000 Berries.
But in reality, Sullivan only took a bowl of rice and a glass of water.
And yet now—
For this pitiful girl asking for help, Sullivan asked for 2 billion.
Mirajane didn't understand his reasoning, but she trusted Sullivan 100% and chose not to question it.
"Well then, Miss Nami—Yes, the price might seem a little steep, but I assure you—it's worth every Berry."
Sullivan smiled warmly.
Nami gritted her teeth, saying nothing.
One billion Berries for the villages…
That price was within her mental range.
After all, she had originally planned to buy Cocoyasi Village from Arlong for one hundred million Berries.
If Sullivan had asked for one billion, she might have hesitated—then agreed.
But two billion?
That wasn't just Cocoyasi—it was twenty villages.
It was well beyond what she could afford.
She'd saved for years and was still far from even one billion.
Two billion? That was an impossible dream.
"…So I guess this isn't going to work after all."
Nami clenched her jaw, preparing to leave.
"Don't be so quick to give up,"
Sullivan smiled, "Our guild supports installment payments. Just one Berry upfront, and you can work off the rest. In fact, I could really use some extra hands right now."
"Ahh…"
Mirajane suddenly understood.
So that's why Sullivan gave such an insane quote.
He had his eyes on this clever girl from the start and wanted to keep her around.
"Take your time to think it over. Mirajane, please show Miss Nami to her room."
"Yes, Guild Master."
Mirajane nodded.
A few minutes later—
After settling Nami in, she returned to Sullivan's side.
With her big, bright eyes, she stared at him, cheeks puffed out slightly.
"What's wrong?"
Sullivan patted her head.
"Hmph, Guild Master, you're such a flirt. You already have us, you know!" she pouted.
"Jealous?"
Sullivan's smile deepened.
"W-Who's jealous?!"
Mirajane turned red, eyes darting away.
"Haha."
Sullivan laughed and pulled her into his arms.
"You're overthinking it, Mira. I'm just thinking about the guild's future."he said seriously.
"Really?" she eyed him suspiciously.
"Of course!" Sullivan nodded firmly.
"I told you—soon, we'll head to the Grand Line. The weather there is unpredictable. Without a top-class navigator, we'll be stranded. Nami is the talent we need."
"Nami is a navigator?"
"Ordinary people can't sail the seas solo."
"…That's true!"
Mirajane nodded in understanding.
"So, where are we heading next? Should we meet up with Erza first?"
"No need. Let's head straight to Cocoyasi Village." Sullivan replied.