Cash-Loaded Fleet

AN ORGANIZATION IS ULTIMATELY ABOUT PEOPLE AND MONEY | Chapter 1

Information is Money

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For Binta Satsutaba, gambling and betting were like water or air. Since he was a child, he had been taking pocket money from adults through gambling games like shōgi and go, and he used it as extra spending money. The way he used the money was inappropriate for his age. Half of it was used as compensation for teaching English to a retired soldier in the neighborhood. As Binta put it, it was an investment in his future. The remaining half was all saved.

On the other hand, the retired soldier refused Binta's compensation, saying that it was a good pastime and that it was only natural for him to teach the knowledge they had acquired through military service, in other words, with his taxes, to support the children who would shape Japan's future. The retired soldier held such a belief. However, Binta, as a child, believed that he couldn't take other people's time and effort without compensation. So, he somewhat forcefully insisted on giving compensation to the retired soldier.

Binta must have had a talent for languages. He mastered English as if a sponge absorbed water. His memory was outstanding, and even taking into account that he was a child, he far exceeded the average level of the average Japanese. These synergistic effects led Binta to quickly reach the level of a Naval College student or even surpass it. The retired soldier, who understood Binta's exceptional intelligence, suggested that he consider taking the Naval College or Army Academy entrance exams. If it was Binta, he had a good chance of passing even extremely competitive schools like the aforementioned two. However, Binta easily turned down the suggestion. The reason was that if he became a soldier, he wouldn't be able to gamble as he liked. The retired soldiers regretted Binta's exceptional talent but did not persistently recruit him.

After graduating from junior high school, Binta began working as an interpreter. During this time, there were few people who could speak English, and in a way, it was considered a special skill. If you could speak English, even with just a junior high school education, you could be regarded as an intellectual in society, and you could become a highly respected individual. Because of this, Binta earned a significantly higher income than his peers. In addition, he enjoyed high-stakes games of shōgi, go, and sometimes card games and mahjong, and he often won with a high success rate. His income from these activities alone was enough to support his life.

Later, with a large sum of money at hand, Binta greeted his neighbors and then headed straight to the United Kingdom. He wanted to test his skills as a professional gambler in the UK, which was known as the world's leading country in gambling, where everything could be the subject of a bet. The result was quick and unfair. In the UK casinos, Binta had a streak of wins and made an unprecedented fortune. However, his excessive success became his downfall. Due to his extraordinary winning rate, he was suspected of cheating. As a result, he was interrogated by the authorities. Even so, with the help of the Japanese Embassy in the UK, he somehow managed to be acquitted. However, this incident left Binta with the worst impression of the UK.

Amid this series of events, Binta learned that a naval attaché of the Imperial Navy had gone to great lengths on his behalf. This naval attaché, in fact, had been a student of the retired soldier. Furthermore, this naval attaché had been asked by his senior, the retired soldier, to look after Binta if anything happened to him. In keeping with his mentor's request, the naval attaché came to the rescue of Binta in his time of need. Perhaps, he felt uneasy about receiving compensation from Binta, who had once been a child under his guidance. As a result, he did everything possible to assist Binta. Of course, this is merely Binta's speculation. Nevertheless, regardless of the reasons, this incident led to a significant rise in the esteem of the Imperial Navy within Binta.

After being forced to leave the United Kingdom, Binta's next destination was the United States. In truth, he had wanted to try his luck in the famous casinos of Monaco. However, Monaco was not far from the UK, and there was a high likelihood that news of Binta's exploits in the UK had spread there. Therefore, giving up on Monaco was the only option.

So, Binta traveled to the United States, but he found that there were no casinos in the area. At the time, gambling was considered illegal in the United States. This was a mistake on Binta's part for not gathering information beforehand. From this experience, Binta made it a point to put more effort into information gathering. However, he couldn't dwell on the lack of casinos. Instead, Binta toured Washington and New York. Among them, what left a strong impression on Binta was Wall Street. It was a den where the titans of the financial world, who dealt with amounts that far surpassed the stakes of his gambling, roamed freely. In response, his competitive spirit in the world of gambling surged.

However, this didn't mean he would immediately dabble in the stock market. Naturally, he began with information gathering. In parallel, he studied economics and built connections, expanding his toolbox for the world of gambling. Of course, he spared no expense when it came to obtaining information. His pockets were generously filled with funds acquired from UK casinos. Above all, he understood that information was the most potent weapon in economic warfare. So, there was no intention to skimp. Dedicated to studying and gathering information, Binta arrived at a conclusion based on various analyses.

'The stock market in Wall Street and the US will experience a significant crash in the near future.'

The Dow Jones Industrial Average had inflated to five times its value in the past six years. While the accuracy of his expression was uncertain, it was akin to a bubble, and it was bound to burst soon.

'I don't care about the risks. I will put the maximum leverage on the most profitable investment target and make a fortune.'

Binta embarked on an unprecedented high-stakes gamble in his life. Promising substantial rewards, he hired several competent market insiders and, together with them, infiltrated the world of the stock market. Binta's prediction of the Wall Street bubble's collapse was on the mark.

Afterward, he practically plundered his wealth from panicking institutional investors and individual investors in the US, as well as from international financial capital from other countries. The sum was said to be several billion dollars, and some even claimed it to be hundreds of billions of dollars. However, the scale was so immense that no one knew the exact figures except for Binta and a handful of his top staff members.

After making a killing during the panic, Binta promptly hired highly skilled bodyguards. Information had reached him that individuals who suffered massive losses due to him were seeking to take his life.