Taking control of Oran Island

At around five in the afternoon, the sun had only just begun to sink over Oran Island, a summer island.

Though the sunlight was still scorching, it had softened considerably. Oran Port was a harbor city, making this the perfect time for outdoor activities.

With nothing else planned, Lind took a stroll around his palace complex with Allison accompanying him.

He also wanted to see how he could remodel it into a style he liked.

Lind really could not appreciate its current haphazard layout.

If possible, Lind very much wanted to turn it into a Chinese-style garden like the Old Summer Palace or the Summer Palace, somewhere he could live and work.

As it happened, the complex covered quite a large area. Though it was smaller than the Old Summer Palace or the Summer Palace, it still spanned more than a square kilometer, enough to build a sizable garden.

The only problem was that he had no idea where to find suitable designers and construction crews. Lind figured he would most likely have to make a trip to the Flower Country.

The doctor Axel had mentioned happened to be in the West Blue, and Calvin was also from the Flower Country. When the time came, he could look for a talented architect while he was there.

"Allison, have Axel and the others sent word? Have they dealt with all those factions?"

As they strolled, Lind saw Allison take a call and asked her.

"Yes, boss. Axel and the others have taken care of everything. They're heading back now."

Allison put away the Den Den Mushi, returned to Lind's side, and answered.

"Hahahaha, good. We didn't ask for much. If they still refused to cooperate, that would be going too far!" Lind nodded and laughed.

"We've seen just about everything, so let's head back too. Tell Axel and the others to go straight to the meeting room when they return."

In the meeting room, Lind listened as his officers finished reporting on the day's events, then nodded in satisfaction and smiled.

"Excellent. Well done. The usual reward: one bottle of Angel's Heart and one bottle of Tiger Soul Wine each." With a sweep of his hand, Lind handed out their rewards.

Tiger Soul Wine was the wine Lind had previously given Master Yor and used to strengthen his subordinates. He had never paid much attention to it before and had only named it recently.

During the more than two years he had spent alone on the deserted island, Lind had never had any occasion to get injured. Naturally, he had never needed the Angel's Heart and had saved all of it.

Though Tiger Soul Wine was useful too, Lind had not been much of a drinker. He had brewed it to avoid waste and had barely drunk any, so he had plenty of that left as well.

With such ample reserves, Lind felt no reluctance about handing them out as rewards. Winning people over with a few bottles of wine was an excellent bargain as far as he was concerned.

"Oran Port is taken care of. Next is Oran Island."

"According to Larry's earlier account, Oran Island has four other cities besides Oran Port."

"They are Oxi City, Beilan City, South Sea City, and Ningshan City, located in the western, northern, southern, and central parts of Oran Island respectively."

"Axel, you'll go to Oxi City tomorrow. Liana, you'll go to Beilan City. Rex, you'll go to South Sea City."

"Then have Phil and Kite take Great Kun to Ningshan City. Their combined strength should be more than enough."

"Calvin, you'll guard the prison tomorrow. Larry, you'll stay in Oran Port and handle any emergencies!"

"Allison, you'll come with me to meet the Marines tomorrow. They've scheduled the ransom exchange for tomorrow morning, so prepare in advance."

Lind laid out each officer's assignment for the next day, clearly intending to take all of Oran Island within a single day.

And that was indeed his plan. Oran Island had previously been Rocks's territory; now, it was merely getting a new immediate superior. Those who had submitted before only needed to keep submitting.

The factions remaining on Oran Island were all of ordinary strength. Truly powerful pirates, even those who had not submitted to Rocks, had claimed islands outside his territory and ruled them as their own.

Factions like those in Oran Port could easily be brought to heel by a few officers. For Ningshan City, the weakest of the cities, sending Great Kun and two prospective officers would suffice.

Phil and Kite were the two strongest members aside from the officers. Previously, they had led the ordinary members in successive battles against three Marines with the strength of vice admirals.

They barely met the qualifications for ordinary division officers and could now be considered prospective officers of Lind's division.

If the two performed well this time, Lind intended to promote them to probationary officers when they returned.

There were plenty of other prospective officers as well, but they would have to wait their turn. He did not need that many officers just yet.

Once he began subjugating other islands, he could gradually give his subordinates opportunities to earn merit and promotions.

Before long, the next day arrived.

Early that morning, the officers led their respective squads straight toward their targets.

In this world, where humans possessed incredibly powerful physiques, Lind's subordinates had no need for transportation.

With their powerful bodies, they could simply run the hundred or two hundred kilometers, or even fly there using Geppo.

"Excellent! Looks like I'll be getting good news soon!" Sensing the squads heading off in every direction, Lind nodded in satisfaction.

"The Marines won't arrive for a while yet. I'll read for a bit first!"

Returning to his room, Lind picked up a book on swordsmanship and began to read.

At Lind's level, ordinary training offered very little improvement. Only the stimulation of fighting powerful opponents could rapidly increase his strength.

As a result, Lind had cut back on his daily training and spent more time reading, resting, and enjoying life.

For Lind now, reading various training manuals and learning from other people's experience actually improved his strength more than ordinary training did.

Setting aside all the overpowered fruits, the effectiveness of each method ranked as follows: actual combat > sparring > reading > training.

After he had read for a little over two hours, Lind's Den Den Mushi suddenly rang. It was Zephyr.

"Lind, I'll be arriving at Oran Island any minute now. Don't forget our agreement!"

After answering, Lind heard only that single sentence before Zephyr hung up his Den Den Mushi.

Clearly, Zephyr was still angry about what had happened earlier.

Soon, Lind, Allison, and Calvin brought the captured Marines to the harbor.

Zephyr was already waiting there. It had to be said that his confidence matched his ability; he dared to come straight to a pirate stronghold to ransom his people.

"Lind, what exactly will it take for you to release Vice Admiral Rock Wolf and Vice Admiral Tanuki?"

Looking at Lind's infuriating expression, Zephyr restrained his anger and asked about ransoming the two vice admirals.

"Hahahaha, didn't I already tell you? Two devil fruits. Logias, mythical Zoans, or Paramecia fruits like the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and the Float-Float Fruit will do!"

Lind yawned as he made his exorbitant demand.

"That price shows no sincerity whatsoever. You know the Marines won't pay that much!" Zephyr raised his voice slightly, his anger unmistakable.

"Hahahaha, that's your problem!"

"Forget about getting Rock Wolf and Tanuki back for now. We can negotiate more later!"

Lind waved at Zephyr and started to head back.

"Allison, Calvin, grab our money. We're leaving!"

"Zephyr, we won't see you off!"

With that, Lind turned and headed inland, waving a hand behind him at Zephyr as he walked to bid him farewell.