After buying various groceries and clothes on the island with the naval branch, we returned to the Odyssey and set sail again.
I had only managed to locate two Devil Fruits so far, and both were Zoan-types. I wanted to find more, so I pulled out [Jack Sparrow's Compass] and headed in the direction the needle pointed.
After about two hours of sailing, the currents around us turned strange, and an island came into view. The compass needle was spinning wildly again, so I teleported onto the island and began searching for a Devil Fruit.
While combing through the island, I spotted a familiar-looking fruit.
"Wait—this is the Flame-Flame Fruit!"
That meant this had to be Sixis Island. I stood there, holding the Flame-Flame Fruit, weighing my options. Since Ace was supposed to eat this in the original story, taking it myself could change everything.
"Eh, who cares!"
I thought it over for a moment, then ate it on the spot. Truthfully, I'd never liked Ace. Because of him, countless people had died or been injured.
"Strangely, a lot of women seem to love Ace."
I never really understood it. He was cool, and he was Luffy's brother, but his actions were still reckless.
Now that I had eaten the Flame-Flame Fruit, maybe Ace wouldn't rely on a Devil Fruit power and would actually mature a bit.
Then again, would he still be Ace if he did? Regardless, I finished the fruit and teleported back to the Odyssey.
With that done, I headed straight for the East Blue. I could have kept hunting for more Devil Fruits, but the odds of finding another good one were slim. It was time to focus on securing a base. I also needed to start producing goods to sell.
After about four hours of travel, we finally arrived at Loguetown. My plan was to buy the supplies we needed here and bring them back. I gathered everyone aboard the Odyssey.
"We've reached Loguetown. We won't be near a major city for a while, so buy whatever you need. Keep a close eye on the kids, and don't split up. Stay together no matter what. If anyone gets kidnapped this time, I might not be able to save them."
"Yes!"
We all held hands, and I teleported everyone into Loguetown. The town's security was decent, but I couldn't afford to let my guard down. Every one of my crew members was striking enough to be sold as a slave, so anything could happen.
Just as I expected, we drew attention the moment we walked through the streets. The women tried to ignore the stares, clutching the children's hands tightly as they followed me.
Our first stop was a clothing shop. Each person picked out what they wanted, and since it was mostly women shopping, it took a while. Merry took charge of choosing the kids' clothes.
Next, we hit the market and bought a massive amount of food supplies. It felt like we'd cleared out half the stalls.
We weren't just grabbing randomly, though—Lan helped us pick out only the freshest, highest-quality ingredients and a few new items we hadn't seen before.
After that, we went to a jewelry store and sold off some Sea-Prism Stone. Once again, we made more than we spent. The kids were getting tired from all the walking, so we took a break in what looked like a plaza and bought everyone ice cream.
That was when a group of men approached the women and started harassing them.
"Ooh, aren't you pretty? How about you have some fun with us?"
They sounded like third-rate villains spouting cliché lines. The women, remembering their past abductions, froze and trembled without saying a word.
"Hey! Don't touch my employees."
Puhahahaha!
I shouted, and the men doubled over laughing, clearly amused.
"A prince on a white horse? Trying to play hero because there are women around? Puhahahaha!"
I closed the distance in an instant and started beating the apparent leader senseless.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Agh! Stop! It hurts—stop!"
A few of them tried to back away and run, but I used to yank them back and beat the would-be escapees first.[Telekinesis]
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Agh!" "Kugh!" "Save me!"
Once I'd roughed them up enough, I forced them to their knees.
"Everyone, repeat after me. Manners!"
"Manners!" "Manners!" "Manners!"
"Make!"
"Make!" "Make!" "Make!"
"The!"
"The!" "The!" "The!"
"Man!"
"Man!" "Man!" "Man!"
"Hey! Your voices are too quiet. Want to get hit again?"
"No, sir."
"Louder, all together!"
"Manners make the man!"
Passersby smirked and walked on. With that commotion, the Marines arrived. One of them had a cigarette in his mouth—it had to be Smoker. I didn't see Tashigi. Ten years ago, so that made sense.
"We got a report of a disturbance."
"It's nothing serious. These guys were—"
I explained that they were harassing my women and that I was giving them a lesson. The women behind me backed up my story.
"I see. Understood. Take them away!"
"Yes, sir!"
At Smoker's order, the Marines hauled off the kneeling thugs.
"You're a new face around here."
"I'm a merchant. Here's my World Government certificate."
I pulled out my merchant certification and showed it to Smoker. He read it and handed it back.
"I see. You're not a slave trader, I hope?"
He glanced at the women behind me and seemed to misunderstand. The women and children quickly ran up to clear things up.
"No, we're employees."
"He's a good person, mister!"
"R-right. Got it. Fall out!"
Smoker looked momentarily flustered, then gave the order and withdrew with his Marines. After that incident, the women stuck even closer to me.
We moved on to a bookstore and bought books on ingredients and cooking, along with fairy tales and educational books for the young girls. We finished up by purchasing a few high-quality Transponder Snails. After a headcount, I teleported everyone back to the ship.
They were exhausted from being on edge all day, so they each found a sofa or chair and rested.
The kids went to their rooms and fell asleep immediately. I let them rest and, since we'd reached the East Blue, raised our altitude and began scanning for a large, uninhabited island we could use.
After searching for a while and having the AI generate a map, I spotted an uninhabited island between Loguetown and the Baratie. I went down to check it out. The size was perfect, and there was clean water at the center of the island.
"This is the place."
I docked the ship along the shore, and everyone came out to look around. The kids ran along the beach, and I warned them not to go too far. Using,, the [Rumble-Rumble Fruit], and [Matter Manipulation],
I lifted massive rectangular sections of seawater and converted them into stone, building a wall around the entire island.
