The death of the Golden Lion Flower Capital on the sea.
Big News Morgans wanted to report on it and called Roy, but Roy shut him down with a single sentence—
"A remnant of the old era, he's dead, so what's there to write about?"
Although the Big News Morgans was unwilling to accept this, he dared not go against Hachinosu on this matter.
And so, Golden Lion Shiki's death was quietly buried in history, except for a few people from Hachinosu.
No one knew that the Flying Pirate who once stood on equal footing with Roger and Whitebeard would eventually be buried on a deserted island without even a name.
Upon returning to Hachinosu, Roy immediately began to deal with more important matters.
Stella placed a thick stack of tax returns from the New World on his desk, as thick as a palm.
Roy flipped through a few pages, then frowned.
It's not that we can't collect enough, it's that we've collected too much.
The numbers on the report surprised him somewhat.
Those kings who once complained of poverty under the rule of the World Government are now paying taxes with increasing enthusiasm, some even voluntarily increasing their taxes by 30%.
What's wrong with these guys?
Roy threw the report on the table.
"I only set the tax rate at 10%, so why are they paying so much?"
Stella rolled her eyes, her expression saying, "You don't even understand this?"
"The rule you set in the New World is to collect only one-tenth of all income as tax."
What about the World Government?
The tax rate for Heavenly Tribute starts at 30%, plus various surcharges, protection fees, and tributes—meaning at least half of it has to be handed over.
Which side do you think the kings would choose?
Roy paused for a moment, a flash of understanding crossing his eyes.
He hadn't really thought about this issue in detail.
For him, the resources of the New World were already sufficient to support the operation of Hachinosu; taxes were merely a symbolic rule.
The main purpose was to give those forces that submitted a clear set of obligations.
But he forgot that for those countries struggling to survive in the cracks of the New World, the difference in tax rates meant an entire surplus in their national treasuries.
"There's something even more important."
Stella pulled a letter from under the report; the envelope was sealed with the coat of arms of a certain kingdom in gold lacquer.
"The kings of the New World who have submitted to us are now actively sending their talented young men to Hachinosu."
Why send someone here?
What do you think?
They wanted these young men to establish themselves in the army on Hachinosu, ideally becoming squad leaders.
That way, if their country ever runs into trouble, at least someone on Hachinosu will have a voice.
Roy took the letter, opened it, glanced at it, and the smile on his face grew wider and wider.
The letter was written by the king of a Baron Kingdom, and the wording was extremely respectful, with a tone full of flattery.
The gist is that "there is a group of talented young people in our country who admire the reputation of Hachinosu and hope to have the opportunity to serve the Heavenly Dao Emperor."
Attached to the letter was a list of over thirty names, each followed by a description of the young people's special talents.
There are those skilled in swordsmanship, those proficient in navigation, those with Devil Fruit User, and even one with the rare talent of being able to communicate with Sea Kings.
"These people certainly know how to scheme." Roy tossed the letter back onto the table.
"There's more than one."
Stella took out another stack of letters from the cabinet, at least twenty or so.
"All I've received in the last two months are recommendation letters from various countries."
I roughly calculated that there are over a thousand people in total.
Roy was silent for a few seconds, then stood up and walked to the window.
Looking out the office window, you can see the main port of Hachinosu.
The harbor was filled with all sorts of ships: warships flying the Hachinosu flag, merchant ships from various countries, and sailboats that had clearly come from afar.
The dock was bustling with activity; porters carried goods back and forth on the pier, and vendors shouted their wares at the top of their lungs.
The new recruits ran in neat rows on the training field.
More than a decade ago, Hachinosu was a den of pirates; now it looks like the center of a rising superpower.
The more people, the better.
Roy turned around.
" Stella, go and gather information on some uninhabited islands in the New World. I'll bring a few more over later. We don't have enough training grounds."
"Moving again?"
"Right.
"This time we'll move more; it needs to be big enough to accommodate at least 100,000 people training at the same time."
Stella wrote the command down in her notebook, then looked up.
There's one more thing.
At the experimental base, the weapons factory has been built, and a new batch of weapons and ammunition has begun mass production.
The doctoral assistants at the experimental base asked me to tell you this.
The replication of the mechanical soldiers is also in its final stages, with the first batch expected to be ready within three months.
"Good efficiency."
Roy nodded, sat back down in his chair, picked up his pen, and began reviewing the mountain of documents.
In the days that followed, the changes on Hachinosu were visible to the naked eye.
First came the influx of people; young people from various countries were housed in newly built barracks.
The barracks were temporary structures, four stories high, with each floor accommodating two hundred people, and a total of twenty buildings were constructed.
But they soon discovered that it wasn't enough—almost twice as many people came as expected.
Stella had to temporarily requisition several warehouses in the port area and convert them into makeshift dormitories.
Then came Roy's actions. Roy obtained the location of the uninhabited island from Stella and used his abilities to move quite a few islands there.
In less than a month, four large uninhabited islands appeared around Hachinosu.
These islands were named " Training Zone One," " Training Zone Two," " Training Zone Three," and " Training Zone Four," and each island has complete training facilities.
The school has a playground, shooting range, fighting arena, equipment training room, and even dormitories and canteen.
Roy's training requirements for new recruits were simple, but extremely strict.
All new recruits must first undergo three months of basic training—physical fitness, combat, weapons handling, and basic navigation.
Three months later, an assessment will be conducted. Those who pass will stay to continue their studies, while those who fail will be sent back to their place of origin.
The remaining recruits will be assigned to different specializations.
Combat units, reconnaissance units, logistics units, intelligence units, and most uniquely, units Devil Fruit User.
The training manual is the " Strength Training Manual " that has spread all over the world.
However, the Hachinosu version contains significantly more content than the versions available on the market.
More detailed illustrations of the Six Powers, a more systematic method for cultivating Haki, and summaries of various practical combat experiences.
This information was compiled by the officers of Hachinosu during their two years of campaigning, and it is much more detailed than the basic version written by Roy back then.
The weapons factory on Hachinosu is a massive complex covering more than ten square kilometers.
The main factory building is 30 meters high, with a steel frame and gray exterior walls, and looks like a giant beast lying on the beach from a distance.
The factory was brightly lit, with the roar of machinery echoing day and night.
On the assembly line, one shell after another is precisely inserted into its casing by a robotic arm.
One by one, the swords were brought to the quality inspection table for hardness testing.
Rows of ammunition boxes were packed and sealed, ready to be loaded onto the ship.