"Sir, the Navy reports that more craftsmen from the Goa Kingdom's carpenter guild have arrived," Menuette reported.
"Good. Menuette, I've already told the Navy about this. Go meet them with the soldiers waiting at the North Gate camp and guide them to the work site."
"Understood, Sir. I'll go now," Menuette replied.
"Somali, have we received any complaints from the Celestial Dragons besides the housing issue?"
"Ah, yes. They say there is nothing they like among the food we have now—they want us to bring what they want at once… Here is the list of items they're asking for," Somali answered, handing me a list.
"Thank you, let me see it."
Damn it, those useless Celestial Dragon trash… Even now they don't plan to lower their luxury levels at all.
Lately even kings from different countries have been sending things, saying, "If a pirate can become a Celestial Dragon, then so can we."
They should just be satisfied with that…!
So, rare Bluefood… and brand-name meat. Yeah, typical luxury foods.
As expected.
A week ago I already sent orders to trading companies in the East and South Blues for foods the Holy Land used to consume a lot. I'll make decisions once their replies come.
"Anything else important?"
"There are complaints that the furniture or bedding in their temporary shelters isn't to their liking… but besides that…" Somali trailed off, hesitating.
…Ahhhh.
This Somali girl is a good kid, like Jenetta.
If she's hesitating like this…
"They're saying they don't have enough slaves?"
"Yes… I believe most of the Celestial Dragons feel that way," Somali confirmed.
I wish they'd all just die. Honestly.
The more I work, the more I lose my motivation…
"…Didn't I hear someone bragging a few days ago that a big number of slaves arrived?"
"Yes. The King of the Bitawa Kingdom sent many of his citizens as slaves…"
"I really want that country to disappear already."
Oops, that slipped out.
I mean seriously—why is the ruler selling his own people for profit!?
What is wrong with this One Piece world!?
Isn't this supposed to be a world built on Friendship, Effort, Victory!?
Did Young Jump or Business Jump get mixed in here!?
Did Oda-sensei move magazines!?
"The slaves sent here number around 1,500. A bidding contest is happening among the Celestial Dragons right now," Somali explained.
"…Disgusting, but at least they'll stay quiet for a while."
I should check on the morale of the Marines who had to watch all this.
Sengoku and Tsuru have been strangely distant since the funeral, even though they're the top of the Navy now.
They might not be reporting smaller problems.
…No.
Wait, think.
"Bitawa Kingdom… That was a South Blue country, right? What happened afterward?"
"Um…" Somali hesitated again.
Stop, stop, stop—don't make that face.
I have to ask, but I really don't want to.
"..There was a large riot, as expected. But the national army stopped it," Somali reported.
"And the citizens who rioted?"
"…All of them were killed or captured. The survivors were sentenced to forced labor," Somali finished quietly.
So it's a slave country now?
…Sounds like something from Kino's Journey.
"Security in the surrounding waters is going to get much worse…" I predicted.
"Should I tell the Navy to be cautious?" Somali asked.
"…No, leave it. The Marines on site must already be reacting. And it would be crossing the line for me to interfere."
Though calling it crossing the line is stupid when I'm a pirate who suddenly took command of the entire military during an emergency.
…Still.
The underworld will definitely start smuggling people out.
Even if the escapees end up treated like slaves elsewhere, no one wants to stay in a country whose king sells his own people.
…And of course, shady groups will trick those desperate people out of their remaining money and sell them to Celestial Dragons.
Large pirate crews needing manpower might go after them too.
With the current strength in the South Blue… there aren't enough forces. The situation will get worse no matter what.
"Um…" Somali began again.
"Hm?" I responded.
"Sir… What you're preparing right now… It's for handing everything over, right?" Somali asked, worried.
"Yeah. After the Five Elders finish giving their apology statement, I'll return to the West."
Surprisingly, the Five Elders are very positive about giving the public apology.
They've been calling me every two days to adjust the wording… and to casually chat about world affairs.
For now, things are going smoothly.
I give them ideas when they ask, but most are rejected. The cultural gap with Celestial Dragons is huge.
"Sir."
"Yes?"
"Please… don't leave us," Somali pleaded.
Somali, you too?
Jenetta already kept telling me this…
And Spandine-san as well.
Then after I kicked Spandine-san in the shin, even Hina said the same thing.
"If you truly became a Celestial Dragon, I would give everything I have to serve you…" Somali insisted.
"Wait, calm down."
Please stop. Really.
This reminds me of Amisu and the others during the Regional HQ battle…
"All 18 people working in this office feel the same way," Somali informed me.
"Even if I joined the World Government, things wouldn't get better. Somali."
"…But…" Somali objected weakly.
