A week later, I went to Shimotsuki Village to pick up the swordsmanship instructor. Zoro charged at me again, so I gave him another thorough tickling.
After that, I brought the instructor back. Since training in the open field would be difficult, I built a dojo building next to the orphanage.
Thanks to Hina's diligent teaching, the kids and staff had improved their stamina, so there was no problem starting swordsmanship training.
A few months passed, and I got a call from Iceburg saying the ships were finished. I teleported to Water 7 to pick them up.
"Oh~ nice. I like them."
The merchant ships were painted a harmonious mix of white and sky blue, with gold trim here and there. The overall design was quite sleek.
"I'm glad you like them. And since you mentioned a ship was sunk by pirates, I added a device."
Following Iceburg's lead, I went up on deck to check the device. To put it simply, it stored pressure during operation and could release it for a sudden burst of speed.
It wasn't enough to make the ship fly like the Sunny, but it would let them escape an area quickly if they encountered pirates.
"I was worried about pirates, so thank you."
"Hahaha, not at all. We haven't had customers lately, so thank you for ordering from us."
"I'll be sure to ask you again next time."
I paid the balance and stored all three ships in my inventory. Iceburg was surprised, but when I said 'Devil Fruit,' he just let it go.
The problem was that I didn't have anyone to operate these ships yet, but the orphanage kids were growing up, so we should be able to run them in a few years.
Three years had passed since I came here. Merchant's Island grew steadily, and because there was too much work for drones alone, I built an automated packaging machine.
Unlike the satellite, this was large-scale and I wanted to conserve parts in my inventory, so it took time. The precision components especially took a while because I had to use [Mind's Eye],,, and [Matter Manipulation] simultaneously, which required intense focus.
It was even more work since I had to make things I could've just bought from the MCU.[Control][Telekinesis]
A lot happened over those three years. Thanks to Merchant's Island, Loguetown's economy exploded. It was close, so merchants often rested there, and to shorten production time on the island, I ordered everything that could be made in the One Piece world from Loguetown.
Part of our revenue flowed into Loguetown because of that. Several staff members and the widows working at the orphanage were all from Loguetown, too.
Because of that, various problems started popping up in Loguetown, and I heard rumors that Smoker was having a hard time. I just smirked at the news.
Three years had passed, so the older kids were helping with various jobs. Not all of them, though—some left to chase dreams, and others joined the Marines because of grudges against pirates. It wasn't just kids leaving; new ones kept coming in from wherever wars kept breaking out.
Because of that, a small village began forming in the island's open space for orphanage graduates and staff. I commissioned the houses from Loguetown and personally installed the water, sewage, and electrical systems. It might get crowded someday, but for now we had room.
"Boss Taejin, we're running low on real swords. Loguetown sometimes gets good quality ones, but the rest are unusable."
"Really? I'll stop by the Isshin Dojo."
To be precise, it was the branch of the Isshin Dojo built on the island. I headed over.
"Master, I heard the sword quality is poor."
"Yes, Boss. Take a look."
The master showed me the swords. I checked them with [Mind's Eye]—the iron quality was low and the grain was uneven. If they fought pirates with these, they'd break after a few uses.
"Hmm… got it. I'll handle it quickly."
We hadn't been attacked by pirates since the island was first established, so I hadn't thought about weapons. Now that orphanage graduates were appearing, I needed to make weapons for them.
I started arranging elements uniformly and used [Matter Manipulation] to forge swords. I engraved the kanji for 'Advance' (進) stylishly on the blade. After swinging them a few times to check, they seemed fine, so I went to the dojo and asked the master to test them.
"How are they?"
The master swung the sword a few times and flicked the blade with his finger to listen.
"Any issues?"
At my words, the master finally sheathed the sword and said,
"These are excellent blades. Sharp, high-quality iron, and I can tell how many times they were folded—the grain is uniform and there are no impurities. It's like listening to beautiful music."
I got a good review from the master. I immediately made 50 identical swords—30 for the dojo, 10 for staff who used swords, and 10 as emergency reserves.
While I was at it, I made firearms too. Not everyone excelled at swordsmanship or martial arts. I wanted to give them another option.
