At this point, Kizaru curled his lip, successfully making his image even more sleazy.
Beside him, Gawain nodded slightly and said in a deep voice.
"From the Grand Line to the Sea Room, the difference in the quality of navies is quite astonishing."
The routes in the Four Blues are much safer than those in the Grand Line, the weather is relatively more stable, and the number of branches in the Four Blues far exceeds that in the Grand Line.
Even so, the efficiency of the Four Blues naval operations was less than a third of that of the Grand Line operations.
After speaking, Gawain shook his head with a sullen face.
"Such qualities do indeed have some significance in terms of replacement. Disarmament and expansion of the military are never good things in any era, but compared to the present situation where continuing would inevitably lead to something worse, has the path of disarmament first and then expansion become a kind of consensus within the navy and an inevitable future?"
After saying that, Gawain let out a frustrated sigh, then looked up at the sea.
"Forget it, we already have far too many troublesome things to think about today."
Let's stop thinking about it and get back to preparing the food.
Compared to the future, tonight's needs are clearly more important. I don't want to see another tragedy like cannibalism reported on this island, which is already on the verge of reconstruction, in just a few days!
At this point, Gawain stopped chatting with Kizaru and silently threw one giant sea fish after another onto the shore.
Kizaru felt the same way. Although he was used to seeing similar things, the more he saw, the less he wanted things to continue to get worse.
In this silent and oppressive atmosphere, time passed, and gradually, a ship suddenly appeared on the distant sea!
Upon seeing the ship, Kizaru smiled wryly and said...
"Saint Gawain, your Little Dark Bird was indeed the first to arrive."
"Um."
Gawain nodded, then stopped what he was doing and looked towards the Little Dark Bird in the distance.
At this moment, the Little Dark Bird was firing at full power, using the Coup de Vent almost the entire time. The whole ship seemed to be on steroids, and it stopped in front of Gawain in no time.
As soon as the ship stopped, Lucci and Kalifa jumped off the deck and knelt heavily before Gawain.
"Grown ups!"
The two said in unison.
Gawain waved his hand gently.
"Stop being polite, let's get to work. There are too many difficulties here. Do as much as you can."
By the way, do you have a doctor and a cook on your ship?
"There is one ship's doctor and two cooks!"
Kalifa immediately responded to Gawain's words.
Upon hearing Kalifa's reply, Gawain nodded with a stern face.
"I understand, but then again, it's pointless for me to ask this question."
Even if the entire crew of the Dark Bird Ship arrived, it would be difficult to offer much help at this time, let alone your single ship!
At this point, Gawain waved goodbye.
"Get to work!"
"Yes, sir!"
Lucci and Kalifa respectfully accepted the order and then quickly got to work.
The Little Dark Bird had fewer than four hundred people, most of whom were Lucci's men, and another eighty were members of the business team led by Kalifa.
According to the plan, they were originally going to stay in Iceburg's territory to draw more business talent from Iceburg before continuing on to Dressrosa.
But given the current situation, what does it matter if we arrive in Dressrosa a little later?
Soon, Lucci and his men threw themselves into the rescue efforts, but unfortunately, as expected, the relief work seemed to be more of a drop in the ocean than a drop in the ocean.
The current number of rescuers is insufficient even to perform simple tasks such as collecting the bodies of the dead and identifying the deceased.
Simply put, what can a few hundred people do in the face of casualties in the millions?
As for Kalifa, she quickly parted ways with Lucci and then went to Gawain's side, helping Gawain, just like she had done when she was his secretary.
Gawain caught the fish, she gutted it, and then together with the chef, they tried to cut the large fish into pieces that could barely be grilled.
While working, Kalifa asked Gawain a question.
"Sir, is the situation in Loguetown... very bad?"
"It's terrible. Lucci, who rushed over there, should have already seen it."
Gawain responded, then tried to scoop up the next big fish.
Just then, the chef who disembarked from the Little Dark Bird suddenly shouted to Gawain.
"Wait, sir, we can't continue fishing!"
Before I arrived, you had already caught far too many Sea Kings, to the point that I was completely overwhelmed!
The Loguetown is currently in the heat of summer, and if processing speed isn't fast enough, the food will quickly spoil completely!
