About half an hour later, Gawain sat directly below the stage, constantly flipping through the reports that Kalifa and Lucci had sent over.
During Wapol's years in power, the Drum Kingdom had long since ceased all census work.
Wapol only knew how to plunder enough money from the common people and use that money to bribe the Mary Geoise in exchange for the Drum Kingdom's stable participation in the Reverie.
As for how many people and families are under his jurisdiction, the male-to-female ratio, the age-to-generation ratio, and whether it is healthy, etc.
How could Wapol possibly consider those things?
Just like in the world before I traveled through time, whenever a king loses concern for his common people, the country's internal living conditions will always continue to plummet into the abyss.
Because everything exists in the population proportions and tends to be unbalanced, such as the increase in aging population, the decrease in the number of newborns, the decrease in the proportion of marriageable-age ordinary people, the increase in DINK (double income, no kids) families, etc.
If you want to analyze a country's problems using data...
Therefore, all the issues raised in the appeal directly address the core of all social problems and provide the most valuable data for analyzing the national situation.
Thus, after visiting a series of islands such as Sabaody, Jaya, and Sky Island, the Dark Bird Ship had long since developed the habit of conducting a population census as soon as it arrived in any place where management was involved.
Looking at the report in his hand, Gawain sighed softly.
"The number of newborns in the port town of the Drum Kingdom is simply incomparable to the number of elderly people."
The ratio between them is almost double digits!
After speaking, Gawain handed the report to Kalifa.
"Hurry up and spread the investigation, from one town to one township, until the situation of magnetic drums is clarified nationwide."
If the population is insufficient, we can recruit more young and able-bodied men to supplement the needs of the Dark Bird Ship.
Although we have defeated Wapol, the Drum Kingdom will not return to normal overnight.
Therefore, the common people here should have a certain degree of goodwill towards going to sea and joining us at this time."
"Yes, sir!"
Kalifa nodded slightly, then leaned down and whispered in Gawain's ear.
"However, sir, should we provide the Drum Kingdom with some level of support?"
If needed, our supplies are insufficient, and we may even need to replenish them in the Drum Kingdom.
As for the subsidies for Beli...
"Partial subsidies can be provided, but they are not very meaningful. With the aging population so severe, what can stimulate eligible men and women to marry and have children is not money, but a stable and secure life."
In response to Kalifa's question, Gawain replied softly.
"Apart from that, we don't need to provide any support to the common people of the Drum Kingdom, because they haven't been driven to the point of destitution by Wapol yet."
Crops are still being grown on their land, and basic commercial and industrial chains have not been disrupted.
Wapol deprived them of too much, but at least he left them with a foundation.
Therefore, aside from improvements in healthcare, the Drum Kingdom can barely be considered an ordinary country with well-developed infrastructure.
At this point, Gawain pondered for a moment, then continued speaking to Kalifa.
"Integrate the twenty doctors who were spared by Shiryu in the castle, and at the same time, notify the islands and countries under our direct jurisdiction, requesting them to send a certain number of doctors to the Drum Kingdom."
Why don't people who can guarantee a basic standard of living get married? Clearly, they have been deprived of the vital guarantee of medical care by Wapol.
Whatever they lack most, I will give them that for now, and that's all I'll give them.
In that case, on the one hand, they will be even more grateful for what I have given them; on the other hand, as they gradually forget what I have given them, they may very well try to get more from me.
This isn't a great approach, but it's the best way to ensure people remember and aspire to be like me before we publicly dismantle the Drum Kingdom.
So, just do as I say.
After speaking, Gawain nodded slightly to Kalifa thoughtfully withdrew from Gawain vicinity.
After Kalifa left, Gawain looked towards the stage.
Uta, as always, sang her heart out; her voice always stood the test of time.
After spending more time with her, Gawain also learned that Uta had eaten the Music-Music Fruit.
It is a Devil Fruit that can use music to bring people into the dream world created by Uta, in Uta people will live the way Uta hopes.
Of course, if Uta were to awaken, people would wake up from Uta's dream.
On the other hand, if Uta doesn't actively activate and use her abilities, she can also use the power that comes with the Devil Fruit to guide people's dreams simply with her singing.
Therefore, anyone who has attended Uta's concert will not only have a faint, beautiful fantasy at the scene.
They might even have a truly wonderful dream while they rest that night.
