"Fleet Admiral, has there been any talk from the higher-ups about increasing the military budget for the next few years?" Diarmuid asked.
On the other end of the line, Kong was silent for a moment before he chuckled. "You think a lot, don't you? I've already asked, but their stance is to 'wait and see.'"
"'Wait and see'?" Diarmuid muttered. He then acted annoyed. "Anyone can see that the seas are about to get chaotic. No, they already are. Soon, countless pirates will swarm in. When that happens, won't it be up to the Marines to clean up the mess? In a situation like this, one step ahead means you're always ahead, and one step behind means you're always behind. And they still want to cut our budget? The situation is already bad enough; if they hold back on funding, won't it just get worse?"
Listening to Diarmuid's complaints, Kong felt a sense of relief. It was true. Even at a time like this, the higher-ups were still wary of the Marines growing too powerful. Did they want to watch the pirates get stronger instead?
At the end of the day, the Marines and the World Government were on the same side, yet they were wary of their own people while an enemy swept across the seas. It was a joke.
But Kong kept these thoughts to himself. No matter what he thought, as Fleet Admiral, he couldn't show any resentment toward the World Government. He represented the entire Marine organization, and his every move would affect them. Kong didn't want the tension between the Marines and the World Government to grow. That would be bad for everyone.
"Alright, alright, the higher-ups have their own concerns. When you're in a different position, you naturally see things from a different angle," Kong said, trying to calm Diarmuid.
Diarmuid grumbled a little, letting the matter drop, and then asked, "Fleet Admiral, if the budget isn't increasing, are we still going to be doing some recruitment?"
"The Headquarters has built up some reserves over the years. We still have to strengthen ourselves. Like you said, one step ahead, and you're always ahead. We can't just stop because the higher-ups are hesitant," Kong said without hesitation.
"Will it be enough?" Diarmuid asked bluntly.
Kong's voice faltered slightly. He sounded helpless. "It should be enough for now. For the next two or three years, it won't be a problem… but after that, it'll be tight."
"Two or three years…" Diarmuid murmured, then said, "Then it seems my Calm Belt development plan should be effective. Maybe it can tie in with Headquarters' needs."
"That's why I want you to tell me about it. How can we develop the Calm Belt to benefit the Marines?" Kong asked.
"Here's the thing: after careful study, I've found that the Calm Belt is a truly undeveloped treasure trove. There are many islands there. The simplest development would be mining, looking for all kinds of ores like gold, silver, and iron. Then, we organize a workforce to mine them for us. Not only can we save a huge amount on military purchases and become self-sufficient, but if we have a surplus, we can sell it for a profit," Diarmuid said.
"That makes a lot of sense," Kong said softly.
The Marines used all kinds of metals to build and maintain bases, and to manufacture cannons, swords, ammunition, and guns. These costs added up to an enormous amount for the entire Marine system.
If they could become self-sufficient by developing the Calm Belt, it would save a vast sum. And if they could sell the surplus, they would earn a huge profit. It was a win-win, no matter how you looked at it. This point alone was enough for Kong to take notice.
"Is there more?" he asked.
"Yes. The shipbuilding industry is also facing a material shortage. I've found that Water 7 buys a large amount of timber every year. Building warships requires wood of a certain age, quality, and hardness, which costs a fortune.
"The Calm Belt, however, has been untouched for thousands of years, and many of its islands have an abundant supply of rich timber. We can organize a crew to harvest it. Once we transport it out, it would be a huge profit. We could also use this as an entry point to subtly control the upstream material supply to the world-renowned shipbuilding city of Water 7 and reduce the costs of building our own warships as much as possible," Diarmuid explained.
Kong stroked his chin, his eyes glinting. That made a lot of sense. The ideas Diarmuid was talking about weren't complicated. The so-called "development" wasn't some fanciful, flashy idea. It was simple.
Mine if there's ore, cut down trees if there isn't!
It was incredibly rough, yet this hard-nosed approach would allow the Marines to make a huge profit and drastically reduce their expenses. It was perfect.
Why had no one ever thought of this before?
Kong realized it must be due to a mental rut. For centuries, the Calm Belt's special nature had made it feel like a forbidden zone, so the two Calm Belts were practically deserted, a forgotten part of the world.
The Marines were a military organization, and they rarely considered these kinds of development issues. That's why something so simple had never crossed their minds. It was a stroke of luck that Diarmuid's unconventional, uninhibited mind had discovered such a great plan.