With seawater everywhere, I could construct it without using the island's own resources. Still, the sheer scale meant it would take time.[Control][Telekinesis]
It took a full week to complete a seamless, 20-meter-thick, 40-meter-tall wall of high-density granite. It was sturdy and polished smooth so it couldn't be climbed easily.
Inside, I raised the terrain and began constructing a large building on the elevated ground. It wasn't ultra high-tech, but I installed proper boiler and air conditioning systems, plus running water and sewage.
Naturally, I built a separate research facility in the basement beneath my office and personal quarters.
To defend against attacks, I built an enormous ship lift at the entrance—like a modern canal lock. By raising the water level, large ships could enter the harbor. This way, pirate ships couldn't sail straight in and attack.
It took nearly a month to finish the base. During that time, the women taught the children and cooked meals.
They all shared painful memories, so there were no major conflicts. For security, I used drones I had built in the MCU. There were hardly any pirates in the East Blue who could use Observation Haki, so for now, drones were sufficient.
With the base complete, I gathered the women and began production. With seven adults and three children, our pace wasn't fast, but with the drones' help, we could package goods while still getting plenty of rest. Pirates occasionally came near the island, but I teleported over, cut their throats in an instant, and absorbed their lifespan.
One day, it wasn't pirates but Marines who arrived. I saw Garp waving from the deck, so I used the ship lift to bring their vessel up.
"Long time no see. You're Taejin, right?"
"Long time no see, Vice Admiral Garp."
We shook hands. Garp suddenly tightened his grip. He always liked to test his strength like this. I wasn't going to lose, so I squeezed back.
"Heh heh heh, you really are strong."
"Ha ha ha, you're no slouch yourself, Vice Admiral Garp."
We had a brief test of strength, then let go.
"We came because a large structure suddenly appeared. Just checking in."
"I see. This is a production base where our merchants make goods to sell. We don't have many employees yet. It was only built recently."
"I see."
I introduced the staff. Since there weren't many of us, it didn't take long.
"Nothing but beauties. You're a lucky man."
"Ha ha ha, it just turned out that way while I was rescuing them. I'm also planning to run an orphanage. Could I get the Marines' help?"
"Oh? In that case, could we send war orphans and homeless children here?"
"Of course. We're short on hands anyway, and I've already built a school for the kids. There's one more favor I'd like to ask. Could you send someone to teach martial arts? Security is still weak since the base is new, and everyone here is a woman."
"I see. I'll talk to Headquarters. They'll agree if it means looking after orphans. And I'll ask them to reduce your taxes."
I figured that topic would come up eventually. The tax in the One Piece world—the Heavenly Tribute—funded Marine operations and the Celestial Dragons' allowances. Since I had no intention of opposing the World Government yet, I didn't argue.
"Oh, and this is a liquor we produced. Please try it."
I had also made alcohol—large batches of well-aged, high-quality liquor I'd brought from the MCU. Most alcohol in the One Piece world was rough and high-proof due to underdeveloped brewing techniques. Mine was also strong, but it was smooth and refined.
Garp took the glass I offered, savored the aroma, and took a sip.
"Oh—this is excellent liquor. Delicious. The aroma is exquisite. Could I get some to take with me?"
"Of course. By the way, how is Luffy doing?"
"That kid's the same as ever. Won't train and just runs away."
Garp seemed in a good mood from the drink and kept smiling as he talked. Maintaining a good relationship with the Marines was a relief.
We agreed to keep in touch via Transponder Snail before parting ways. I sent their Marine ship off with three barrels of MCU-grade premium German sausage and liquor as gifts.
A few days later, Garp contacted me.
—The World Government approved it. They'll send orphans, and for the time being, the Marines will patrol and support you, so don't worry. I gave them one of the barrels you gave me, and that sped up the approval. They'll only take 30% tax, and they want the rest paid in liquor.
"I'm glad it worked out well."
—I pulled some strings, so send some liquor to Marine Headquarters. And the sausage. Everyone who tried it loved it.
"Understood. I'll send it over."
A few more days passed, and the Marines arrived with the children. Surprisingly, the vice admiral they sent was Aokiji Kuzan. Hina was with him too.
"You're Vice Admiral Aokiji. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you. You're the merchant Taejin, right? The liquor we had at Headquarters was so good I came myself. This is Commander Hina. I brought her along as a martial arts instructor for the kids."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Taejin. I'm Hina."
It was ten years ago, so Hina was still a commander. Just like in the original, she had long pink hair and wore sunglasses. She was quite tall—well over 180 cm. My face seemed to work on her too; she greeted me with a faint blush.
"You really are as handsome as the rumors say. Hina usually sees men as stones, but seeing her blush makes me jealous."
At that, Hina turned away and covered her face with her hands.
"Hina… isn't flustered."
First, I guided the Marines and the orphans to the dining hall and served them a meal. I'd prepared it in advance. I'd been researching ingredients and cooking, and I'd stored the excess dishes in my inventory because I couldn't handle the volume.
"Oh~ this is delicious. I could stay here forever."
"Hina's moved. It's so good."
"The liquor's great, the working ladies are beautiful… is this heaven? Can I stay here?"
"Of course. As long as you don't mess with the female staff."
"That's… could you let that one slide?"
Watching the Marines and orphans eat happily put me in a good mood. For dessert, I pulled ice cream from my inventory.
"Even dessert is delicious."
"When you retire, come here. I'll make a job for you. You can teach the kids."
"Ara ara… retiring from the Marines… now that's tempting."
"Hina's disappointed."
I wasn't just saying it. If he really did retire, coming here would be better for Aokiji than joining the pirates.
From that day on, Hina taught basic martial arts to the kids and staff, and Aokiji mostly drank and flirted with the employees. I scolded him once, and he got sulky and drank even more.