Sherlock remained silent, but Edmond spoke coldly, "If you live and do business in the free trade zone of the Navia Kingdom, you must abide by the kingdom's laws. Here, the Governor's word is law. Those who died were disobedient. Do you have a problem with that?"
The pirate captain hesitated, ultimately saying nothing. In the East Blue, the average bounty for a pirate barely reached three million Beli. Most of the pirates operating in White Pine Town had already been subdued by the Morgan Pirates. Not everyone had the audacity of "Clown" Buggy or Arlong to attack a bank here. Even Buggy and Arlong had once ventured into the Grand Line, and their bounties were significantly higher than most pirates in the East Blue.
...
While Sherlock, Edmond, and the pirate captains were conversing, another scene was unfolding within the same building, with others observing the situation in the square.
Dampier peeked through the blinds, glancing at the now-quiet square, before turning around to look at "Clown" Buggy, who lay sprawled on the floor. "Did he say he invented that kind of cannonball?"
Buggy, once so proud and spirited during the bombing of the Flash Gold Bank, was now a sorry sight. His face was bruised, his lips pale, and his body covered in burn marks. Missing a front tooth, he lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.
Sitting on a sofa, William downed a glass of honey wine in one gulp, frowning as he confirmed, "That's right. He even named it after himself—Buggy Ball."
"Then he's quite the talent," Dampier remarked, studying Buggy with surprise. "We could have him join my laboratory, though I wonder if he'll behave."
"That's what I was thinking," William replied with a cold smile, pulling out a box and opening it in front of Dampier. "As for whether he'll behave, you don't need to worry about that."
Dampier glanced at the box, only to find a neatly carved piece of flesh inside. He instinctively frowned and asked, "What is this?"
"His heart," William replied, reaching into the box to grab the piece of flesh. Activating his Devil Fruit ability, his hand quickly heated up. At the same time, Buggy, who had been lying lifeless on the ground like a dead fish, let out a blood-curdling scream and began writhing in agony.
It was only then that Dampier noticed the gaping hole in Buggy's left chest. Strangely, there was no blood flowing from the wound.
If Buggy were likened to a figure built from countless blocks, then the block containing his heart and surrounding flesh was now in William's hand.
"A Devil Fruit ability?" Dampier's eyes gleamed with interest. "Fascinating. It can even separate a heart from the body."
"Stop playing dead," William said, placing the piece of flesh back into the box and addressing the panting Buggy on the floor. "Captain Buggy, did you hear what we just discussed? Your Devil Fruit ability won't save your life. Behave and stay in the lab, and I'll ensure your safety."
Buggy gasped for air, glaring at William with a mix of hatred and despair. "You want me to be your slave?"
"You should be grateful I'm sparing your life," William replied coldly, closing the box. "You destroyed the Flash Gold Bank and caused me endless trouble. If it weren't for the value of what's in your head, I'd make you suffer a fate far worse than death."
The foundation of a bank ultimately boiled down to two words: trust.
The Flash Gold Bank operated with the backing of the Navia Kingdom, a member of the World Government, and the tangible military support of the Morgan Pirates and the kingdom's army. This combination attracted all sorts of funds, including those from pirates.
In this chaotic era, military strength was the ultimate guarantee, even more so than wealth. It was the key to reassuring pirates and other unsavory characters. The bank had been robbed before, but never had it been reduced to rubble as it was today. Such an event would undoubtedly shake external confidence in the bank, which was why William had initially been so furious.
By recklessly unleashing his ability to evaporate underground water and other sources, enveloping the entire island in steam, William had aimed to demonstrate his power and restore some of the confidence that might have been lost due to the bank's destruction.
After ringing the bell on his desk, two men entered the room and carried the battered Buggy away.
Once the room was empty again, save for William and Dampier, Dampier asked, "If you're keeping Buggy alive, how will you explain the bank incident?"
"The bank was robbed by Fish-Men. It could only have been the Fish-Men," William said with a meaningful smile. "Tomorrow's newspapers will say the same. Since the bank's destruction can't be hidden, we might as well spin it to emphasize the terror of the Fish-Men and the Arlong Pirates."
...
In a small town within the Navia Kingdom, at the docks, a chubby boy with glasses and pink, parted hair was engrossed in the latest issue of the East Blue News, reading an article about the Fish-Men's attack on the bank in White Pine Town.
This boy, named Koby, sighed deeply as he read the news.
Some adults at the docks chuckled at Koby's serious demeanor.
"Koby, how'd you do on your exams this time?" a young man with a roguish air teased.
Interrupted from his thoughts, Koby hesitated before reluctantly replying, "Not bad, but I didn't do well in some subjects."
At the end of last year, William had officially implemented mandatory education throughout the Navia Kingdom. Nearly twenty new elementary schools had been established, ensuring that every village and town had a public school, apart from the capital, Kalmar City. The Compulsory Education Act required all children between six and twelve years of age, regardless of gender or social status, to receive education.
Whether in cities or rural areas, any student who missed classes would be recorded, and their parents would be fined.
During the migration movement, William had seized the opportunity to abolish local autonomous institutions, centralizing power in the hands of the central government. Local administrative officials were all appointed by William's centralized authority.
Furthermore, William had reformed the education system, drawing inspiration from Napoleon's national education system. He incorporated teachers into the state bureaucracy, suppressed the survival of local private schools, enforced state monopoly over education, and established an Education Department to oversee education in all villages and towns.
