With a steady and abundant flow of funds, the village could increase compensation and mission payments for its shinobi, improve the treatment of various institutions—including the Ninja Academy and the orphanage—and even create numerous jobs for ordinary villagers through infrastructure development.
This was why, despite Orochimaru taking power through a coup, he still gained the support of the overwhelming majority. Even the Third Hokage had stepped forward on his own to endorse Orochimaru's position as the Fourth Hokage.
Though other shinobi villages were also undergoing postwar reconstruction, while they quietly licked their wounds, Konoha not only recovered with astonishing speed but had already developed enough strength to extend its influence to neighboring countries.
However, the cautious Third Hokage firmly opposed provoking other nations during such a sensitive period, so Konoha shinobi refrained from acting too aggressively beyond their borders.
Even so, the number of spies from other nations entering Konoha recently had surged dramatically. Not only from the other four great villages of the Five Great Nations—even the minor countries wanted to uncover where Konoha was getting so much money.
With wealth on its side, Konoha could finally stand tall in front of the daimyō of the Land of Fire, no longer having to worry about the nobility manipulating the funds allocated to the village.
Instead, for reasons unknown, the Land of Fire's daimyō had become somewhat terrified and even took the initiative to increase Konoha's budget.
Under such circumstances, Konoha was flourishing. No wonder Minato felt nothing but admiration toward Orochimaru as the Fourth Hokage.
---
"Is that so? So you Konoha… ninjas are like mercenaries? If needed, could we hire you to fight for the Beasts Pirates?"
Ember—who had just finished a conversation with someone over a Den-Den Mushi—looked at Minato with shining eyes.
Not long ago, he had received information from an undercover agent placed in the First Division: five mysterious individuals had not only caused Admiral Akainu to suffer a setback but one of them had even taken Akainu away entirely—after which he had not been seen again.
And standing before him now was that very man: Namikaze Minato!
He wasn't sure what Minato had done to Akainu afterward, but the fact that those five could force Akainu into such a position was shocking enough. Even more importantly, four of them had displayed abilities resembling Logia Devil Fruits, while the only exception—Minato—had shown a spatial movement technique even more formidable than a Logia!
"I'm sorry, but shinobi are not mercenaries… though we can take war-related missions, as long as the conditions are right."
Minato remained particular about the definition of a shinobi. Ember's comparison between ninja and unscrupulous mercenaries made him somewhat uncomfortable.
But that didn't prevent him from competing with mercenaries for business.
When Orochimaru had described the pirate world to Minato, aside from the Devil Fruits and the absurdly strong monsters roaming the seas, the topic he emphasized most was that world's sheer wealth.
Despite having been drained for eight hundred years by the Celestial Dragons and the World Government, the world had not collapsed. Adding to that the 170+ affiliated nations the people must support, the unknown number of unaffiliated governments, and a navy numbering over a million—plus pirates in several multiples of that…
It was no surprise that the pirate world produced so many beings of inhuman strength. Just in the area around Mary Geoise, the number of top-tier fighters comparable to Kaido exceeded double digits.
Of course, if one wanted to be strict, the Ōtsutsuki clan of the shinobi world were the real monsters.
---
While the Beasts Pirates were busy trying to recruit Konoha shinobi, the pirates of the Second Division had already begun landing at Red Port.
Unable to wait any longer, Esdeath—having just completed the initial reorganization of the First Division—ordered the pirates into bubble gondolas and began the advance toward Mary Geoise.
To travel from the Red Port up to Mary Geoise, located ten thousand meters above sea level, the only route was through the bubble cable car.
Therefore, even with the Dark Matter Pirate Group's massive army pressing in, the Gorōsei still couldn't bring themselves to destroy the cable car route.
After all, destruction was easy—construction was hard.
Even with the World Government's near-limitless manpower and resources, building a transport system along a sheer cliff wall ten thousand meters high was an impossibly difficult task.
Otherwise, when the Fish-Man adventurer Fisher Tiger climbed all the way up to Mary Geoise with nothing but his bare hands, it wouldn't have been regarded as an unbelievable miracle.
"Hahahaha! Never thought the day would come when I'd stand on the same holy land those nobles walk on!"
"The Heavenly Tribute collected by the Celestial Dragons for eight hundred years is all stored in the Holy Land… the gold and silver should be piled into a mountain by now…"
"Tch! 'Holy Land,' my ass! I don't give a damn about treasure. Those damn Celestial Dragons once took everyone in my village as slaves. This time, I'll be the one turning them into slaves!"
…
The pirates of the First Division packed into every corner of the bubble cable car. Those confident in their skills even stood on top of the car itself.
Everyone was itching to raid Mary Geoise the moment they touched down. Esdeath, commander of the First Division, had promised all pirates under her that whatever treasure or slaves they seized would belong entirely to them.
No tribute.
No sharing with other divisions.
Those who set foot on Mary Geoise first could pick spoils first—and would also be eligible for promotions within the Dark Matter Pirate Group.
Ordinary pirates could be promoted to Junior Combatants;
Junior Combatants to Intermediate Combatants;
Intermediate Combatants to Senior Combatants.
As for Senior Combatants, they couldn't immediately advance further, but Esdeath promised that at least one of them would be selected to become a Top-Tier Combatant.
The rewards were so generous that the pirates even fought among themselves over who would be allowed into the first wave. Small skirmishes broke out within the First Division.
Finally, after Esdeath personally mediated the arguments, the exact number was set: 1,200 pirates would form the vanguard and be the first to land on Mary Geoise.
Among them, at least half were Intermediate Combatants, and the number of Senior Combatants had reached an astonishing double digits—roughly one-tenth of the Dark Matter Pirate Group's total core strength.
They had mobilized such a large force because the first wave of pirates landing on Mary Geoise had the most difficult mission.
Not only did they need to seize control of the bubble cable terminal, they also had to hold out under the assault of Mary Geoise's defending forces long enough to cover the subsequent First Division pirates during their landing.
The difficulty was self-evident—one mistake and the entire force could easily be wiped out. That was precisely why Esdeath had offered such generous rewards.
And while the First Division pirates were riding the bubble cable pods up toward Mary Geoise, Steelbone Kong—who had returned to Mary Geoise as soon as Sakazuki was captured—was reporting the situation at Red Line Harbor to the Five Elders.
°°°
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