This is one of the reasons why Uta is known as a world-class songstress.
As for other reasons, it's simply that Uta's singing voice is indeed beautiful.
After all, Uta doesn't just sing live; she also has recorded CDs.
If she sings terribly, who would buy her CDs that aren't exactly dreamlike?
In short, looking at Uta on the stage, Gawain chuckled and waved his hand. He noticed that Uta was looking in his direction the whole time.
Sure enough, as he waved his hand, the two buns on Uta's head immediately started to bounce.
The next moment, Uta's voice grew slightly louder, and her dance steps gradually became more rapid.
The little girl is getting quite excited...
Just as Gawain was looking at Uta, a laugh came from behind him.
"My lord, Dr. Kureha's things are packed, and she and Chopper have arrived."
I'll go and deliver the things to the Dark Bird Ship right away."
After saying that, Yixiao picked up the Gravity Blade, along with various instruments and books, and flew towards the Dark Bird Ship.
As he approached, the doctors on board the Dark Bird Ship, who were prepared in advance, began to pack Kureha's belongings.
In a typical hospital, the doctors might be unhappy about the appointment of a new hospital director.
But as a doctor of the Celestial Dragon who came from Mary Geoise.
For them, obeying orders is everything, and surviving even one more day is a victory.
Therefore, no doctor expressed any dissatisfaction with Kureha's arrival.
Meanwhile, in front of the dock stage, Gawain looked at the little reindeer in front of him with interest.
Chopper followed closely beside Kureha, nervously clinging to Kureha leg.
Looking at the little guy's behavior, Gawain raised his hand and made a beckoning cat gesture, waving at him.
"Hello, Chopper, this is our second meeting, right? I'm Gawain."
"From now on, I'm your captain, so you'd better follow my rules, Tony Tony Chopper."
"Hey hey hey???"
Upon hearing Gawain's words, Chopper's adorable eyes widened in surprise.
"Are you the captain?"
It certainly looks impressive!
Captain, I... I am Chopper, the human Chopper!
I'm really not a reindeer, so please don't eat me!!!
"Ha ha!"
Gawain was amused by Chopper's innocent expression and gently patted Chopper's head.
"I brought you aboard my boat just to eat you up. After all, no matter how much you emphasize it, you're still a reindeer."
So..."
At this point, seeing Chopper's suddenly bewildered expression, Gawain waved to Shirahoshi in the distance.
"Shirahoshi!"
"I'm here~~~!"
Shirahoshi, who was playing cat's cradle with Vivi, threw the red rope down and looked in Gawain's direction.
And in front of Shirahoshi, just as Shirahoshi lowered the red rope.
Vivi was on the verge of tears.
She was wearing a large, tattered red rope, and she was talking sadly to herself.
"I'm so stupid, why would I play Shirahoshi's cradle with Shirahoshi, who's over nine meters tall?"
That red rope of hers, which was over 1.5 meters long, was absolutely outrageous!
The longer the red string, the more patterns you can make!
I really brought this upon myself, boohoo~~~."
Ignoring Vivi's crying, when Shirahoshi looked at Gawain gently pointed to Chopper, whose face was covered in cold sweat, and said...
"Shirahoshi, here's a talking reindeer, your favorite flavor!"
"Huh?!!" ×2.
Upon hearing this, Shirahoshi blinked in confusion, while Chopper simply fled into the distance.
Watching Chopper dash away on his short legs, fleeing into the distance, his disheveled yet endearing figure only made him more adorable.
Shirahoshi's eyes immediately blazed with fire.
"A reindeer that can talk? How amazing!"
Hey, don't run away, let me take a good look at you!!!
And so, Shirahoshi embarked on her journey to chase Chopper.
As for Chopper...
Looking at Shirahoshi's towering height, which seemed too large for several pots to hold, Chopper ran while repeatedly slapping his own face with his front hooves.
"Oh no, oh no, Dr. Kureha has really made a wrong decision!"
Doctor, didn't you say they don't eat reindeer?
But I'm practically on their dinner table!
Baka~~~!"
Amidst a panicked cry, Chopper swiftly rushed into the forest, with Shirahoshi following closely behind, their friendly exchange never faltering.
What exactly is this friendly exchange?
Having vaguely grasped Chopper's personality, Shirahoshi was probably muttering about a hundred ways to cook reindeer, a rather morbidly humorous topic.
