The farms had only just been set up. Seeds were barely in the ground. Families could only plant a few scattered patches of vegetables and fruit, and none of it would show results anytime soon.
It made Ares think of the Mori Mori no Mi, the Grow-Grow Fruit, or even the Ripe-Ripe Fruit abilities that could force plants to mature at insane speed.
Unfortunately…
He didn't have a single one of them.
After a moment's thought, Ares said, "Didn't we loot a ton of treasure from Hachinosu?"
"Use the treasure to trade for food in other regions. We just need to survive this period, then we'll be fine."
Chinjao gave a bitter smile. "Boss Ares, I tried that. They won't sell to us. You said we can't start a war yet, so I held back and didn't make a move…"
Ares's expression turned cold. "Even with money they won't sell. That's definitely Sukiyaki's order. He thinks starving us out will make us leave."
"He's wrong."
He steadied himself and started thinking through solutions.
Soon, something clicked.
"Leave this to me," Ares said. "You and Kaido handle Kuri for now. I'll go get food."
"Boss Ares…" Chinjao blinked. "How are you going to do it?"
"You'll see."
Ares smiled like he was keeping a secret, then walked out.
The next second, he transformed into a colossal azure dragon and vanished into the sky, using the map and a permanent Log Pose to judge his direction.
To search for his target.
No food?
That wasn't going to stop a man with the Mythical Zoan, Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu.
One day later
Ares hovered above the sea, staring at an island ahead. His face lit up.
"Found it. Rusukaina."
That name might not ring a bell for most people, but this was the very island where Luffy trained for two years after the Summit War.
Ares remembered clearly: the island was packed with creatures.
If it could support that many beasts, it had to have enough food.
And if it didn't…
He'd simply hunt the strongest monsters and turn them into meat.
First, he would solve Kuri's food crisis.
Ares dropped lower.
The island's gigantic beasts instantly panicked, fleeing in all directions.
Animal instinct screamed at them that something far worse than death had arrived. They scattered, trembling.
Ares didn't care whether they agreed or not.
He extended a dragon claw and began producing thick flame clouds, each one as wide as a barrel, coiling them around the entire island like chains.
"If there were people here, I could stitch islands together," Ares muttered, eyes burning with ambition. "Build a continent. Create a true kingdom on the sea."
Wano wasn't just rich in samurai.
Its population was massive.
"The era has changed. Wano can't keep clinging to old rules forever…"
"Using Wano as the core, I'll build an invincible supernation. From there, I'll spread across the New World, erase the Rocks Pirates…"
"And the whole New World will fall into my hands."
"My territory."
Ares understood the importance of a foundation a base that truly belonged to him.
An unbreakable domain.
A vast armed force.
A proper army.
And top-tier monsters standing at the peak.
Only then would even the World Government hesitate to make a move.
Rumble !!
The island shook violently.
The sea below exploded into towering waves, rolling outward like a disaster.
The beasts on the island howled in terror.
As Ares's flame clouds lifted, the island rose slowly, inexorably into the sky.
And followed him away.
Ares spoke softly to himself, "With this island… the crew will have a perfect place to sharpen their fangs."
He knew the creatures here ranged from weaker ones to absolute nightmares.
Even Luffy, with a 300 million bounty, wasn't a match for some of these beasts.
It was more than enough for King and Kuma to train on for a long, long time.
Several days later
Ares set the massive island down only a few kilometers from Kuri's new harbor.
The impact stirred the sea into roaring waves and rolling surges that felt like a small tsunami.
At the newly built harbor in Kuri
Sladar sensed the disturbance and looked up. The moment he saw the suddenly appeared island and Ares above it, his jaw nearly fell off.
"Ares… Boss Ares just moved an island here?!"
Ridiculous.
Absolutely ridiculous!
People flooded the harbor, packed together shoulder-to-shoulder, staring at the island with eyes wide and mouths hanging open.
"Ares-sama's power is too great! He moved an island like it was nothing this is unbelievable!"
"He must've brought it to solve our food problem!"
"That power… it's like a god!"
"Those Celestial Dragons call themselves gods, but Ares-sama is the one with the power of a true god!"
Voices of praise surged like waves.
Every gaze turned toward Ares with awe, worship, and trembling respect.
Most of them had been slaves, drifters, the discarded.
They had everything now because of Ares.
A home, piece by piece.
Freedom, day by day.
Ares landed at the harbor, dismissed his transformation, and said to Sladar, "Sladar, the follow-up is on you. Build a town and a port on that island."
"There are savage beasts up there. Stay alert at all times."
"I understand." Sladar grinned. "At least we won't be short on food now. Those beasts alone will feed us for a long time."
Ares shook his head. "Don't butcher the future to survive the present."
"When the crops are ready, people need to eat grain. That's how you build an economy that can actually grow."
The mention of "economy" made Ares's head ache.
A lot of the treasure they'd seized was in Beli, but Wano had its own coin system.
Thank goodness he'd recruited Chinjao.
If he had to rely on Kaido and Sladar those brute-force muscleheads
managing Kuri, let alone managing Wano later…
would be impossible.
In the end…
it was a talent problem.
Strength and economy both needed to be held in hand.
And lately, that had been grinding Ares's nerves raw.
Fighting?
Kaido, Ashura Doji, Sladar they were all built for that.
But governance, management…
they were weak.
Kaido would one day become one of the Four Emperors, captain of the Beasts Pirates.
Yet his Beasts Pirates and Onigashima were a filthy mess.
Decades, and he still never solved Wano's problems.
In the end, he even got stabbed in the back.
Ares thought grimly, Step by step, then.
Once I replace Sukiyaki as shogun, I can absorb some administrative talent. But education, systems… those have to be rebuilt too.
"What a headache," he muttered.
That night
Everyone gathered together.
Chinjao laughed, shaking his head. "Never thought you'd solve a food crisis like this, Boss Ares. This method… really caught us off guard."
Kaido set down his cup. "Wororororo Ares-brother. If you can move one island, you can move more."
"I've got an idea…"
Everyone turned to Kaido.
Kaido said, "My homeland, the Vodka Kingdom, is huge. And it's a country that's always been at war."
"If we kill the king and take the Vodka Kingdom…"
"Wano's armies won't mean anything to us at all!"
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