Chapter 141: My Territory
Facing Rodney, who seemed like a god descending from the heavens, Griffin initially wore a despondent expression. However, he quickly shrugged it off. After all, how could there not be a day like this when he had roamed the seas for so long?
With this thought in mind, Griffin's despondency gave way to determination. He broke free from Rodney's suppression, leaped backward, and his black sword tore through the air, thrusting directly at Rodney.
He had no intention of escaping because he knew these people would never let him go, just like how they had killed his crew members.
Instead of waiting to die, he'd rather fight honorably.
"Ah ah ah!!!"
He roared, launching a desperate attack on Rodney, where it was either Rodney dies, or he dies; there were no other options.
"It's truly the distinctiveness of this world," Rodney commented, "Roaring like you've taken some kind of drug. Well, I guess that's what makes it a passionate world, right?" As he casually conversed, he deftly parried Griffin's attacks.
The Lightning Release Armour not only granted him formidable physical strength but also remarkable reflexes, allowing him to perceive the attacks clearly. He was no longer worried about his body lagging behind.
"Die, Griffin. I've seen through your moves."
It wasn't accurate to say that he had grown tired of Griffin's attacks, but he had learned all he could from them. Any form of martial arts would not be overlooked by Rodney if it could be copied.
Regardless of whether it was useful or not, he would learn it first.
Shusui's blade veered away from Griffin's black sword, and Hanae left a bloody mark on Griffin's neck with its chilling aura.
"Hah..."
Griffin clutched his throat, blood spraying from his mouth. Just before death, a glint of determination flickered in his eyes as he attempted a final, desperate counterattack.
His movements were swift, but Rodney was even faster.
Swoosh!
Shusui entered Griffin's mouth and pierced through his brain. "Die. You have no value to me."
Indeed, for Rodney, Griffin had no value. He realized this when Griffin killed all his crew members. Griffin displayed no sorrow or anger when his own friends were killed, which indicated that he treated his crew members as expendable tools. It was as simple and ruthless as that, and a man like that had no reason to stay.
As Obito once said, "Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum!"
Rodney wouldn't give someone like Griffin any chances.
"Alright, from now on, this place is ours."
He chuckled, proclaiming his dominion over the area.
Next, they would deal with Availton, rounding up all the pirates and gathering the townspeople in the square.
"Yo-ho-ho-ho, ladies and gentlemen! The rule of Availton is now entrusted to the Warlord of the Sea, Mr. Rodney! We promise not to oppress you any longer! Normal citizens here won't be taxed, and you won't be forced to do anything you don't want to. With Mr. Rodney here, Availton will be at peace, and we'll have blue skies!"
"Now, let Mr. Rodney come and speak to us."
Sparse applause echoed from the residents below.
Rodney walked up with a confident stride, his eyes intimidating, arousing a sense of fear. It seemed like another ruler with a terrifying gaze had arrived, but these people had grown used to it. Who didn't rule like this nowadays? What Brook had just mentioned piqued their interest. If they truly didn't have to pay taxes, it would greatly improve their lives.
Rodney cleared his throat and said, "I came to Availton today for two reasons. First, to make this place my territory. You'll be under my protection, and as long as you don't break the law, I'll deal with anyone who bullies you. It's that simple. You can live here normally. If you do business, we'll take a monthly cut based on your personal income, just one percent. There will be someone to keep track of. In short, I'm here to make money! Money! Damn right, money!"
As he finished speaking, there was a murmur of discussion below. One reason was that Rodney's conditions seemed too good to be true, like going from hell to heaven in an instant. The other reason was that it seemed too good, almost too good to be true, making it hard to believe, as if they were dreaming.
At this moment, a brave soul raised their hand and asked, "Lord Rodney, with conditions like this, we can't offer you much money. What can you possibly gain from this?"
Indeed, taking just one percent wouldn't yield much, so what was Rodney's motive? Did he have some ulterior motive?
Rodney sneered and said, "I never thought about making money from you poor folks! I'll make money from whoever has it! Don't overthink this; just follow me, and if there's money to be made, we'll make it together. I won't harm you; I can promise that. If you're afraid, you can leave Availton immediately. Those who want to make money can stay. Who stays? Who leaves?"
He looked down at the people below, and while they wore hesitant expressions, there was no sign of anyone leaving. He nodded and said, "Good. Since none of you have chosen to leave, I'll consider you all under my command. This is my secretary, Robin. Who will take charge here?"
A middle-aged man with graying hair raised his hand and said, "I'm Duncan Carl, Lord Rodney. I used to be the town's security officer."
However, his role as a security officer became meaningless after Griffin's pirate crew arrived.
"Alright, you'll work with Robin later. Have someone clean up the battlefield, repair the houses, and maintain the status quo for now. Reiju, Brook, let's go capture those pirates. Try not to kill them; capture them alive. Understand?"
"We got it. No need for deadly poison this time," Reiju said with a smile as she left, and Brook swayed away.
Rodney split himself into duplicates and captured all the pirates who remained on the island. Those with bounties would be taken to the nearest Marine base, and Rodney would collect the bounties.
At night, Rodney stayed in the newly renovated room and held a meeting with a few people.
"Robin, what's the population of Availton, and do we have any basic information?" They needed to confirm the local population first before proceeding with further development.
"The permanent population is twenty-three thousand four hundred and forty-six. The people attending our meeting today are only a portion. Apart from security officer Duncan Carl, there are a few other security officers as well. Managing things might be chaotic in the beginning."
"That's fine. We'll establish a supervision bureau, and anyone caught breaking the law will be sent to hard labor. I'll draft some rules later, and we'll follow those. Reiju, how are Availton's medical resources?"
Reiju shook her head and said, "Poor and inadequate. Normally, they can only handle minor injuries like gunshot wounds. For major illnesses, they might have to go out to sea to find a physician."
Availton's medical resources were limited because people in this world generally had good health. Minor illnesses usually healed on their own over time, and serious diseases either led to death or required journeys to distant lands for treatment, which sometimes resulted in death during the lengthy quest for a cure.
Furthermore, most of the patients they received were pirates, who had robust constitutions and typically suffered from external injuries.
"I see. We'll have to hire doctors at high salaries later and invest in medicine and infrastructure. Sister Slug can only treat external injuries. We don't need to rush this; Brooke, what about education resources?"
"I'm sorry, Lord Rodney, but I didn't see any schools or educational facilities."
Availton was a place that needed significant development.