Achieving Nothing, I Can Only Be the Pirate King-Chapter 577 - 338: Defying Heaven!

The Radio Snail fell silent once more.

Lily sat at the table, also silent for a moment, then said, "They actually came out voluntarily..."

In the action of taking over Whitebeard’s territory, some people had also encountered the Whitebeard Pirates, or rather, the remnant crew.

Hawkins had come across Rakuyo, the Captain of Squad 7 of the Whitebeard Pirates, who had some fame across the seas and used a Meteor Hammer as a weapon.

A great battle had erupted between the two sides, but faced with his Fruit Ability, Rakuyo was left with no option but to retreat.

Gin had encountered Kingdew, Captain of Squad 11 of the Whitebeard Pirates, who had a pair of iron arm gauntlets and was proficient in both Observation and Armament Haki.

Yet before his abilities, Kingdew was clearly outmatched; his proud iron arm gauntlets melted into molten iron in an instant, injuring his hands, and he was defeated by Gin.

However, with his crew’s desperate cover, they managed to take Kingdew away.

Urouge had also met Blenheim, and similarly, after engagement, the other party retreated.

Although they were winning victory after victory and seizing quite a bit of territory, the opponent would occasionally harass them, forcing them to strengthen their defenses.

After the battle with Big Mom and the allegiance of several pirate crews, maintaining a force of just over a hundred near the islands around O’hara, and on those similar routes, was sufficient.

But for the newly occupied areas further into the New World, now each territory required over three hundred people to be stationed there, with some important islands even containing five hundred people, all equipped with a squad captain.

Magnetic Field Island had over a thousand stationed, requiring high-ranking officers to guard it and prevent attacks by Whitebeard’s Remnant.

Driving them back is certainly possible, but their sporadic harassment was truly troublesome, greatly increasing the manpower and resources consumed, as well as the security needed for the resources sent from those islands.

However, the sea is too vast; even if one wanted to seek them out, they couldn’t be found, one has no choice but to keep enduring like this.

Now it’s okay.

They finally came out.

"After defeating them, the territory we have delineated can be gradually conquered.

Lily’s lips curled up in a smile, "During this period, the supply ships they plundered also made us incur quite a loss."

"Those are minor matters."

Sage dipped a piece of meat into the pot, chewed a couple of times, then swallowed, smiling;

"Everything might be able to deceive, but not the battle line; no matter the harassment, no matter the robbery, we are always on the victorious path."

"Sage, you’re always so confident," Lily said.

"Of course, I’m the Confident Little Prince of the East Sea; no setback can defeat me, ha ha ha!" Sage laughed triumphantly.

"Well, there’s also something else to report; before receiving Teach’s call, I got another call."

Lily said, "Two days ago, the spices transported from Sela Bais were robbed by the Whitebeard Pirates."

With the ship destroyed and only about ten of the crew surviving by sheer luck, it took two days to find a Radio Snail to report it.

Sage picked up a piece of meat as thin as a cicada’s wings, lightly dipped it, and placed it in Lily’s dish.

"It’s a small matter, not a big deal, now the rats are forced into a corner and have come out in full force. Once we deal with them, every problem ceases to be a problem."

Lily blinked her beautiful eyes, picking up the piece of meat with her chopsticks and eating it, then sighed and said,

"Sage, Sela Bais is an island producing spices; the special spices needed for our food cans are all produced from that island."

Bam!

Sage suddenly crushed his chopsticks, his face immediately turning grim, "You’re talking about Meteor Spice?!"

Lily nodded, "And a large amount of Octagonal Star, without this spice, our can production drops significantly. Moreover, Doflamingo called to say that Meteor Spice has appeared on the black market."

"Damn it! It’s outrageous!"

Veins bulged on Sage’s forehead, "That’s my Meteor Spice! That’s my cargo, my money! That guy Marco... set sail, set sail immediately!"

Lily pursed her lips; she knew Sage could never remember the island’s names.

"Understood, I’ll go prepare for the expedition later. But, Sage... I know the Meteor Spice is precious, but if it’s just for selling cans, is it really necessary? Our people on the territory all have enough to eat and don’t eat poorly either."

On the sea, each island, due to climate and ocean territories, has its own specialties.

Especially on the Grand Line, where overlapping specialties on islands don’t exist.

Sela Bais is such an island, newly conquered after Sage and Big Mom ended their conflict, originally under Whitebeard Pirates’ domain.

This island has two specialties, one is Meteor Spice, said to originate from a crater created by an ancient meteor impact, altering the land’s properties, allowing a special spice to be cultivated in the pit.

This spice has an exceptionally rich flavor, perfectly blending any taste, achieving the perfect harmony of contrasting ingredients.

