Inside the office.
Sean looked at the documents sent from Headquarters, crumpled them into a ball, and tossed them straight into the trash can.
'Old man Sengoku is still the same. His mind is filled with nothing but this so-called "balance"—from the scale of the entire world down to the internal workings of the Marines, it's always the same routine!'
'It is precisely because of this that the Marines have fallen to their current state.'
"Tell Lucci and the other two to ignore the punishment from Headquarters. Continue doing exactly what they've been doing," Sean commanded as he called in a messenger.
"Yes, Commodore!"
'''
In the time that followed, the haul brought in by Lucci and his teammates grew smaller. There were times when they wouldn't encounter a single pirate for two or three days.
As for the support from the intelligence department, all the pirates whose locations had been locked down were dealt with within the first ten days. After that, they could only wander around and hope for luck.
After all, the number of pirates in the East Blue was far lower than in the other three seas. Combined with the previous sweeps by the 16th Branch and the recent intelligence-driven purge, there weren't many bounty-worthy targets left.
Among those with bounties over ten million, only Buggy remained.
However, according to the intelligence department, three months ago, Buggy learned that Diamante had failed in his attack on the 16th Branch and had been countered. Upon hearing this, Buggy had immediately vanished.
His current whereabouts were unknown, but it was speculated that he had already left the East Blue and had likely entered the Grand Line.
That was why Sean hadn't gone after Buggy in the last three months.
It had to be said that Buggy's sense of crisis and his ability to flee were truly top-tier in the pirate world.
Originally, Sean had planned to capture him and use him to research the gunpowder ratios for a new type of shell, disposing of him only after he had outlived his usefulness. The man was, after all, quite capable in that field.
But as it stood, Sean would have to wait.
Speaking of which, calculating the time, the people from the Galley-La Company should be arriving soon.
Tapping his desk rhythmically, Sean picked up the Den Den Mushi.
"Mansour, it's Sean!"
"Commodore Sean, is there something I can help you with recently?"
"I have a large-scale project coming up. A scale of at least two billion Belly. Are you interested?"
"Yes! Absolutely! Please, you must entrust it to the Tokaf Construction Company!"
A two-billion Belly project?
Mansour practically jolted with excitement. This Sean was truly a god of wealth.
The branch fortress had only been completed a few months ago; what kind of massive move was he making now?
"Right, but for this project, I have some special requirements."
"No problem, tell me!"
As long as they could secure the contract, any special requirement was acceptable. At this point, if Sean asked for Mansour himself, he wouldn't have hesitated... The construction industry in the East Blue was incredibly cutthroat these days.
"This is a secret project. All construction teams must first arrive at the 16th Branch, and from there, we will transport them to the destination. During the journey, everyone will be kept in a sealed cabin; they will not know where they are. Is that an issue?"
"None at all. Perfectly understandable!"
"Secondly, all construction materials must also be delivered to the 16th Branch. From there, Marines will pilot the cargo ships to the site."
"That's not a problem either. Rest assured, Commodore Sean, we've handled classified projects before. We have experience!"
"Very well. I will fax you the general shape and size of the island shortly. Within three days, I want a design for a port, factory buildings, dormitory housing for two hundred people, and a shipyard..."
After spending several minutes outlining further requirements, Sean hung up the Den Den Mushi.
As for which island to build on, he naturally chose an area close to the Calm Belt. That region was full of uninhabited islands; he just needed to pick one of a suitable size with enough natural cover.
'Hmm... the island where Kuro is seems like a good fit.'
By clearing a specific area within the forest, the buildings would be completely hidden, even if a ship occasionally passed by the coast.
It was decided. That was the spot.
'''
Three days later.
Mansour arrived at the branch personally, accompanied by his designers and several construction teams.
Inside the office.
"Commodore Sean, based on the sketches you provided, we have completed the preliminary design," Mansour began, pointing to the blueprints spread across the table.
"According to your requirements, we will clear an area in the center of the forest to build the factory complex."
"To meet the need for concealment, the shipyard will be constructed here. With the mass of this mountain acting as a shield and the surrounding trees, it will be effectively hidden. Furthermore, we will hollow out the mountain to build a hidden internal port. Ships completed in the shipyard can then be launched directly into the water through this passage."
Mansour spoke with great earnestness, fully implementing Sean's demand for absolute secrecy. He ensured that unless a ship docked and conducted a ground search, it would be impossible to discover these structures.
Sean was highly satisfied. This was exactly what he wanted.
"Tell me, how much?"
"This... if we go with this design, it will exceed the budget slightly. Hollowing out and reinforcing a mountain, along with various other extra requirements, isn't cheap."
"Enough. Just tell me the number."
"Twenty-four... yes, 2.4 billion Belly and we can get it done. This price is fair; we aren't overcharging you—in fact, our own profit margin is quite slim!"
"Fine. I'll give you 2.5 billion Belly. How long until it's finished?"
"Three months!"
Hearing that Sean had proactively added another hundred million—just as he had last time—Mansour felt a wave of relief. Doing business with a man like this was truly a pleasure.
After a quick mental calculation, Mansour gave his answer.
This time, Sean didn't demand a compressed timeline. Since it was a secret project, the fewer people who knew, the better. Speeding up the process would mean mobilizing more personnel, and more people increased the probability of a leak.
Furthermore, Sean wasn't in a desperate rush for the new generation of ships. If he could reduce the risk... then reducing the risk was the better path.
"Fine. I'll arrange for the teams to be transported today. I'll also assign a squad of Marines to accompany and protect them, as there are ferocious beasts on the island."
"Additionally, your designers will stay here with me for a few days. Once the people from the Shipbuilding Department arrive, they will coordinate on-site. After all, they are the professionals when it comes to how a shipyard should actually function," Sean added after a moment of thought.
Mansour naturally did not refuse this request.
That very afternoon, Sean had a ship prepared.
On this ship, every window leading to the shipyard had been completely sealed for the sake of secrecy. This was to prevent anyone inside from observing their surroundings and deducing the sailing route.
As for the remaining construction materials, they would be delivered to the 16th Branch first, as per the agreement. Once the personnel from the Tokaf Construction Company disembarked, the Marines of the 16th Branch would take over, navigate the ship to the uninhabited island, unload the cargo, and then sail back.
It was a tedious process, but it ensured absolute confidentiality.
Of course, that wasn't all. Construction alone wasn't enough; the shipyard required a significant amount of heavy equipment.
This wasn't a major issue, as Sean had already come to an agreement with the Galley-La Company. They would handle the procurement; Sean simply had to provide the funds. This equipment would arrive along with the shipwrights.
The more problematic part was the equipment Retes needed to build a weapons production line, much of which still had to be sourced through underworld channels.
The last time Lucci had purchased a vast amount of cutting-edge equipment from the underworld, while it hadn't exposed Sean, the transactions had still attracted the attention of several powerful factions. It was said that even now, some were still trying to uncover the identity of the person who had bought that equipment.
Consequently, Sean had no desire to operate through the underworld again. One wrong move, and he would be exposed.
But if he couldn't use the underworld, where else could he get it?
He couldn't exactly ask Sengoku, could he?
'In that case, I might as well take the risk and go back to the underworld!'
Then, it hit him!
Suddenly, a rather mischievous idea sprang to Sean's mind...
The guards outside the door suddenly heard Sean's eerie laughter.
"Sigh, I wonder who's about to be the victim this time!"