"General!?"
The powerful title immediately captured the attention of Sasaki, Ulti, and Page One. While these young, high-ranking officers of the Beasts Pirates might not crave administrative power, they certainly weren't immune to vanity. The idea of becoming a General—a position second only to Kaido himself, revered by tens of thousands—was an intoxicating one. How could they not care about a title like that?
Kaido saw their anticipation and laid out his plan.
"That's right," he began, his voice echoing with authority. "Since Wano Country is now our territory, there's no reason for its old Daimyo system to remain in the regions outside the Flower Capital. Besides, I've never liked the title of Daimyo anyway. So, Sasaki..."
"Here, Kaido-sama!" Sasaki responded immediately, his voice sharp with loyalty.
"From this day forward, you are the General of Kuri. You will have total dominion over the region. In addition, you will be the commander of the Beasts Pirates' new Science Unit, and the defense of Onigashima will also be your responsibility."
Sasaki's eyes burned with a newfound fervor. His gaze toward Kaido was one of utter devotion, as if he were looking upon a god. "Kaido-sama, please rest assured. I will never disappoint you again."
"Mm, I trust you will not," Kaido grunted, then turned his attention to Ulti. A rare, almost gentle smile touched his face as he looked at her.
The sight made Ulti jump up and down with glee. "Here, Kaido-sama!" she answered excitedly.
"Kibi, Ringo, and Hakumai," Kaido said, his tone almost doting. "Which of those places do you want to be the General of?"
Ulti didn't hesitate. "Kaido-sama, I want to be the General of Hakumai! It's the most beautiful place in all of Wano!"
"Hmm, then it's settled. From today, you are the General of Hakumai. Besides ruling over the region, you will also be the commander of the Beasts Pirates' Zoan Devil Fruit Unit."
Everyone in the hall could feel Kaido's clear favoritism toward Ulti. However, not a single person objected. Based on her defiant words that had snapped everyone back to their senses during the last battle, she had more than earned this position.
"Alright, Page One, what about you?" Kaido asked.
Before Page One could even open his mouth, Ulti eagerly interjected, "Kaido-sama, give Little Pei the Ringo region! That way, we'll be neighbors!"
A look of exasperation crossed Page One's face, but he knew better than to argue with his sister when she was like this. He gave a stiff nod of agreement.
"Very good," Kaido declared. "Then Page One, you will be the General of Ringo. Along with dominion over the region, you will command the Beasts Pirates' new Warship Unit."
"Kaido-sama, what's a Warship Unit?" Ulti asked directly, voicing the question on everyone's mind. The Science Unit and the Devil Fruit User Unit were self-explanatory, but this new one was a mystery.
"In any battle between pirates, individual strength is important," Kaido explained. "But we live on the sea, so the importance of our ships is obvious. I'm going to have Queen use the Pluton blueprints to develop a new fleet of warships armed with devastating firepower. The people in this unit won't need to be top-tier fighters; they'll just need to know how to control the ships. This is the Warship Unit. When we encounter enemies at sea, we won't even need to engage them directly. We'll just blow them out of the water from a distance."
"I see!" a collective murmur of understanding went through the room.
"Finally, there's Reiju, who hasn't arrived yet," Kaido continued. "She will be the General of Kibi and will be responsible for the Beasts Pirates' Logistics Unit. We'll inform her of her duties when she gets here."
He paused, letting the new appointments sink in before outlining the next phase of his reforms.
"Beyond these positions, I'm establishing a new rank called Shinuchi. They will be our secondary high-ranking officers, sitting below the All-Stars and the Tobi Roppo. Each Minister is authorized to have ten Shinuchi as direct retainers. Each General is authorized to have five. In addition, we will establish twenty-five more Shinuchi to form a free combat force for external operations, under the direct command of Jack. This structure will give the Beasts Pirates a standing army of at least 40,000 troops. You can choose your subordinates from our existing crew or recruit them yourselves, I don't care. But all of them—every single one—will have their training overseen by Jack. Any questions?"
"No problem!" the officers roared in unison. Kaido had granted them more power and autonomy than ever before. Besides, none of them wanted the tedious responsibility of basic training. Jack, on the other hand, looked more thrilled than ever. Kaido-sama had given him yet another monumental task, and he would not fail.
At this point, Kaido's expression grew serious. "Now, those are all the structural changes. I've explained everything that needs explaining. It's time to talk about something else. There is a point I need every single one of you to understand clearly."
The festive mood quieted as everyone looked on, confused.
"You need to understand that we are now the masters of Wano Country," Kaido stated, his voice low and firm. "We are no longer just a pirate crew drifting on the sea; we are the rulers of a nation. This means our mindset must change. It's time to abandon the cruel and destructive methods of the past. From now on, everything in this country—its people, its resources, its land—belongs to us. Harming any of it is the same as destroying our own property. Do you understand?"
The high-ranking officers of the Beasts Pirates were many things, but they weren't foolish. They understood immediately.
King was the first to speak. "Don't worry, Kaido-sama, we understand. From now on, we will be kinder to the people of Wano."
"Mm, it's good that you understand," Kaido nodded.
Queen, however, brought up a practical issue. "That might not be so easy, Kaido-sama. After all, what we've done here in the past..."
Kaido knew exactly what Queen meant. The Beasts Pirates had committed countless atrocities in Wano over the years. The people wouldn't forget that easily. But he already had a solution.
"That's simple," Kaido said with a cunning smile. "Those were all things that Orochi did. What does any of it have to do with our Beasts Pirates? Who's-Who, you should be good at this sort of thing. I'm leaving this matter to you."
Who's-Who immediately understood the play, and a sly grin spread across his face. "Don't worry, Kaido-sama. Controlling public opinion is easy for me."
"Very good. Then I'll be watching your performance."
Laughter filled the hall. None of the Beasts Pirates present had any sympathy for Oden or the samurai of Wano. The idea of pushing all the blame onto the deceased Orochi while they took over as the country's new, "benevolent" rulers was a wonderfully ironic solution.
As Kaido watched his subordinates laughing, a smile appeared on his own face. He let the moment of celebration linger before he spoke again, his voice slow and deliberate.
"Then, there's only one last thing left. Your performance in this Wano Country cleansing plan... it truly disappointed me!"
"Eh!!!"
The laughter died instantly. Every officer froze, their smiles wiped from their faces. They saw the crimson light flare in their governor's eyes and the cruel, predatory grin spreading across his mouth.
"So, to make you truly feel my love—and my anger at your lack of ambition—I'm going to fulfill the promise I made earlier," Kaido declared, his voice dropping to a menacing growl. "I will set aside time every single day to personally train you well. You must endure it... and try not to die."
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse