Half a month later.
A new ship arrived at the rebuilt Augustine Port, a ship marked with Doflamingo's insignia.
"Is this Augustine Castle? It's so dilapidated..."
Buffalo, standing at the bow of the ship, gazed at the mostly ruined land ahead and slowly said.
On the other side, Gladius was not focused on the ruins but was looking toward the port, where many ships were docked, some flying Pirate Flags, others ordinary merchant ships.
Outside the tall outer city walls being framed and repaired, in what seemed to be the ruins of a small port town, a dark-skinned fellow was leading a group of subordinates, facing off against two parties.
One group of pirates, one group of merchants.
The leader among the pirates wore a captain's hat, his left arm transformed into a mechanical arm, and he had a robust build.
Gladius happened to know him, having seen the Wanted Order, it was the 39 million bounty 'Steel Arm' Urad, a small-time pirate.
"The things I seized are naturally mine!"
Urad was now full of bulging veins, his face full of dissatisfaction, "Why should I hand them over? Didn't the storm welcome anyone?!"
"As long as you follow our rules."
Gin said lightly, "Master Sage's rule is that once you enter the territorial waters of Gares, conflicts are not allowed. Outside these waters, we won't interfere; you committed robbery within the territorial waters. Since it's your first time, hand over the items and return them, and we'll still welcome you."
"What a joke! Who can I rob outside the waters!" Urad shouted angrily, "If we're not welcome, then we'll leave!"
Outside Gares' territorial waters, it's the vast open sea; who knows which direction to go. Only when navigating through channels is it an ideal spot for their robberies.
There used to be patrol boats in the Free City State, so pirates dared not act recklessly, but now they're gone, and since the storm took over here, some pirates have had other ideas, like this one now.
"Hmph, the storm is just that, we're all pirates, does he think he's the King now!" Urad turned away and headed toward the Pirate Ship, grumbling somewhat angrily.
"Finger Gun."
Poof!
Just as he finished speaking, Gin's voice came from beside him, and then he felt a sharp pain in his chest, spitting out blood, he collapsed.
As he fell, he revealed Gin behind him, with his bloodstained index finger dripping, giving a cold glance at the fallen Urad, and addressing the pirates instinctively drawing their weapons, he said:
"Drawing weapons will be seen as resistance, Rankyaku!"
Swish!
He kicked out, sweeping a horizontal Half Moon Slash, passing through these people and erupting in a spray of blood mist.
The slash continued to the bow of the two-masted Pirate Ship at the back, slicing through the protruding prow into half, then flying toward the mast, severing one and slashing a notch into the second before dissipating.
As for those pirates, they were all sliced in half, none surviving.
"Alright."
Gin retracted his foot, looking at the merchant with a face full of fear, he said: "Everything on that ship is yours, to compensate for your loss. As for the ship, we will reclaim it. Additionally, for those doing business here, we will collect a business tax, and we also welcome you to invest in the industry. Any questions?"
"No, no..."
The merchant shivered in fright, quickly shaking his head. With so many bodies in front, who would dare object, he even regretted it a bit, knowing this place was occupied by pirates, but still couldn't resist his nature to make money.
He heard the place was being rebuilt, lacking all sorts of materials, even food, so he brought a batch of food to sell, only to find the place was too brutal, he should have left sooner...
"Industry?"
The merchant was taken aback, his occupational greed as a merchant overrode his rationality, prompting him to ask: "Can we open factories here? How much is the business tax? What about operating factories? What kind of business can we run?"
Gin: "..."
Facing a question from a merchant whose frailty likely means he can't even hold a knife properly, Gin, who can take out dozens of pirates with a single kick, sweated at the temples.
"This, specific questions, you need to ask specific people, as for who the specific person is... that needs a specific analysis." Gin loosely replied.
He could do battle and robbery. Back in the days following Krieg in the East Sea, they had retreated from the Grand Line and were besieged by warships, where he single-handedly held off the warships, stubbornly ensuring the Pirate Ship's escape.
But when it comes to business... he's utterly clueless.
He's the Combat Commander, not the Business Commander; he'd rather lead a team to eradicate the remaining nobles in the Kingdom than take charge of maintaining order at this port.
It's simply not his area of expertise.
"The business tax is 40% of the profit."
While Gin was hesitating, a cool voice sounded from behind.
Gin was startled, quickly turned around, and immediately bowed, "Lady Lily."
It was Lily coming over from the rear.
At this moment, she was wearing a fitted shirt, a bow tied at the collar, and tight pants that outlined her perfect leg curves, despite being wrapped tightly, it could not hide the fullness which trembled slightly with each step.
She casually had a sword tied around her waist, with her left hand resting on the hilt, as she approached the merchant, causing him to lower his head, showing a look of awe.
'Sword Princess' Bienta Lily, the newspapers reported she annihilated ten thousand with five thousand men, and also defeated the renowned Tihana, with a bounty as high as 730 million, she is a Great Pirate.