"So, sir, let's pause the fishing for now!"
"I see."
Hearing the chef's words, Gawain nodded to the chef, and then he continued to ask the chef questions.
"By the way, do you think there are enough Sea King to feed two million people?"
Two million?!
The chef was startled. He quickly thought for a moment, then shook his head swiftly.
"My lord, the number of these Sea King may be enough, but the problem is, we simply cannot rely on them to feed two million people!"
Putting aside the speed of cooking, just figuring out how to distribute these things to two million people is already a challenge for us.
Even if they distributed it to everyone, 90% of them would only receive raw meat!
Most importantly, there are no trees left in Loguetown to start a fire!
After speaking, the chef looked nervously at Gawain then sighed melancholically.
"The fire problem can be solved once Ace arrives."
As for the division, Rokumei Kotetsu wouldn't mind becoming a life-saving tool.
The main issue is still distribution, sigh...
Or rather, besides the distribution issues, problems will keep piling up!
After saying that, Gawain turned around and walked towards the Loguetown.
Kalifa followed quietly behind him as they walked across the desolate land.
As they walked, Kalifa adjusted her glasses with a serious expression and then spoke to Gawain.
"My lord, since the situation has deteriorated to this point, severe measures must be taken in times of chaos!"
Your Excellency is not suited to do this kind of thing, so let Lucci and I do it!
Lucci and I have experienced similar situations many times.
Although, in the past, what we did was not to comfort and rescue civilians.
But at least we know how to restore order in this kind of environment!
"No!"
Gawain immediately rejected Kalifa's suggestion, simply waving his hand at Kalifa.
"Kalifa, I understand what you mean. If I'm just tougher on them, they won't be a problem for me anymore."
However, this is not something I should do.
In fact, this is something you and Lucci shouldn't have to do!
Because these kinds of things, in the final analysis, all fall into the category of dirty work, the kind of work that will incite resentment among the common people and then spread.
Whether it's you or Lucci, you two are basically the people closest to me and most closely connected to me.
"You doing this is no different from me doing this!"
As he finished speaking, Gawain gazed intently into the distance, his pupils flashing with a profound light that chilled Kalifa to the bone.
Gawain continued, meeting Kalifa's admiring gaze.
"Neither I nor the World Government have any credibility on this land!"
At the same time, we are facing a group of people who have just lost everything!
In this environment, no matter how much I promise them or how much help I provide, I cannot make up for what they have lost.
In other words, you and I both know that no matter how much we try to appease them, the common people are destined to riot within the next day or two!
There is indeed only one solution, but I must wait for someone more suitable to do those things to arrive!
At this point, Gawain frowned and said in a low voice.
"It's only at times like this that I feel that Spandam guy still has some merit."
Even if Spandam can't get here right away, I have someone else who can do these things.
"Doflamingo, haha, your appearance really came at the right time..."
Five more hours passed.
In the setting sun, a dozen or so streaks of light suddenly flashed by at lightning speed.
Puff puff puff!
With the sound of air being crushed on the ground, Rayleigh and his group finally arrived, albeit late.
The moment he landed, Rayleigh looked around. At that moment, Gawain and Kalifa's group were already surrounded by countless civilians.
Fortunately, the civilians did not engage in any mob-like behavior.
They were just sitting near the pile of firewood that Gawain had obtained by dismantling the Little Dark Bird, holding the raw fish they had barely managed to get their share, and scrambling to cook the meat.
Meanwhile, those who had filled their stomachs before others surrounded Gawain, constantly crying and complaining!
If it were just one or two, it would be fine, but there were far too many of them. The area within several kilometers of Gawain was filled with the sound of crying.
As for the few curses mixed in with the crying...
At least Gawain seemed oblivious to the hidden resentment and hatred in the voices of a few individuals, and tried his best to appease everyone he could reach.
Looking at Gawain, Rayleigh first frowned, then shook his head helplessly.
"We're still too late. Loguetown has already vanished into the sea..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Rayleigh's pupils contracted sharply, and instantly, his Conqueror's Haki swept through the surroundings, causing everyone near Gawain to faint!
After everyone had lost consciousness, Rayleigh and his group walked through the fallen crowd and came to Gawain.
