One Piece: The True Codex

As William approached the noble district, the sight of a low, incomplete city wall came into view from a distance.

William had nothing to say about the efficiency of Navia Kingdom's ruling class. The construction of the city wall was something he had never actively obstructed, yet its progress remained as slow as a snail's pace.

A group of nobles and high-ranking officials had been embezzling funds from the project, causing endless delays. Moreover, since the taxes for the wall were imposed on the commoners, the extended construction timeline only increased the tax burden on the populace. As a result, the slums had been expanding recently, forcing the ruling class to rely even more heavily on William and his forces to maintain public order.

Over the past year, William had often found himself pondering a singular question:

Are they all idiots?

But then, recalling the history of his previous life, he remembered bureaucrats and feudal rulers who, even with enemies at their gates, prioritized lining their pockets over defending their cities—only to end up slaughtered like sheep by their foes. Compared to such historical figures, the ruling class of the Navia Kingdom wasn't entirely unreasonable.

While there was a hint of "handing the blade to one's enemy" in their actions, William still considered himself part of the kingdom's ruling class for the time being.

Perhaps there were one or two clear-headed individuals among the ruling class, but in the face of a majority of nobles and officials greedily siphoning funds from the city wall project, their calls for reform were powerless.

Most importantly, even the kingdom's Minister of Finance, Arcadio, was among these leeches. Meanwhile, the prohibition police force led by Kloe was beginning to take shape. Norton I, outraged that his prohibition decree was being blatantly ignored, had given Arcadio the authority to use this new department to eliminate his political enemies and rivals. Kloe, in turn, had taken advantage of this power to escalate matters, causing the so-called police force to increasingly resemble a secret police organization with a terrible reputation.

The actual control of the city's public order remained in William's hands. Since the prohibition police force was not yet fully established, Arcadio needed William's cooperation. As such, even without the financial interests tied to the city wall tax, Arcadio would not allow anyone to attack William freely.

When William and Aramis returned to the estate, they found Sherlock and Dampier already there. Among William's high-ranking subordinates, most were fierce warriors skilled in combat. The only ones who could truly be considered strategists were Sherlock and Dampier.

Sherlock managed the Four Seas Trading Company and oversaw financial matters, while Dampier handled weapon development and provided strategic advice to William.

Sherlock, who was temporarily stationed in Kalmar City to oversee operations, rarely ventured into the noble district to avoid drawing Arcadio's attention.

Recently, the Four Seas Trading Company had shifted its focus to the slums of Kalmar City. The Navia Kingdom's population census was a mess, and its grassroots governance was extremely weak. In places like the slums, where the population was highly mobile and the environment was complex, even basic oversight was nearly impossible.

Kalmar City had an estimated population of around two million—perhaps more, perhaps less—based on rough data from eight years ago.

By the standards of William's previous life, this was not a small number. However, the majority of the population consisted of impoverished individuals with no support. From an aerial view, the dense, illegal structures of the slums almost entirely surrounded the noble district. It was no wonder that the nobles had panicked when they suspected that Andre might have been killed by someone from the slums. If the slums truly descended into chaos, the nobles would undoubtedly suffer.

Yet these people seemed to have short memories. After William led his forces to eliminate a significant number of criminals in the slums and temporarily suppressed the unrest, the nobles quickly reverted to their old ways.

William wanted to conduct a population census to lay the groundwork for future policies on education, healthcare, and employment. However, lacking administrative authority, he could only rely on the Four Seas Trading Company. Under the guise of a spring disease prevention campaign, they planned to provide free medical care and distribute medicine in the slums, using this opportunity to collect population data.

This initiative required significant funding, but the most pressing issue was the lack of personnel. Sherlock had come to discuss this matter.

Before William could bring up his own concerns, he was already stumped by Sherlock's problem:

There weren't enough doctors.

William had long planned to establish specialized schools to train ship doctors and navigators. He intended to elevate these essential and highly skilled roles to positions akin to political commissars, ensuring loyalty among the rank-and-file soldiers and strengthening the cohesion of his forces as his fleet expanded.

He had instructed Sherlock to recruit talent in these fields, but for a slum population numbering in the hundreds of thousands, the available personnel were still a drop in the ocean.

"Try gathering the available doctors and compiling a textbook," William suggested. "Focus on the medical conditions in the slums. Use concise and simple language to teach and popularize the diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses. Then recruit a group of literate students, train them intensively, and produce a batch of individuals with basic medical knowledge in the short term."

Sherlock was taken aback. "Wouldn't that just create a bunch of quacks?"

"It's better to have something than nothing," William replied dismissively. "Besides, after the population census, they can continue their education."

Sherlock's face was filled with worry as he mentally calculated the costs. Just as he was about to leave, William stopped him. "I'm not done yet. For the time being, avoid showing your face in the noble district."

"Why?"

"I'm planning to make a move against Roy. I'm worried about alarming him and drawing Arcadio's attention. If Arcadio finds out you've been here, he'll figure out the connection."

Hearing this, Sherlock's exhaustion and worry instantly vanished. His eyes lit up as he asked, "When will you deal with Arcadio?"

"When everyone wants him dead," William replied, looking at Sherlock reassuringly. "Don't rush. He'll soon entangle himself in his own web."

After the conflicted-looking Sherlock left, William turned his attention to Dampier.

Unlike the commercially gifted Sherlock, Dampier was a polymath with knowledge spanning mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, geology, history, and more. He had a passion for collecting books and had once proudly shown William his private library, calling it the greatest treasure in the East Blue.

However, Dampier's broad interests, combined with the limitations of the East Blue's environment, had prevented him from making groundbreaking achievements. Nonetheless, his extensive knowledge was precisely what William needed. As a transmigrator, William's understanding of this world was still incomplete. Often, his ideas and strategies required someone like Dampier to refine them and propose practical solutions.

It was Dampier who had suggested conducting a population census in the slums before implementing other plans. William had initially wanted to prioritize education, but Dampier had bluntly told him it wouldn't work. Even if William offered free education, few would attend. Only mandatory education could achieve the desired results, but that would require administrative authority and a thorough understanding of the slum population.

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

The story isn't over...

🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?

🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?

✍️ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?

✨patreon.com/GoldenLong