In this environment, local officials only needed to answer to their superiors. Despite the inevitable roughness and impatience for quick results, the implementation of compulsory education at the local level progressed rapidly.
It was under these circumstances that Koby entered the town's national elementary school.
Koby was a child who loved reading and learning, evident from his thick glasses. However, William's schools didn't just focus on book knowledge. Given the world's environment, they also emphasized physical subjects. At Koby's elementary school, swordsmanship and martial arts were mandatory subjects, which happened to be Koby's weaknesses. Before entering the national elementary school, Koby had never been fond of physical activities, resulting in his uneven academic performance.
A short, sturdy middle-aged man dressed like a dock worker, who seemed to know Koby, approached him with advice: "You should interact more with your classmates. Instead of spending your free time reading newspapers, you should train more. With such uneven grades and just burying your head in books, you'll suffer greatly in this Great Pirate Era."
Koby muttered somewhat resentfully, "Our town hasn't encountered pirates for years."
Though Koby spoke softly, the middle-aged dock worker had keen ears and heard him clearly. He scolded loudly, "How long has it been since we haven't encountered pirates? In the past, which year didn't see pirates around our town?"
"The absence of pirates is due to the policies implemented by the Governor. And only our country in the East Blue enjoys such peace. You frequent the docks; haven't you heard the complaints from maritime merchants? Apart from our country, how many others don't face pirate raids within their borders?"
Koby fell silent, knowing the man was right. His earlier words were merely self-justification.
Koby's school taught history and social studies. He understood why this era was called the Great Pirate Era, its causes, and the current situation. Before William took control of the central government, Koby and the people of his hometown had lived in indescribable fear of pirates. In that environment, no place like Koby's hometown could claim absolute safety.
Because of this, from a very young age, Koby had dreamed of becoming a Marine. However, after entering elementary school and learning about the Celestial Dragons, the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon, slavery, the bridge kingdom of "Tequila Wolf," the Buster Call, and other such matters through his teachers and textbooks, Koby gradually abandoned his dream of becoming a Marine. Despite the lack of extensive commentary on these phenomena in the classroom and textbooks, in Koby's young mind, the Marines under the World Government could no longer represent "justice."
Koby's newest dream was to study at the Neustria Academy in the capital, Kalmar City, and after graduation, join the attendant's chamber under the First Governor, Morgan William, to better build and protect his homeland by following the great Governor.
Others were right, Koby thought as he looked down at the newspaper, recalling the news. In this Great Pirate Era, achieving a peaceful and stable life wasn't easy. Even the Navia Kingdom, protected by the Governor, could be attacked by Fish-Men pirates. He too must strive to become stronger, like Governor William, to contribute to saving this era.
...
"Jango, did you really meet the Governor from the neighboring country?" a group of villagers from Syrup Village gathered around the traveling minstrel, Jango, in an open space within the village.
Jango, holding his guitar, strummed a few notes before answering, "Of course."
Jango's words were half-true, half-false. He had originally been a wandering dancer with no fame, often going hungry. Whenever he was hungry, he would sleep to ward off the pangs.
Later, whether due to sleeping too much or hallucinating from hunger (Jango couldn't quite remember), he found a mushroom growing on his chin. Desperate with hunger, he ate the mushroom cap, and from then on, gradually mastered the art of hypnosis.
William's military reforms were based on meritocracy. Anyone with talent, unless they were criminals wanted by the World Government, would be welcomed, even those who had committed crimes in other countries. However, Kuro, who had originally controlled the intelligence agency, had begun similar practices even earlier than William.
To excel in intelligence work, gather various information, and infiltrate different social strata and groups, Kuro needed to recruit talents from all walks of life. Through his high-level agents, he developed countless informants. Jango had initially become an informant for Kuro's intelligence agency just to fill his stomach. Later, due to his hypnosis skills, his position within the intelligence department rose steadily. Eventually, after the intelligence department was reorganized, he was transferred to the Commercial Intelligence Division Five, becoming their "ace agent."
His arrival in Syrup Village was no accident but deliberate. Apart from gathering intelligence on the Arlong Pirates up close, he was also tasked with shaping public opinion. He had to both propagate the terrifying image of the Arlong Pirates and make the local residents feel hopeless about the kingdom's ruling class, the World Government, and the local Marines, preparing for the eventual annexation of Arlong-controlled territories into the Navia Kingdom after William's forces drove away the Arlong Pirates.
"I heard that since that Governor took office, no city or town within the Navia Kingdom has suffered from pirate raids?" a villager asked.
"That's true," Jango replied with sincerity, though he had repeated these words countless times to many people. "I've traveled to many countries, and the Navia Kingdom is the most peaceful I've ever seen."
"I wonder what that Governor would do if Arlong's crew occupied a village in the Navia Kingdom," a villager sighed.
Another villager added bitterly, "At least he wouldn't ignore us like the nobles of our country."
When Jango first arrived at the village, he had been very enthusiastic about helping them contact the outside world, especially the rulers of the Faraise Kingdom.
But with Arlong's bounty at a staggering twenty million Beli, one of the highest among East Blue pirates, the Faraise Kingdom abandoned the idea of rescuing the occupied villages, including Syrup Village, as soon as they heard about Arlong's bounty.
Jango had immediately conveyed this news to the local villagers, letting them know they had been abandoned by their country's rulers.
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