Rayleigh sat down in front of Gawain and asked softly.
"Shiki, he..."
"He failed, and he succeeded!"
Exhausted, Gawain gave a brief reply, then raised his hand and pointed to the Execution Platform in the distance.
Upon seeing the corpse kneeling on the Execution Platform, Rayleigh remained silent for a moment, then let out a relieved sigh.
"He's dead? Good riddance!"
But now that the Shiki is dead, what is the current situation in Loguetown...?
"My battle with Shiki has affected too large an area; he released his Devil Fruit power to control more than a dozen islands. I can't stop now!"
Gawain explained.
Upon hearing this, Rayleigh took a long breath, and then he grabbed Gawain's shoulder with unusual decisiveness.
"Let's go. You've already helped them a lot, and you can't help them any more!"
From the moment I landed and saw what you were doing, I knew that your approach would absolutely not allow the people still alive here to continue to live a better life!
As soon as he finished speaking, Rayleigh helped Gawain to his feet.
He continued speaking as he pulled people away.
"What you are showing those disaster victims is indeed the side you should be showing. You are gentle and patient enough with them, which is truly an admirable demeanor of a benevolent person."
But the more you act this way, the more the disaster victims will be reminded of their suffering in the face of your gentleness!
In short, I've seen too many scenes like this. What the disaster victims need right now is not gentle care, but firm guidance!
Even if such guidance draws curses from the disaster victims, we must firmly make demands of them and use hard work and dedication to dispel their pain and helplessness!
As soon as he finished speaking, Rayleigh grabbed Gawain and left. In the blink of an eye, the two of them crossed the crowd and went to the midst of the Dark Bird Ship's officers.
After finally returning to the cadres, Gawain remained silent for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.
"Hehe, it's the same for you, Kizaru, and even Kalifa and Lucci."
Before you met me, your lives had never intersected, but without exception, you had all witnessed far too many things like what is before you.
At the same time, you are all full of experience in dealing with this kind of disaster!
At this point, Gawain's brows furrowed slightly, and he gently clenched his fist.
"Through you, I know exactly what happened on this sea."
Your experience proves that disasters are constantly occurring in every corner of this ocean.
The most ridiculous thing is that this disaster was not a natural one, but a man-made one!
But me, hehe..."
For a moment, Gawain's vision seemed to travel through time, and he felt as if he were seeing himself from many years ago.
He gazed into the distance while speaking softly.
"I really don't want to know why I used to find myself laughing from time to time when I saw everything in this world!"
"Was my view of the world ultimately too small and too narrow?"
"Certainly!"
The moment Gawain finished speaking, Yi Xiao nodded emphatically.
"My lord, you have always lived in Mary Geoise. Do not forget that this is your first voyage at sea."
So, it's not your fault that you couldn't see this tragedy happening now!
You don't need to feel guilty at all, on the contrary, you should be proud!
Because even in that narrow place of Mary Geoise, you possess a broad heart!
After speaking, he smiled and nodded solemnly to Gawain. Then he looked around and gently raised his Staff Sword.
"Sir, please go and rest. We can handle things here."
Don't worry, the vast majority of us know how to handle this situation!
After saying that, he smiled and turned to look at Doflamingo, who had a smug look on his face. He then said to Doflamingo...
"Doflamingo, you know what to do next, right?"
"Fufu, only a blind person like you wouldn't see my plan. I know all too well how to handle this situation!"
As Doflamingo spoke, he raised his right hand, and instantly, countless lines sprouted from the ground around him, rushing towards each person and gently pricking their bodies.
Using the stinging sensation, Doflamingo successfully awakened the vast majority of people who had been stunned by Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki.
At the same time, Rayleigh grabbed Gawain and dragged Gawain to the beach, making Gawain avoid what was about to happen.
After Gawain left, Doflamingo clapped his hands lightly, then roared at the dusty-faced disaster victims around him.
"Fufu, you trash, you all actually survived by sheer luck!"
How amusing! People like you who whine and cry should just die!
Do you think you're safe, you fools? Can't you see the corpses covering this land?
Look at you all, so stupidly carrying those pieces of meat! Don't you know that the longer you dawdle here, the sooner the corpses around you will start breeding a plague that will kill you?!
