In an office at the headquarters of the Flash Gold Bank in the center of White Pine Town, William was flipping through the latest issue of the East Blue News.
Under William's directive, the newspaper adhered to two unwavering principles: to resolutely support every decision made by the Governor, and to relentlessly vilify every statement made by the royal family.
The newspaper was once again running a series of exaggerated and distorted stories about the king. For example, one article recounted how, during a banquet, the crown prince had expressed confusion about why the poor in the slums, who couldn't afford bread, didn't simply eat meat instead.
"The focus of recent news coverage should shift directions for now," William said as he circled and marked parts of the newspaper with a pen, then handed it to an adjutant officer. "Shift attention to the Fish-Man pirate group from the neighboring Faraise Kingdom, and emphasize the atmosphere of terror under these racists' rule."
The adjutant officer diligently jotted down notes in his notebook. William tapped his temple with his index finger, pondering for a moment before adding, "Labeling them as pirates doesn't seem impactful enough... From now on, refer to them as 'terrorists' in the papers."
After recording William's instructions, the adjutant left the office with the annotated newspaper. As he exited, Sherlock entered the room.
"Only two pirate crews opened accounts at the bank this month," Sherlock said casually as he took a seat opposite William. "Including that Fish-Man crew, that makes three in total."
One of William's primary motivations for establishing the Flash Gold Bank was to absorb the idle funds of pirates and put them to better use. Back when William wasn't yet a pirate captain, he had often lamented how pirates would bury their treasures on deserted islands, leaving them to rot. Now that he had both the power and the influence, he was determined to ensure that such wealth wouldn't go to waste, instead channeling it into productive ventures.
Moreover, controlling the pirates' funds was akin to gripping them by the throat, forcing them to submit to William's authority. With White Pine Town's Free Trade Zone effectively becoming the largest fencing hub for pirates in the East Blue, William and Sherlock could easily manipulate the movements of many pirates in the region. For instance, by adjusting the prices of certain goods, they could indirectly influence the pirates' choice of targets for plunder.
The pirates of this world were endless; without changing the societal environment, new pirates would always emerge. While William focused on eradicating pirates within the core region of the Navia Kingdom, he lacked the capacity to reform the broader East Blue. Given this reality, William's pragmatic nature led him to find ways to make use of these "resources."
Recently, White Pine Town had raised purchase prices for certain goods, including the popular DOSKOI PANDA fashion brand and other specialties from the Glass Bead Island region. This had drawn more pirates to target trade routes near Glass Bead Island, significantly disrupting the commerce of this renowned commercial hub in the East Blue.
As a result, DOSKOI PANDA products, once coveted, had become less appealing due to frequent pirate raids. Meanwhile, in Kalmar City, a knockoff brand called CYBER PANDA had begun to emerge, gradually encroaching on DOSKOI PANDA's market share.
It was clear that William, ever the opportunist, was engaging in underhanded commercial competition. Not only was he using pirates to suppress DOSKOI PANDA's supply chain, but he also planned to swoop in and poach their resources once the Glass Bead Island economy collapsed under the weight of pirate activity.
"Speaking of which," Sherlock said, turning the conversation to the Arlong Pirates, "how much cash do those Fish-Men have?"
"I sent a troubadour to the village under their control," William replied casually. "According to his report, those Fish-Men extorted the villagers for their lives—100,000 Beli for each adult and 50,000 for each child. They collected over 200 million in one go."
The Arlong Pirates, who had come from the Grand Line to the East Blue, might not fully qualify as "a dragon in foreign waters," but William, who had spent years establishing his roots and influence in the region, was undoubtedly the "local snake."
The Arlong Pirates were clueless about the intricacies of the East Blue and relied solely on brute force to carve out their territory. Meanwhile, William had already dispatched people to gather extensive intelligence on them.
The troubadour who descended on Cocoyasi Village in a hot air balloon was sent by William. His mission was twofold: to gather information and to subtly influence the villagers' thoughts.
Antonio's contact with the Arlong Pirates was also orchestrated by William. From the very beginning, Arlong's plan to rob the bank had been transparent to William. The Fish-Men's so-called "secretive" actions were as blatant as a public announcement in William's eyes.
"Just one village?" Sherlock raised an eyebrow. When William nodded, Sherlock licked his lips. "What an easy way to make money."
"Short-term profit is always quick," William said indifferently. "But don't envy them. Those brainless fools are practically delivering their money to us. I was planning to exploit them gradually, but who would've thought they'd be so eager to hand it over themselves."
William's original plan had been to boil the frog slowly, but it turned out that the Fish-Men were even more reckless and barbaric than he had anticipated. Without conducting thorough reconnaissance of their new environment, they had immediately set their sights on robbing the local powerhouse's vault. It wasn't William's fault for setting up a trap; they had willingly walked into it.
Of course, this overconfidence might have been influenced by the East Blue's reputation as the weakest sea.
...
Meanwhile, Kuroobi, Chew, and Hatchan were touring the bank with Antonio. After handing over one hundred million Beli to the bank staff, they insisted on inspecting the vault to ensure its security measures met their standards.
Feigning reluctance, Antonio agreed. After the Fish-Men officers memorized the vault's location, they made an excuse to explore the unique town and, accompanied by bank staff, began wandering around White Pine Town.
At some point, Chew slipped away unnoticed by the tour guide and headed to the coastline, where the other Fish-Men were hiding.
Surrounded by his comrades, Chew was bombarded with questions:
"So, is the bank as famous as those humans claim? Do they really store a lot of money?"
"Did you find the vault's location?"
Rubbing his chin, Chew replied, "Pretty much. That human didn't exaggerate too much."
"When do we make our move?" one of the Fish-Men asked eagerly.
Chew glanced at the sky. "Not yet. Wait until nightfall."
While the Fish-Men were discussing their plans, they failed to notice a floating head peeking out from behind a nearby rock.
It was none other than "Clown" Buggy, who was already cursing internally.
"What kind of messed-up world is this? Even robbing a bank has competitors!"
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