Now that things were somewhat settled, I checked if there were any injured crew members. Other than bruises and minor cuts, there were no serious injuries.
"Hina was right. I guess I was being overprotective."
"See? I told you!"
I first divided the captured pirates into two groups. On the left were the 'Peace Mains' (Adventure Pirates), and on the right were the 'Morgans' (Plunder Pirates).
"You pirates on the left, listen up. You are welcome to come and rest here anytime. We'll also sell you goods without discrimination, so don't worry and come buy."
Saying that, I ordered the crew to release the Peace Main pirates. Then the Morgan pirates on the right began to riot.
"Merchant King! Why aren't you releasing us!"
"Release us too!"
"You've done too many dirty deeds. I can't let you go."
I pointed to the Morgan pirates and said.
"That guy over there has attacked many villages, massacring residents and selling women into slavery. The one next to him is notorious as a sex offender. The one next to him treats killing people like a game. Now, tell me. Why should I spare trash like you?"
Then a pirate said to me.
"You guys have also turned your backs on the World Government and become pirates. We're in the same business, so don't do this."
I instantly compressed the pirate who said that into a marble the size of my thumb. Everyone watching, whether Peace Main or Morgan, was shocked.
"Gasp! How can that be..."
Ignoring their shock, I continued.
"You misspoke. We are merchants, not pirates. You trash! Now, any other reasons? Why I should spare you?"
I asked again, but they just looked at each other, unable to answer. The first guy who answered ended up like that, so they were hesitant to speak.
"None, then."
"Wait!!"
"Spare us!!"
KWA-GA-GAK!!!
I slowly opened my palm, then clenched my fist with all my might. At that moment, the tied-up Morgan pirates were compressed into a single mass, instantly turning into a lump of flesh the size of a volleyball. I used telekinesis to lift the blood orb and threw it toward the sea. When I released the pressure, the compressed energy turned into explosive force, and the blood orb burst with a loud roar and disappeared.
BOOM!!!
"Messy fireworks."
The people who saw this trembled and broke out in cold sweat. Many also wet their pants.
After that incident, even the Peace Main pirates began to leave Mock Town in a hurry. Seeing that, Hina said to me.
"Wasn't that too harsh? They're all leaving."
"Don't worry, it was intentional. As you said, we needed to show this much to the pirates so they wouldn't underestimate us. And the pirates who left in a hurry will spread rumors and do some free advertising. Now, not only pirates but also merchants will come."
"Do you think so?"
Just then, a large, well-built middle-aged man with a mustache approached me, trembling despite his size, and introduced himself.
"I-I am the merchant representative of Mock Town. What will become of us now?"
"Do business as usual. I have no intention of kicking you out, and there will be no taxes."
"But now even the pirates won't come..."
"Don't worry. From now on, even more people will come to Mock Town."
Indeed. When word spread that I had set up shop here, many merchants would come in droves to buy our goods and liquor.
From that day on, we began building a three-story sales outlet on the coast connected to Mock Town, equipped with a port, warehouses, and lodging facilities for the crew to rest. Since I supplied the materials from my inventory, it didn't take much time. And while we were at it, we also did some minor cleanup of Mock Town's streets.
Now that I had established a base on this island, the floating population would increase. I thought it would develop on its own, even if I didn't force it. So I focused only on the sales outlet and posted a large warning sign at the port for everyone to see.
『Combat prohibited within Mock Town. The moment you violate this, your journey ends here. - The Merchant King』
About a week later, the sales outlet was nearly completed. Merchants had been lining up in front of it for two days already, waiting to buy liquor. Rumors certainly spread fast. After unloading the goods, we sent the merchant ship back to Merchant Island, leaving only a few behind for sales.
"Really, just as Taejin said... There's already a line."
Hina said incredulously, looking at the long line of merchants.
"Right? Our goods are that popular. And merchants smell money faster than anyone."
Because of the waiting people, we opened the sales outlet early and began selling liquor and goods. They sold so quickly that they were sold out within a day, making us incredibly busy. And we weren't the only ones busy. The merchants who, just five days ago, couldn't believe my words and lamented that Mock Town was doomed were now also swamped with the influx of people.
