"It's already been integrated. Quite a few Shandia have joined as well."
"Several of them are fairly capable."
Reiju reported on her assignment. This sort of thing was no trouble for her. Before boarding Yake's ship, she had been one of the Germa Kingdom's four commanders. The others had already been killed by Yake.
"Oh, the Shandia. Looks like the chief did a good job talking them around." Yake could roughly guess which few she meant.
"Reiju, you'll be responsible for reorganizing the army for now. Once Judge brings his troops over, the Sky God Kingdom's defenses should be sufficient."
Yake did not expect the army to produce any great powerhouses. It only needed to become the backbone of the nation. Raising the army's baseline still depended on technology.
After dinner, he gathered the crew for a brief meeting and assigned their tasks. Everyone eagerly accepted, because this was not only Yake's kingdom, but theirs as well.
The next day, Gan Fall announced Yake's decree.
"Ike will no longer serve as currency in the Sky God Kingdom. All residents holding Ike may exchange it for Beli and gold at Angel Plaza, at a rate of 10,000 to 1. All citizens are requested to exchange their Ike as soon as possible. The exchange channel will close in three days. After that, all Ike will automatically become invalid and lose all trade value."
After Gan Fall finished reading, he posted the notice in prominent locations and had the residents spread the word, urging everyone to exchange their Ike quickly.
Yake was actually making a losing deal, because the Ike that ended up in his hands would be worthless. But this was also the fastest way to replace Ike as currency.
Yake had arranged for Robin and Gan Fall to handle this task, with Robin mainly serving in a supervisory role.
The currency exchange station at Angel Plaza was already packed. Residents brought out their Ike to exchange them, afraid that if they waited too long, they would turn into a pile of worthless paper.
Meanwhile, Anna and Perona worked as a team. They were mainly responsible for surveying Skypiea's flora, fauna, and shellfish. Yake had originally intended to focus on researching shellfish breeding and cultivation after the Germa Kingdom personnel arrived, but he could not withstand Anna's pitiful gaze and still assigned them a task.
Yake had already arrived at Birka, his hometown.
"Residents of Birka, please take note. I am God Yake. Today, I will relocate Birka to the vicinity of Angel Island."
"Every resident should remain quietly at home. Do not run around."
Yake transformed into his dragon form, coiling in the sky as he spoke in a rumbling voice.
Once the residents were ready, Yake activated his power. Endless Flame Clouds wrapped around Birka, and with a tremendous crash, Birka detached from the Island Cloud and was held aloft by the Flame Clouds.
Moving mountains and overturning seas—this was the power of a Mythical Zoan!
The residents exchanging Beli on Angel Island saw a small black dot appear in the distant sky. The dot rapidly grew larger. It was Birka! Beside it was a massive dragon.
"Look! Lord God Yake really brought Birka over!"
"How is that possible?! Is this the power of a god? It's terrifying!"
Yake examined the position from high above and prepared to place Birka to the right of Angel Island. He slowly lowered it with the Flame Clouds, setting Birka securely upon the White Sea to avoid causing a tsunami.
Though Birka was still some distance from Skypiea, carrying an island through the air with Flame Clouds was actually quite easy and did not consume much stamina.
Yake felt the current territory was more or less enough. Governing a great nation was like cooking a small fish; from here on, it only needed to develop gradually. Once Amazon Lily was moved up here, the Sky God Kingdom would be a complete nation.
After setting down Birka, Yake left. A god was meant to serve as a deterrent and did not need to show himself often. It was enough to keep the residents reverent and obedient.
"Hello? Judge, is that you? You've already reached Gaya Island? Good. I'll be right there!" Yake had barely sat down when he received Judge's message. He immediately set off for the Blue Sea.
"Old man, what's that? It looks like a dragon?" The Saruyama Alliance's ape pointed at Yake in the distance.
"Don't mind them. That's not an opponent we can handle!" Cricket said calmly. They had heard the bell ringing through the sky yesterday. Something major must have happened on Skypiea.
"Lord Yake, you can turn into a giant dragon? Isn't that Beast Kaido's ability?" Judge stared wide-eyed as the dragon transformed into Yake. He had not expected Yake to acquire such an ability after only a few months apart.
"That's not something you should be asking. Are all your people here?" Yake did not want to explain much to Judge. In his eyes, Judge was merely a tool.
"Yes, all the researchers and soldiers are here. And the research on the Pluton Weapons has also made progress. Please, take a look..." Judge gazed at Yake eagerly.
"We'll talk after we reach Skypiea. There are plenty of things for you to do!" After speaking, Yake transformed into his dragon form again, signaling Judge to quickly return to the giant snail. He then used Flame Clouds to lift Germa Kingdom's giant snail and fly it to Skypiea.
After bringing Germa's people to Skypiea, the researchers erupted with excitement. Most of them came from the North Blue and had heard the story of Big Talker Noland since childhood. They had never imagined they would one day see the legendary Golden City with their own eyes!
"This is incredible. If these shellfish can be developed into weapons, they'll be far more useful than ordinary firearms!" Judge fondly handled the various shellfish.
"That's one of the reasons I brought you here. I have other matters for you to take care of as well."
Yake knew deeply that technology was the primary productive force. If he wanted to build the Sky God Kingdom into the strongest nation in the One Piece World, high-end combat power alone was nowhere near enough.
Judge's value lay in his research capabilities. Skypiea's residents used shellfish far too crudely, unable to bring out the true value of Sky Shells at all. Judge's researchers had already split into several groups to study different fields, so they could complete the tasks Yake had assigned.
That same day, Yake gathered everyone to formulate the Sky God Kingdom's development plan. It encompassed three major areas: the economy, technology, and education. Population was not yet within Yake's considerations. The time span was too long, and besides, this world did not lack commoners...
This was not Yake's idea alone. Everyone had pooled their wisdom and discussed it according to the actual circumstances. Though each of them possessed the talent to govern a nation, not a single country in the One Piece World had ever, like Yake, established clear strategic goals for national development.
As long as everyone performed their own duties well, this nation's future would be bright.
After the meeting ended, everyone was invigorated, filled with hope for this newborn nation. Yake was no exception.
Yake was not only the king of this nation, but also the Sky God Kingdom's only god!