"Hina, where did I put the statistical data on the Celestial Dragons' daily food consumption?" I asked, rubbing my throbbing temples as I scanned the chaotic desk.
"Ah, I'm sorry," Hina replied, looking up from a document. "I was reading it out of curiosity."
"...It gives you a headache, doesn't it?"
"It hurts," she admitted, handling the paper back to me. "And it makes me itchy."
"You guys, don't forget that even though this is a temporary office for Kuro, we are still in the Holy Land, okay?" Spandine warned nervously from the corner.
"Ufufu, was that so?" Hina giggled darkly.
"...'Ufufu'? Kuro, you..." Spandine looked at me with concern.
Oh my, come to think of it, that's right.
This is inside the crappy castle in the crappy land where those crappy people live. I forgot. Fuhahahaha...
Ha...
...Hey, little girl. Is Kuro losing it? Spandine whispered.
It's because the Government is pushing work on him other than the main negotiations, right? He hasn't slept much since then! What are they making a pirate do?! Hina hissed back.
You're the one who set up the Marine command chain around Kuro...!
I thought that was best at the time...!!
I'm just moving according to the Five Elders' instructions too!
Refuse them! Hina is not happy!
Like I can do that?!
Fine, you guys, just move your hands... no, move your heads.
If I leave this to the Government poorly here, they might do something crazy like restocking slaves or forcibly collecting food.
I have to build a reconstruction plan that minimizes the impact on the outside world as much as possible, and get the understanding of the Five Elders and the Navy to pass it... Creating a simple and easy-to-understand plan, laying the groundwork... Ah, in some cases, I have to hire laborers while guaranteeing maximum safety, so I have to check that route too... But nothing can be done about the Celestial Dragons' bad reputation... Oh, right.
"Mr. Spandine, what's happening with the debris removal and material collection? I inspected it once after the battle ended, but I don't know the current situation..."
"Ahhhhhhh... about that, Kuro."
Stop, Mr. Spandine. Please. I beg you.
That tone means trouble has occurred...
Stop it already... I managed to sleep for just one hour, but my stomach is dying...
Sengoku... is running around too, and Tsuru is helping with adjustments as much as possible...
Garp is managing things at the site and holding back the unreasonable demands of those Celestial Dragon scumbags...
I only have two people here I can complain to a little...
Or rather, we are critically short of hands, and the idiots with half-baked power are getting in the way too much.
They take it out on the Marines who started the reconstruction work, abuse the surviving slaves to vent their anger, overwork them, lower the morale at the site, make unreasonable demands to pretty female Marines, and try to touch them... I'm managing to suppress Garp, who looks like he's about to use force, while handling things through Spandine using the CP guys. But suppressing the urge to kill them is so hard, my stomach and heart are dying... I'm going to die...
If it was just the Five Elders, we could still talk, but seriously, those guys!
Originally, a lot of the slaves who would be the workforce at a time like this died, and the impatient Celestial Dragons apparently went out to the Human Shops in Sabaody. Go die.
"The Celestial Dragons say they can't stand a house with the smell of burning stuck to it..." Spandine reported reluctantly. "They said to remove all the debris, destroy even the mansions that somehow survived unscathed, and rebuild them immediately."
"...Well, that's within expectations," I sighed, forcing myself to remain rational. "In the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue, there is a guild of architects with abundant experience in building royal palaces. Most of them had a strong longing for the World Nobles, so if we request it through the Navy, they will come. Setting aside materials, as for manpower—"
"They said... by tomorrow—"
"Don't screw with me, you scumbags! I'll beat you to death!!!!" I slammed my hands on the desk, roaring.
"Hey, stop, you idiot!" Spandine shrieked, grabbing my shoulder. "Little girl, cover Kuro's mouth—Don't look away! Our heads might fly, you know?! Physically!!!"
Do those guys really understand how hard it is to make things?!!
In the first place, a sudden attack and reconstruction work is like a sudden emergency plan popping up with zero arrangements or groundwork! What about manpower!
Just gathering random people called slaves and forcing them to work won't make it go well!!
It's inefficient!!