When the second merchant ship arrived, Hina said she would return to Merchant Island on it. As she was responsible for teaching the children, she couldn't leave the orphanage for long.
A few days later, a welcome guest arrived.
"Hey~ Long time no see, Taejin."
"Long time no see, Kuzan. Did you come on business or for fun?"
"Both."
Kuzan arrived alone on his bicycle. I handed him a cup of tea. As he drank, he spoke.
"I should talk about business first. There's a vacant spot for a Warlord of the Sea. Sengoku-san recommended you."
"That vacancy would be Crocodile's old spot, right."
"Yeah, he was defeated by a rookie. Defeat is not permitted for a Warlord."
I thought for a moment, then said.
"I don't plan to join. It seems like the Warlord system will be abolished anyway. I don't want to be on a sinking ship."
In the original, the Warlord system is indeed abolished. But since I couldn't say that directly, I spoke as if I were predicting.
"Ara ara... I thought you might say that. Honestly, I don't think the Warlord system will last much longer either."
"Then why did you come to recommend it?"
Kuzan scratched his head sheepishly at that.
"Ahaha, sorry. Still, it's better to be a friend than an enemy, right?"
"Is Sakazuki-san okay?"
"Yeah, he's fine. He returned to duty after a week in the hospital. Of course, there was an uproar in the Marines because of that incident."
We sat and talked about various things. From what Kuzan said, it seemed that, as in the original, he had run into the Straw Hats on his way here and given them a bit of a hard time.
"How's Merry?"
"She's fine, running her clothing shop on Merchant Island."
"I see."
At that, Kuzan seemed a bit bitter.
When our conversation ended, Kuzan prepared to leave.
"Wait a moment. Let me pack some liquor for you to take."
"Oh~ That's good news. Pack plenty."
I filled a wooden box with high-quality liquor, added a few sausages, and handed it to Kuzan. He tied the box between the saddle and handlebars of his bicycle.
"I should come more often. Your liquor has become so expensive that it's hard to buy."
"I'm still selling at the same price. But there seem to be many middlemen jacking up the prices."
"I guess so. Anyway, see you later. And I hope you don't hate the Marines too much. Everyone has their circumstances."
With that, Kuzan rode off on his bicycle. But I didn't understand why he said not to hate the Marines at the end. Even though he knew I didn't hold any ill feelings toward them.
A few days after Kuzan left, the construction of the sales outlet was finally completed. But Mock Town was still in the middle of construction. With the increasing number of visitors, there was a boom in expansions everywhere, including hotels and bars. Even pirates, wary, began to come and buy goods. As long as they didn't cause trouble, I didn't bother them.
'Now that things have stabilized, maybe I should go back... I miss my wives.'
The sales outlet was operated by orphanage graduates. Most of them were top-ranking fighters from the tournament, so leaving it in their hands seemed fine. Besides, they had Den Den Mushi, so if something big happened, I would be contacted immediately. There was also the problem that the goods we had prepared for sale were running out.
'I'm a bit worried about how the Marines will react.'
Just as I was thinking about returning to Merchant Island, another visitor came to the sales outlet. He was also a Marine. His uniform had holes all over, his fingernails were missing, and his body was covered in burn scars. It was impossible to imagine what he had been through. He was, literally, covered in wounds. Looking closely, this was a kid who had graduated from the Merchant Island orphanage and joined the Marines.
"Boss! Please, save our friends!"
As soon as he saw me, this kid cried out.
"Calm down first. Let me treat your wounds, and then I'll listen."
I treated his wounds and prepared a meal for him. He began to eat ravenously, as if he hadn't eaten in a long time.
"So, what happened?"
After he had eaten enough, I asked.
"After the incident on Merchant Island, we orphanage graduates who were in the Marines actively protested. The Marines, many of whom had ties to Merchant Island, seemed to accept our protests. But then, a group wearing white masks and suits appeared and started arresting us, claiming we were a group instigated by Merchant Island."
A group wearing masks and suits could only be Cipher Pol, the World Government's covert intelligence agency.
"We didn't resist. But we were all taken somewhere and brutally tortured, incessantly interrogated for information about Merchant Island. Many of our friends couldn't endure it and died."
