Chapter 9 : The Kingdom's Industry and the Fourth Emperor, Shanks!
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"Your Majesty, these are all the supplies we confiscated from the Razor Pirates' ship."
Dalton and Jeston approached Jin, carrying two large chests.
"Oh?"
Right. The spoils of war.
"What have we got?" Jin asked with interest.
"One chest contains about five million Berries in cash—Captain Dahm's personal stash. The other chest is full of miscellaneous items. There's a ship's log, a chart of the West Blue, and Log Poses for Sandy Island and Pincer Island..."
Sandy Island?
The name sounded familiar. Jin's mind raced. Wasn't that the island where the Kingdom of Sand, Alabasta, was located?
And Pincer Island was home to Kilauea, where Musshuru had been exiled.
Both were promising trade partners.
'For now, I'll stick to using Drum Island as my base of operations and focus on leveling up,' Jin thought. 'Stay hidden, don't make waves.'
The deck of the carrier split open and swallowed both chests.
They were his spoils, after all.
He looked up. "Dalton, your timing is perfect. I have a crucial mission for you."
Dalton and Jeston immediately stood at attention. This was the first official mission the king had given them since taking the throne.
"Your Majesty, we await your command," they said, bowing.
"Mobilize everyone on the island," Jin ordered. "I want you to gather mushrooms."
"...What?"
Dalton blinked, certain he'd misheard.
"I don't care if they're poisonous or not, whether you recognize them or not," Jin continued. "I want them all. And for every new species of mushroom you bring me, I'll pay a reward of 1,000 Berries."
??
He was going to pay them?
Jeston was flabbergasted.
"Well? What are you waiting for?"
"Oh! Y-yes, sir!"
The king's decree was sent out to every town and village.
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"Is it true? The king wants us to look for mushrooms, and he'll pay us for new ones?"
"This is incredible. Even under the old king, we were lucky if we weren't forced to work for free. He never even provided meals."
"Let's go, let's go! Let's find some mushrooms before anyone else does!"
In an instant, the island was abuzz with activity. People from every household in every town and village set out in search of mushrooms.
A thousand Berries wasn't a fortune, but it was enough to motivate everyone.
Even Chopper joined in.
Soon, a vast array of mushrooms was delivered to Jin. Ai identified and categorized each one, creating a detailed compendium.
Meanwhile, Jin had already constructed a fungal breeding chamber inside the carrier, with Ai managing its operations.
"So, what kind of mushroom should we breed?" Jin mused. "Something unique to Drum Island, but also something that will sell well..."
"Primary trade targets: Alabasta and Kilauea."
"Target characteristics: Hot and arid."
"So, could we breed a mushroom that's edible, has a high water content, or maybe even has a cooling effect?"
"Scientifically, that would be difficult," Ai replied. "But the existence of Devil Fruits is what makes the unscientific, scientific."
Jin nodded. "Let's give it a shot. Time to use my gut feeling."
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Six months passed.
In the forest, Dalton was leading a group of people, harvesting mushrooms the size of a human head that looked like they were made of crystal. They were surprisingly heavy.
"Dalton, are you sure these will sell?" an older woman asked curiously. "They taste just like snow. There's no flavor at all!"
"They will," Dalton replied with absolute certainty.
Down by the shore, a three-masted sailing ship sat moored, the Razor Pirates' skull flag replaced with a large "King" character—the symbol of Winter Blossom Kingdom.
The damage to the hull had been repaired by the island's old shipwright.
Militia members were busy loading blocks of ice into the ship's sealed cargo hold.
Once it was converted into a cold storage unit, they began loading the harvested Ice Mushrooms.
When all the preparations were complete, Jin gazed out at the sea, his spirit soaring.
"Destination: Kilauea! Set sail!"
Dalton watched as the ship departed, praying for a safe and successful voyage.
For this initial trade mission, Jin had left Ai and the carrier behind. They were both far too conspicuous and would likely attract unwanted attention.
The old saying was true: Innocence is no defense against the envy of the powerful.
If the World Government took notice of him, it would be a huge problem.