Otherwise, Chopper wouldn't have been so scared that he cried...
Watching Chopper and Shirahoshi disappear one after another, Kureha stubbed out her cigarette and burst into laughter.
Gawain simply smiled and took out his wine gourd.
"Take a sip of your drink, "Gawain said to Kureha.
"See, Dr. Kureha, we do have someone on our ship who can get along with Chopper."
Are you talking about that enormous Merfolk?
I just found out you have these kinds of guys on your ship.
Haha, she's so cute! No wonder she's Merfolk.
I haven't seen Merfolk in ages!
At this point, Kureha gently tossed her hair.
"The last time I saw a foreign race was probably more than sixty years ago."
My mother was still very young back then.
After a trip on the sea, the old woman returned to her hometown, completely satisfied. But just as she passed by the Little Garden...
Haha, this is hilarious! Two junior giant pirates named Brogy and Dorry are actually fighting in that Little Garden.
It's one thing for the two of them to fight, but they also overfished the Sea King in the area from Little Garden to Winter Island.
Haha, on my island, most of the food came from those giant Sea King, and as a result, those two have driven all the Sea King in the area to move away!
So, in the end, I gave them both a good scolding.
That was the last time I saw a giant.
After saying that, Kureha picked up the bottle and took a satisfying sip.
Beside him, Gawain took a sip of his drink with Kureha, and then he was about to say something.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, Shakky suddenly walked towards them from a distance.
As they walked, Shakky frowned and spoke to Kureha.
"Sakura (Sakura)!!!"
Peony?!
Kureha, who was standing nearby, was also extremely surprised when she saw Shakky. She immediately stood up, holding her wine bottle!
"How did you get here?!"
"The doctor they were talking about is you?!"
After exchanging greetings, Shakky remained silent for a moment, then simply sat down next to Gawain.
She looked at Kureha and asked hesitantly.
"When everyone arrived at Winter Island, I felt that this place was somewhat familiar. It turns out that this is your hometown."
I should have known better; sigh, you haven't shown up for far too long.
It's been so many years, at least sixty years, hasn't it? You had already retired by the time I was working for the Rocks Pirates...
"Yes, Peony."
Kureha said slowly.
"Unlike you guys, I don't want to keep wandering between one pirate crew after another for some sense of mission."
That kind of life is very boring.
"Ha, only a madman would enjoy the unchanging killing and bloodshed year after year, wouldn't he?"
"Yes..."
Shakky nodded, then gave an amused look. She habitually rested her chin on her left hand while taking out cigarettes with her right, offering one to each of Gawain and Kureha.
Shakky lit a cigarette and said with a smile.
"Anyway, it's been a long time, you crazy old woman."
"Haha, long time no see, elegant assassin and intelligence agent, Peony."
Speaking of you, I'm reminded of Stussy. How's she doing lately?
I heard she's doing quite well, is that true?
Kureha asked Shakky.
Upon hearing this, Shakky turned to look at the distant sky.
"Originally, she should have been doing much better than me, right?"
After all, she managed to get into the Cipher Pol, became a CP0, and incidentally even became the queen of the Underworld Queen of the Pleasure District, tsk tsk.
But now?
Shakky narrowed her eyes, then reached out and put her arm around Gawain's shoulder.
"Now that I'm working for our captain, it seems I'm doing a bit better than her."
What do you say, Gawain?
"Certainly."
Gawain smiled and agreed with Shakky's statement, then glanced at both Shakky and Kureha.
After a moment, he couldn't help but ask.
"So, you two have always known each other, you are both..."
At this point, Gawain looked intently at Shakky.
"Are you all the kind of people you described?"
"Of course, we're more like androids than humans, but I don't think we're any different from humans."
As Shakky spoke, she took a deep drag on her cigarette, then continued thoughtfully.
"As for the differences between us, haven't you seen them yourself, Little Gawain?"
We have completely different souls, just like this guy always has this wicked sense of humor about making his face look like that, haha!
"Cut!"
After being teased by Shakky, Kureha shrugged dismissively.
"Don't you guys have any perverse tastes?"
You yearn for prosperity, yet you prefer seclusion, so you always live in the most bustling places.
Stussy craves status but prefers having a boss, so she's never in charge and is always just someone else's teammate.
And that damn guy, haha, the one who always likes to pretend to be a child.
Ah, it's been so long!