One piece: Establishing a Pirate Family

Chapter 497: Weapons Trade (Part 1)

What a joke.

Asking Charlotte Rockefeller to join the Revolutionary Army?

That'd be like asking a warlord to run for mayor.

Sure, the Revolutionary Army took in allies with shared ideals to free the masses from oppression—but they had standards.

Charlotte Rockefeller, a notorious old pirate with blood on his hands, wasn't exactly recruitment material.

Dragon wouldn't dare risk corrupting the fragile foundation he'd worked so hard to build.

"Trade cooperation?" Charlotte repeated, raising a brow.

But then he quickly recalled his own operations over the years.

Right now, in the black markets of the world, mineral resources were dominated by Charlotte.

Just that sector alone accounted for 40% of the Rockefeller Pirates' revenue.

And Charlotte's resources made up over 80% of the underground world's supply.

This was one of Charlotte's primary economic weapons.

Another 35% of their income came from arms dealing.

As one of the earliest and most influential weapons manufacturers in the New World, Charlotte had taken arms dealing to the extreme.

From dominating local New World markets to wholesale distribution in the black market, their weapons ended up in the hands of almost every dealer and nation globally.

Even the Whitebeard and Big Mom Pirates used Rockefeller weapons.

Minerals and weapons—these were the two pillars of the Rockefeller Pirates' economy.

Of the remaining 25%, 15% was thanks to Neichen.

Her Heal-Heal Fruit ability could cure nearly any illness.

Her medicines were in such high demand that nobles fought over them.

If it weren't for production limits, Rockefeller's pharmaceutical division would easily rival its weapons and mining branches.

The final 10% came from customs tariffs.

When the New World market reached saturation, Charlotte's maids turned their sights to the Grand Line and the Four Blues.

That's right—the maids.

Most of the Rockefeller Pirates' business operations were handled by Charlotte's handpicked maids.

Charlotte didn't keep all those maids around just for show.

They weren't ordinary servants.

Many were fallen princesses, noblewomen, or daughters of merchants—all highly educated and trained in etiquette, finance, and trade.

Far more refined than the brawlers and swordsmen Charlotte usually commanded.

Then there were the less-educated but strikingly beautiful women—former slaves trained meticulously by traffickers for elite service.

Once Charlotte had them managing external affairs, he immediately noticed their talent: sharp minds, impeccable record-keeping, and a knack for numbers.

So Charlotte let professionals do professional work.

He never worried about betrayal—because with his mind-reading ability, nothing could be hidden from him.

That's why he trusted them.

Thanks to this powerful maid corps, the Rockefeller Pirates' businesses now spanned the globe.

Even the World Government was forced to work with them—

Especially for the rare mineral Seastone.

And guess who controlled the only major supply?

Rockefeller's mining division in Wano Country.

With a regional monopoly, the profits easily exceeded 10 billion berries annually, and that was with Charlotte deliberately limiting output.

If he didn't care about environmental loss, they could make billions more in a matter of months.

All this made the Rockefeller Pirates filthy rich.

If anyone asked who was the wealthiest pirate crew in the New World?

Whitebeard and Big Mom would immediately point fingers at Charlotte and shout:

"You greedy bastard!"

"Since when do pirates get monthly paychecks?!

Pirates are supposed to be wild!

If you're broke, go rob someone!

Who the hell runs payroll like a company?!"

That's what Whitebeard and Linlin thought.

Charlotte had ruined the image of what a pirate should be.

Charlotte just shrugged.

"I've got money. You got a problem with that?"

This was the reality behind the Rockefeller Pirates' thriving empire.

No wonder Charlotte perked up when Dragon mentioned trade.

---

"Exactly," Dragon nodded.

"We want to buy Rockefeller-brand weapons for our war against the World Government."

Revolution wasn't a dinner party.

It was war.

Bloody war.

Dragon had led a South Blue uprising from the ground up.

But without sufficient weapons and ammo, many operations failed.

When enemy forces counterattacked, all the revolutionaries could do was retreat and fight guerrilla-style from behind enemy lines.

That's why Dragon had come to the New World—to find Charlotte and make a deal.

After all, no one had more weapons than the Rockefeller Pirates.

Charlotte grinned.

"I support fighting the World Government.

But if you want our weapons, we'll need to negotiate the price."

He didn't hesitate for a second.

He'd sell to anyone—even the World Government themselves.

Why not the Revolutionary Army?

Dragon replied without flinching.

"Price isn't a problem.

As long as the weapons are high-quality, I'll buy as many as you can supply."

Charlotte's eyes sparkled.

So did Caesar's, and even the others nearby.

Dragon wasn't hiding his ambition.

Or his deep pockets.

Charlotte coughed.

"Mr. Dragon, we can supply whatever you need.

We currently have 300,000 brand-new Model 98 Rockefeller Rifles in stock—

Plus over a thousand cannons, ready to ship.

We even cover delivery."

His tone had shifted completely.

Dragon's eyes gleamed.

The Model 98, designed in 1498 and launched in 1499, had earned legendary status for its battlefield performance.

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