Rubik's Cube Meeting

Buggy's headquarters, the Festival Island, the meeting hall of the Magic Cube Hall.

The officers and captain of the Buggy Pirates entered one after another and then took their seats.

Lilina, who had been waiting since early morning, smiled and asked, "Is everyone here?"

"It seems that Cabaji and Shuma are still missing," Captain Jody Lane of the First Ship whispered.

"That One-Eye Hotel guy went to the lakeside to train his physique in the whitewater rafting, so we don't need to wait for him." Mohji naturally ignored Shuma's name, but everyone took it for granted and didn't mention it again, because Shuma had never properly attended meetings.

"Cabaji's absence isn't a big problem," Lilina said. "Then everyone, please report your intelligence. Louis, you start."

"Okay, Sister Lilina."

Captain Louis- Carl of the second ship began to report on recent developments. As the Minister of the Interior, responsible for town construction and trade, he was the busiest of the group, with almost everything, big or small, being reviewed and approved by him.

It wasn't that he was being autocratic; it was just that others neither knew how to do it nor were willing to, while he, being of royal lineage, was familiar with the task and was naturally given important responsibilities.

Today, the town has been transformed by vigorous development, with widened roads, rising buildings, and all kinds of shops scattered throughout the town. At the same time, with the large number of Rainbow Bug eliminated, exchanges and trade between villages on the island have become more frequent, and the process of island integration is accelerating.

After reporting the situation, Louis Carl said, "I have always emphasized the issue of funding. Without sufficient financial support, the potential for national growth will be greatly limited."

"Every time I hear you speak, I feel like I'm no longer a pirate, but a noble gentleman who has entered the inner sanctum of the house." Daoer shrugged.

"People as rude as you obviously don't know what business is." Just as the Crocodile Jass was about to light a cigar, he was immediately knocked to the ground by a black energy blast released by the Shadow Man Tink. Tink said coldly, "Don't smoke here, and besides, being rude includes yourself."

"Tch." Jass picked up the cigar from the ground and put it on the table, without arguing.

"Alright," Lilina interjected at the opportune moment, "Daoer, you've always been in charge of the funding, you should give a report as well."

Daoer said, "Our funds have always been used wisely, and they will only decrease. Now that we have stopped trading M Ore with the World Government, although we are not in urgent need of funds at the moment, the more of this stuff the better. Of course, if the arms trade can develop, we shouldn't have to worry about funding."

Kaya said softly, "I have some money saved up here, and I will take it all out if needed."

She opened a small clinic on the island, studying medicine and practicing treatments. Over time, she inadvertently accumulated a considerable amount of savings.

"We won't touch your personal stash of money." Lilina indeed refused Kaya, then looked at Nilek, "Dog, weapons are one of your projects, right?"

Nilek, leaning on the table, casually said, "I'm only in charge of research and development. As long as the experimental materials I need are available, I don't care about the buying and selling of weapons at all."

"Then let me explain."

Seated with a commanding air, Jass said, "Although we currently have a considerable stockpile of weapons, once war breaks out, the wear and tear on weapons will be extremely rapid. We have already proven this fact in our previous battles against the Big Mom Pirates, one of the Four Emperors. Captain Buggy will be back soon, and if he takes any action, the demand for weapons will continue to increase, especially consumables like cannonballs. We may need to buy more to replenish them."

Staff Officer Mr. 3 stroked his chin and interjected, "Leaving aside consumables like cannonballs, we can sell spears and crab shields, right? This island is a production site, so there shouldn't be any problem, right?"

The spear Mr. 3 mentioned was made from a plant called "Spear Flower" by the islanders on the Festival Island. The Spear Flower is as hard as ordinary wrought iron, and its tip is extremely sharp. As long as a stick is tied to the bottom, it is enough to become a weapon. After being fixed and connected to metal, the weapon's strength far exceeds that of ordinary swords. After studying this "Spear Flower", Nilek provided an excellent forging process, which further improved the toughness and integrity of the finished product.

Therefore, these extremely inexpensive spears were manufactured in large quantities, and to date, many have been stockpiled.

As for the crab shield, it is made from a type of hermit crab found in the shallows of Festival Island. This animal has an extremely hard yet lightweight shell, no less than that of ordinary steel. After killing the hermit crab, its one-meter-long shell is removed and subjected to a series of anti-corrosion treatments. It can then be used as a shield to defend against attacks, and a large number of finished products have already been produced.

The island is teeming with spear flowers, and the hermit crabs reproduce at an astonishing rate, so there's no need to worry about running out of resources. Moreover, these two species are unique to the Festival Island, so they can be traded for a considerable amount of Beli.

Captain Moses August of the third ship said, "The two weapons can indeed be sold, but we lack stable buyers, and selling them to the enemy would be shooting ourselves in the foot. This matter should be decided upon the return of the great Captain Buggy."

Tink spoke coldly, "I second that."

Then, everyone else chimed in.

"We've come full circle, back to square one. Let's leave that aside for now." Lilina shook her head helplessly, then looked at Jody Lane. "Jody, tell us about the Fish-Man Guard and the surrounding islands."

Although the Fish-Man in the Fish-Man Guard were sent by King Neptune to maintain the agreement between the fishmen and the Buggy, these young and strong Fish-Man all volunteered and were willing to try living on land.

They are responsible for patrolling around the Festival Island, and if there is an enemy attack, they will immediately report it and prepare for defense. Now they are under the command of Captain Jody Lane of the First Ship.

Originally, the Fish-Man Guard should have been managed by Cabaji, Mohji, or Shuma, who were officers. However, the first two were only focused on improving their own strength and had no time to manage the guard, and Shuma was unreliable. Therefore, the command was handed over to Jody Lane, whose strength was second only to the other three. Not only that, but he was also responsible for the exploration of the outer islands.

Jody Lane spoke slowly and deliberately, "The Fish-Man Guard currently has 130 members, and patrols are conducted in three shifts as usual. However, the number is still too small to fully deal with any external enemies. As for the surrounding islands, I have explored 22 of them in the past year. Eight of them are the territory of Kaido, one of the Four Emperors; six Four Emperors the flag of Big Mom; one is occupied by the Navy; and only seven islands are not under anyone's protection, but two of them are uninhabited..."

Jody Lane then briefly listed the geographical locations of the various islands, Lilina took notes.

Afterward, the group talked for another half hour before finally finishing their conversation.

"Now that everyone has finished speaking..." Lilina tidied up her meeting minutes, stood up, and said, "Meeting adjourned."