At this point, Doflamingo suddenly raised his right hand, struck a flamboyant pose, and then said disdainfully.
"Look at me carefully, you damned bastards, I am Doflamingo, Donquixote Doflamingo!"
Now, all of you get moving! If anyone is still standing there before I finish speaking, I'll send them to sleep among those corpses for the rest of their lives!
"Go quickly and drag out all the corpses you can see, then pile them up together, hurry!!!"
"Hello!!!"
Suddenly, someone in the crowd interrupted Doflamingo. The person was mixed in with the pitiful refugees and spoke in an extremely aggrieved voice.
"Who are you? Can't you see? They're all dead! So many people in town are dead! My mother, my father, and my children...?!?"
Sizzle!!!
With a muffled thud, the speaker's head was abruptly severed from his body, and his blood instantly sprayed onto those around him.
For a moment, those around who witnessed death again began to tremble with fear.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo stood on the Execution Platform and continued to coldly address everyone.
"Who's next? Who else wants to talk to me? Do you even have the right to speak to me? Did I give you permission to speak to me, you trash!!!"
Sizzle!
In that instant, at least a hundred headless corpses, splattering blood, appeared from the thick, imposing crowd. As the corpses died one after another, the crowd, which had just been making a ruckus, fell completely silent!
Looking at the completely silent crowd, Doflamingo grinned wickedly and raised his right hand. He laughed loudly and roared with an infinitely sinister charm.
"Haven't you tasted enough blood yet? You lucky survivors, do you want to challenge the limits of life?"
Then come on, keep showing yourselves to me, let me enjoy the taste of slaughter!
I...?"
"Enough!!!"
Suddenly, a magnetic voice rang out from the crowd, a voice that instantly put people at ease.
The next moment, Crocodile leaped into the air and charged towards Doflamingo!
Behind him, the endless yellow sand pounded down on Doflamingo like a splash of water.
Immediately afterwards, the sand completely subdued Doflamingo!
Crocodile roared as he used the yellow sand to restrict Doflamingo's movements.
"The infamous Heavenly Yaksha, the most detestable bastard among the Shichibukai, I really don't know how you managed to deceive Gawain into entrusting you with the task of comforting the disaster victims!"
"This is unbelievable! Gawain saved these disaster victims one by one. Every single one of them is the result of his tireless efforts. I will not allow you to destroy this place, not even a single one of them!!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Crocodile grabbed Doflamingo with Doflamingo of yellow sand and left. In the blink of an eye, the two fought from the ground to the sky, their voices echoing as they fought!
"Sand Crocodile, get lost! This is my job, and only I know what they need!"
They're all trash who only know how to complain about Gawain; besides complaining, their minds are full of filthy malice!
This bastard actually made Gawain, who saved them, help them prepare the food, and then had Gawain, who was exhausted after defeating the legendary pirate Shiki, comfort them instead!
Look at them! A bunch of shameless bastards! They all deserve to die!
"Damn it, you're the only one who died! We never expected that our momentary lapse in attention would allow you to kill hundreds of people in an instant!"
Amidst these sounds, the two fought further and further away until they were completely out of the sight of the disaster victims.
No sooner had they gone than Shiryu, with a cigar in his mouth, arrived at the Execution Platform where the Shiki knelt!
Looking down at the disaster victims below, a mixture of fear and panic, a sense of relief and contemplation, Shiryu raised his hand, took off his cigar, and gave all the victims a "bright" smile.
While laughing, Shiryu spoke in his most solemn voice.
"That bastard Doflamingo is not fit to appease you."
Fortunately, the Sand Crocodile had already driven it away.
"From now on, I will be in charge of you, do you understand?"
In an instant, countless heads began to nod and move. The famine victims, already terrified by Doflamingo's slaughter, had no courage to face Shiryu's smile!
Shiryu, meeting the stares of the disaster victims, spoke coldly.
"I see that most of you are holding raw Sea King meat."
Ah, Shiki truly lives up to his reputation as a legendary pirate, and even more so, he is a hero who could rival the Pirate King Roger for decades!
Even though the adults tried their best, they could only barely keep you alive. He simply couldn't protect Loguetown. The Shiki was just too strong!!!