I took a deep breath, shaking off Spandine. "I'm going to write a letter, or rather a report, summarizing persuasive materials for the Five Elders, so Mr. Spandine, please hand it to them later."
"Don't say it so casually, you idiot! It's the Five Elders!?"
"They are the only ones who can suppress the biggest trouble, so it can't be helped," I snapped. "Hina, get the green number seven and yellow number three files from the shelf."
"Eh? Eeeh... but what documents are they?" Hina asked, scrambling to the shelf.
"Maps and survey data of the Holy Land before it burned, and the ledger of items purchased or brought in by the Celestial Dragons in the last five years. I heard from a CP agent that Saint Camael rebuilt his mansion three years ago. From that data, we can roughly calculate the time and amount of materials needed."
"...Did you memorize all the materials brought in?" Hina looked at me with wide eyes.
"I can't memorize all the contents, but roughly."
There is no more time.
If we waste time here, the plan to make the Government apologize to the Navy, reset the relationship between the two organizations, and at least restore some order to the four seas will be ruined.
It's a situation where the Navy might accumulate hate towards the Government again. Before that happens, I want to show the stance that the Government intends to get along with the Navy.
...I think that should be the same for the Government too!!?
Please realize already that you can't be trusted because your goals are too opaque!!
At least keep a leash on the idiots who only do whatever they want in this emergency!
"Yes, Kuro. But is your hand okay?" Hina asked softly.
"I can turn pages fine. But I don't have the confidence to write beautiful characters for a letter. Sorry, but please write it for me."
"Understood."
Nobody would expect political work to pop up after helping with a battle in enemy territory, right?!
No, the battle happening itself was totally unexpected!
Just you watch, you chicken bastard!?
Next time, I'll sleep soundly, equip my cat claws and usual shoes, and take you on!
I saw a few of your weaknesses in that battle!?
"...Ugh," Hina murmured as she reviewed the files. "One mansion uses a fair amount of area... The required amount of materials will be considerable too..."
"Realistically, how long do you think it will take?" I asked Spandine.
"Normally, years."
"Gather slaves and work them to death. Is that no good, Kuro?" Spandine suggested coldly.
Hina glared at Spandine for his comment, However...
"Materials are a problem too," I countered. "The time and effort for transport. Besides, even if we use slaves, I don't think forcing unfamiliar people to be the labor force will build mansions that satisfy the Celestial Dragons. Fine flaws will definitely appear."
The Celestial Dragons are already stressed from losing their homes... and losing their assets called slaves, annoying as it is.
Frankly, they won't like whatever we do.
I don't want to do a poor job in this situation and increase unnecessary trouble or damage.
...No, wait. In terms of repairing the relationship between the two organizations, which is one of the main topics, what should be done? Currently, in the negotiations so far, I pushed the Marine slave issue to the front and got the feeling that the Government side would back down a few steps. It might be necessary for the Marine side to show that they are yielding somewhere.
Rebuilding the Holy Land is, honestly, a good opportunity.
The Marines worked hard to protect the Holy Land, and Sengoku and the others played a big role in suppressing a group that was difficult to intercept with normal forces... No, really... I didn't see it, but I heard there was a dangerous giant.
But leaving slave-related work to the Marines is a demonic act. Is there any other work that can earn points from the Government side...
"Alright, let's move Sengoku first," I decided. "Hina, I'll quickly write the text, so please write a fair copy and deliver it to the Fleet Admiral."
"Yes, understood."
"Kuro, is there anything for me other than waiting for your letter?" Spandine asked.
"...I will submit a plan to hire labor instead of slaves. For that, I want to know exactly the situation of the surviving slaves and security, so I would like to request a joint inspection procedure with myself, the Marines, and a few CP agents."
"I don't mind. If it's from now... let's see. I think I can prepare a time around noon tomorrow. Is that okay?"
"Yes, please do."
Umm, now then....
....
Huh? What was I doing? (N: Me Fr..)
....
Ah, right, right. The letter to Sengoku.
--
"So, a letter from Kuro via Hina," Sengoku said, holding the paper in his hands.
"uhuh." Garp crunched loudly on a rice cracker.
