"Is there something you need from us?" Andy asked cautiously.
Noah smiled as he sat across from him. "You're a smart man. Frankly, you and your people are of little value to me. But I respect your dedication as a doctor, and helping you is a way for me to put my own will into practice."
"My will?" Andy was confused by Noah's reasoning.
"When you're poor, you take care of yourself; when you're strong, you help the world. I'm saving this country simply because I have the power to do so. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here."
"When you're poor, you take care of yourself; when you're strong, you help the world?" Andy repeated the phrase, feeling the weight of Noah's powerful presence.
Beside him, Melai wiped her tears, pleading, "If you're willing to save Flevance, I will lead the people to raise 10 billion Berries for you."
Flevance was not a poor country. As a World Government affiliate, the commoners were quite wealthy. If given a few months, they could likely raise that amount without much trouble.
But time was not on their side. The coalition army from the four neighboring kingdoms was set to invade Flevance in two weeks, and the king had already fled, leaving for a vacation in the Drum Kingdom on the Grand Line with his trusted followers.
Before Andy could respond, Noah interrupted.
"Let me give you some news: the four kingdoms surrounding you are tightening border security. Take a look at this."
Ari pulled out a Den Den Mushi and played a recording of discussions between military officers from the neighboring kingdoms.
After watching the footage, Andy and Melai were stunned, feeling like they had been plunged into an icy abyss.
"How could this happen?"
"Haven't we already explained the situation with the Amber Lead disease to them?" Andy questioned, his voice shaky.
Noah shook his head with a smile. "Naive. Do you really think those four kingdoms are acting on their own? I looked into your country's Amber Lead exports over the past few years. In 1490, you exported 1,270 tons. That's now dropped to 288 tons. That is why you're being wiped out."
"What?" Andy's mind raced.
"Amber Lead wasn't just the lifeblood of Flevance; it also fed the neighboring kingdoms. They've been transporting and processing the Amber Lead, exporting goods worldwide and reaping massive profits.
"But as your citizens began dying from Amber Lead poisoning, and especially after the disease was exposed, many local miners refused to continue working, which caused a sharp drop in production.
"With that loss of revenue, those four kingdoms are now faced with the prospect of raising taxes to maintain their nobility's lavish lifestyle. If they don't raise taxes, the aristocrats will have to cut back on their extravagance.
"At this point, all it takes is a little nudge from the World Government, and they'll set their sights on Flevance. Once they wipe out your population, the hundreds of billions of Berries hidden among your citizens will fall into the hands of the four kingdoms—and the World Government."
After Noah's explanation, Andy and Melai were drenched in cold sweat.
As Andy reflected on the past, everything Noah said made terrifying sense. As a doctor, Andy had often traveled to neighboring kingdoms to purchase medicine. In recent years, the merchants' attitudes had grown increasingly cold, and even entering their countries had become difficult, with constant inspections and harassment.
"Please, you must have a way to save Flevance! I'm willing to do anything!" Andy pleaded.
"I have a power that allows me to seal people. While sealed, their bodies are in a state of suspended animation. That's one option, and it's currently the best way to save the people of Flevance on a large scale."
Andy's eyes lit up with realization. "A Devil Fruit power? I see… That could work. If we can buy enough time, we might be able to find a cure or wait for medical advancements to save them."
Noah nodded. "The second option is to use the Op-Op Fruit. This Devil Fruit has the ability to cure Amber Lead disease, but I haven't found it yet."
In truth, Noah had a third method in mind. By using an extract from IQ Grass combined with Barton's immense life force, he could stimulate the body's potential and flush the Amber Lead from their systems.
However, this method consumed a vast amount of life force. With Barton's current reserves, there was no way he could save the more than 80,000 citizens of Flevance.
That's why Noah preferred the first option—for now—and planned to find the Op-Op Fruit later to provide a permanent cure.
Andy quickly made up his mind. "What should I call you?"
"Just Noah. And this is Ari. We're from the Noah family."
"The Noah family?" Andy had never heard of them, but at this point, he didn't care about such details. "Noah, how can we help?"
"I intend to recruit you as doctors and researchers for my family. As for the rest of the people of Flevance, just gather them under the pretext of medical checkups. Leave the rest to us."
"That should work," Andy mused. "We should start with the White Stone Village in the outskirts. The city, with its population of over 30,000, would be much more difficult to manage without drawing attention."
They discussed the plan for over two hours.
Before dawn, Noah sealed the 130 orphans in the hospital, along with Andy's two children, Law and Lammy.
Then, Andy and his wife, with Noah disguised as a hospital worker, made their way to White Stone Village, 11 kilometers away.
In less than three days, the 13 villages surrounding Flevance were completely evacuated.
Now, only the 30,000 residents of the city and the 5,000 people in the mining town remained.
As for the mining town, Noah didn't plan on using the "free medical checkup" excuse. The town was directly controlled by the king, with hundreds of thugs hired by the king to oversee the miners.
Late at night in the mining town...
Mary, Lilith, Ari, and Jay worked together.
Jay released a dense network of graphene threads, quickly sealing off the entire town like an airtight web.
Lilith unleashed a paralytic toxin, rendering everyone immobile, including the Den Den Mushi hidden around the town.
Mary was in charge of reviewing each person. Those with a long history of violent crimes were executed on the spot with a single swift stroke. Those who were relatively clean were transported by Ari to a temporary underground facility, where Noah would seal them.
It took two full days to clear out the mining town, during which Mary executed 536 overseers, thugs, and managers with serious offenses.
Meanwhile...
In Flevance City, Noah, Andy, and the others began sealing single residents and those living alone.
Once Mary finished her work in the mining town, Noah led his family in taking full control of the city.
To prevent leaks, Jay covered the entire city in a fog of graphene.
The soldiers stationed at the palace and the remaining royal attendants were subdued by Noah and Lilith immediately. The truly corrupt were dealt with, while the rest were sealed.
Within three days, Flevance was emptied. All valuable gold, silver, jewels, and Berries were looted by the Noah family.
After an initial count, the Noah family had amassed 836 billion Berries in cash and 1,600 billion worth of gold and jewels.
And this was despite the fact that the king of Flevance had taken a significant portion of the treasure when he fled. Had he not, the haul could have easily doubled.