Yasuie's expression changed the moment he heard Kurosaki Rei's words.
As expected… pirates are still pirates, he thought.
They wanted to send the people into those filthy factories again. Had Wano not suffered enough because of them already?!
Sensing the shift in Yasuie's mood, Kurosaki Rei explained calmly:
"Don't look so grim, Yasuie-san. I'm not finished yet. Right now, you're thinking that these factories are extremely unfriendly to the environment, and that they're the root cause of Wano's famine—am I wrong?"
Yasuie nodded heavily.
"Isn't that the truth? If it weren't for the pollution from those factories, the land wouldn't have become infertile, the rivers wouldn't have lost their fish, and the people wouldn't be starving to death."
"Of course not."
Kurosaki Rei rejected the idea without hesitation.
"Yasuie-san, you're a qualified administrator—you were once a daimyo. Then you should know that even before Kaido arrived, there were still plenty of people in Wano who couldn't eat their fill."
Yasuie frowned. "But at least not this many."
"That's true," Kurosaki Rei admitted.
"But do you really think that if the Kozuki clan had continued ruling, everyone would eventually have had enough to eat? That the gap between rich and poor would have disappeared?"
He posed a question straight to the soul.
Yasuie froze.
He wanted to say of course, but the words wouldn't come.
Because he suddenly realized—it was impossible.
The Kozuki clan had ruled Wano for over a thousand years. And for those thousand years, things had more or less always been the same.
From his understanding of history, Wano's population would repeatedly reach a certain threshold, followed by massive famine, then chaos and conflict. Only after large numbers of people died would the famine ease, and the country slowly stabilize again.
"Without any revolutionary breakthroughs in agricultural technology, in a closed country like Wano," Kurosaki Rei said,
"the productivity of the land is always limited—and in fact, it keeps declining."
This single statement felt like it cracked open a brand-new world for Yasuie.
He was a capable administrator. He immediately grasped the implication.
This sentence explained the core of Wano's thousand-year cycle.
Their grain supply… could only sustain a limited number of people.
So once too many were born, famine was inevitable. There would never be an era where everyone was fed.
"Wano is rich in mineral resources, but the amount of arable land is small," Kurosaki Rei continued.
"Even if every farmer works diligently, total grain output will always be limited. Under a closed system, starvation is unavoidable."
"Then what if we broaden our perspective," he asked,
"and stop relying on domestic food production to feed the population?"
Yasuie immediately understood.
"Overseas trade? But if our food lifeline is controlled by others, the nation would be extremely vulnerable."
Kurosaki Rei looked at him with even greater appreciation.
That was the crux of the issue. In a normal world, a proper country absolutely could not allow itself to be held hostage over food.
Even ignoring price manipulation—if war broke out and your enemy cut off your grain supply, you'd be finished.
"But tell me, Yasuie-san," Kurosaki Rei said evenly,
"who would dare to play games with food prices in front of Yonko Kaido?"
That was the foundation of the entire plan.
Everything Kurosaki Rei had said before followed common sense—but this world itself was anything but normal.
Kaido not robbing you outright was already a blessing. You wanted to raise prices on grain sold to him?
Go ask Doflamingo—one of the Seven Warlords and a Celestial Dragon—whether he ever dared to play pricing tricks when doing business with Kaido.
As far as Kurosaki Rei knew, Kaido had several long-term trade partners. Doflamingo not only distributed weapons for Kaido, but also helped procure food. Beyond him, there were numerous great maritime merchant guilds supplying Kaido with massive quantities of grain and goods.
Pirates didn't rely solely on plunder. In fact, much of what they stole was used for consumption.
Spending money you robbed felt far better than pure coercion—like splurging lottery winnings at a nightclub.
To ensure stable long-term supply, Kaido didn't attack merchant groups he cooperated with. He purchased goods from them at relatively low prices, and in return, offered protection.
Thus, merchants bought cheap grain from food-rich countries and sold it to Kaido at slim margins. Kaido gained a steady food supply, and what he paid was essentially just a copy of the Beasts Pirates' flag.
When these merchants sailed through the New World and encountered other pirates, all they had to do was raise that flag. Most pirates would flee at once, never daring to touch a ship under Kaido's protection.
As long as Kaido remained one of the Emperors of the Sea, obtaining cheap grain was never an issue.
Trying to use food to hold Kaido hostage?
That would mean you'd grown tired of living.
"So… Wano's food will rely entirely on imports?" Yasuie asked.
"Then doesn't that mean we'll always depend on the Beasts Pirates to supply grain? Will they really be willing to keep paying for Wano's people forever?"
"Of course Kaido won't raise this country for free," Kurosaki Rei replied.
"He wants returns. That's why I said the people must build factories."