Given what had happened on Merchant Island, the World Government must have needed information, leading them to commit such atrocities. Against the kids who had worked hard for the Marines until then.
"So, where are they now?"
"Having decided there was no more information to extract, they were sent to Enies Lobby for trial and then to be imprisoned in Impel Down. I escaped during the transfer to Enies Lobby with the help of my friends to report this. Some have already been imprisoned in Impel Down, and the others are probably waiting at Enies Lobby for their trials."
The courthouse at Enies Lobby is a courtroom in name only. In its 800-year history, no one has ever been acquitted. It's just a show trial. If you're tried at Enies Lobby, you can consider it a direct trip to Impel Down.
"What was the Marines' response while you were being taken?"
"No... I don't know if it was to avoid getting involved or if the World Government pressured them, but there was no response."
Just in case, I read the memories of the kid who had escaped. It was all true. Now I understood why Kuzan had said what he did before leaving.
"The Marines and the World Government are both something else. You rest here and recuperate. When the merchant ship comes, go back to Merchant Island for proper treatment."
"Please... save my friends. I beg you."
"Okay, leave it to me."
I told the staff and left the sales outlet, teleporting to Enies Lobby. I didn't even use [Stealth]; I barged right through the front gate. I was extremely angry.
BOOM!!!
"Intruder!!"
"Get out of my way!"
As I swung my hand, the surroundings began to be devastated.
KWA-KWANG!!!
"Kaagh!!!"
"Spare me!!!"
I swept away all the defenders of Enies Lobby and advanced inside. There were two giants guarding the entrance, but they were just caught in my attack and blown away.
Then, the Cipher Pol agents and the Law Enforcement Guard dogs came out to stop me, but it was useless.
BOOM!! CRACK!! BANG!!
"Kuagh!!!"
"Keugh!!!"
"Th-This can't be... The Merchant King is this strong... We can't stop him! Request backup immediately!"
When a Cipher Pol agent in white gave instructions to those around him, I quickly approached him, grabbed his head with great force, and began reading his memories: how many Merchant Island-origin Marines were captured, and the location of the holding cells for criminals awaiting trial. The agent, unable to endure, grabbed my hand and arm and began to scream.
"KAAAARGH!!"
"Commander!!"
After reading enough, I squeezed my hand and crushed his head.
CRACK!
The Cipher Pol agents were horrified.
"For the commander to be taken down without even putting up a fight..."
"This is impossible..."
Ignoring the agents, I shook the brain matter off my hand and used the [Limitless] technique to devastate everything in my path. The agents, now with no will to fight, were busy running away to avoid getting caught in it.
KWA-KWA-KWANG!!! KWA-KWANG!!!
"Get away!!"
"Damn, he's not human..."
Continuing on, I arrived at the large building in front of the courthouse. Using 'Blue' of [Limitless], I tore away part of the building and the ground connecting it to the prison cells. Now, no one tried to stop me.
"Gasp! Boss!!"
The Merchant Island-origin Marines in the prison cells were surprised and very happy to see me.
"Let's go. Don't stay in this trash heap any longer. Back to Merchant Island."
"Yes, sir! Understood."
With that, they wept as they gathered the wounded and began to come out. Then, even the pirates and others of unknown origin who had been imprisoned there rushed out. They also thanked me.
"Merchant King, thank you. I will repay this kindness."
The Cipher Pol agents, unable to do anything because of me, just watched in a daze.
I immediately took 'Maxim' out of my inventory next to Enies Lobby, loaded the island-origin Marines and the other people, and began to rise into the sky.
Whether it was good timing or not, a loud noise came from the front gate of Enies Lobby. I went to the railing of the Maxim and looked towards the sound. There, Cipher Pol CP9 was dragging Franky, and the Straw Hats were chasing after them.
"Say you want to live!!!"
Luffy shouted at Franky. Then Franky, crying, shouted back.
"You bastards... Who asked you to come rescue me!!! I want to live!!! I want to live!!!"
Seeing that, I grimaced and squeezed my eyes shut.
"Hah... Fuck... My eyes..."