At this point, Shiryu raised his hand and lifted the headless corpse of the Shiki, then tore it apart with both hands!
Instantly, the Shiki's corpse was torn in two.
At this moment, Shiryu a long breath; he had longed for this action for far too long!
Once upon a time, it was that bastard Shiki who broke the ironclad rule that no one had ever escaped Impel Down, causing every jailer in Impel Down, including Shiryu, to lose their proud past!!!
As he thought this, Shiryu threw the Shiki's body off the stage, and continued to shout to the disaster victims below.
"That bastard Shiki has already gotten his comeuppance, but as for you, I won't be as cruel to you as I was to the Heavenly Yaksha!"
Here's what I'll do: I'll cook the raw meat in your hands first, so you can quickly have a good meal.
After we've eaten, I'll lead you all to clean up the corpses piled up on the island, to prevent them from causing a plague and killing us all here!!!
Thanks to the efforts of Doflamingo, Crocodile, and Shiryu, the disaster victims quickly regained order.
They even walked in a line in front of the Great Flame Commandment that Ace released, quickly roasting the pieces of meat in their hands with that sun-like fireball.
Immediately afterwards, they started working with different mindsets. Although they didn't understand why, even though someone else was in charge, they, who were already suffering to the extreme, still had to work, and do the same work.
Cleaning up the body...
In short, it's a very simple strategy: a combination of kindness and severity.
After Doflamingo's heavy blow, Shiryu offered a simple consolation with cooked dates.
This group of people, who have just lost everything today, have finally taken a solid step towards a better future!
Meanwhile, at the edge of the beach, Rayleigh and Gawain found a relatively flat spot to sit down.
As soon as he sat down, Rayleigh stretched and chuckled.
"My back pain has been getting worse lately. After a day of floating around, my upper buttocks are killing me. Looks like I'll have to get Crocus to give me a proper massage when I get back."
"Well..."
Gawain was genuinely taken aback by Rayleigh's words; he had expected Rayleigh to talk to him about something related to the disaster.
Seeing Gawain's stunned expression, Rayleigh chuckled and continued.
"What are you thinking about, Captain? If you're thinking about what happened today, all I can tell you is to not take it to heart."
We will encounter similar situations many more times in the future, especially as we acquire more and more territory, we will face the same circumstances we are in today again and again!
At this point, Rayleigh took out two cigarettes and gave one to Gawain.
As he lit a cigarette, Rayleigh continued speaking.
"In a place like Loguetown, where there are no powerful figures to protect it, once it is attacked by a powerful figure, the only result will be destruction."
As for the trouble we just encountered, well, if they had all died along with the island, things wouldn't be as difficult as they are now.
Famine, haha, the victims are certainly miserable, but they are also worthy of pity.
But you must understand that the vast majority of people living in disasters can no longer be called human beings.
"Little Gawain, you've probably never seen cannibalism, let alone witnessed a father eating his child, right?"
Rayleigh took a deep drag on his cigarette, then casually tossed the half-finished cigarette into the sea.
"Let's not talk about that anymore, let's go fishing. We don't have anything else to do besides fishing."
Today, the island has no timber, no large stones, no food, and certainly no doctors or medicine.
Under such circumstances, no matter how hard our mere dozen or so officers and a few hundred soldiers on the Dark Bird Ship try, it will not be more effective than forcing millions of disaster victims to take action on their own.
No one can help them; the only ones who can help them are themselves.
In short, let's forget about it for now. The painful period will be over in less than three days. Once this place is gradually rebuilt, not only us, but even they themselves will forget about today's events.
Ah, this is the ocean! This is also why I, an old man, have chosen to set sail again.
If possible, Little Gawain.
Let's work together to reduce the occurrence of things like today.
"Certainly."
Gawain said without turning his head, then took a drag of his cigarette and watched the smoke rise higher and higher in the distance.
Eleven days later, in Loguetown
Around nine o'clock in the morning, the disaster victims who were fishing hard near the dock saw the arrival of the Dark Bird Ship.
In an instant, the disaster victims, utterly shocked, came before Gawain and told him about the approaching Dark Bird Ship.
Looking at the disaster victims, who were covered in dust and looked much paler than usual, Gawain smiled and nodded, then spoke amidst their expectant gazes.
