Angel investor in the One Piece world

Chapter 8 Friends and Knives

"Shut up!"

Damian's nonchalant attitude fueled Lieutenant Riel's anger. "This is none of your business!"

"Riere, sit down!"

Colonel James frowned as he looked at his excited son and gave a cold shout.

How can he retire in peace with such a useless son, especially one who has become his son late in life, especially one who has caused such a huge mess?

Riel gritted his teeth, but in the end he couldn't resist his father's authority and sat down angrily.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Damian, this kid isn't very bright."

The old colonel smiled and apologized to Damian.

Damian's smile remained unchanged. "What kind of young person is he if they don't have some drive?"

Colonel James's lips twitched.

His good-for-nothing son is already twenty-seven years old this year. What are you, a twenty-year-old, talking about?

"This can't be kept secret for long,"

The old colonel organized his thoughts and spoke in a deep voice, "Mr. Damian, to be honest, the pirates last night were the Krieg Pirates."

"Oh?"

Damian said calmly, "That's really dangerous."

Doesn't this kid feel any fear at all?

"In fact, something dangerous has already happened."

As the colonel observed Damian, he continued, "As you guessed, the Cornish family and several families from the Loguetown Chamber of Commerce were attacked. Not only were their properties looted, but the heads of several families were also brutally murdered."

"What's worse is that the pirates used the heads of several companies to open the vaults of two banks and steal all the wealth inside! Mr. Damian, as a banker, you should know what this means, right?"

Damian nodded slightly. "Even though the bank's assets are mostly investments and loans, this part of the funds cannot be recovered in a short period of time. And the major families, having been completely plundered, certainly do not have enough funds to fill the gap."

"Yes,"

Colonel James swallowed, but his throat still felt dry. "Once the news gets out, Loguetown will explode like a bomb."

"This is really a troublesome matter."

Damian sighed, looking at the old colonel with interest. "If this gets out, Colonel James, you'll likely be held responsible too, won't you?"

"Who can argue with that?"

The old colonel sighed, "I was just about to retire, and then this happened."

"In other words,"

Damian looked up at the colonel's head. "Are you already thinking about a peaceful retirement?"

"At my age, can I still dream of taking things to the next level?"

James shook his head. "It would be great if I could retire smoothly, but now it seems even that's difficult."

He lied.

The fact that the cluster of light has not transformed into a seed means that the investment target has not yet been identified.

This system is really not smart. Can't it just indicate what the investment target wants to do?

Damian recalled the old colonel's information.

His only relative was Lieutenant Riel, wasn't he? Apart from this son, he had no other ties.

and so.

"Where is Lieutenant El?"

Damian said, "He might also be implicated."

The old colonel's expression changed slightly. He turned to look at his eldest son and sighed, "Of course, I also hope that this kid can have a bright future."

The blue light changed in an instant and quickly condensed into a seed.

That's it.

"So, Mr. Damian,"

Colonel James asked earnestly, "Could you please help me?"

"Dad?"

Lieutenant Riel was taken aback.

What help can this guy possibly offer? He's barely managing to take care of himself, okay?

"Oh?"

Damian smiled. "Colonel James, how do you think I can help?"

"As long as the news can be kept under wraps and citizens continue to deposit and withdraw money as usual, it shouldn't cost too much money to maintain the normal operation of the two banks in the short term."

The old colonel stared intently at Damian. "It's just a pity that the major families have also suffered heavy losses, and they can't come up with the money now."

"So, you want me to pay for it?"

Damien understood perfectly.

"Since they have the confidence to let all depositors withdraw their money, I think Moretti Bank's reserves must be beyond everyone's imagination."

The old colonel said earnestly, "Mr. Damian, I will personally testify to prove that Moretti Bank has sufficient reserves, and I will also get the powerful figures in Loguetown to vouch for you."

"In this way, the Moretti family's crisis can be overcome, and the banks can even gain higher credibility because of this incident. In exchange, I hope you can provide some money to maintain the operation of the two major banks."

Upon hearing this, Riel couldn't help but say, "But Dad, this is still only treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Once the news gets out, it will all be for naught."

"It's better than doing nothing."

The old colonel's gaze remained fixed on Damian's face.

"I think Lieutenant Riel is right."

Damian chuckled. "Besides, Colonel, the conditions you've offered are meaningless to me. Even the most foolish depositor would understand our financial situation once they realize that everyone else has successfully withdrawn their money."

"We'll earn our reputation ourselves, and then our savings will come back. In fact, we'll be better off without two competitors."

"The Moretti family motto is: whatever is used, there must be a reward; we never do anything that loses money."

"But that would mean the end for Loguetown!"

Colonel James's face showed a hint of anger. "Without a stable environment, Mr. Damian, do you think you can remain unscathed?"

"It doesn't matter."

Damian's smile remained unchanged. "Don't you know? Colonel James, the Moretti family's two main businesses, besides Moretti Bank, are the Moretti Caravan. My family's armed caravan doesn't depend on the environment of Loguetown."

The old colonel opened his mouth, but suddenly fell silent.

The Moretti family's caravans transported goods throughout the East China Sea year-round, so no matter how chaotic Loguetown became, the Moretti family's situation wouldn't get any worse.

Just when the old colonel was in despair and thought he was doomed, Damian smiled and said, "However, family rules are family rules, and friends are friends."

"What?"

The colonel looked up in surprise.

"What I mean is, even though it's a losing proposition, Colonel, it's a different story if it's to help a friend."

Damian dusted off his sleeves, his smile meaningful. "Don't even mention putting on a show; you might actually be able to resolve this completely."

"You little brat!"

The seasoned veteran James instantly realized the young man's intentions.

He wants to win me over! To win over a righteous navy member!

"Think about it, Colonel,"

Damian leaned back leisurely on the sofa. "If headquarters finds out about this, what kind of punishment will you receive? You've made a complete mess of Loguetown, and the worst part is..."

"The people are all bankrupt, what are we going to do with this year's Celestial Gold? The Celestial Dragons' money is in trouble, who will appease their anger? They probably won't care who the culprit is, will they?"

James's face immediately turned ashen.

"You bastard!!"

Seeing his father being verbally pressured by Damian, Riel instantly became enraged and stood up again, drawing his sword from his waist. "Are you threatening us?"

"threaten?"

Damian muttered to himself and gently beckoned to him with his finger.

Riel suddenly felt his hand loosen, and the sharp blade flew out of his grasp and into Damian's hand.

"That's not how you swing a knife."

Damian gripped the knife in his right hand and casually swung it at Riel.

A crescent-shaped, sky-blue blade shot out from the edge in the next instant.

Then, the crescent moon was smashed to pieces by an iron fist.

Colonel James stood in front of his son, his expression extremely grave. "Flying Slash? Loguetown, you actually have a swordsman like yourself?"

Also, how did he take Riel's knife?

Devil Fruit powers?

No wonder he didn't care about Krieg at all.

"I've trained for several years."