The moment [Iron Body] advanced to blue, Kenji felt a very distinct sense of change within him.
It was similar to the vastly different psychological feeling one gets when their skin is relaxed versus tensed, where they would obviously feel a higher defensive strength when tensed.
At this moment, Kenji felt a similar sensation inside him, and this sensation told him that the defensive strength of his body had suddenly increased significantly.
"Too bad, it's not easy to test directly."
Kenji examined his palm, seeing no visible changes, and could only silently savor that feeling in his heart.
It was similar to when he had first acquired [Iron Body]. It's difficult for him to test the defensive limits of the advanced [Iron Body] himself unless he is willing to pay the price of severe injury.
But then again, under normal circumstances, how many people would be that crazy?
To injure himself to the point of near death just to test his own defensive limits? Even the 'Strongest Creature' Kaido wasn't that insane.
"No rush on this, there will be opportunities in the future."
Kenji withdrew his hand, turned around, and no longer looked at the fallen 'Sea Tiger' Cliff.
This fellow had been completely defeated, and the system rewards were in hand, so it could be said that 'the wool had been mostly shorn,' and he had lost his value.
At this time, the Marine soldiers who had retreated far away quickly moved forward, and with many hands, used Sea Stone to firmly shackle the major criminal on the ground, who had a bounty of nearly 500 million.
Cliff offered no resistance throughout, as he was so severely injured that he was bleeding from basically all the holes in his body and he couldn't move at all, allowing the Marine to do as they pleased.
"Tie him tightly! This is a major criminal!"
"Hmm, he seems very seriously injured, is he going to bleed out?"
"Don't worry, he won't die! This person is a Zoan Devil Fruit Awakened user, his vitality is very tenacious!"
"Now, continue to attack the casino!"
A few Marine soldiers were left to guard the prisoner Cliff, while the others, under the command of the Chief Petty Officer, charged towards the 'Heaven on Earth' casino.
Perhaps Cliff was the only strong person in the casino, or perhaps the other casino thugs were intimidated by Kenji's power.
Before long, the casino was overrun by the Marine, with soldiers guarding both inside and outside the building.
Kenji did not concern himself with the subsequent battle. At this moment, he was touring Kubo Island, led by Lieutenant Marie.
Although he had taken over Kubo Island in the name of the Marine, Kenji had no intention of handing it over.
Moreover, Kenji had long planned to use the income from Kubo Island to build training camps, continuously cultivating talent and a core team for himself.
"The island must be well-managed. Kubo Island is already a famous resort in the New World. As long as the service quality is maintained, the economy can continue to prosper for a long time."
"As for taxes, well, we can't drain the pond to catch all the fish. At least it has to be sustainable... Let's start with a tithe."
"Is it too much to ask each shop to hand over one-tenth of its operating income?"
Kenji quickly set the general plan.
He only wanted ten percent of the total revenue. As for how those shops would split the profits with their behind-the-scenes bosses after deducting costs, he couldn't care less. He felt he was somewhat kind-hearted.
Of course, this was only the initial tax strategy. When the island's economy became more prosperous in the future, the tax plan would naturally be updated.
Since Kubo Island is located in the chaotic New World, there is no need to worry about those unscrupulous merchants refusing to pay taxes.
"Hmm, not bad, not bad, innovation in the island's service industry hasn't stopped."
As Kenji toured, he discovered that although Kubo Island's reputation had declined in recent years due to a drop in some service quality, various small innovations had not stopped.
Even an experienced person like Kenji had his eyes opened a little.
However, he also found that the quality of the courtesans had indeed declined, with many not from Wano Country also coming to fill the ranks haphazardly.
In this regard, Kubo Island was even inferior to the pleasure houses in Marineford town. At least all the courtesans in that shop were genuinely from Wano Country.
"How can the quality not keep up? It must be rectified. Let Anna..."
"Forget it, let them rectify it themselves!"
Kenji considered it for a moment and decided to give a guiding principle later, ordering the shops on the island to rectify themselves within a specified period according to the requirements.
Soon, after touring the island's entertainment district, Kenji turned to the last establishment—the 'Heaven on Earth' casino.
On the way there, a soldier suddenly ran over to report, "Reporting, Admiral Shirojishi! There's an unexpected situation! Regarding that major criminal, 'Sea Tiger' Cliff..."
The soldier with thick eyebrows and big eyes was full of tension, seemingly so frightened that he couldn't even speak properly.
Kenji frowned slightly at the sight, and simply got up and went directly to Cliff, who was tightly bound with Sea Stone.
At this moment, the tall Chief Petty Officer standing by the side also frowned tightly, and upon seeing Kenji arrive, he quickly saluted and reported.
"Admiral Shirojishi, we just received important intelligence."
"Hmm?" Kenji turned to look, inquiring with his gaze.
"Well, according to this major criminal Cliff's confession, the behind-the-scenes boss of their casino... is a Celestial Dragon from Holy Land - Mary Geoise!"
"So, there's a Celestial Dragon backing them, no wonder..." Kenji didn't show any surprise. Instead, he nodded thoughtfully.
"I was wondering how a major criminal with a bounty of nearly 500 million could openly run a casino right under the noses of Legendary Pirates and even Marine Admirals."
As he pondered, Kenji turned to look at Cliff, who was tightly bound.
It must be said that Zoan Devil Fruit Awakened users indeed have powerful recovery abilities.
Even without activating his Awakened transformation state, after a period of recovery, Cliff's injuries had recovered significantly.
At least he could speak now.
"Hahahaha! So you're the Marine's new Admiral - Shirojishi!" Cliff scrutinized Kenji, his sneer tinged with surprise.
Even after confirming Kenji's identity, he still couldn't connect the middle-aged man in front of him with the image of the white-haired old Marine in his memory.
No matter how he looked, they were clearly not the same person.
However, after voluntarily revealing that his behind-the-scenes boss was a Celestial Dragon, Cliff was no longer nervous, appearing calm and composed.
If one only looked at his expression, Cliff, handcuffed to the stone pillar by Sea Stone, seemed more like the one in control.
"Hehe! Your subordinates told you, I work for a Celestial Dragon!"
"And this casino is one of the Celestial Dragon's treasuries! It pays 'Heavenly Tribute ' to that lord every year!"
"Hmph, even if you're a Marine Admiral, in front of a Celestial Dragon... Ugh!"
Cliff suddenly felt a powerful deterrent that almost made his heart stop.
"Heh, a mere Celestial Dragon, using it to threaten me? Not qualified enough!" Kenji's gaze was calm and cold.
Cliff could clearly sense that Kenji's tone carried no pretense, and he immediately understood.
"This Marine Admiral is a lunatic!"