Before Kong could fully process this, Diarmuid continued. "And the final, most crucial point is that the Calm Belt's unique environment creates a natural shield. Almost no one pays attention to it. If we actively block any information about it, even the World Government might not get wind of it…"
As soon as Diarmuid said this, a jolt ran through Kong. "Diarmuid, watch your words! No slandering!"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral, I know. That's why I'm only telling you," Diarmuid said with a chuckle.
Kong's mind was in a complex state, but he was indeed intrigued. "Go on, tell me more."
"The higher-ups have always used military funding and other means to restrict us Marines. On top of that, the World Government can be quite greedy. So, if the Calm Belt development becomes a success and is discovered, they will certainly take control of it. We Marines would be pushed aside, which is completely against our interests!" Diarmuid said bluntly.
Kong's heart was startled. He already understood what Diarmuid meant. Thinking along Diarmuid's lines, there were no flaws. After working for the World Government for so many years, Kong knew their mindset and style very well. If they saw the huge profits in the Calm Belt, they would definitely try to take it away from the Marines. This was not something he wanted.
"Luckily, there's a closed loop. If we're careful, we should be able to keep it under wraps. The yields we'd get from the initial stages of development could all be absorbed internally by the Marines. There would be no need to sell to the outside world, which would help us keep a low profile. The money we save can be used to better enhance our military… And if we find a gold mine, we'll make even more profit and have a hidden source of income," Diarmuid said in a low voice.
"What do you mean by 'closed loop'?" Kong asked.
He understood the second part—that the initial output could be used internally, leaving no commercial trail, which would make it hard for the World Government to discover.
If they were careful, they could hide it for three, five, or even ten years. The potential profit was immense, and Kong was very tempted. But he didn't understand what "closed loop" meant.
"A closed loop means that the development would be carried out entirely within the Marines. We wouldn't need to use any outside resources. My current plan is to use my G-7 base as the forward operating station and the prisoners from Impel Down as the main labor force. This way, from development to internal use, everything can be handled by the Marines. We won't need to use any external forces, which makes it even more secretive. We just need to find a few trustworthy people to secure the key points, and we're all set," Diarmuid said with a chuckle.
Kong's eyes lit up.
Of course. The best way to prevent the World Government from finding out was to minimize any external traces.
According to Diarmuid's plan, all they needed were a few trustworthy officers in key positions. Everything would be a self-contained cycle, from development to use, with no outside traces. It would be very difficult for the World Government to discover their activities in the Calm Belt.
How much money would that save? And if they were really lucky and found a gold mine…
Kong had no intention of rebelling against the World Government, but if he had a chance to secure a huge profit for the Marines, he would not let it go!
"A brilliant idea!" Kong praised him.
"Thank you, Fleet Admiral. I was worried that once we got started and the operation stabilized, we'd need more and more labor and that Impel Down wouldn't have enough prisoners to supply us. But now, the seas are in chaos! Fleet Admiral, the swarms of pirates aren't just pirates, they're our labor force! Doesn't that make you feel better? Doesn't that give you more motivation to capture them?" Diarmuid laughed.
Kong's mood instantly brightened. He felt the gloom melt away.
Diarmuid was right.
To supply the Marines' needs, they would require a massive amount of resources, which in turn would require a huge workforce—tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of laborers.
The number of prisoners Impel Down could provide now would be nowhere near enough to meet the Marines' needs, let alone generate a surplus to sell for profit.
So where would the labor come from? To keep it a secret, they couldn't outsource it. They had to use a force that was completely under Marine control. And with the Marines' commitment to justice, slaves were out of the question.
But now, he looked at the pirates swarming the seas and realized: they aren't pirates at all, are they? They're all our own 'people.'
"You're right. Since they dare to be pirates, they can't blame us Marines for being ruthless. I'll issue a Fleet Admiral's order: whenever possible, capture them alive. These scoundrels are wreaking havoc on the seas, but it would be better to send them all to the Calm Belt to mine and build a foundation for Marine justice!" Kong said without hesitation.
Now that he thought about it, that scoundrel Roger's "Great Pirate Era" seemed to benefit the Marines too. If it weren't for him, how could there be so many pirates, especially ones of such low quality and huge numbers? Now, most of these pirates, once loathed by the Marines, were a highly sought-after commodity.
Thinking of this, Kong felt a little amazed. 'Could this be called capturing slaves under the guise of justice?'
But the next second, he drove that thought from his mind. 'What am I thinking? We Marines are removing a blight on humanity and upholding justice! How can we be compared to filthy slave traders?'
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