Future of the Sky God Kingdom

"It has already been integrated. Quite a few Shandia have joined as well."

"Several of them are fairly capable."

Reiju reported on the progress of 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 fine job persuading them." Yake had a rough idea of which ones were considered capable.

"Reiju, you'll be responsible for reorganizing the army for the time being. Once Judge brings his troops over, the Sky God Kingdom's defenses should be sufficient."

Yake did not expect the army to train any truly powerful fighters. It would be enough for them to become the backbone of the nation. To raise the army's baseline, they would still need the power of technology.

After dinner, he gathered the crew for a brief meeting and assigned their tasks. Everyone eagerly accepted, because this was not just Yake's kingdom—it was their kingdom too.

The next day, Gan Fall issued Yake's decree.

"Ik will no longer serve as the currency of the Sky God Kingdom. All residents holding Ik may exchange it for Beli and gold at Angel Island Plaza. The exchange rate is 10,000 to 1. All citizens are requested to exchange their Ik as soon as possible. The exchange channel will close in three days. All Ik will then automatically become invalid and lose all trading value."

After reading it aloud, Gan Fall posted the notice in prominent locations and had the residents spread the word, urging them to exchange their Ik as quickly as possible.

Yake was actually taking a loss on this deal, because the Ik he received was worthless to him. However, this was also the fastest way to replace Ik as currency.

Yake had arranged for Robin and Gan Fall to handle the task, primarily so Robin could oversee the process.

The currency exchange station at Angel Plaza was already packed with people. Residents hurriedly brought out their Ik to exchange it, terrified that if they were too late, it would become nothing but worthless scraps of paper.

Meanwhile, Anna and Perona worked as a team. They were mainly responsible for surveying the animals, plants, and shellfish of Skypiea. Yake had originally intended to focus on researching the breeding and farming of shellfish after the Germa Kingdom personnel arrived, but he could not withstand Anna's pleading eyes and still assigned them this task.

Yake had already arrived at Birka, his hometown.

"Residents of Birka, please be advised. I am God Yake. Today, I will move Birka to the vicinity of Angel Island."

"All residents are to remain quietly in their homes. Do not run around."

Yake transformed into his Dragon form, coiling through the sky as he spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.

Once the residents were ready, Yake activated his power. Endless Flame Clouds wrapped around Birka. With a deafening boom, Birka separated from its 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 flew 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 checked the position from high in the sky 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.

Although Birka was still some distance from Skypiea, using Flame Clouds to carry an island through the air was actually quite easy for him and did not consume much stamina.

Yake felt that his current territory was sufficient for now. Governing a great nation was like cooking a small fish; all that remained was steady development. Once Amazon Lily was moved up here, the Sky God Kingdom would become a complete nation.

After setting down Birka, Yake left. A god was meant to serve as a deterrent and did not need to appear too often. It was enough to keep the residents in awe and obedient to arrangements.

"Hello? Is that Judge? You've reached Gaya Island already? Very good, I'll be there right away!" Yake had barely sat down when he received Judge's message, and he immediately set off for the Blue Sea.

"Dad, what's that? It looks like a Dragon?" A Saruyama Alliance ape pointed at Yake on the horizon.

"Leave them alone. That is not an opponent we can handle!" Cricket said calmly. They had heard the bell ringing from the sky yesterday. Skypiea must have undergone some major change.

"Lord Yake, you can turn into a giant Dragon? Isn't that the power of Kaido of the Beasts?" Judge's eyes widened as he watched the Dragon transform into Yake. He had not expected Yake to gain such an ability after only a few months apart.

"That is not something you should be asking about. Are all your people here?" Yake had no interest in explaining himself to Judge. In his eyes, Judge was merely a useful tool.

"Yes. The researchers and soldiers have all arrived. Moreover, the research on the Pluton Weapons has made progress as well. Please, take a look..." Judge gazed at Yake expectantly.

"We'll discuss it after we reach Skypiea. There are many things I need you to do." After speaking, Yake transformed into his Dragon form once more, signaling for Judge to quickly return to the snail. Then, using Flame Clouds, he lifted the Germa Kingdom's giant snail and flew it to Skypiea.

When he brought the Germa personnel 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 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 played with all kinds of shellfish.

"That is one of the reasons I brought you here. I have other matters for you to handle as well."

Yake knew well that technology was the primary productive force. If he wanted to build the Sky God Kingdom into the strongest nation in the pirate world, high-end combat power alone would be nowhere near enough.

Judge's value lay in his research capabilities. The Skypiea residents used shellfish far too crudely and could not fully unlock the true value of Sky Shells. Judge's researchers had already been divided into several groups to study different fields so they could complete the tasks Yake assigned.

That very day, Yake gathered everyone to formulate a development plan for the Sky God Kingdom. The plan covered three major areas: economics, technology, and education. Population was not yet within Yake's considerations, as the time span involved was too long. Besides, this world was never short of commoners...

This was not Yake's idea alone. Everyone had pooled their wisdom and discussed it based on the actual circumstances. Though every one of them had the talent to govern a nation, no country in the pirate world had ever set clear strategic development goals for itself like Yake had.

As long as everyone fulfilled their own duties, this nation's future would be bright.

After the meeting, everyone was invigorated and filled with hope for this newborn country. Yake was no exception.

Yake was not only this nation's king. He was also the Sky God Kingdom's sole god!