One Piece: Start by Rebuilding Kuri

"Pfft, hahahahaha!"

Kozuki Sukiyaki lay on the tatami, listening to his servant recount Oden's recent situation, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Is that so? That Oden is actually working diligently in Kuri? How unbelievable. It seems the daimyo of Kuri is quite resourceful."

Sukiyaki wasn't concerned at all about Oden being forced to work in Kuri to pay off his debts. In fact, it was strange enough that Oden, with his temperament, could actually settle down and work diligently. It seemed that his two years of traveling had brought him some growth.

In the past, Oden had been arrested for causing trouble when he was only ten years old. He was then sent to a stone quarry, where he eventually became the head stonemason.

The Kozuki family was actually a lineage of skilled craftsmen. For Sukiyaki, if there was one thing worth mentioning in his life, it was his swordsmithing skills.

The two great swords Oden wielded, Ame no Habakiri and Enma, were both forged by Sukiyaki, along with the second-generation Kitetsu. He might have other works, but forging three great swords alone was enough to prove that he was an extraordinary craftsman.

Given this relationship, Sukiyaki didn't mind at all that Dan had Oden doing manual labor. In fact, he was pleased to see Oden finally settling down.

A once lawless troublemaker was now using work to earn money and make up for his mistakes. This should have been a given, but because of Oden's past and status, it became something precious in the eyes of others.

If this were publicized, the people of the Flower Capital would think that Oden had turned over a new leaf, and their opinion of him would rise. With the right opportunity, Sukiyaki could then reasonably restore their relationship and pass on the country to him.

Additionally, the large amount of grain taxes sent from Kuri after the beginning of the year had piqued Sukiyaki's interest and goodwill toward Dan, the daimyo of Kuri whom he had yet to meet.

However, if he knew that Dan planned to have Oden set sail and become his tool, he probably wouldn't feel this way.

...

"Dan-sama, here is this month's financial report."

Yukiko presented the financial accounts. Compared to when she first started, her workload had significantly decreased. Dan had appointed her as the chief of the Kanjou-bugyou (Finance Commission), one of the three commissions in charge of finance, a position of great importance. If someone else were in this role, they could easily exploit it to amass great wealth.

Currently, Kuri's finances were in excellent shape, thanks to ample sources of income.

Many of Kuri's fields were newly cultivated, and the crops from these fields were his property. Additionally, Dan's agricultural taxes were relatively light, while commercial taxes were heavy.

However, since there were fewer bureaucratic hurdles in Kuri, merchants only needed to pay their due taxes without additional expenses. As a result, merchants could actually earn more profit in Kuri.

This created a virtuous cycle: merchants earned more, and Dan's wealth grew accordingly.

"Has the debt to Hakumai been repaid?" Dan asked.

When Kuri was first established, it went through a difficult period. Although Dan had used his abilities to accelerate crop growth and solve the food problem, building Kuri required a lot of money.

Infrastructure, medical care, road construction—all of these required hiring people.

After all, how many hands could those bandits offer?

Some tasks couldn't be accomplished just by brute strength.

At the time, Kuri had neither the money nor the manpower, so they had to borrow both from other regions.

Except for Hakumai, most other regions were unwilling to help Dan. However, seeing Kuri finally stabilized, Yasuie generously provided both money and manpower, likely due to Orochi's persuasion.

But one thing was clear: since Yasuie had helped in a time of need, Dan didn't mind showing goodwill in return. Once everything was back on track, Dan repaid the borrowed money twofold.

The manpower borrowed was also converted into gold and silver and repaid.

Apart from Hakumai, Ringo also provided some manpower, but this was exchanged for food, so it didn't require further consideration. As for the other regions, it wasn't that they were indifferent—they were simply struggling themselves.

"It has all been repaid," Yukiko nodded.

Since gaining authority, Yukiko's demeanor had changed significantly. Once just a small maid by Dan's side, she now held a noble status, and her temperament had naturally shifted. She had become much sharper, though in front of Dan, she still seemed like the same little maid.

"In future transactions with Hakumai, we can offer some appropriate discounts."

"Dan-sama, what about Oden?" Yukiko leaned in closer, resting on Dan, her curved eyebrows furrowing. "Won't keeping him in Kuri cause trouble?"

Yukiko was aware of Dan and Kurozumi Orochi's plans. Having Oden stay in Kuri felt like a potential risk.

"Don't worry, he's just a fool," Dan shook his head.

"Kozuki Oden may seem bold and unrestrained, but in reality, he lacks true courage. He's naive and foolish. All he thinks about is setting sail; he doesn't have the capability to take responsibility for this country."

Dan reached out and pulled Yukiko into his arms, a faint fragrance enveloping him.

Yukiko's face turned slightly red, and she squirmed, looking like a white plum blossom tinged with a faint blush, her fair skin turning a delicate pink.

On the other side, Oden and his companions, exhausted after a day's work, sat in a small wooden hut. Considering they would be staying in Kuri for a long time, they had bought logs and built the house overnight instead of sleeping rough.

After another full day of labor, they were all utterly spent.

"That damn daimyo of Kuri, making us do manual labor!" Kin'emon grumbled. He had been moving stones all day and was more tired than a dog.

"But the pay is good. We earned ten gold pieces today. At this rate, we'll have a thousand gold in a hundred days," Denjirō said excitedly.

"Are we supposed to go without food and drink for a hundred days?"