"Following the support from the Navy, we successfully held out until the arrival of the second batch of support!"
Compared to the 62 warships that arrived with the navy, the supplies on the Dark Bird Ship were far more abundant!
Most importantly, there is a forest on the Dark Bird Ship, and I am willing to cut down all the trees to build temporary shelters for everyone!
Starting today, everyone can live in houses with roofs again!
After he finished speaking, Gawain waited quietly for a moment, and then, a burst of cheers filled his ears!
Amidst the cheers of this sudden improvement, Gawain led the people, standing in a grand procession on the beach, waiting for the Dark Bird Ship to approach.
After a long wait, the Dark Bird Ship finally arrived at the shore, and Shirahoshi immediately flew off the ship, while Luffy quickly used his powers to swing to the island.
Looking at the dense crowd around him, Luffy frantically searched for something. After searching for a long time, Luffy finally asked Gawain in confusion.
"Uncle, haha, long time no see! Is this the famous Loguetown?"
But why don't I see the Execution Platform?
"Well..."
Hearing Luffy's question, Gawain shook his head helplessly. The Execution Platform had been dismantled by the disaster victims on the third day. On this island that had been completely turned into wasteland, people had no desire to keep the Execution Platform.
Wouldn't it be better to use it as firewood or make wooden shoe soles?
And so, meeting Luffy's expectant gaze, Gawain said regretfully.
"The Execution Platform has been destroyed."
"Why?!!"
Upon hearing this, Luffy's eyes widened in utter disappointment, and he made a face with deep regret.
Immediately afterward, Luffy forgot about the Execution Platform and continued searching for Ace and Sabo.
When he saw Sabo tearing fish meat with his Dragon Claw claws to dry as jerky.
After Ace, who was distilling seawater and boiling a giant fishpond (soup).
Luffy immediately abandoned Gawain and ran over to join his brothers.
Luffy left, Gion led the entire crew of the Dark Bird Ship to unload the pre-prepared timber and seasonings.
During their time on the road, Gawain had already arranged work for them using Den Den Mushi).
Loguetown has no shortage of food; as long as one has the ability to capture Sea King, the food from the sea will be endless.
Therefore, what the disaster victims need most is seasoning.
After instructing her subordinates to distribute the seasonings, Gion approached Gawain said with a helpless expression.
"My lord, you must go and see Hancock! She seems to be ill, very ill."
After saying that, Gion couldn't help but roll her eyes. In the days that Gawain was away, Hancock had completely broken down.
First, I lost my appetite, then I suffered from insomnia, spending entire nights hugging myself, unable to sleep.
This is followed by terrifying symptoms such as fever, weakness in the limbs, and slurred speech.
In short, Hancock was sick for as many days as Gawain was away, which really worried Gion a lot.
Hearing Gion's words, Gawain frowned.
"Is Hancock sick?"
"Yes, according to Chopper, he's never seen this disease before, but he checked medical books and he thinks it's somewhat similar to a common disease in the Island of Women..."
At this point, Gion truly blushed. How could such a shameless disease exist in the world?
Is Hancock's lovesickness really just an act?
While thinking, Gion nudged Gawain's shoulder, signaling Gawain to hurry up and go check.
Seeing this, Gawain nodded, gave Gion a gentle hug, and then planned to go find Hancock.
But before Gawain could release Gion, Shirahoshi suddenly lunged at Gawain.
"I want a hug too, hehe~~~."
With a blushing smile, Shirahoshi plopped down on Gawain and Gion with her soft chest.
It took a lot of effort to calm down the longing Shirahoshi, and then Gawain comforted Uta.
After settling things off with the children, Gawain finally had time to deal with Hancock's problem.
After Gawain returned to the Dark Bird Ship, Uta also began to build his own stage with Franky's help.
Both Gawain and Rayleigh felt that the residents of Loguetown, currently mired in disaster, really needed a grand concert.
Most importantly, Uta will probably be pulling out all the stops for this concert!
Even with the help of everyone on the Dark Bird Ship, the people of Loguetown wouldn't have enough to eat or wear. The only way to lift their spirits and remind them of good food and drink was...
I'm afraid we can only let them dream on!