Chapter 350: Do We... Have Any Money?

"S-She... got away?!" Stunned disbelief washed over the onlookers.

Moments later, a wave of ecstatic cheering erupted among the villagers of Syrup Village.

Though they had been unable to make out the fine details of the high-altitude clash, the terrifying monster had vanished—which meant Drake and his companions had emerged victorious.

Syrup Village was safe.

"Thank heavens! Our village is out of danger now! Thank you, our noble saviors!"

At this moment, the villagers remained completely unaware that Kaya had become Im's new physical vessel. From such a vast distance, they had never caught sight of Im's humanoid face.

The colossal face formed from the black mist had reflected Im's original likeness, leading the locals to view her merely as a demonic entity emerging from the abyss.

Brother Hu had already revealed his and the Dragon Flag Pirates' identities to them earlier.

The villagers had a general grasp of Drake's standing; since these were not ruthless, bloodthirsty plunderers and had genuinely saved their lives, they were revered as saviors.

Drake teleported beside Ain, who had collapsed onto the ground, entirely drained of stamina and unconscious.

The following morning.

The crew of the Dragon Flag Pirates assembled on the hillside. In the wake of the battle, they had swiftly reconstructed Kaya's estate.

To avoid disturbing the village below, they continued to lodge on the back mountain.

"Ain's condition has stabilized. Her body underwent extreme strain, so she needs a few days of total bed rest," Locke reported, giving an update on the ship doctor's vitals.

Deep worry clouded everyone's eyes.

Drake knew that the most urgent priority was purchasing Senzu Beans from the System Mall.

Inside his mind, he had already cursed his own lack of foresight countless times. Why on earth hadn't he stockpiled more Senzu Beans earlier?

Now they were paying the price—at the most critical juncture, lacking Senzu Beans created bottlenecks at every turn.

As long as Ain remained incapacitated, even if they tracked down Im's exact coordinates, subduing her would be virtually impossible.

Money!

A single coin truly makes or breaks a hero.

Though the financial shortfall Drake faced was anything but a single coin...

On top of that, the Demon Warder was an absolute money-burning furnace. For standard cruising, it was manageable—the existing energy reserves could sustain navigation for a considerable duration.

However, once the vessel entered full combat operations, its energy consumption spiked to dozens of times its standard rate.

If he engaged the Unity of Man and Vessel, the drain became outright astronomical, burning through tens of millions of Berries every single second.

A hundred million Berries bought a mere ten seconds of peak output.

That was precisely why the mountain of treasure they had "borrowed" from the Celestial Dragons had been nearly emptied in their previous engagement.

The remaining energy was far from sufficient to activate another combat cycle.

When he had complained to the System about the exorbitant pricing, the response had been brutally blunt:

[Is the rate truly too expensive? You're simply too broke. If you're a pauper, stop whining and go make some money—that is the true path.]

Drake had felt completely humiliated.

Yet harsh as it was, it was the unvarnished truth. After some deep self-reflection, Drake realized he had indeed neglected his pirate duties.

He was an Emperor of the Sea, yet how many textbook pirate deeds had he actually carried out?

Only a handful at best.

He simply hadn't been dedicated enough to the craft!

Treasure in this world was as numerous as the stars, while he had been carrying himself like an inexperienced novice. He resolved that once this thorny nemesis Im was dealt with, the Dragon Flag Pirates would embark on a genuine, thorough campaign of grand adventure!

Only then would they live up to the fearsome reputation of their pirate flag.

Still, the immediate dilemma demanded his full attention!

Reining in his wandering thoughts, Drake came to one inevitable conclusion: I need to get my hands on some cash!

Wait a second!

A sudden bolt of inspiration struck Drake. He recalled that the Dark Clan had expanded to a breathtaking scale across the seas.

In that case, the operational capital at their disposal...

A sinister, scheming grin slowly crept across Drake's face.

Seeing their captain suddenly break into such a creepy, wicked smirk while they were fretting over their dire predicament, the crew shuddered collectively.

Just what twisted scheme did our captain cook up to smile like a literal demon?!

Once a plan was formed, execution had to follow immediately!

Snapping back to reality, Drake decided to summon Brother Hu and his team to assess the situation.

Just as he turned to speak, he realized that Kenshin and the others had somehow retreated a hundred meters away, eyeing him with extreme caution.

"Hey! What the hell are you guys doing over there?!" Drake yelled, visibly annoyed. "I'm still your captain! What's with treating me like an infectious plague and standing an entire zip code away?!"

"Uh... Drake, are you absolutely sure you're feeling alright?" Kenshin, the senior-most crewmate, finally stepped forward to ask.

There was no helping it; Drake's terrifying smirk earlier had scared Bell so badly the kid couldn't even speak.

That expression had been evil personified. Let alone human beings, even a Sea King catching sight of that grin would have broken into a cold sweat.

"What kind of nonsense is that?! What could possibly be wrong with me?" Drake snapped in exasperation. "Never mind that—Bell, go bring Brother Hu and the others over. I have something to ask them."

"Huh?!" Bell blinked in surprise, but seeing the serious look in Drake's eyes, he scrambled to comply. "Yes, sir!"

Without looking back, the boy bolted away as if escaping a crime scene.

Watching him flee, Drake felt thoroughly bewildered. Why was Bell—who usually looked up to him with absolute reverence—running away like a mouse fleeing a cat, looking as though he wished he had two extra legs?

No... it must be my imagination.

Drake chuckled wryly, shaking his head. He really was exhausted, but now was hardly the time to rest; everything had to wait until Im was eliminated.

Before long, Bell led Brother Hu and his unit over. They had been exceptionally fortunate—in a clash of such god-tier proportions, not a single one of their operatives had fallen, which was truly a blessing among blessings.

"Lord Drake! You called for me?" The instant Brother Hu arrived, he dropped to one knee and bowed deeply with solemn reverence.

In the hearts of every Dark Clan member, Drake was an existence akin to a living god.

Bernice, the formal Chief of the Dark Clan, oversaw the operational management of every branch across the globe.

Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of their organization knew that Chief Bernice was the brilliant sovereign guiding their expansion.

Yet Lord Drake was the absolute power standing behind the Dark Clan—their most unyielding, invincible pillar!

As long as Drake stood, the Dark Clan would never fall. That was an undisputed truth etched into the soul of every operative.

"What's with the formalities? Stand up. We don't have all these rigid rules in our Dark Clan," Drake said, waving his hand.

Brother Hu rose slowly, the respect in his gaze deepening further.

"Right, let me ask you: how has the Dark Clan's expansion progressed recently?"

"The Dark Clan has already established itself as the undisputed sovereign of the global underworld. With the New World as our primary foundation, we are actively expanding across all four seas."

"Aside from the East Blue and the West Blue, we have secured firm footholds in every corner of the world."

"As things stand, there isn't a power on this sea that dares disrespect our name." Speaking of the organization's growth, Brother Hu beamed with immense pride.

The Dark Clan was sweeping across the globe. Given enough time, it would inevitably evolve into a colossal entity on par with the Revolutionary Army!

The sheer thought of their organization ascending to such heights filled Brother Hu with soaring ambition.

"Then let me ask you this!" Drake's eyes lit up like lanterns. "Our Dark Clan... do we have any money?"