Yeah, I understand the feeling too well.
I've been meeting as many people as possible, partly to gather internal information.
And honestly, I am certain of one thing: I'm more normal than most people holding important roles in the World Government.
In a negative way.
People like Kimrick Pinsher—who actually do their job properly—are extremely rare.
To say it plainly, there might be only around ten people in the whole Government who don't use their power to bully others.
The higher you go, the stronger the idea becomes: "If you want something, take it from the weak." It makes me wonder if this is even a real governing system.
For someone like Somali or Jenetta—"good kids"—living inside such a system must be painful.
Honestly, they should quit and join some trading company. That would be safer.
…But then they might get attacked by Celestial Dragons during surprise raids…
Yeah. This is why a third force, different from the Revolutionary Army but with real military strength, is necessary.
"I have always been terrible at my work… People threw things at me while yelling every day…" Somali confessed.
No, that wasn't your fault. That was the system.
In this Government, people who only look smart but are actually weak rise to the top.
Spandine-san had talent, but he was better at bribes and flattery.
The others were even worse.
They probably saw Somali and Jenetta trying to do what needed to be done and called them "idiots who create more work."
Instead of doing their tasks, they spend their time flattering superiors and earning bribe money.
The higher you go, the worse it gets.
Otherwise, they would be the ones in danger.
Yeah, this organization is rotten.
Well, with trash at the top, I guess this is normal.
"But… under you, Sir, I—"
"You're the same as Jenetta. Not only were you unlucky with your bosses, you also don't understand your own ability."
Come on, you two. I trained you properly and gave you experience!
Plus, people like Pinsher are ready to support you!
"Jenetta is amazing at finding the core of a task. Right now she's assisting me and handling work step by step, but once she learns to shift her perspective, she'll be even more capable."
Her only weakness is giving up too fast.
She digs into something, then quickly thinks "maybe not" and switches.
If she steadies herself a bit more…Well, that's how I see it.
"Somali, you are good at focusing on one thing at a time."
You are one of the three I kept my eye on.
If I give you a task that's already shaped, you polish it perfectly.
Why were Somali, Jenetta, and the other one ignored? They're not ambitious, so they would have made great reliable workers.
"But when you get a vague task—the kind Government officials love to throw around—you panic. That's why you should be paired with someone like Jenetta."
The World Government's habit of dividing people has damaged them from inside.
People who drag others down stand out, while the ones who shine when paired with others get buried.
"When you look around, you may feel surrounded by unpleasant people. But if you calm down, you'll see there are always people with similar values. This office is proof of that."
Most people in this room had problems, but at least they were fixable.
Jenetta got the position of distributing tasks, and with that, she finally gained people who listen to her.
Somali learned the whole workflow, which helped her stay calm.
Krex relearned basic paperwork, Turkish fixed her overreliance on instincts and learned preparation. Miss Shanmao too.
Korat got a partner to cover her weak points.
Lycoi learned responsibility through solo tasks step by step.
The others as well…
…Yeah. I worked. I worked so hard!!
The rebuilding will continue after I leave, so this office will stay.
I've already written all the current problems and future risks and given them to Jenetta.
And as long as they keep practicing the tasks I assigned, they can handle most unreasonable demands.
As for Spandine-san—because he'll choose self-preservation in a crisis—I asked Pinsher to watch over him. Even if something happens, he'll be safe.
"You'll be fine. Even without me, you can manage."
To avoid trouble, you don't need backstabbing or chasing promotion.
You only need teamwork and shared information.
With your skills, that's enough.
"Of course… only if you finish this job quickly without running into any disasters."
Stay far away from those Celestial Dragon trash.
Once rebuilding ends, you'll be able to leave the Holy Land safely.
"Now then… Hina, what's left on the schedule?"
WHACK!
"Well, if the East Blue personnel check is done, next is the food storage rebuild with the North Blue engineers, then the Fourth Residential Area inspection and worker interviews. If there's time we can eat. And at noon, Fleet Admiral Sengoku wants a meeting. No set time, but Lord Pyrenees wants one too. What first?" Hina rattled off, after hitting me.
"First, explain why your report began with kicking my shin."
"I punished a commander who, despite being busy, spent the morning flirting with female staff," Hina explained calmly.
"Spandine-san, clear the plaza. You and I are having a match. Right here."
"Stop messing around and get ready! The Marine inspectors and officials will be here soon!" Hina snapped.
Ughhh…
Right, work starts again.
But I've been sleeping eight hours lately—at least five even on sudden busy days—so I'm in good condition.
Time to finish everything fast. At this rate, I should leave the Holy Land by the end of next week.
…Well.
Whether I can go straight back to the West Blue is another matter.
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