The taste is explosively delicious.

The price is far beyond gold, always a prized commodity, more rare than the annual sea salt produced after the ’Water Gods’ from Water Seven every year.

Of course, after conquering the island, this spice became Sage’s personal supply, only any excess would leak from his hands.

However, besides the rare Meteor Spice, the island also has an accompanying spice called ’Octagonal Star.’

This spice is also excellent, and it has a great function... it can preserve food.

Back then, Sage, who understood the use of this spice, immediately founded a canned food factory.

This is the point Lily does not understand.

It should be known that O’hara’s wealthy products rank first in arms, and second is food.

They do not lack food.

"Lily, some things are not simply determined by whether they’re filling or economically beneficial."

"Everything here is mine, so of course I can let my people plant and fish. On my turf, the lack of food is only for a few, even if there is a lack, merchants who circulate internally can take the food to sell, because food is abundant."

"But you have to know, they can afford meals because they have salaries to buy them, where do the salaries come from? Of course, it’s because they have work."

"The Octagonal Star thing, except for that food-deficient island of Sela Bais, is not needed elsewhere; if you don’t give them work, how much can they plant themselves? If they plant less, there’s nothing to do!"

"Let the people of Sela Bais plant spices, use the preservative feature of Octagonal Star and combine it with food to make canned food, this will create jobs, allowing more people to have salaries."

"Just like the shipyard and weapons factory of Radhi. What’s the use of iron ore? It only has value when used to make weapons, now there’s one more factory that can make canned food, so there are more jobs, significantly boosting internal demand."

"With expanded internal demand, I collect more taxes, and those people have work to do, rather than being idle and bored, gathering to express someone desires to become Pirate King, and then becoming pirates."

Doing so is troublesome, but for many things, it must be done this way.

Within his territory, food is abundant; for those opposing canned food, many resist because who would eat preserved food when fresh is available?

However, with no demand, then create demand.

As long as it tastes good, people will buy one or two when idle, and gradually create a trend of it being served on tables.

Moreover, this isn’t meant for Sage’s territory, rather it’s largely for selling elsewhere.

Like arms, food is a tight commodity.

Preserved long-lasting food, it sells even better.

Sage’s territory does not lack food, while the open sea and other places face famine.

Increasing internal demand allows more people to have jobs, and ensures these people are stable, bring in more tax. What’s not good about it?

Stability cannot be achieved just by words.

Those idle and unable to find work are incredibly destructive.

A group of physically capable folks, not many, about a dozen is enough.

Among them, one proficient in battle, another knowledgeable in navigation, and someone shouting ’I want to become Pirate King’, or saying ’I have an idea’...

Then a pirate group emerges.

Sage rolled his eyes and said:

"I damn couldn’t get anything done, failed to fulfill my landlord’s dream, that’s why I resorted to becoming a pirate."

"I certainly wouldn’t want my people to follow suit, if everyone became a pirate, what joy would there be for me? If the whole world became pirates, who would there be to rob?"

Lily nodded thoughtfully, "I understand..."

"Learn well and observe carefully, now you’re the chief steward, in the future, initiate such things by yourself. I’ll tell you, selling raw materials is unambitious, processing them and selling products is the future, then more people can have jobs." Sage said.

"But we’re short-handed."

Lily thought for a while, then said, "Right now due to labor issues, our output remains at a bottleneck, Dof called last time, wanting to increase goods, but we can’t do it."

The total population of O’hara is two million.

In the past, this population was certainly not small. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

But since Sage started the industrial chain, it is completely insufficient.

Because many hands are needed.

On Vice Island, though the Little People Race is planting, along with the volcanic fertilizer from the affiliated island Vak Nogray, crop yields are high, but relying only on them, not to mention selling externally, even supplying Sage’s current territory is insufficient.

The suitable planting Vice Island needs manpower for planting.

Mining needs people, weapon making needs people, logging needs people, shipbuilding needs people...

And those independent small merchants and handiworkers within the territory, the demand for labor is growing ever larger.

Resulting now that production can only be maintained at a certain number.

"Being short-handed is better than having a surplus of workers; what is there to fear, my goods do not lack buyers, wait until Whitebeard is pushed back, incorporate the planned forces completely, and slowly recruit people." Sage waved and said, "With such a long time, my plan should also be completed."

Swallowing half of Whitebeard’s territory, this is the longest plan Sage has ever made.

But also the most rewarding.

"Will the whole army move out this time?" Lily asked.

"Make a big show of it!"

Sage clenched his fist, his eyes showing fierceness, "The entire army will move out, I plan to twist Marco’s head off and make it into a pineapple-shaped specimen drinking bowl!"