Udon, the prison quarry.
Under the pouring rain, members of the Beast Pirates stationed here were all exposed in the open quarry.
Their lifeless bodies were at the mercy of the relentless beating of the wind and rain.
For Nicholas and his group, this quarry siege was undoubtedly effortless.
Although the enemy had numbers, the time from the start to the end of the battle lasted less than three minutes.
Nicholas' side didn't even engage in any direct confrontation with these people.
Brook lightly prodded one of the Beast Pirates lying on the ground with his cane sword, his eyes constantly moving in their sockets, his tongue hanging out like a pet cat waiting to be petted, and commented with a touch of emotion, "Yo-ho-ho, what terrifying abilities, Miss June. With ample preparation time, I reckon toppling the entire world wouldn't be much of a challenge."
After speaking, Brook tilted his head slightly and looked towards the sky.
Nicholas and June descended from above.
Previously, it was June who effortlessly overturned all the members of the Beast Pirates in the Udon quarry using her abilities.
After a moment, the two landed in front of Brook.
"Captain, there are quite a few free laborers locked up there."
Brook pointed towards the direction where the prisoners were held in the quarry.
Nicholas glanced in the direction indicated by Brook, using his Observation Haki, his eyes displaying a red light.
With normal vision, it was impossible to see how many prisoners were held in the cells.
But with Observation Haki, Nicholas could quickly gather enough information.
Utilizing the effects of Observation Haki and the abilities of the Thunder Fruit, Nicholas easily "saw" the many prisoners crowded in the cells, as well as a few prisoners held separately.
"Brook, go and release them. If they're willing to stay and work, let them register afterwards. If not, let them leave directly."
"Understood."
Brook had no objections to Nicholas' decision and walked straight towards the cells.
After a while, a large number of prisoners of various backgrounds, dressed in prison clothes, emerged from the cells and stood before Nicholas.
"These Beast Pirates...!!!"
When these prisoners, clad in prison attire, arrived at the open space in the quarry and saw the many Beast Pirates lying motionless on the ground, many of them wore expressions of resentment.
Every day spent imprisoned in the quarry was a hellish existence for them.
When the doors of the cells were easily severed, although they were mentally prepared, witnessing the Beast Pirates lying helplessly on the ground filled them with shock.
"Yo-ho-ho, the gate's right there. If you don't want to stay for 'work,' you can leave now."
With cane raised, Brook, leading the prisoners, pointed towards the open gate.
Upon hearing Brook's words, the prisoners exchanged glances, and even some familiar faces began whispering to each other.
They were not fools. With many Beast Pirates lying along the path to the gate, an invisible psychological pressure weighed heavily on them.
Moreover, no one knew whether Brook and the others genuinely intended to let them go or were playing with them.
It was like a cat playing with a mouse before killing it, always exhausting the mouse completely.
But most importantly, these people were promised food and wages as long as they worked, a condition they couldn't refuse. Considering that Udon had been occupied by the Beast Pirates, these people and their families had hardly had enough to eat.
Someone saying they would get food and pay for work was an offer they couldn't refuse.
One minute passed.
Most of the prisoners watched and waited, while only a small group showed signs of restlessness.
Time ticked by, and soon, several minutes passed.
Eventually, the small group of prisoners took tentative steps forward. When they realized no one was stopping them, their slow pace gradually quickened until they were practically running.
Only when they had run several hundred meters out and deemed themselves safe did they dare to stop and collapse on the ground, gasping for breath.
These people were all once part of Udon's ruling class. Now that they had the chance to escape that hellhole, they didn't hesitate for a moment.
The reason they hadn't acted earlier was simply because they weren't sure about Brook and the others' intentions. Thus, even though they were eager to leave, they didn't dare to act rashly.
Seeing the previously departing prisoners encountering no mishaps, other prisoners began to stir as well.
Meanwhile, Brook squinted as he watched the prisoners standing in place, whispering among themselves, but he made no further moves.
Eventually, after another group left, only about two-thirds of the prisoners remained in the quarry.
"It seems like all of you want to stay and help. Don't waste our time then. First, return the shackles that were placed on you by the Beast Pirates."
"..."
After a brief silence, the prisoners quickly got to work, returning the removed shackles to the Beast Pirates.
"I believe you'll soon be grateful for the decision you've made. Now, let's get to work. Finish today's tasks, and you'll receive food or wages. You can go find your families afterward."
Watching the awaiting prisoners, Brook spoke up.
In the distance, Nicholas, who was observing the quarry, turned around to look at the busy prisoners.
For Nicholas, Udon was a strategically important location.
Furthermore, with the development efforts of the Beast Pirates, from mining, processing, to forging, it could be said to be a complete operation.
With the assistance of the prisoner laborers, it didn't take long for all the weapons in Udon to be gathered in one place.
"Very good. Those willing to continue working can come back tomorrow with wooden tokens. Now, go collect your rewards for today."
The prisoner laborers completed their tasks, and Brook fulfilled his promise, allowing the food prepared by Hakumai and the others to be brought to the quarry.
As each laborer received their reward, many of them were astonished—not because it was too little, but because it was too much.
At the same time, many of them clenched the wooden tokens in their pockets.
In the quarry, a large number of pre-prepared weapons and seastone shackles piled up like mountains.
Although they hadn't been counted, there were enough weapons to arm an entire kingdom's army.
In this world where the demand for weapons was high, these weapons represented an astonishing quantity.
And these weapons could be exchanged for many scarce resources.
After all, with weapons, what couldn't be obtained?