"What is this? Kuro is doing detailed things too. He should just come and talk directly," the Hero of the Marines complained.
"You're foolish, Garp," Tsuru chided gently. "Sometimes leaving it as a document has meaning."
At the Marine station, which was bustling with the aftermath of Golden Lion Shiki's attack, Marines were moving around busily. Fortunately, the damage wasn't as bad as Sengoku had anticipated.
"So, what did Kuro say?"
Sengoku passed the letter, written in Kuro's usual style but with slightly smaller handwriting than usual, to Tsuru and Garp who were sitting around the table.
"He intends to propose and persuade the Five Elders that for the reconstruction labor, we should hire architects and their workers from each sea as temporary laborers instead of slaves. This is for the preparation and requesting cooperation through Marine connections."
At Sengoku's words, Garp laughed loudly as if it were amusing, while Tsuru sighed quietly.
"He's a hard worker," Tsuru noted. "His health isn't fully recovered yet, has it?"
"I told Hina to make him rest, and I assigned Zephyr as a guard too."
"Ah, that should be good."
Kuro probably understood the basic movement of Marines in this kind of situation from his series of activities in the West Blue.
"In this battle, we relied on Kuro too much," Sengoku admitted gravely. "There is the issue of face, but we Marines must stand at the forefront of the negotiations here."
"...That is true, but..." Tsuru hesitated. "The Government seems to value Kuro more than the Navy. For the Navy to take the lead here, it will be difficult unless that boy gives us a boost."
At Tsuru's words, Garp, who had been cheerful until now, slightly distorted his face.
"It was correct to assign not only Hina but also Zephyr," Garp grunted. "Do you know what those scum told me?"
"Garp, this is the Celestial Dragons'... No, never mind," Sengoku stopped himself, knowing it was futile. "So, what did they say?"
"They told me to capture Kuro."
Sengoku and Tsuru's faces twitched slightly, and the Marines working nearby were speechless for a moment before starting to buzz.
"...Is that true?" Tsuru whispered.
"At first, I thought they were complaining about him kicking the ship and damaging the plaza..."
Just talking about it brought back the anger from that moment.
He picked a rice cracker from the box and bit into it violently.
"They apparently watched Kuro's fight from this castle. His fight was an aerial battle, after all. Seeing that, they thought Kuro would make a good slave."
"Ridiculous...!" Sengoku slammed his fist down. "He is clearly the one who protected them!"
"Hmph. If the word 'gratitude' existed in their heads, the Marine slave incident wouldn't have happened."
Sengoku's mind was thinking about the worst-case scenario.
"Those guys, in the end, started an auction on their own to see who would buy Kuro, even though he wasn't there..." Garp said darkly. "I almost destroyed the Holy Land."
That meant there was a possibility that strong authority could be wielded against Kuro to capture him in this situation.
"Garp, so the Celestial Dragons—"
"Relax," Garp interrupted. "The Five Elders came directly before I sent them flying. They said Kuro is their guest, so they won't allow anyone to touch him."
"...That isn't exactly good news either"
"You're right, Sengoku."
On the table where the three were sitting, there were several documents piled up. They were reports on the reconstruction site summarized by Kuro immediately after the incident ended, estimates of necessary materials, and request forms based on that evidence.
You could clearly see Kuro's work style: summarizing the volume of documents to the minimum number of pages to efficiently reconstruct this Holy Land.
"For us, and for the Government, Kuro's value has skyrocketed."
The Marines on the scene, and of course the Government through CP, realized the ability of Kuro, a pirate who didn't act like a pirate.
Political power already known from two debates, individual martial prowess capable of fighting Shiki, leadership ability that turned around a losing battle situation, and internal affairs ability showing versatility right now.
"They will probably try to take Kuro by making him a Warlord or giving him some other title."
"But there is no way Kuro will obey. It's because he has that kind of backbone that he gained that much strength."
Garp's words were correct.
And that was the biggest problem.
"Kuro has enough political power to attract the Government's attention, but he does not approve of joining the Government."
"They want to keep him close in some form, but if that doesn't come true..."
"How will the Government move..."
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