Royal Trading Companies

Hades did not need to do anything about it yet. He only needed to understand it. That was still some distance away for him.

What he truly needed to focus on was the Kingdom's development. That would be the foundation of his future.

Having lived two lives, Hades placed the greatest importance on trade, political ties with other kingdoms, and technological development, since he could not yet reform the Kingdom's government.

Hades did not need to advise anyone on politics. Trade alone had brought many kingdoms close to the Kronos Kingdom.

The Kronos Kingdom had immense economic strength and ten adult Island Turtles, each over ten thousand meters long.

In an era before prices had soared, feeding a single Island Turtle cost two billion Wark a year, equivalent to four billion Beli.

Wark was the Kronos Kingdom's currency, issued solely by the Royal Bank. Thanks to the Kingdom's vast silver mines, Wark was backed directly by silver and circulated only within the Kingdom and a handful of kingdoms with close ties to it.

Elsewhere, Beli was still used for the vast majority of transactions.

The World Government did not interfere. Many powerful nations had their own currencies to keep the World Government from restricting them economically. All that mattered was that Beli remained dominant.

The Island Turtles could cross any sea, pass through the Calm Belt, reach the Four Seas, and travel through storms. They did not even fear Sea Kings.

On every voyage, they carried vast quantities of resources and products unique to the Kronos Kingdom and the New World to the Four Seas, where they traded with its many kingdoms.

Every Island Turtle was a mobile Trade Island. Beyond their trade with those kingdoms, each arrival in the Four Seas drew countless merchants aboard to do business.

Travelers from across the seas also came aboard to buy goods from all over the world.

A town stood on each turtle's shell. Rent from its shops alone earned the Kronos Kingdom a fortune.

On the return journey, the Island Turtles carried vast quantities of goods from the Four Seas back to the New World for sale.

Across the entire world, only the Kronos Kingdom did this.

It was not that other powers lacked the ability. They simply had no need.

The Kronos Kingdom was in the New World, so it did.

For nations in the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line, Merchant Ships were enough.

The seas were still relatively peaceful in this era, unlike the turmoil that would come later.

Besides, few powers could afford to raise an Island Turtle. Its annual upkeep alone could buy a country.

That did not include the investment required before it reached adulthood.

There was also the risk of it being seized, which meant the Kingdom needed a powerful military.

Still, the danger was not as great as one might imagine. The Island Turtles followed relatively safe routes near kingdoms that traded with the Kronos Kingdom.

The Kingdom also hired the Four Seas Navy to protect them.

The governors of the Four Seas would hardly turn down such enormous payments.

Thus, the navy's enemy was the Pirate known as "Grim Reaper" Jaeger, never the Kronos Kingdom.

After all, the Kronos Kingdom was effectively a major patron of the Four Seas Navy.

Few people knew Jaeger's true identity, and the Kronos Kingdom had never made it public.

Most people would never imagine that "Grim Reaper" Jaeger was the heir to a throne. At most, they thought the Kronos Kingdom was his birthplace.

So, to outsiders, the navy would have no grounds to attack the Kronos Kingdom.

The Kronos Kingdom had special techniques for taming Island Turtles. It could command them to dive and had built sealed cargo spaces inside their bodies, keeping out seawater and protecting the goods.

An enormous Glass Dome could cover the entire town and shield it from the sea.

The world's finest glass products came from the Kronos Kingdom. Made with the best technology and materials, they were difficult to break even with cannon fire.

If danger struck, the dome provided protection while the turtle dived and escaped.

Others had tried to seize an Island Turtle. None had succeeded.

That technology was the foundation of the Kronos Kingdom's trade with the Four Seas.

Its partner kingdoms were the first layer of protection. The Four Seas Navy was the second.

That second layer alone was difficult to overcome. The Four Seas Navy was far stronger now than it would be in the future.

The governor of each sea commanded his own territory, held the rank of Vice Admiral, and wielded authority and status comparable to a Marine Admiral's.

The Four Seas Faction also held considerable influence at Marine Headquarters.

The navy was the undisputed ruler of the seas. Some in the New World might dispute that now, but in the Four Seas, it was certainly true.

The third layer of protection was the Kronos Kingdom's elite troops stationed on each Island Turtle. Every unit had three commanders, each as strong as a Marine Rear Admiral.

Just as the Four Seas were the navy's foundation, their vast population supplied it with a steady stream of recruits. The fact that most of the navy's strongest senior officers came from the Four Seas proved as much.

The Kronos Kingdom also had a large population, and it could train talented people for specific roles more efficiently than the navy.

Among the Kronos Kingdom's three million soldiers, only six generals ranked directly below General Zoffy. It had thirty-two commanders, however.

The war with the World Government did not affect the Kronos Kingdom's trade with the Four Seas. It had some impact on trade within the New World, but not much.

War could even strengthen the Kingdom's military overall.

Because of the war, the Kingdom had greatly increased spending on its armed forces and Underworld Prison. Pressure drove progress.

Over the years, apart from its Top Combatants, the Kronos Kingdom had actually grown stronger overall.

The Kingdom had five Royal Trading Companies, all belonging to the Tartarus Royal Family. Most industries within the Kingdom were affiliated with them; only the five companies had the capacity to handle their trade.

Many powers in the New World also worked with the Kronos Kingdom's five companies. They needed the Kingdom's unique routes to ship their goods.

They could use the World Government's Red Port, but the pirate-filled New World made the journey too dangerous. Pirates roaming the seas often acted without restraint.

The first half of the Grand Line lay between them as well.

The World Government's "tolls" were also far higher than the Kronos Kingdom's shipping fees.

Rather than let the World Government bleed them dry, they preferred to work with the Kronos Kingdom, which had a long-standing reputation for reliability.

The Kingdom's route went straight to the Four Seas, saving untold time. It was many times safer, too.

The Kronos Kingdom was the link between many New World powers and the Four Seas, and that link carried enormous profits.

If the World Government truly got serious, those powers would not stand by. The Kronos Kingdom was the heart of their shared interests.

But the Kingdom had suffered little, and neither its foundations nor its rule had been shaken, so they had not intervened.

Behind the scenes, though, plenty of them made trouble for the World Government. Many of its "accidental" losses were their doing.

There was no shortage of people willing to strike at the World Government. On these seas, they had plenty of ways to cover their tracks and keep their involvement secret.

They could simply blame the Kronos Kingdom. It was doing the same sort of thing anyway.

The First Royal Trading Company managed trade within the New World, while the other four handled trade in the Four Seas.

Even after costs, the annual profits were enormous.

The companies earned vast amounts of Beli and obtained countless resources the Kronos Kingdom lacked, fueling its development.

The First Royal Trading Company then traded the goods acquired from the Four Seas with other New World powers. Those goods also flowed into the Black Market and the Underworld.

As a result, the Kronos Kingdom held enormous influence throughout the world. Every trading partner was a potential ally.

The Kingdom also regularly sent officials to visit those kingdoms, exchange views, and strengthen their ties.