Half a month later, the task of recruiting craftsmen proceeded unusually smoothly.
Under the persuasion of "triple salary" and the "friendly" encouragement of three future Admirals, almost all the top craftsmen from the first half of the New World were gathered. They were transported by warship to Punk Hazard.
When they saw this desolate island with nothing but trees and rocks, everyone was stunned.
"Sir Marine, are you sure... you want to build a base here?" An elderly, white-haired craftsman asked tremblingly.
"This place has no wind or magnetic fields, even Log Poses can't point here. It's practically a natural prison."
"Yes, transporting materials alone is a huge problem."
The craftsmen murmured among themselves, all thinking this was unreliable.
Just then, Tatsuki returned.
He arrived on a medium-sized warship with over a dozen soldiers, returning from the North Blue.
He ordered the soldiers to unload huge chests filled with Berries and gold from the ship. Then, in front of all the craftsmen, he opened them.
The small mountain of money instantly silenced all doubts.
"Gulp."
Countless swallowing sounds were heard.
All the craftsmen's eyes were glued to the sight. They had never seen so much money in their lives.
"Everyone,"
Tatsuki jumped onto the top of a money chest, looking down at the thousands of craftsmen below, his voice booming.
"I know what you're doubting. Why choose such a godforsaken, isolated island?"
"Now, I'll tell you the answer."
He unfolded a massive blueprint, a future base design he had drawn himself.
A fierce, majestic steel fortress full of violent beauty leaped off the paper.
"What you see isn't just an island!"
Tatsuki's finger tapped heavily on the core area of the blueprint.
"It's a future!"
"We will build the world's strongest, most advanced, and greatest maritime fortress here!"
"It will have a defense system surpassing Marineford! Its artillery will cover every corner of this sea! Its walls will be forged from a special alloy mixed with Sea Stone powder, indestructible!"
"This place will become the ultimate fortress guarding the throat of the New World! Any pirate, any enemy wanting to enter the New World must first ask if our G-5 artillery permits it!"
"You will no longer be ordinary craftsmen! You will be the builders of this great miracle! Your names will be immortalized alongside this fortress!"
The blueprint he described was too grand and shocking. All the craftsmen were stirred, their breathing rapid.
Building a fortress that surpasses Marineford?
What a crazy, yet glorious feat!
"And I, Tatsuki, Base Commander of G-5, promise you! As long as you give your all, the triple salary I mentioned is just the base!"
"Bonuses, benefits, even future resettlement for your families—I'll cover it all!"
"I have only one requirement!"
Tatsuki's gaze swept over each person. "Turn what's on this blueprint into reality as quickly as possible!"
"Money is not an issue!"
"Tell me, do you have the confidence?!"
"YES!!!"
Thousands of craftsmen roared in unison, their voices shaking the skies.
[Ding! Detected that the host has delivered an extremely influencing speech, openly making bounced checks, and attempting to establish a private armed fortress independent of the Marine system!]
[This behavior severely shakes the Marines' organizational discipline!]
[Violation Points +80,000!]
Hearing the system's prompt, the smile on Tatsuki's lips grew even brighter.
Good.
Infrastructure Madman mode... officially activated!
— — —
Punk Hazard, this desolate island that had been silent for who knows how many years, had completely come to life.
Boom!!!
The deafening explosions and the roar of machinery echoed ceaselessly over the island, day and night.
Driven by the power of money, this wild land had transformed into a massive construction site.
Tatsuki personally oversaw the operations. In his plans, this new G-5 Base was far more than just a military fortress. It was the embryo of an ambition.
The entire project was divided into three parts, all progressing simultaneously.
First, the ground military fortress.
Utilizing the island's natural mountainous terrain, they built a steel fortress integrating defense, offense, training, and living quarters.
The outer walls stood a hundred meters high, infused with Sea Stone powder, making them despairingly thick. On the walls, dense arrays of heavy artillery gleamed with a cold metallic sheen. Every firing angle was meticulously calculated, capable of tearing any fleet daring to approach into shreds.
Second, the underground research zone.
The interior of the island's mountain was being hollowed out, forming an underground world even larger and more secretive than the surface fortress.
This would be the place for his future secret research—things he didn't want the World Government to know about. For example, studying Devil Fruits, developing new weapons, and poaching... Vegapunk.
Third, the undersea ghost dockyard.
Beneath the circular seabed around the island, several massive secret docks capable of hiding submarines were constructed, becoming fangs lurking beneath the Grand Line.
The scale of this project exceeded everyone's imagination. It was like a gold-devouring beast that could never be satiated, voraciously consuming Tatsuki's treasury.
In just one month, the mountain-like pile of billions of Berries had visibly shrunk by half.
Material costs, labor fees, equipment purchases... each expense was astronomical.
Especially those alloys mixed with Sea Stone powder—their price was even higher than gold. It was practically burning money.