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In Byakuya's office, when he saw Smoker and Tashigi, there was an unspoken joy in his eyes.
Not for any particular reason, but simply because he now had two more people who could steadily provide World Source Power.
Even if it only averaged 1 or 2 points a day, that was enough for Byakuya. It was better than nothing.
Lacy, on the other hand, was somewhat surprised to see Byakuya and Smoker together.
He didn't expect that despite both being Rear Admirals, Smoker would be transferred here and become Byakuya's subordinate.
Lacy had heard of Smoker's reputation, especially since he was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. Such a person was well-known throughout the Mariness.
Yet here he was, serving under Rear Admiral Byakuya. It seemed that Chief Instructor Zephyr really favored his student, Byakuya.
Yes, Lacy still believed that Byakuya's rise to Rear Admiral was largely due to Zephyr's influence.
Meanwhile, Quake and Fergus, after witnessing how Byakuya treated Smoker, felt grateful for Byakuya's leniency toward them.
In the training camp, they were only beaten once a month. But Smoker and Tashigi? Byakuya would thrash them from dawn till the next dawn if he could.
This comparison made them appreciate Byakuya more than ever.
Of the three conditions Sengoku had promised Byakuya, two had already been fulfilled.
"Fergus, when will the 'Adam' tree branch that can become the ship's keel arrive? That old guy Sengoku won't renege, will he?"
After realizing that Sengoku had used him, Byakuya's attitude towards him became increasingly casual.
At these words, everyone instinctively wiped away cold sweat. In the Marine, only Byakuya and Garp would dare to speak like that.
Fergus replied, "I inquired, and it should arrive in a week."
Although the Marine Rear Admiral's warship was decent and had Sea Stone on its bottom to avoid Sea Kings' attacks, it still wasn't as good as a ship built with the 'Adam' tree branch combine with Sea Stone.
If they were going to build a ship, they might as well make the best one. "A week more?"
Byakuya pondered. "Lacy, how much money do we have left in our branch's funds?"
Lacy, well-versed in the branch's administrative affairs, answered without hesitation,
"Only... three million Beli left."
"Three million Beli? How come there's so little left?"
A naval branch base having only three million Beli was less than the bounty of some slightly prominent pirates in the East Blue.
Lacy explained, "We originally had over 80 million Beli, but after that incident, almost all of it was used as compensation."
Everyone immediately understood why there was so little money left. "Didn't the higher-ups allocate more funds to you?" Byakuya asked.
"They were supposed to, but the exact amount hasn't been decided, and we don't know when the money will arrive."
The branch was severely lacking funds!
Byakuya needed money to build ships and buy famous swords, but the base only had three million Beli, which was far from enough.
He had less than five million Beli left in his system space and with naval salaries being disbursed only once a year, and four months to go until the year's end, waiting for the salary was not feasible.
(T/N: Once a Year?! If I got salaries Once a Year, I quit immediately.)
If Byakuya weren't wearing his Rear Admiral uniform, he might have considered going out to rob a few people.
No wonder so many people turned to piracy; earning money through legitimate means was just too slow.
Suddenly, a bold idea flashed in Byakuya's mind. Yes, I'm in the Marine, I can charge 'reasonable' fees.
The three islands under Byakuya's jurisdiction were lawless zones, and none of the inhabitants were clean.
According to Byakuya, even if you killed everyone on the islands, the chances of mistakenly killing an innocent person would be less than one percent.
"Lacy, inform all the businesses on these three islands that they must pay me ten percent of their monthly profits," Byakuya ordered.
"What?" Lacy was stunned. "Isn't that just protection money?"
Byakuya smiled and admitted, "Yes, it's protection money. Tell them that every transaction needs to be recorded with the time, place, person, and amount."
"If they underreport their earnings, their entire business will be confiscated."
Lacy, still in shock, said, "But... but there's never been such a rule!"
Byakuya replied nonchalantly, "That was before I came. Now that I'm here, the rules will change."
The reason this area was allowed to become lawless in the past was mainly because its power structure was complex.
With the Four Emperors, Shichibukai, underground forces, and even members of the World Government involved.
Any action here would be very troublesome.
Moreover, the Sabaody Archipelago is a crucial entry point for pirates entering the New World.
Every day, a large number of pirates come here, making it impossible to completely clear them out.
The Yonko of the New World wouldn't allow the Marine to block this entrance entirely, as they need a constant influx of "fresh blood."
The Marine observes that many pirate supernovas die at the hands of the Yonko after entering the New World.
Why bother stopping them when you can just let the pirates tear each other apart?
This mutual compromise and tacit understanding among all parties have led to the current lawless state.
"Rear Admiral Byakuya, if we really do this, what if those merchants move to other islands?" Fergus raised a practical concern.
These people aren't fools; they all have two legs. If they can't stay in one place, they'll just move to another.
After all, there are 29 islands in the lawless area of the Sabaody Archipelago. Business is business, no matter where it's conducted.
"You've reminded me," Byakuya said, pulling out a Den Den Mushi from the drawer and calling Sengoku right in front of everyone.
The Den Den Mushi slightly transformed, mimicking Sengoku's appearance with round glasses and a goatee.
The imitation was spot-on. Everyone watched in astonishment as Byakuya casually tugged on the Den Den Mushi's simulated goatee.
This was the Fleet Admiral of the Marine! "Byakuya, what's the matter?" Sengoku asked.
Byakuya got straight to the point, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I want to manage islands 1-29 of Sabaody."
"Either transfer the current personnel elsewhere or make them my subordinates. You choose one of these options."
Standing nearby, Smoker and the others were shocked by Byakuya's casual demeanor and straightforward words.
Is this really how you talk to your superior's superior's superior? It sounded more like he was giving orders to his subordinates.
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