Firearms in the One Piece world were basically trash. They used flintlock ignition, had no rifling so accuracy was terrible, and the gunpowder was low quality, so firepower and range were pathetic.
The reason development stalled was because of 'Haki' and Devil Fruits. Against anyone with a name, guns didn't work at all, so they were only used by grunts.
That's why there were very few strong people who used firearms. It was a world where fists were stronger than bullets, so it couldn't be helped.
I made revolvers for their simple operation and durability, and Winchesters for long-range sniping. I gave them to staff and orphanage graduates who were interested in shooting and trained them.
For the kids who switched entirely to firearms, I personally trained them in [Gun Kata] whenever I had time. I had no choice since only I knew it.
A few months passed, and I remembered my promise to Luffy, so I decided to visit Foosha Village for the first time in a while. When I arrived, Luffy was walking with a boy who had freckles and slightly curly black hair. That had to be Ace.
"Hey~ Luffy!"
I called out, and Luffy smiled and greeted me warmly.
"It's been a while, bro. When'd you get here?"
"Just arrived. Who's this?"
I already knew, but I played dumb and looked at Ace.
"This is Ace! We're sworn brothers."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Taejin. I'm a merchant."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ace."
I pulled Chupa Chups from my inventory and gave one to each of them.
"Oh~ this is that candy I had before."
Ace didn't know what a Chupa Chups was and just stared at it, but Luffy lit up, unwrapped it, and started licking it right away. Seeing that, Ace unwrapped his and put it in his mouth.
"It's good."
Ace's expression brightened after tasting it.
"Hahaha, right?"
I noticed Luffy and Ace's clothes were shabby and a bit torn, so I pulled out clothes and shoes from my inventory. I'd brought spare clothes for the orphanage kids.
"These are gifts."
Luffy and Ace unfolded the clothes and loved them. I'd picked them out based on their tastes.
"Wow~ thanks."
"By the way, have you eaten?"
"Not yet."
"Then let's go to Makino's place. Business has been good lately, so I've made a lot of money. I'll buy you guys whatever you want."
"Awesome!"
We went to Makino's bar. When we walked in, Makino recognized me and greeted me warmly.
"Oh my! It's been a long time, Mr. Taejin."
"Good to see you, Makino. We're here to eat. Please make whatever Luffy and Ace want."
"I see. Then I'll show off my skills again!"
While Makino cooked, I told Luffy and Ace stories about all the places I'd traveled.
"I want to become a pirate soon and go on adventures too."
"If you're thinking that, you need to get strong fast. The sea is full of powerful people. There are lots of dangers, and if you go out half-baked, you'll die."
"Hehehe, don't worry. I'm training hard."
After eating at Makino's place, I left a tip and gave her a barrel of the island's liquor as a gift.
"That was delicious. We'll come by again when we're in town."
"Please do. Next time, I'll treat you to a free meal."
"Haha~ I'll definitely have to come back, then."
We left the bar and sat somewhere with a good view of the ocean to rest. I gave them ice cream for dessert.
"Wow~ this is good too."
"Where do you keep pulling stuff from?"
Ace asked, curious that I kept producing things out of thin air.
"It's a Devil Fruit ability."
"Luffy ate a Devil Fruit before and became a rubber human. Is it the same?"
"That's right. But each fruit has a different power. So, about Devil Fruits…"
I gave Ace and Luffy a simple explanation of Devil Fruits.
"So there are a lot of strong people on the sea with weird powers from Devil Fruits?"
"Yeah. So if you ever run into them, don't let your guard down and fight."
Just then, the Transponder Snail in my bag rang.
Pururururu
"What is it?"
—Boss, Baratie says they're out of liquor.
"I see. Got it."
I brushed off my pants and stood up.
"Looks like work came up. I should get going. I'll come again. If you see Vice Admiral Garp, tell him I said hi."
"Got it. Thanks for today."
I waved goodbye, walked to the shore, and teleported to Baratie.
Baratie was close, and I'd delivered food and liquor here several times. I'd gotten a lot of advice on quality ingredients from 'Zeff.' When I arrived, young Sanji was cleaning the deck with a bump on his head.
