Ian had known long ago exactly where Pluton was buried in Wano.
The Poneglyph in Alabasta recorded this matter in great detail.
Now, all that remained was to dig Pluton out.
However, digging out a battleship buried deep underground was not an easy task.
Digging itself was not difficult. Bullet excelled at this kind of work. He alone could drag Pluton up from beneath the earth.
The real problem was that towering walls had been built around Wano, forming an inland sea, and the location where Pluton was buried had already been submerged by seawater.
Under normal circumstances, to excavate Pluton, the walls would first have to be destroyed so the seawater could drain away.
This was what people referred to as opening Wano's borders.
But Ian felt that Wano, as it was now, was actually quite good.
If the walls were destroyed directly and the inland sea disappeared, what would happen to the Fish-Men and Merfolk living there?
Relocating hundreds of thousands of Fish-Men and Merfolk was no easy matter.
Better to talk about that after conquering the world.
Moreover, the most crucial point was that seawater was not the only obstacle to the excavation. Otherwise, he could simply have Bullet dive down and work underwater.
Joy Boy, that fellow, had added a second layer of insurance to prevent future generations of Wano from excavating Pluton so easily.
Pluton had been buried deep underground within magma.
In theory, the magma would have to be extinguished by Zunesha before Pluton could be excavated.
So Ian decided to take action personally.
However, before going to excavate Pluton, Ian was currently touring Wano together with Shanks.
"Is this Oden's territory from back then?"
In Kuri, Ian and Shanks strolled through the streets of the city in this region.
"Was it just as prosperous back then as it is now?"
This was an exceptionally bustling city.
Even Shanks, who had traveled far and wide over the years and seen all kinds of towns across the seas, had to admit it.
Not only was the area vast, but it was also lively within.
All kinds of shops stood side by side, and the sheer variety of goods on sale nearly dazzled Shanks's eyes.
A city with flourishing commerce was bound to be prosperous.
"How could that be?"
Before Ian could speak, Yamato laughed and said, "Back then, this was just an ordinary, poor little town."
"Kozuki Oden was indeed strong, but he probably wasn't suited to managing a country."
Ian spoke calmly.
From the very beginning, Kozuki Oden only wanted to be a free adventurer, and in that regard, he actually did quite well.
During the time he roamed the seas, Kozuki Oden was not particularly unpleasant.
But later, once he became bound by so-called responsibility, he instead turned himself into a clown.
The Kuri he governed back then was honestly just average. It did not even reach the overall standard of Wano. At best, it merely allowed the local residents to have enough food to eat.
"Yeah," Shanks said with a hint of emotion, "Oden was very strong, but his mind was too straightforward."
Even he had to admit that Uncle Oden was far more suited to being a pirate. Becoming the ruler of a nation was still far too distant for someone like him.
"But you, Ian…"
Shanks glanced around, "You're really respected."
This time, Ian had not deliberately concealed his appearance. As he walked down the street, everyone along the way respectfully bowed to him.
Shanks could naturally tell that this respect did not come from fear, but from genuine admiration born from the heart.
Ian had truly governed this country well.
If Oden could see the scene before them now, would he still have fought the Beasts Pirates? Would he still have died, bringing ruin to his family?
As that thought arose, Shanks suddenly felt a sense of shame.
No matter what, Oden's resistance against the invading Beasts Pirates had been the right thing to do.
On the contrary, it was people like him, now cooperating with the Beasts Pirates, who deserved to be despised.
With a bitter smile, Shanks spoke, "Let's go. There's nothing else worth seeing here. Let's head to the next place."
Although he felt deeply sorry toward Oden and Lady Toki, looking at things now, there was simply no other choice.
This world was calling out to Ian.
As the guide, Ian naturally had no objections.
Next, Ian took Shanks to visit the forests of Kuri.
The Tontatta tribe lived there, helping the Beasts Pirates cultivate artificial Devil Fruits.
Shanks could not help but marvel at the artificial Devil Fruit plantations.
After all, Ian told him that although they were artificial Devil Fruits, due to their special materials, the power they granted was not necessarily inferior to real Zoan-type Devil Fruits.
After his amazement, Ian then led Shanks to Udon, taking him to visit the mines there.
The massive Seastone mining site left Shanks utterly astonished.
In his entire life, he had never seen so much Seastone gathered in one place.
What drew his attention even more were the miners working within the mines.
Every single miner looked exhausted, the intensity of the labor clearly visible on their faces.
So intense, in fact, that as Shanks toured the mining grounds, he couldn't help but feel a sting of sympathy for them.
And yet, despite their obvious fatigue, these miners often wore smiles filled with hope.
Shanks soon learned the reason.
As compensation for the grueling workload, the miners received extremely high wages—far higher even than those earned by workers in factories.
The Beasts Pirates had never forced anyone to work in the mines.
They came entirely of their own free will, drawn in by the generous pay.
Shanks laughed as he praised Ian for his generosity.
However, Ian replied calmly, "Wealth is only wealth when it circulates. Compared to hiding riches away in my own treasury, I prefer to store them in the pockets of my citizens."
"After all, no matter how they spend it, the wealth ultimately continues to circulate in my hands."
Shanks didn't fully understand the economic concept Ian was describing, but he found himself deeply appreciating the sentiment.
Allowing the people to possess wealth—no matter how one looked at it, that couldn't possibly be a bad thing.
Afterward, Ian and Yamato, acting as hosts, led Shanks on a tour of the various regions of the country.
Eventually, they arrived at the heart of the nation—the Flower Capital, or rather, what had once been its political center.
After all, Ian, the great king of Wano, had rarely stayed in this city, choosing instead to remain on Onigashima.
Though it was no longer the political center of Wano, it still firmly retained its titles as the economic and cultural hub.
The city's scale had expanded several times over compared to the past, and the once low wooden buildings were gradually being replaced by towering structures.
Its prosperity was so dazzling that Shanks could barely tear his eyes away.
"This might be the most prosperous city in the entire world," he couldn't help but exclaim.
At the very least, he had never seen a city more flourishing than this one.
Ian then brought him to the very core of the Flower Capital—the Tenshukaku built upon a massive tree.
**********
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