In a few days, the island had a simple plan laid out, and the long-idle factories resumed operations, though the running policies had significantly changed. People on the island chose to work in the factories willingly.
Although Kaidou is the Captain, it's quite normal for the Captain not to handle affairs, typically there is another person on the ship who manages things.
Currently, in the Hundred Beasts Pirate crew, Asie is most skilled at managing personnel. He was formerly a manager for Alkemi, which means he has considerable experience in this area.
He is not a vicious pirate, so he hasn't oppressed the islanders blindly, but rather, offered a certain salary like a typical administrator, though the shares are slightly less than outside. The difference is calculated as the taxes owed by the island residents.
Additionally, he established some island rules to prevent pirate crew members from harassing residents for no reason.
Initially, there was opposition; such matters are incomprehensible to many pirates, but their objections were meaningless. Kaidou doesn't care about such things, and Asie's actions received Arceus's support, indirectly gaining approval from all the senior members.
Queen felt indifferent about it; after all, his interests weren't harmed. Asie isn't a stubborn person either, understanding that these pirates aren't ordinary enforcers, thus imposing stricter requirements on the islanders, which effectively created a hierarchical status on the island.
However, the islanders didn't resist these requirements; instead, they were quite pleased. Asie's policies were far better than those during John's reign.
Under John's rule, they had to work in factories without any pay. They worked to ensure they could survive, as John's territory didn't require people without value. If they failed to show their worth, John's crew wouldn't distribute any food.
On Winter Island, such circumstances were nearly fatal.
Now, while Asie's work requirements are still mandatory, besides providing essential food, a portion of wages is also given. For the islanders, it's a monumental change.
As for the captured pirates, their status is lower than civilians. Besides the arms trade, there's another business on the island—mining.
Mining under Winter Island's climate is extremely challenging, so this work is assigned to the physically stronger pirates, also providing members of the Hundred Beasts Pirate crew a place to vent their frustration, namely the overseers at the mines.
For these pirates, the policies set by Asie aren't heavily restricted. Whether it's beating or cursing, there are no specific limits.
The banner of the Hundred Beasts Pirate crew flies over the island, providing some stability for it.
Following this, Kaidou began expanding towards the surrounding islands using this island as a center, with a straightforward policy.
Pirates who surrender and attach themselves voluntarily are taken in as subordinates, and among those resisting, if Kaidou finds anyone worthy, he'll give them a chance. The rest are sent directly to the mines and farms on nearby islands.
While this single Winter Island relies on external support, together with the nearby islands, it could form a complete industrial chain—mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and so on.
Shaina and King went with Kaidou to seize territory, while Arceus took Queen and Asie to the island's factory to research things like "Plate Radar."
"Do you still remember how it was made?"
Arceus looked at the environment here, understanding the reason this island has a foothold.
Factories exist on every island; simply producing some arms doesn't necessarily require choosing this place. However, this island surprisingly has a very precise machine tool for processing finer components.
"That's it. This place was also one of MADS's secret bases back then, and this is what we left behind."
"With this, can you reproduce it?"
"This... I'm not entirely sure. Vegapunk only made an experimental model, and it was still a semi-finished product. However, I understand the concept. Given some time, I can reproduce it.
Pure gold's conductivity should meet the requirements."
"I haven't forgotten the method for making pure gold, but there's one problem. Previously, I noticed that many materials for pure gold are now prohibited items. Purchasing them in bulk might attract the government's attention."
"Mwahaha, you can rest assured about that. The world is never short of gray industries. Even the World Government cannot control the underground market worldwide, not to mention in the New World."
"Is that so? I won't mention the common materials; here are some scarce resources. See if you can get them."
Asie handed Queen a material list, without any ratios or synthesis methods; merely taking this away won't be of use. He's not afraid of exposing it.
Upon seeing the material list, several beads of sweat appeared on Queen's forehead.
"Arceus-sama, maybe... our plans aren't going as smoothly?"
"Why?"
"These materials... are too difficult to handle. Fresh leaves of the Treasure Tree Adam, Island Turtle eggshells, although rare and expensive, can be found with some effort eventually. The problem is, some materials have long since been extinct..."
It has been over a hundred years since he manufactured pure gold, and much has occurred during this time. The defeat of South Sea Emperor Heat is considered a medical accomplishment.
But simultaneously, many species and plants were declared extinct during this period. Making pure gold isn't a straightforward mineral synthesis; it also contains components from certain animals and plants.
"Does that mean the pure gold on this ring is the last of its kind?"
"This... indeed might be the case. Perhaps there's some remaining on Ancient Island or in the inventory of certain individuals, but..." Queen fell silent. He has no means to produce extinct materials.
Back then, there was still plenty of pure gold in that Sea King's stomach, but he didn't pay attention to such matters. Now, that Sea King should have long become nourishment for other organisms, and given the proportion of pure gold, this long time might have sent it to some deep-sea location by currents.
Finding that pure gold is like looking for a needle in a haystack; it's more practical to directly search for the Plate.
"Gather some materials, search slowly, and try with what's on hand first."
This news didn't please him, but he didn't vent his emotions on Asie or Queen, as it's an uncontrollable factor, after all.
As for using the Power of Space-Time to go back to find materials, once he possesses the Power of Space-Time, he'll have already returned to his peak, rendering such efforts unnecessary.
With Arceus's assistance, Queen and Asie spent several months in the laboratory, yet their efforts weren't in vain, successfully creating a Plate Radar with a detection radius of about one kilometer.