That afternoon, aboard the Skylark, the Den Den Mushi rang.
Riberra Sami picked up the receiver, and the snail's expression immediately mimicked an upward-swept pompadour hairstyle.
"Hohoho! Captain Riberra Sami, my dear partner!"
A flamboyant, enthusiastic voice came through.
"I've already reached the southern outer waters of Water 7. So, are you ready to complete this long-awaited transaction?"
"Of course. I'll head over now."
Leaving behind only the necessary personnel to guard the Skylark, Riberra Sami led his officers and most of the crew onto the Spearfish, sailing toward the southern seas of Water 7.
Before long, an extravagantly decorated merchant ship appeared on the horizon.
It was Jillian's vessel—the Gilded Dice.
The two ships drew alongside each other, and a gangplank was laid across.
Jillian, accompanied by two burly guards, stepped onto the deck of the Spearfish.
"Hohoho! Captain Riberra Sami, it's been far too long!"
Jillian spread his arms as if to embrace him, but his eyes quickly swept over Riberra Sami and the crew behind him.
"Unbelievable. Your luck and strength always exceed my expectations! You actually returned safely from Sky Island, and…"
He paused, a hint of probing in his tone.
"Could it be that the legendary route has now become accessible?"
"Let's skip the pleasantries for now, Mr. Jillian," Riberra Sami said directly. "Let's handle business first."
He gestured to his men, who brought three prisoners up from the Spearfish's hold.
Mad Shark Barnes, Gale Ryan, and Mushroom King Morris.
Though somewhat worn, they were in decent condition—just as Kahailo had reported.
Riberra Sami handed over three wanted posters.
Jillian took them, carefully matching faces and bounties, his smile widening.
"Mm, authentic goods. 115 million, 45 million, 80 million… a total of 240 million Beli. As per our usual arrangement, I'll add a ten percent handling fee. I'll pay 264 million Beli."
Sakins, participating in such a transaction for the first time, looked slightly dazed and muttered under his breath, "Those three…"
Standing beside him, Aldo grinned and explained quietly:
"Yeah, those three? Just loot we picked up along the way. Prisoners we don't need—we sell them to this guy. He'll handle moving them to the right places in Sabaody. Making money like this? Nothing shameful about it."
At that moment, Jillian's men carried over several money chests and opened them for inspection.
Riberra Sami's side stepped forward to verify the cash.
Soon, under both parties' supervision, 264 million Beli was successfully exchanged, and the chests were moved into the Spearfish's hold.
"Alright, bounty transaction complete." Jillian rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with barely concealed eagerness. "Now, the main event, I presume? I've been looking forward to this for quite some time, Captain Riberra Sami."
"It's already prepared."
With a wave of his hand, Riberra Sami signaled his crew to bring out several large bundles.
Inside were various types of Dials.
"Wind Dials, Water Dials, Tone Dials, Light Dials, Image Dials… quite a variety. Take a look."
Jillian's eyes lit up instantly. He practically lunged at the crates, testing each Dial one by one, letting out sounds of amazement.
Everything went smoothly—until he picked up a slightly different-looking shell.
Only a faint breeze came out, accompanied by an almost imperceptible sound.
"Hm?" Jillian frowned and tested it a few more times. "This one… doesn't seem very useful? The wind is too weak, and the sound is barely there. What kind of Dial is this?"
Riberra Sami stepped forward, picked out a few similar ones, and suddenly recalled.
"Oh, those are Cloud Dials. They store clouds. In Sky Island, they can release solid cloud structures—used for building or as platforms. But here in the Blue Sea…"
He shrugged helplessly.
"The atmospheric pressure doesn't support that form. So they're basically useless."
Jillian immediately pushed all the Cloud Dials aside.
"I'll pass on these. But the rest…" He stood up, dusted off his hands, and named a price. "For everything else, I'll offer 221.5 million Beli."
A few crew members gasped softly.
Even Riberra Sami was slightly surprised—compared to the purchase cost in Sky Island, this was nearly a ninetyfold profit.
Sure, part of it was due to scarcity, but the sheer margin was staggering.
No wonder countless people had risked everything trying to reach Sky Island.
After finishing his inspection, Jillian still seemed somewhat unsatisfied.
"Captain Riberra Sami, aside from these utility types… did you happen to acquire any combat-type Dials? I'm willing to pay a higher price… 200 times the standard value for each one!"
"Two hundred times?!" the crew erupted in shock.
Riberra Sami suddenly remembered the Iron Cloud Dials Gan Fall had given them.
Most likely useless in the Blue Sea as well.
Just thinking about it made his heart ache.
Feels like I just lost a hundred million…
"We do have a few, but we need them ourselves. These are meant to enhance our crew's strength, so they're not for sale."
Jillian studied Riberra Sami's expression. Seeing his firm stance, he could only sigh.
"As expected of Captain Riberra Sami, with a bounty of 300 million Beli. To remain unmoved by such an offer—truly admirable."
"Oh? You've seen my new bounty?"
"Of course. Three hundred million Beli. In the first half of the Grand Line, that's practically unprecedented."
Jillian nodded, then his expression turned more serious.
"Speaking of bounties, I have some information that might affect the future of your Jellyfish Pirates. But before that, I have a small question."
"What do you want to know?"
"About Sky Island. What's the current situation there? Is there any chance of opening a trade route?"
Riberra Sami thought for a moment before answering cautiously:
"For basic trade, some islands in the White Sea might be accessible. But certain laws there are quite strict toward Blue Sea people—you could easily break them unintentionally. As for the higher White-White Sea, the war is still ongoing. Unless necessary, it's best to avoid it. And the combat-type Dials you're interested in are strictly controlled military items. It's difficult for them to enter the market through normal channels."
Jillian listened carefully, nodding thoughtfully.
"I see… understood. Thank you for the information. Now, for the news I mentioned."
He lowered his voice slightly.
"Your recent bounty surge—mainly due to annihilating a warship and killing a Rear Admiral, correct?"
Riberra Sami nodded.
"The issue lies there. The Rear Admiral you killed—Hake—is the nephew of a current Marine Admiral, Padel. Their relationship wasn't particularly close, but blood is blood. Back then, Hake's appointment as G-10 Branch commander had some support from Admiral Padel. So…"
He gave Riberra Sami a meaningful look.
"You should be extremely cautious moving forward. You've likely caught that Admiral's attention. While there were recent reports that Admiral Padel was escorting Celestial Dragons, there's no guarantee he won't act once that mission is over."
Riberra Sami fell silent for a moment.
"An Admiral, huh…" he nodded slowly. "Understood. This information is important. Thank you for the warning, Mr. Jillian."
"You're welcome. Maintaining a good partnership benefits me as well."
Jillian's merchant smile returned.
"Well then, this transaction concludes perfectly. Next time we meet should be at Sabaody Archipelago, I presume? When that time comes, please allow me to host—I'll treat everyone to a proper drink!"
"Sounds good. See you at Sabaody."
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