Inside the cave.
Jin and Galdino were locked in a standoff.
Jin had initially planned to simply negotiate, but upon seeing Galdino, a devilish idea had sparked in his mind.
He let out a cold laugh. "Have you forgotten the rules? You are not to inquire about other agents."
Galdino's expression hardened. Was this man really sent by the President? And so quickly? A sliver of doubt remained.
Jin leaped down from the window. "But I'll tell you this, Mr. 3. I am the President's closest associate. My codena is Mr. Kite. I am responsible for monitoring all agents, including you, and handling... special affairs. I am a ghost, an operative outside the official rankings, with authority superseding even the Officer Agents. Within the organization, my power is second only to the President, Mr. 0. You've just never known of my existence until now. I only appear for the most critical missions—all for the sake of our grand 'Operation Utopia'."
Galdino was stunned. The doubt in his eyes vanished. "Operation Utopia" was the ultimate goal of Baroque Works.
Very few knew of its existence. Even he had only been briefed on it after his promotion to Mr. 3.
And the inner workings of Baroque Works were a mystery, even to its own mbers. The "President" was an enigma.
Yet this man before him spoke with such familiarity, such casual confidence, that Galdino had no choice but to believe him.
Furthermore, he had correctly identified his codena. Galdino had only been promoted to Mr. 3 last year.
He didn't know that it was his topknot that had given him away. Galdino's topknot would change shape to reflect his mood, becoming an exclamation point or a question mark. A "3" on his head had to an sothing. If he held a different rank, it would likely be displayed in a similar fashion.
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"In that case, Mr. Kite," Galdino said, "what brings you here? Are you taking over my duties?"
"No," Jin replied. "I have another mission. It's classified. However, I will require your cooperation."
After a masterful string of bluffs, Galdino was successfully bamboozled.
He believed every word.
It wasn't that Galdino was a fool.
It was that who could have possibly imagined that a complete outsider, soone with an intimate knowledge of Baroque Works, would show up to pull off such a scam?
Jin peppered his story with inside information that even Galdino had only heard rumors of.
Faced with such a convincing deception, anyone would have been fooled.
If a stranger tells you about the birthmark on your girlfriend's most private of places, are you going to assu they've never t?
More importantly, believing Jin's story was Galdino's only way out. It absolved him of his mission failure. Out of his fear of the "President," even if Galdino had his doubts, he would have convinced himself that it was all true.
If everything was business as usual, he was safe.
If he questioned it, he was finished.
Galdino knew which path was in his best interest.
—————————
With Galdino handled, the situation in Kilauea was stabilized. There would be no more trouble for the foreseeable future.
Jin spent two more days on Pincer Island. On one hand, he negotiated with the king, signing a formal trade agreent. On the other, he sparred with Captain Sherlock, exchanging information not only on combat, but also on the surrounding seas.
He also acquired Captain Sherlock's ship's log and his collection of hand-drawn nautical charts.
"The Grand Line is different from the Four Blues,"
Captain Sherlock explained. "The magnetic fields here are chaotic. You can't navigate by charts alone. In the first half, there are seven routes that all lead to the Sabaody Archipelago. Once you choose a starting point, you have to record the magnetic field of each island you visit to navigate to the next. That's why you can only move forward on one of the seven routes; you can't just switch between them. Not unless you have a Log Pose for a specific island."
"But," Captain Sherlock said, a note of pride in his voice, "I've been sailing these waters for years. With my mory, my experience, and my charts, I can find most of the islands."
Jin didn't doubt him. No matter how much the weather of the Grand Line changed, the islands themselves didn't move. It was only natural that soone with enough experience would learn the routes by heart.
After eliminating his brother... Captain Sherlock, with the king's official endorsent, had been "rehabilitated" and appointed as the new Minister of Finance. His crew, in turn, beca the kingdom's new royal guard.
As a gesture of gratitude, he gifted his priceless collection of charts and logs to Jin.
Jin gladly accepted.
Sherlock's days at sea were over, but Jin's were just beginning. He desperately needed the charts and logs to build up his database.
Furthermore, those among Sherlock's crew who still dread of a life at sea were transferred to Jin's command. They were all veteran sailors with a wealth of experience, perfect for training the new recruits of the Winter Blossom Kingdom.
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Two days later.
Jin returned to Drum Island with a massive haul of vegetables and fruits purchased from Kilauea, as well as a new shipnt of weapons.
"The king is back!"
"My goodness, look at all that fruit!"
"Did the Ice Mushrooms really sell?"
At the docks, a crowd of villagers had gathered, their excited chatter filling the air. Their eyes shone with a newfound hope.
The Ice Mushrooms their new king had developed could actually be sold for money!
Suddenly, life was full of promise.
A palpable energy filled the air.
Dalton breathed a sigh of relief. Everything had gone smoothly. His decision that day had been the right one.
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In the carrier's main hall.
Jin held a eting.
In attendance were:
Minister Dalton.
The mayors of the six towns.
Patrol Captain Jeston.
Razor Dahm.
Wilson, the forr helmsman of the Vulture Pirates.
It was called a eting, but it was essentially a one-man show. Having secured the market in Kilauea, Jin was now laying out his plans for the next phase of developnt.
"Dalton, take this down," he began. "The families who breed and harvest the Ice Mushrooms will be allocated a certain portion of the vegetables and fruits. The rest will be sold at a fixed price. Additionally, those who have rendered ritorious service to the Winter Blossom Kingdom will be able to exchange 'rit Vouchers' for monthly benefits."
"rit Vouchers?" Dalton asked, confused.
Jin smiled. "It will be a form of paper currency, issued internally within the Winter Blossom Kingdom, that can be used for trade."
He produced a piece of "paper," similar in size to a Berri note. On one side was a picture of the aircraft carrier; on the other, a portrait of himself.
Ai had printed them using the printer on board, complete with simple anti-counterfeiting asures.
When Jin was building his model aircraft carrier, he'd naturally needed to look up information and print out blueprints. It was no surprise that he had a printer and a laptop in his workshop.
"Your salaries will be paid in rit Vouchers," Jin explained. "You can use them to purchase vegetables, fruits, weapons, and other goods. In the future, villagers who contribute to the kingdom will also be issued these vouchers. Alternatively, you can exchange 10 Berries for 1 rit Voucher."
"I call it the 'Winter Blossom Kingdom rit Voucher Act'."
Jeston and the others were surprised. Wasn't this just another form of the Berri? Was there really a difference?
It didn't seem like it.
In any case, it didn't affect them.
Jin smiled to himself. The World Governnt's continued rule was based on four main pillars of power.
First, military power. The Marines, Cipher Pol, the God's Knights—all formidable forces.
Second, cultural power. The deeply ingrained belief in the superiority of the Celestial Dragons was a clear manifestation of this.
Third, technological power. They restricted the technological developnt of other nations while conducting their own advanced research on islands like Egghead. Steam-powered warships, laser weapons, Seastone technology—they held a technological advantage over every other nation.
And fourth, financial power.
The world currency—the Berri—gave them an invisible control over the Global Economy. It was the most subtle of their powers, but its influence was profound.
To challenge that power, was it enough to simply defeat the Celestial Dragons in battle?
No. It wasn't enough.
~# Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!
~# Add to Library!
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