For now, Jin didn't have the strength to challenge them.
He chose Kilauea as his first destination because it was a shorter voyage. With favorable winds, a round trip would only take five days.
Getting to Alabasta would take at least eight.
Furthermore, Dahm had revealed that he had a secret warehouse on the island containing supplies worth about fifty million Berries.
Jin had brought him along. Not only was Dahm an experienced sailor, but he was also intimately familiar with Kilauea.
Over the past six months, Dahm had served as both a sparring partner and Ai's personal mushroom taste-tester. The constant cycle of being poisoned and then cured had broken the spirit of even this hardened pirate.
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Two days later.
Pincer Island was in sight.
The sweltering heat on the open sea was a harsh change for the militia members, who had spent their entire lives in the snow and ice. Many of them were suffering from heatstroke.
Fortunately, the ship's doctor was competent, and the Ice Mushrooms provided much-needed hydration.
Pincer Island, as its name suggested, was shaped like a giant pincer. It was also home to more than a dozen active volcanoes. It was ten times the size of Drum Island.
As they approached, one of the volcanoes erupted, spewing a massive cloud of ash and lava down its slopes.
It was a breathtaking sight.
To the people on the island, however, it was just another day.
"BIG NEWS! UNBELIEVABLE NEWS!"
They had just docked and were stepping onto the pier when Jin heard a loud shout. He looked over and saw a crewman running with a newspaper in his hand.
"A NEW EMPEROR OF THE SEA HAS APPEARED IN THE NEW WORLD!"
A crowd quickly gathered around him.
"What?"
"Who is it?"
"RED-HAIRED SHANKS??"
"His bounty is 4,048,900,000 Berries!"
"What did he do to be crowned the Fourth Emperor by the World Government itself?"
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
Jin froze for a second.
Shanks... a Yonko?
So it was Sea Calendar year 1518.
There were still four years until the future Pirate King, Luffy, set out to sea...
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"Ice?"
"Are those Ice Mushrooms?"
In the marketplace, the moment the blocks of ice and Ice Mushrooms were put on display, their refreshing coolness immediately drew the attention of everyone nearby.
Who could resist a cold drink in this blistering heat?
Unsurprisingly, the ice and mushrooms sold out in no time. With each clinking handful of Berries that filled their bags, the crew's smiles grew wider.
Just as they were about to pack up...
"Who gave you permission to set up a stall? Have you paid your taxes?"
A man with a neatly curled mustache and the attire of a gentleman approached them with a smile, flanked by armed guards who quickly surrounded them.
"It's the Minister of Finance!" a nearby vendor whispered, quietly packing up his things.
Jeston stepped forward to negotiate, explaining that they had already paid the stall fee.
"That's not enough. We've received a report that your total sales have exceeded ten million Berries," the minister said, his eyes narrowing as he smugly twirled his mustache. "According to the tax laws of Kilauea, you are required to pay a 50% high-income tax. That means another five million Berries!"
"Five million Berries? Are you robbing us?" Jeston exclaimed, his shock turning to anger.
The guards immediately leveled their rifles at him.
The other militia members, furious, reached for their own weapons.
"Alright. We'll pay."
Jin spoke up, stopping them.
"Captain!" Jeston and the others looked at him. To avoid drawing attention, Jin had instructed them to call him "Captain" while they were away from home.
Jin just smiled. "Let's not make a scene."
Jeston sighed in frustration and handed over the five million Berries.
"Heeheehee, I'm Sherlock. I do appreciate obedient captains like yourself. Welcome back anytime!"
As Jin and his crew departed, Sherlock turned to his guards. "Contact the Vultures. Tell them to tail our friends. Find out where they're based, then bring me back my Ice Mushrooms... and the other five million Berries."
"Yes, sir!"
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Back at the pier, Jeston was fuming. "Your Majesty, that man went too far."
Jin smiled, glancing up at their flag. "Flying that flag, we are nothing more than law-abiding merchants."
He looked back and saw the figures who had been furtively following them quickly duck out of sight.
"Good thing I prepared another flag."
"Huh?" Jeston said, completely confused.
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