Chapter 276: The SMILE Factory
Leaving Robin and Kyoshiro to their negotiations, Rhodes walked alone through Dressrosa's streets.
After over a month of repairs and reconstruction, Dressrosa had recovered substantially from its severe damage, and the people moving about all displayed genuine smiles.
Although losing the Donquixote Family's underworld connections had caused Dressrosa's black market trading to shrink considerably, the impact wasn't immediately devastating.
Moreover, Dressrosa itself wasn't fundamentally impoverished.
This was evident from the vast sunflower fields, and to the north lay the fertile region of Sebio. Developing these agricultural resources—while not generating extraordinary wealth—would at minimum prevent poverty.
"Rhodes-sama!"
"Rhodes-sama!"
As he walked, passersby stopped to observe, their eyes filled with heartfelt respect and profound gratitude.
Within just a few hundred meters, Rhodes received advances from thirteen different women, each mature and alluring, seemingly ready to be chosen.
The women of Dressrosa were renowned for their passionate nature, fiery temperament, and uninhibited openness.
Fortunately, Rhodes possessed remarkable self-discipline. Besides, if he genuinely possessed such needs, these ordinary women couldn't satisfy him anyway—it would prove more practical to open a portal and visit Hancock.
A short while later, Jinbe caught up with him.
"I feel deeply ashamed for my failure to defeat Jack."
Jinbe's disappointment was evident. His Fish-Man features appeared somber, filled with guilt.
Normally, as an emerging force with potential to become one of the Four Emperors, Rhodes—as the organization's leader—shouldn't have personally intervened against Jack the Drought's provocation, given their unequal status!
But Jinbe had no alternative. He'd lost.
"There's no need for such concern. They came targeting me anyway,"
Rhodes smiled gently.
"If you truly feel humiliated, then train harder."
"We currently maintain trading relations with the Beast Pirates, but eventually, we'll inevitably fight them. You can defeat him then."
There could only ever be one true king.
Whether the Blackbeard Pirates, the Beast Pirates, or even the World Government itself—all were enemies. The former two represented immediate obstacles, while the latter was a more distant target.
"Besides, you're a Fish-Man. The ocean is your natural domain. Very few in this world could defeat you in open water."
Although he recognized this as consolation, Jinbe still felt somewhat better. He secretly resolved to train diligently and grow substantially stronger.
His recent experiences had filled Jinbe with genuine confidence in Rhodes' leadership potential.
In his perception, Rhodes would become a great figure capable of leading Fish-Man Island toward a glorious future.
As the Knight of the Sea representing the Fish-Man race, he needed to follow Rhodes' trajectory and fulfill his role so the Fish-Men wouldn't fall behind in the coming great era.
The two strolled casually, discussing martial arts experiences and combat philosophy.
In this particular aspect, Rhodes genuinely acknowledged inferiority to Jinbe. While Rhodes possessed formidable strength and—with his broad perspective—could guide Robin and Bones in developing their Devil Fruit abilities effectively,
he lacked the deep theoretical knowledge of a master like Jinbe, who'd immersed himself in physical combat disciplines for decades.
During their conversation, they gradually returned to the King's Plateau.
There, they witnessed Rebecca practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard.
Seemingly inspired by the earlier battle she'd observed, the young woman appeared extremely focused. Her footwork flowed like serpentine dragons, her blade moving fluidly with her body, her long pink ponytail bouncing rhythmically—radiating youthful vitality.
"This girl possesses genuine potential,"
Jinbe observed with satisfaction.
"She's Kyros' daughter, Dressrosa's princess, yet her fighting spirit is incredibly strong. She might develop into a formidable warrior eventually."
"Decent foundation, but still far from adequate,"
Rhodes stated, hands clasped behind his back, expression neutral.
Purely pursuing physical techniques or swordsmanship—unless one was a prodigy like Roronoa Zoro—generally resulted in late blooming, as honing one's physique and Haki required tremendous time investment.
Their conversation startled the young woman from her concentrated practice.
"Rhodes-sama! Jinbe-san!"
Rebecca appeared slightly taken aback, then trotted over and bowed respectfully.
