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Jin returned from the New World riding a wave of unprecedented prestige. He had repelled Whitebeard and thrown Big Mom's territory into chaos—his reputation was untouchable.
Supported by this personal authority, the series of internal reforms he pushed forward proceeded smoothly. It was, he had to admit, one of the perks of being an autocrat.
Wyper, Raki, and Conis were dispatched to Mock Town to take over its management from Van Augur.
Raki was appointed mayor. She possessed the blood of a Shandia warrior, and Jin's assessment confirmed she was more than capable of the role.
Conis would serve as the liaison—not just with Jin, but also with Skypiea, ensuring clear lines of communication.
Wyper was named Chief of Security, tasked with maintaining order in Mock Town and the surrounding waters.
Wilson remained the captain of the Kingdom's First Fleet, responsible for the security of the waters around Drum Island and Hannabal.
Van Augur was appointed captain of the Second Fleet, patrolling the seas around Little Garden, Though the three islands were on different Grand Line routes, they were all on the same latitudinal line and thus not far from one another.
Melcyse Island remained under Law's temporary jurisdiction, though he was still with the Whitebeard Pirates, treating the old man's wounds.
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The national census was nearing completion.
Basic information on every island, town, and village in the kingdom—including location, population, natural resources, and local specialties—was being entered into Ai's database.
The kingdom was now officially organized into four cities and one special administrative region.
...
Sakura City, Drum Island.
—Comprised of six towns and fifteen villages. The municipal hall was located in the port town, with Dalton serving as mayor.
—Population: 35,400. The population had more than doubled under Jin's rule, a combination of returning citizens who had fled Wapol's tyranny, new births, and a number of immigrants.
—Area: 5,800 km².
—Economic Focus: Development will center on a service industry built around medical care and snow tourism, supplemented by a specialized agricultural sector focused on medicinal herbs and Ice Mushrooms.
...
Paradise City, Asuka Island.
—Comprised of three towns and seven villages. The municipal hall was located in Mushroom Town, with Ilyassa serving as mayor.
—Population: 68,100.
—Area: 16,400 km².
—Economic Focus: Development will focus on vacation tourism capitalizing on the island's eternal spring climate, with mushroom farming and processing as its primary industry. The island also hosts a Marine base.
...
Conomi Archipelago City.
—Comprised of eight towns and twenty-one villages. The municipal hall was located on the same island as Cocoyasi Village, with Genzo serving as mayor.
—Population: 257,200.
—Area: 52,000 km². The archipelago consisted of hundreds of islands, but Ai's survey revealed they were all peaks of a single, submerged continent, drowned by a great flood in the distant past.
—Economic Focus: Agriculture, including rice and wheat, as well as cash crops like tangerines, mulberry, and cotton. A light textile industry is also planned. Once the Calm Belt trade route is established, it will serve as the gateway to the East Blue.
...
Stardust City, Melcyse Island.
—Comprised of nine towns and thirty-two villages. The municipal hall was located in the port.
—Population: 168,600.
—Area: 23,000 km².
—Economic Focus: Large-scale agriculture and animal husbandry. Melcyse Island had once been a major agricultural hub, but pirate raids and blockaded trade routes had crippled its economy. The nation had gone bankrupt, and after failing to pay the Heavenly Tribute, it was stripped of its status as a member nation, making a bad situation even worse. The nobility fled, the system collapsed, the farms fell into disuse, and slavers and pirates flooded in, causing the population to plummet.
When Jin had first sent Law there, his primary mission was to restore order and survey the land. He discovered that all the fertile land was still remotely controlled by the exiled nobles, who used enforcers to capture "slaves" to work the fields. The poor didn't own so much as a patch of dirt to stand on.
Jin had immediately nationalized all land not owned by the island's native nobility, established collective farms, and redistributed it. Though the farmers only had the right to use the land—not to sell it—they were overwhelmingly grateful and became Jin's staunchest supporters.
The exiled nobles, in a desperate attempt to reclaim their power, had hired mercenaries and pirates, amassing an army of three thousand men. They were utterly crushed by Law.
The captured pirates and mercenaries had been sent to the labor camps. There was much infrastructure to be built.
...
Hannabal Special Administrative Region.
—Comprised of one town and forty-eight districts, with Rear Admiral Enru serving as mayor.
—Population: 92,000. Nearly all of Hannabal's residents were immigrants, and it also had a large transient population.
—Area: 4,800 km².
— Economic Focus: As a "free island," Hannabal's economy was centered on catering to pirates, with music halls, casinos, and arenas. If the Sabaody Archipelago was the "final island" of Paradise, then Hannabal was a place for the rookies who had just entered the Grand Line and had their heads handed to them to catch their breath.
(Note: For a sense of scale, Taiwan is 36,000 km².)
The Gran Tesoro, Mock Town, the G-5 base, and the other three islands were not yet included in the statistics. If they were, the total population under the Winter Blossom Kingdom's rule would exceed one million.
The kingdom's greatest weakness was that its territories were scattered, held together only by Jin's personal authority. A proper administrative system was needed to unify them. The hands-off approach that had worked for Drum Island was no longer sufficient.
With the detailed data from the census, Jin could now create development plans for each region and begin to reform the administration, the judiciary, the education system, the economy, and the military.
The news spread throughout the kingdom, and everyone was paying close attention.
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In the restaurants and bars of Hannabal, it was all anyone could talk about.
Penguin, Shachi, Bepo, and Hakugan—the former members of the Heart Pirates—were having a meal together, discussing the reforms.
"Hey, buddy."
A voice interrupted Penguin. They all turned to see a blind man with a cane.
"May I listen in on what you're saying about the king's reforms?" the blind man asked with a smile. "Oh, forgive my manners. My name is Issho."
Issho was a gambler... The rise of Hannabal had naturally caught his attention. Not just its "prosperity," but also its music halls and other attractions. He had heard that a new arena was set to open after the new year, and rumors about it were already flying. The island's strongest fighters were already itching for a fight.
"Of course," Penguin said. "Have a seat." They didn't treat him any differently because he was blind, even offering to buy him a drink.
"There's a lot to it," Hakugan explained.
"A full public announcement will be made soon. It's no secret. Administratively, a State Council has been established as the central executive body, responsible for discussing national policy and issuing decrees. The head of it will be the Prime Minister. There's also a Secretariat, which will serve the king directly, reviewing documents and evaluating officials, headed by the Chief Secretary. And there's the Assembly, headed by the Speaker. It's divided into two houses: the House of Lords, composed of nobles and decorated veterans, and the House of Commons, with representatives from every town and social class."
"Judicially, a Supreme Court has been established, with the power to propose legislation and pass judgment, headed by the Minister of Justice. There's also a new Security Bureau, responsible for maintaining public order and apprehending criminals, headed by the Minister of Security."
"For education, there's a Ministry of Education. The villages will have primary schools, the towns will have secondary schools, and the cities will have universities. And there will be a Royal Academy of Sciences. They're going to standardize the curriculum, recruit and train teachers, and implement compulsory primary and secondary education."
"Compulsory education?" Issho's eyebrow raised slightly in surprise.
"It means that tuition and textbooks will be free," Hakugan explained. "And there will be subsidies for poor families."
Issho gave a slight nod.
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