"Sanji! Good to see you. You know how to cook yet?"
He glanced at me, then kept cleaning and said,
"Cooking? I just get beaten every day. Anyway, what's up today? Here to deliver? What about the pretty ladies who came with you last time?"
This kid had always been like this since he was young. He didn't care about guys. He was talking about the staff who came for a company dinner once. I ruffled Sanji's hair and said,
"You brat, at least say hi when I show up."
"Ugh! It hurts where I got hit! Stop it!"
"I'll bring the pretty ladies for dinner next time."
At that, Sanji's face lit up with a big smile.
"Really?"
"Yeah, it's been a while since we had a company dinner."
"You're the best, bro!"
He only calls me 'bro' when it benefits him. Just then, Zeff called me from the window.
"Taejin! The customers are raising hell for liquor. Hurry up and deliver."
"Yes, yes, I'm coming."
I went through the back door into the restaurant, pulled out liquor from storage, and the staff quickly carried it out. Baratie bought the most premium liquor in the East Blue.
"And the meat and vegetables…"
I pulled out the ingredients Zeff ordered. Zeff checked them and said,
"Hmm… Ingredients ordered from Merchant's Island are always good quality and consistent, so they're easy to cook with."
"All thanks to your advice."
"With advice like that, the quality of what you deliver changes, so it's good for us too. Wish Sanji would take after you."
"He's still young."
"What are you talking about? I was getting beaten with sticks at that age and learning."
One Piece really was a world with no regard for human rights. Zeff handed me the payment.
"I called you urgently, so I added a bit extra."
"Thank you. And I was thinking of holding a staff dinner here next month. Would that be possible?"
"Let me see."
Zeff went out of the storage room and checked the calendar. He rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, then showed me the calendar and said,
"A group canceled a late reservation, so 8 PM on this day is open. Otherwise, you'd have to wait months."
It was 15 days from now. Sooner than I expected, but it couldn't be helped. It was that popular a restaurant.
"Understood. Let's do it."
I returned to Merchant's Island and announced the dinner date to the staff. The day arrived without incident. Hina and the Marines agreed to watch the island for a while. I pulled out one of the merchant ships I'd ordered from Water 7, loaded the staff and the swordsmanship master, and arrived at Baratie. There were few men, and most were beauties who had dressed up and done their makeup, so the restaurant looked brighter.
Seeing that, Sanji was already bleeding a little from his nose. Once the staff were seated, I stepped forward and spoke.
"I hate giving long speeches at times like this. You've all worked incredibly hard for three years. Thank you, and I look forward to your continued efforts."
"Woo~ Boss is the best."
"I love you, Boss!"
With that, the food and drinks started coming out. Sanji came over to me, almost in tears.
"Bro, I've never seen a sight this beautiful. Can I work on Merchant's Island once I'm a better cook?"
"Hahaha, didn't you say something about 'All Blue' last time?"
"Urgh… Damn it!"
Just then, a beautiful female staff member approached and said to Sanji,
"You must be the fun little chef the boss mentioned. You're cute."
"Y-yes! I'm Sanji. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Chef."
The female staff member smiled and extended her hand for a handshake. Sanji's face turned red as he shook her hand.
"Haah~ Bro, this place is heaven, isn't it?"
Then an adult chef came over and flicked Sanji on the head.
Thwack!
"You brat, you should be taking orders! I let you work the hall today because you begged, and you're slacking? Sorry, Boss Taejin."
"Hahaha, it's fine. It was fun."
The adult chef dragged Sanji away. We enjoyed the food, laughed, and had a great time before returning to the island. The next day, we served the Marines a special meal and liquor as thanks.
It had been five years since I arrived here. I occasionally caught pirates during deliveries and rescued people being sold, so Merchant's Island's population grew a lot, and with more orphanage graduates, the village kept expanding.
We could now operate our own security force and one merchant ship. To improve the staff's skills, I held a martial arts tournament once a year for motivation.
Today, I got another order and teleported to the Ilisia Kingdom to deliver it. When I came out, the atmosphere in the kingdom was tense.
I asked a resident what was going on, and they told me Nico Robin had appeared and the guards and Marines were searching for her.