Underworld, Pharmaceutical Factory.
After experiencing Caesar's development of the special plant IQ enhancer and Crocus's discovery of the universal plasma substitute-
The pharmaceutical factory now produced three types of drugs: plasma, enhancer, and healing agent.
Inside the factory buildings, which withstood the erosion of the snowstorm, there were a total of six workshops and thirty-six production lines.
The hardworking, diligent, and industrious fellow pirates each had special shackles around their necks, with IV tubes connected directly to the processing cloud water tanks above them. Green nutrient solution filled the droppers.
The silently watching surveillance Den Den Mushi faithfully recorded their efficiency, workload, yield rate, and frequency of slacking off. This data was compiled by the large computational Den Den Mushi in the factory's central control room and then transmitted to the record boards in front of each pirate.
Just then, the value on a certain pirate's record board reached a critical point.
Thunder from the Sky Realm was immediately released from the shackles he wore, pulling everyone on that entire production line into it.
Pale white light flickered along with the dazzling electric light. Screams and convulsions flew together.
Then, the pirate who had slacked off whimpered softly under the glares of his many 'co-workers'. It seemed he would not escape a beating during the night's rest.
But even so, he still dared not stop his work, because crying also counted against his time!
It was precisely because of the dedicated contributions of these hardworking and enduring pirates that Galleila Pharmaceuticals had achieved its current glory.
Of course, to reciprocate the enthusiasm of these brothers, the factory also provided them with considerable benefits, such as: free overtime, minimum wage, six hours of rest, year-round work opportunities, and so on.
Most importantly, after the pirates' wages compensated for the damage caused by their plundering and attacks-
And after making up for lodging fees, food expenses, medical fees, equipment usage fees, monitoring personnel salaries, and so on-
They could remove their shackles, regain their freedom, and return to the sea as unconstrained scum.
Inside the central control room, Yamato, who had come looking for Sato Sakura, watched in stunned silence. "Hey, isn't this... a bit much?"
"They're all scum who gathered here for fame and fortune. How could there be any good people among them? Setting them free would just let them go back to killing and arson."
Sato Sakura snorted coldly and casually pointed to one of the production lines. "Do you believe that the convict on this line has killed more people than the total number of employees in this entire factory?"
"That... no way. They look so pitiful..." Yamato lowered her head, twirling her two fingers together, looking indecisive.
Sato Sakura then pulled her along and began to instill in her the principles of recognizing and employing people, as well as the secret techniques for becoming a better shogun of Wano.
Just as the two were whispering, discussing how to transform that distant country into an unwaveringly loyal empire-
Sakura barged in with the unconscious Ace and threw him toward them. "I have some things to do. Take care of this kid for now."
With that, Sakura used the Flying Thunder God Technique and disappeared without looking back. Sato Sakura and Yamato looked at Ace, who had no visible injuries but remained unconscious.
They both grabbed the markers on the table and slowly approached him. After some scribbling sounds, they wiped the sweat from their foreheads, looked up, and smiled at each other.
…
Upperworld, Palace Reception Hall.
A golden-haired old man in a floral haori, with two famous blades stuck into where his legs should be, sat on a cushion.
On the small table in front of him were several plates of appetizers and Sakura's specially made sake.
"Ah, good sake!" The old man downed the liquid in his sake cup in one gulp.
After a few rounds of drinking, he turned his gaze to Kuina, who was entertaining him.
Addressing this old acquaintance he had met back in Alabasta, he said, "Kid, your strength seems to have increased. Interested in working for me?"
To be honest, coming from the great Shiki the Golden Lion, a former overlord of the seas and the commodore of the Flying Pirates, such an invitation to a worthy prospect was quite gracious.
If Kuina were an ordinary pirate, she might have immediately bowed and declared that she had wandered half her life regretting not having met a wise master.
And then, when they eventually turned against each other in the distant future, she would add, "No more words, please act quickly."
However, she was now a core member of another overlord's crew. What would she gain by jumping ship to work under Shiki?
Surely not because he was old?
"Not interested!"
Kuina snorted and pulled out sword oil to maintain her two long blades.
"Don't be so cold~" Shiki persisted. "I'm planning something big soon. If you just..."
"Invest several billion Belly and then be named your vice-admiral of the Flying Pirates?"
A clear, cold voice interrupted Shiki's pitch. A girl in a black Ninja outfit stepped into the hall on the illusory light of time and space.
"Shihahaha!" Shiki grinned and pressed his advantage. "If you're willing to come, you don't need to invest any Belly. The vice-admiral position is yours for the taking!"
"Old man, you sure have some nerve!" Sakura was both amused and annoyed by his shamelessness.
She raised her hand and waved it at Kuina, indicating she could leave.
"Wait, let her stay!" Shiki raised a hand to stop her. "If I remember correctly, her surname should be Shimotsuki."
At these words, Kuina paused her actions. Sakura frowned and walked to the head seat to sit down.
It only took her a few seconds to guess Shiki's intention. "You want to use Kuina's name to take over Wano?"
"Yes, the former daimyo of Ringo was generationally controlled by their Shimotsuki Family!"
Shiki supported one hand on his knee and raised his sake cup toward Kuina with the other. "That fool Kaido exhausted Wano with his military buildup, and then you defeated him."
"If we could appear as heroes at this time, combined with the Shimotsuki name, we could take over the entire Wano Country with ease!"
The old lion's face lit up as he enthusiastically laid out his plan. However, this script seemed somewhat familiar to Sakura...
'Is that you, Crocoshiki!'
"Then according to what you're saying, I could just do it myself!"
The girl's green eyes swept over the sake in her cup, playing with the rim.
"You won't." Shiki's tone was firm.
The girl before him, like Roger, did not seek domination. Not to mention that her current scale of power was insufficient to spare the energy to deal with another exclave.
Although the conditions in Wano were tempting, it was ultimately nothing more than a huge mess.
Externally, many pirates were circling. Internally, there were remnants of Kaido's forces and many bandits and underworld figures.
Such a territory would be more harmful than beneficial to Sakura at this stage. Too much greed would only lead to losing sight of one thing while focusing on another.
It was precisely because he had seen this point clearly that Shiki had gone to the trouble of connecting various parties to secure a stable home base for his future.
After listening to Shiki talk for a long time, Sakura turned a questioning gaze to Kuina.
Kuina, having put away her cursed blade Muramasa, shook her head at Sakura, indicating that she did not want to get involved in this vortex.
Knowing Kuina's feelings, Sakura took a deep breath and decisively said, "Old lion, we refuse this proposal!"
"Sigh, I expected as much..." Shiki seemed to have foreseen this. He unhurriedly pulled a piece of paper from his chest and used his ability to float it onto Sakura's desk.
"Then, listen to my other proposal!"