"As for environmental issues—there's already a preliminary solution in place. In the future, waste will be discharged outside the country. The water quality will gradually improve. The people just need to work in peace, and they'll be able to eat."
"Discharged outside the country?" Yasuie frowned.
"Into the sea? Then what will other nations think of Wano? Wouldn't we become villains polluting the world?"
Kurosaki Rei nodded.
"I agree with you. Why don't you go explain the pros and cons to Kaido yourself?"
Yasuie fell silent.
He knew Kaido wouldn't care.
And shamefully, Yasuie couldn't think of a better alternative either. If factories had to exist, discharging waste outward was still better than poisoning their own people.
He had studied factory pollution before. Dumping waste into small rivers was devastating, but into the vast ocean… perhaps the impact was limited.
Reluctantly, he had to admit the plan was at least acceptable—for now.
"Even so," Yasuie said,
"if we're to dig canals leading to the sea, that's still a massive project. It should take years."
Before Kurosaki Rei could respond, a thunderous boom echoed in the distance. The ground trembled, and plumes of dust rose into the sky.
Kurosaki Rei glanced toward the source.
"The Numbers really make too much noise when they work. I specifically told them not to disturb the people."
Just last night, the leader of the Numbers—the ancient giant corps—had come to see him in the Flower Capital, terrifying half the city.
Only then did Kurosaki Rei learn that Kaido had temporarily handed over command of the Numbers to him. Since their river-dredging project wasn't finished yet, Kurosaki Rei simply told them to keep working.
Ancient giants were absurdly powerful laborers. They couldn't handle fine construction, but for digging canals?
They were ruthless machines.
A single Number could carve out over a hundred kilometers of channel per day—and that was with frequent breaks for drinking and eating.
By Kurosaki Rei's estimate, at their current pace, the canal network would be completed within a week, forming a sewage system that allowed factory wastewater to exit Wano without contaminating local rivers.
The route had been drawn by Kurosaki Rei himself—bringing seawater in through entirely separate channels, fully isolated from the freshwater rivers.
Ideally, barriers should be installed to prevent seepage into the soil. But since Kurosaki Rei's ultimate goal was to persuade Kaido to build waste-treatment plants, this temporary setup would suffice.
"See?" Kurosaki Rei said to Yasuie.
"With the power of the Beasts Pirates, infrastructure is simple. Starting next week, the rivers will gradually become clear again."
He handed Yasuie a document.
"This is the factory construction plan for the Kuri region. Take a look. From now on, you'll oversee the engineering progress here. I'll come by from time to time to inspect."
Yasuie accepted the papers with mixed emotions.
He never imagined that one day he'd serve under Kaido's daughter—helping build the very factories he once despised.
Yet Kurosaki Rei's words had convinced him the plan was feasible.
Once the factories were built, the people of Kuri would no longer need to scavenge trash. They'd have stable jobs, and wages to buy food.
"When do I officially take office?" Yasuie asked.
"Oden's castle is already burned down," Kurosaki Rei replied.
"But there's another estate nearby you can use as an office. I'll assign a unit of guards to you. As for trusted aides—find them yourself. You know capable people better than I do."
Kurosaki Rei believed many talented individuals were still hidden in Wano. With Yasuie's persuasion, development could advance rapidly.
"Leave it to me," Yasuie said firmly.
"At this point, I seek neither fame nor profit. I only hope that you and the shogun can govern this country well, and give its people good lives."
At that moment, the baby in his arms began to cry again.
"Go feed the child first," Kurosaki Rei said.
"Work hard, Yasuie-san. If you do, there will be fewer and fewer babies like the one you're holding."
With that, Kurosaki Rei turned and left. He still had much to do—official documents and identification papers would reach Yasuie by the next morning.
After leaving Ebisu Town, Kurosaki Rei continued traveling through the regions, inspecting grain distribution and ensuring the plan was proceeding smoothly before returning to the Flower Capital.
During this time, Yamato hadn't been idle either.
Following Kurosaki Rei's instructions, she traveled with supply convoys, personally addressing citizens' concerns. Combined with the grain distribution, her reputation among the people soared within days.
When the two finally reunited in the Flower Capital, they could both see the exhaustion on each other's faces—though Yamato's was mixed with unmistakable joy.
She wasn't just enjoying the people's gratitude; she was genuinely happy to have helped them.
"Rei-brother," Yamato said excitedly,
"the grain's been distributed. But I heard you promised my old man that the factories would be built very soon. Can that really be done?"
She had read the three-step strategy herself. The first step was essentially complete, so she was eager to know how the next phase would unfold.
"Of course it can," Kurosaki Rei replied confidently.
"But… I've seen the factory blueprints," Yamato said, puzzled.
"They're huge, with complex internal designs. Each one is a massive project. Even if we send all the unemployed people to build them, wouldn't it take at least a year or two?"
She had clearly been thinking carefully.
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