"So that's how it is… Grandfather has actually been alive this whole time?"
Inside the reception hall of the shogun's palace in the Flower Capital, Kozuki Hiyori sat upright as she listened to Red ruthlessly tear away Kozuki Sukiyaki's veil of secrecy and tell her everything without the slightest hesitation. A gleam of joy immediately flashed through her eyes.
Though Hiyori had barely met Kozuki Sukiyaki in her life, with the Kozuki Family now seemingly reduced to her alone, hearing that her own grandfather was still alive…
To Hiyori, that was already a blessing beyond compare.
After a soft sigh of emotion, she slowly raised her head, gratitude appearing on her beautiful face.
"Thank you, Lord Red, for informing me of this matter."
"As for what you said about having the entire nation participate in Pokémon World…"
"Please forgive my ignorance, but Wano Country is currently in ruins and there are simply too many affairs to handle. I do not know much about Pokémon World."
"It's fine."
Unaccustomed to Wano Country's formal etiquette, Red sat casually on the cushion and waved his hand with a smile.
"After all, you've been isolated from the outside world for so many years. It's impossible to connect with the outside world overnight."
"So I specially brought some gaming equipment for you to try."
"And besides…"
Red lifted his head slightly and looked through the open window toward the outskirts of the Flower Capital before continuing:
"Even after all it's been through, Wano Country's population and territory are still among the best in the world."
"With such excellent conditions, it would be a real waste not to make full use of them."
"Hm?" A trace of confusion appeared in Hiyori's beautiful eyes. "What do you mean by that, Lord Red?"
"How about this?" The corners of Red's lips rose. "Starting today, Wano Country will implement a brand-new birth policy!"
"For every additional child a family has, they'll receive a generous cash reward. The state will cover the cost of raising all infants and toddlers and provide unified education."
"And once they reach adulthood, they'll also receive a home from the Wano Country government."
"The more children they have, the more rewards they'll get. The larger the family, the greater the family's total assets!"
"Ah!?"
Watching Red grow more excited the more he spoke, Hiyori froze in astonishment, then hurriedly asked in confusion:
"But Lord Red, with Wano Country's current condition, we simply cannot afford everything you just described."
"Not to mention that Wano Country is currently in the middle of large-scale reconstruction. Every industry is in urgent need of manpower. If a great number of families all enter a childbearing state, it will severely affect Wano Country's normal development!"
"No problem!"
Red waved a broad hand.
"The Straw Hat Pirates are willing to cover all of Wano Country's expenses, and as for your original construction plans, you can put them aside for now."
"There's not much point in just building ordinary houses and expanding villages and towns a little."
"Next, we'll dispatch a large number of clone engineering teams to help Wano Country undergo a complete transformation. We'll use advanced construction technology and planning, along with brand-new building materials produced by factories devoured by Wapol…"
"In just two or three years, Wano Country will be filled with towering buildings, and all kinds of advanced cities and towns will rise from the ground. The people will all live prosperous lives."
"And Wano Country's residents will only need to enjoy the blessings brought by the birth policy."
"Their mission is to keep giving birth and expanding Wano Country's population."
"But…"
Still finding this policy utterly insane, Hiyori continued with a puzzled expression:
"What exactly is your purpose?"
"You're investing so much money and so many resources just to make Wano Country's population explode…"
"Population is the most important resource in the world!"
Before Hiyori could finish, Red cut her off directly and smiled.
"To be honest with you, for certain special reasons, I need a large population to enter Pokémon World."
"That's why I proposed the plan for the entire nation to enter Pokémon World."
"As long as everyone's living needs are fully satisfied, and every household has a pregnant woman with limited mobility, then in the future, the only thing Wano Country's residents will be able to do at home is enjoy the happiness brought by the virtual world game."
"So your goal is still this virtual game?"
Hiyori pressed her lips together.
From the perspective of a ruler, she naturally did not want all of Wano Country to abandon production and throw themselves into some so-called virtual world, wasting their lives.
If this continued for long enough, Wano Country would inevitably become a nation that existed entirely in dependence on the Straw Hat Pirates.
And if something were to happen to the Straw Hat Pirates—if they failed to provide the rewards they had promised, or failed to maintain the funds and resources needed to keep Wano Country running—then for a Wano Country with an enormous population but no ability to produce for itself, it would be nothing less than total annihilation.
Military, economy, education—everything under another's control. That was absolutely not what a healthy nation should look like.
But…
From the perspective of an ordinary citizen of Wano Country, they could live a prosperous life without exhausting labor. The instinct to continue one's bloodline would not only bring no burden at all, but would instead earn the family generous rewards.
And all they had to do was play a virtual game meant mainly for entertainment.
Wasn't that kind of life the dream of every person who had ever suffered in poverty and hardship?
Because of the weakness of the Kozuki Family, the people of Wano Country had endured decades of suffering. And now, an opportunity had appeared to make up for it.
For a moment, Hiyori found herself unable to decide what choice she should make.
But that inner struggle did not last long.
Only a short while later, she lifted her head and gently nodded to Red.
"If that is the case, then let us proceed as you say, Lord Red."
"At the very least, this will allow the people of Wano Country to enjoy a period of true happiness."
"A wise decision. Making you the shogun of Wano Country really was the right call." Red's lips curled upward.
That was right.
What right did Kozuki Hiyori even have to choose?
From the moment Red stated what he needed Wano Country to do, the matter had already been decided.
She had no doubt that if she refused or delayed making a decision, then the position of shogun—only just returned to the Kozuki Family with great difficulty—might once again pass into someone else's hands.
In front of the Straw Hat Pirates, she had no room to choose.
Fortunately, the terms Red offered were generous enough.
After all, he was not like Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido, who wanted the people of Wano Country to sink into a life of misery and toil.
Instead, he wanted Wano Country to sink into a gentle paradise that might slowly rot it from within.
And that was already the greatest mercy the Straw Hat Pirates were willing to show.
…
…
A few days later.
With lightning speed, Red finalized Wano Country's birth rewards with Kozuki Hiyori, then issued them in the shogun's name to every corner of Wano Country.
In an instant, a policy so unbelievable it felt like a dream became the source of smiles on every face in Wano Country.
In just half a month, huge numbers of marriages sprang up across Wano Country, which had only recently still been trapped in hardship.
And as for those who were already married, regardless of age or sex, they began setting aside their work and diligently getting to business.
How much money could working possibly earn!?
At best, it only guaranteed food and clothing. How could that compare to the new population reward policy?!
Ten months of pregnancy, and they could receive rewards equal to what once took three to five years of hard labor to earn!
With such incentives, the whole of Wano Country quickly entered a bizarre state.
There were hardly any pedestrians left on the streets. Shop after shop that had once run all kinds of businesses was swiftly converted into stores selling only maternal and infant products.
And to avoid the many illnesses that might come from women rushing into pregnancy, Wano Country also introduced a number of policies aimed at making things easier for women.
Regular free medical checkups, home visits to monitor pregnant women's condition, and nutritional health supplements available as soon as pregnancy was confirmed.
For a time, the status of women in Wano Country skyrocketed. But because they remained in prolonged states of pregnancy and childbirth, no extreme feminist movement emerged either.
And so, as batches of gaming helmets were distributed to every person in Wano Country according to population count…
The entire idle nation of Wano Country officially came into contact with and settled into Pokémon World, injecting a huge amount of fresh blood into the virtual world.
…
…
"And just like that, a brand-new wish-power generator has been completed."
High above the Flower Capital, Red looked down at the streets, which had become deserted in the span of just a month, and an eerie smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
(End of Chapter)