The Daimyo of Kibi, Fugetsu Jinshō, shot an irritated look at the Daimyo of Udon, Ametsuki Maiken.
"Whose vassal are you, really? You're siding with outsiders against your own, biting the hand that feeds you."
With Kuri's recent development, a large number of poor folk from Okobore Town had gone to work in the quarry. Those who earned money returned home to build houses and take wives, boosting the town's growth.
As a result, Okobore Town stopped accepting refuse from other regions. Now, all the trash was piling up along the border between Okobore and Kibi. A new garbage dumping ground had emerged there, dubbed the "Final Station for Trash."
"Sigh... So what now? We missed the best window to drive them out. Their four main fighters can already go toe-to-toe with our top men. Plus, they've got the forces of Mt. Atama and Kuri Castle backing them."
"Frankly, their top fighters outmatch ours. Now they're focusing on building the economy and improving welfare, winning over many of our samurai."
"They even brought back high-yield crops from the outer seas, planting them in Bakura Town and Amigasa Town. The first harvest was abundant, and even the poorest farmers are starting to feel a sense of belonging to their cause."
"How many people have you all lost from your own lands?"
Kozuki Sukiyaki sat there, torn. On one hand, he was happy to see the people's lives improve — but deep down, he feared for the Kozuki Clan's status... and the secret they were sworn to protect.
The four Daimyo exchanged glances. Ametsuki Maiken looked the most uncomfortable.
In Ringo, managed by Shimotsuki Toramaru — known as Wano's greatest swordsman and the guardian of Ryuma the Dragon Slayer's grave and the national treasure Shusui — the people's loyalty and pride ran deep. Only a few ruined families had left.
But Kibi and Hakumai had suffered heavy losses, nearly a third of their people gone — most of them poor or fallen clans who had moved to Kuri's Hailou Town or to work near the Udon quarry.
"Sukiyaki-sama, we must make Brook and his people stop mining Seastone! Give Wano some peace!"
Fugetsu Jinshō, ever the most loyal to the Kozuki clan, had once been the first to call for expelling these foreign interlopers. Now, as he saw their true colors, his anger boiled over.
"But... the lease was extended from one year to twenty. If we break the contract now, it'd be a disaster..."
Ametsuki Maiken's voice was weak, hesitant. He was loyal to the Kozuki too, but now that he had tasted profit, he couldn't stomach the idea of spitting it out.
"You've let greed blind you, you traitor! You'll be the ruin of Wano!"
Fugetsu Jinshō couldn't hold back anymore, shouting words that shocked everyone. Even Sukiyaki's face paled. He quickly raised his hand to stop the escalation.
"Who are you calling a traitor?! Oden-sama was Brook's apprentice! And Toramaru here is on friendly terms with Redfield! Are you just jealous that Udon is thriving while Kibi is rotting?!"
Maiken, usually meek, suddenly roared back. Why should he be scolded when his province was booming? If Brook had chosen to develop Kibi instead, would Jinshō be complaining — or laughing all the way to the bank?
Shimotsuki Toramaru and Shimotsuki Token exchanged a glance but stayed silent. The Shimotsuki clan was at its peak, backed by the legacy of Ryuma the Dragon Slayer.
Thirty years ago, during the Kurozumi coup, they had rendered great service, securing themselves two Daimyo titles and control over a third of Wano — an achievement that now felt almost threatening to the shogunate.
But the Shimotsuki knew better. Toramaru was devoted to swordsmanship, while Token busied himself with traditional rituals. They had no ambitions of forming factions or expanding power, preferring to let the nobles and warriors flock to the Flower Capital and leave their lands poor but peaceful.
"Enough! All of you, shut your mouths!"
Sukiyaki slammed his hand down. He came to find solutions, not watch his retainers tear each other apart. Their growing divisions only deepened his unease.
At the general's rebuke, the Daimyo all lowered their heads in panic, hurriedly offering apologies.
"Sukiyaki-sama, since Brook and his people are hoarding up so much gold, perhaps we should abandon the gold standard and switch to silver. If we raise the exchange rate from one hundred to one ten, we'd immediately devalue the gold they've stashed."
Shimotsuki Token's proposal was practical. After all, the elite clans had plenty of silver coins lying around. A shift like this would shrink the outsiders' wealth while inflating their own holdings.
"We could also bring copper coins back into circulation. Peg them at ten copper to one silver. That would really undercut the value of gold coins!"
Sukiyaki nodded thoughtfully. The plan sounded workable. He turned to the Daimyo for their thoughts. Toramaru, clueless about economics, just shrugged.
Jinshō and Maiken, after some quick mental math about their losses, nodded as well. And so, Wano's new currency system was officially set: 1 platinum coin = 100 gold coins; 1 gold coin = 10 silver coins; 1 silver coin = 10 copper coins
...
The moment the policy rolled out, silver and copper coins flooded the market. Prices spiked as merchants scrambled to adjust, only to be crushed by strict price controls from the shogunate.
To Sukiyaki, this pain was temporary — the market would stabilize soon enough, and the chaos was a necessary evil.
But among the merchants, whispers of discontent began to spread. Some started looking longingly toward Hailou Town, the free-trade stronghold that seemed to grow stronger by the day.
Meanwhile, Shakky, upon hearing of Wano's new currency policy, made her move. Instead of releasing her hoarded gold, she had Golden Lion Shiki transport a medium-sized silver mine straight back to her base of operations.
Step one of her economic invasion was complete. With public sentiment shifting, and with Hailou Town still offering discounts for payments in gold coins, the flow of platinum and silver out of Wano and into her coffers continued.
Out in the seas, platinum wasn't worth much more than gold — but in Wano, it was a hundred times more valuable. Gold, worth eighty times silver outside, was now pegged at just ten inside Wano.
No matter how you calculated it, Shakky was bleeding Wano dry. With the power of the entire sea behind her, she could keep this up indefinitely — unless Wano finally opened its borders and joined the world stage. Otherwise, they would remain trapped in her tightening grip.
...
"Brook-san! Big news — there's been a huge shift in the balance of power! Edward got killed while fighting Rocks one-on-two! And Vesper got heavily wounded again!"
"Now, the Vesper Pirates and their allies are completely on the defensive! But Dawei also got injured by Wilank, and the rest of their officers are locked in fierce battles!"
"Right now, the Rocks Pirates have basically become the absolute overlords of the New World. They control half of its territories already, and it won't be long before they launch their final offensive against the battered alliance!"
Antonio rushed to deliver the report to Brook, just as a News Coo flapped into Kuri Province's Hailou Town with fresh papers from the outside world.
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+188 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg