In front of the Shogun's Residence, ten thousand people lay on the ground, unconscious.
When Hōshō and Momonga arrived with a squadron of naval soldiers, they found the protesters lying on the ground.
Just as I expected.
Hōshō and Momonga were not surprised at all.
This is the power that Luo Wen should possess. The Beasts Pirates, with their 30,000 men, crumbled under his command. How could this 10,000 rabble possibly resist my power?
"Send those without moon tattoos on their ankles to the prison quarry in Udon, and let Moria treat them well."
Luo Wen gave instructions to the two of them.
The moon tattoo on the ankle is the symbol of the Kozuki Family samurai.
This was a mark made eighteen years ago by a samurai of the Kozuki Family when he went into hiding among the common people.
Luo Wen thought this behavior was stupid; if you're going to hide it, just hide it. Why make a mark? Isn't that just asking for trouble?
"Yes, Commander-in-Chief Luo Wen."
Hōshō and Momonga had no objections.
Because this was a plan that had been discussed long ago.
Luo Wen stood quietly, watching the two men lead the navy soldiers to move the protesters away one by one, leaving only the Kozuki Family samurai behind.
Half an hour later, six thousand protesters were loaded onto carts. They would spend a week in the Udon Quarry Jail, repenting until they died from exhaustion.
Only the four thousand unconscious samurai of the Kozuki Family and the corpses of Momonosuke and a few others remained in front of the Shogun's Residence.
Reality Marble, unfold.
The world shifted, and in the blink of an eye, they went from the open space in front of the Shogun's Residence to a Yellow Sand Battlefield.
"This is the first time I've ever crafted Philosopher's Stone."
Looking at the four thousand warriors, Luo Wen gave a cruel smile.
Luo Wen didn't even want the samurai who believed in the spirit of the Kozuki Family to die from exhaustion in the mines.
Because if they did that, they would feel self-satisfied and think they were glorious warriors, which would be disgusting.
Or should we simply destroy them, causing both body and soul to suffer?
Immediately, magic surged from Luo Wen's body, and a huge magic circle appeared beneath the four thousand people.
A trace of life force and soul power is absorbed and condensed by the magic circle; this is the stripping away of the origin of life.
The loss of the most essential aspects of life is a punishment more painful than being slowly sliced to death.
The samurai, stunned by Luo Wen's Conqueror's Haki, awoke in that instant.
They looked at Luo Wen, knowing that this man was the source of all their suffering.
"Go ahead and use torture; this is the glorious way of Bushido!"
"For Kozuki Oden!"
"You damned demon, kill us if you dare!"
"Beast! Demon! I am a warrior!"
The samurai screamed, their faces contorted in agony.
They were tormented by suffering, and their ideals were completely thwarted.
In their dying moments, all they could think about was cursing Luo Wen, trying to cause him some harm.
"They're shouting loudly, very samurai-like." Luo Wen paid no heed to their insults, even applauding in encouragement, before laughing, "Then increase the dosage!"
As they spoke, the magic circle's output power doubled.
The original form of death by a thousand cuts was transformed into the excruciating pain of having one's bones scraped.
In an instant, the shouting warriors quieted down, their spirits pushed to the limit.
"Aaaaaah!"
"Father! Father! Father!"
"Let me go!"
"Spare me!"
There were no more insults, only piercing cries of pain and endless pleas for mercy.
Pain, the ultimate pain of the soul and body.
They couldn't even faint; the excruciating pain of their souls being torn apart kept them constantly awake.
To consciously endure all the pain.
It was several times more intense than before, like being chewed up alive by a monster and having its juices squeezed out.
In an instant, overwhelming regret filled their minds. They regretted following Kozuki Oden, regretted being enemies with Luo Wen, regretted their stubbornness just now...
Bushido and Kozuki Oden were all discarded.
At that moment, only three emotions filled their minds: regret, pain, and pleading for mercy.
"Being stubborn is not good."
"Luo Wen said with a sigh."
The original intention was to let them enjoy themselves a little longer, but after increasing the intensity, the pain increased and the duration shortened.
Three minutes later, the four thousand samurai had vanished into thin air, leaving only Momo no Ribs' corpse on the ground.
In the center of the magic circle, a vibrant ruby the size of a pigeon's egg floats silently.
Luo Wen a wave of his hand, the ruby flew into his hand.
Just by holding it in his hand, he could sense the powerful life force and soul force contained within it.
There was no resentment, no impurities, only pure life force and soul.
It's like a blank fragment of Heroic Spirit, which anyone can use.
This one thing alone can extend a person's lifespan by two hundred years, or give them the full strength of an elite Vice Admiral.
"I can make this myself."
Luo Wen only glanced at it for a while before losing interest.
As a fully versed being who understands the Third Magic, his magic and soul are limitless, and with the aid of knowledge, he can mass-produce such Philosopher's Stone.
Such things have no effect on him or his Heroic Spirit.
But as he looked at the solidified ruby, an idea flashed through Luo Wen's mind.
"If it were used as the monetary base, it would be so stable that no one could shake it."
Luo Wen muttered to himself.
His system, which had been dormant and evolving, might not accept Beli again upon awakening, but it's always good to be prepared.
Furthermore, the World Government currently controls the right to issue currency, so if an economic war were to break out with them, it would be very difficult to manage.
However, both of these problems can be solved once he establishes his own unique monetary system.
"The Philosopher's Stone in my hand represents a lifespan of two hundred years and the strength of an elite Vice Admiral."
"If you divide it into two hundred pieces, each with a one-year lifespan, equivalent to 1 billion Beli or 1 billion new dollars, it is a more valuable general equivalent than gold."
"As long as I have enough Philosopher's Stone, I can construct a monetary system based on Philosopher's Stone."
"But precisely because of this, I can create this thing indefinitely, and only I can create it."
The more Luo Wen thought about it, the brighter his eyes became.
Currency is generally guaranteed by the credit of the state.
With the support of World Government for eight hundred years, the Beli is the most mainstream and authoritative currency in the world.
Money is just paper to the World Government; they can have as much as they want. But for other countries in the world, Beli is real resources. If the World Government wants, it can print countless sheets of paper and harvest all the world's resources.
By exchanging paper for goods, World Government can make a fortune, while other countries will suffer huge losses.
Luo Wen had reason to suspect that the Celestial Dragons' spending of tens of billions of Beli was simply money printed by the World Government. The so-called "Heavenly Tribute" was far from reaching that scale.
Considering the fact that pirate bounties have generally increased in this world, his conjecture is highly probable.
To avoid the World Government chaos by spending money recklessly when he goes to war with them.
Establishing our own monetary system is quite necessary.
The new currency he intends to issue is based on the Philosopher's Stone and on a usable lifespan.
Once established, such a monetary system is unshakeably stable.
Once this monetary system is established, he can extract an unlimited amount of Beli and harvest the world's wealth just like the World Government.
The World Government should not attempt to wage any currency war against him.
On the contrary, they should also worry about being Impact by him.
"Issuing currency is a matter of great importance; it's best to consult with others before making a decision."
Luo Wen had already made up his mind to issue a new currency, but he just needed to think about it a little longer.
Putting the matter of currency aside for the moment, Luo Wen looked at Momonosuke's corpse.
With everything else resolved, it's time to address the doubts in his heart.
Why did Momonosuke and Kin'emon travel through time two years ahead of schedule?
Everything will become clear once Kozuki Toki is summoned.