"Haven't you always wanted to request swordsmanship instruction from Rhodes-sama?"
Jinbe prompted encouragingly.
"I, I..."
Rebecca looked at Rhodes with excited anticipation, seemingly wanting to speak but hesitating.
"The path of the sword can only be walked by oneself. Improving through actual combat represents the fastest progression method."
Gion hadn't provided him extensive guidance years ago either—only honing his foundation to an incredibly solid level—so Rhodes didn't possess much instructional wisdom to offer.
"I understand."
Rebecca's smile appeared clearly disappointed.
"Actually, your swordsmanship foundation is quite solid, very much reflecting a master's teaching style. You must have practiced since childhood."
"Yes, my father taught me,"
Rebecca replied softly, composing herself.
Even when Kyros existed as a toy, he'd taught her combat skills and self-defense from a young age.
"At your current life stage, you shouldn't be dedicating all your time to swordsmanship alone. Developing Armament Haki should be your primary focus. It's functionally impossible to become truly powerful without mastering Busoshoku Haki."
With this casual advice, Rhodes turned and departed.
"Armament Haki...?"
Rebecca's eyes lit up with realization, then she pouted slightly.
So you simply wouldn't teach me directly, hmph!
Half a day later—
Robin returned to the King's Plateau, bringing the finalized trade agreement.
Pirates were renowned for swift, decisive actions, reflected in every aspect of their operations. After Kyoshiro and his delegation concluded negotiations, they departed Dressrosa immediately, without any intention of lingering or sightseeing.
"Fifty percent in Berries, with the remaining fifty percent in rare resources like Seastone, Devil Fruits, and Meito?"
Rhodes examined the agreement document and nodded with approval.
"Not bad at all."
It was worth noting that when the Donquixote Family traded with the Beast Pirates, they'd received over ninety percent payment in pure currency.
Money, once it reached certain thresholds, truly became just numerical abstractions—especially in a chaotic world like the pirate-dominated seas. It proved far less tangible than Devil Fruits or Seastone, which qualified as genuine hard currency.
"They're demanding payment for the first two months' supply as rapidly as possible,"
Robin commented, taking an elegant sip of tea.
"It seems the shifting power dynamics have stirred up the Beast Pirates as well."
Whitebeard's fall and the dramatic Navy leadership change had disrupted the power balance across the high seas—a balance that had been gradually restored through the Four Emperors' emergence. Warfare was intensifying, and pirate factions were battling each other constantly.
The Beast Pirates, naturally, weren't content to remain passive and wanted to exploit opportunities for territorial expansion and influence growth. Expanding territory required more numerous and stronger subordinates.
"The Donquixote Family's accumulated legacy is substantial, but we can't simply rely on inherited resources. Get the SMILE Factory operational as rapidly as possible."
Recruiting the Tontatta tribe would prove straightforward. The primary obstacle was Caesar Clown at Punk Hazard.
"How's your contact progressing? If negotiations aren't working, I'll go personally,"
Rhodes stated casually.
Caesar's combat capabilities were mediocre—they could simply capture him directly.
With Law wielding the Ope Ope no Mi, countless methods existed for controlling targets.
"Caesar appears to find our terms somewhat harsh, and he seems rather dissatisfied. He also appears to possess some form of backing and isn't particularly intimidated by our organization..."
Robin frowned thoughtfully, contemplating briefly.
"Judging from remaining intelligence records, several Donquixote Family executives should still be operating externally, including Monet—the Logia-type Yuki Yuki no Mi user—and Vergo, a former top executive."
"Perhaps these individuals have made contact with Caesar already."
"Is that so? Then I'll make a trip tomorrow and retrieve them all."
Rhodes nodded acknowledgment. He didn't understand why Doflamingo hadn't simply captured Caesar forcibly, but Rhodes personally preferred maintaining direct control over all operational elements.
"Understood. I'll prepare Punk Hazard's Log Pose."
After stating this, Robin appeared somewhat fatigued. She stretched languidly and planned to return to her quarters for bathing and rest.
Observing this, Rhodes decided to properly reward his exceptionally capable Chief of Staff.
(End of Chapter)
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