One Piece: The True Codex

After eliminating Roy and the Marines, as well as the Blue Sapphire Pirates, the other ships returned to various territories within the Maple Leaf Village for rest and recovery. William, meanwhile, took the clipper ship to the town where the base of the 16th Marine Branch was located.

Tony, Manny, Angie, along with Nezumi and Gin, were waiting for William at the dock.

Once they boarded the ship, Lieutenant Commander Nezumi appeared somewhat anxious, unable to sit still. He frequently opened his mouth as if to ask something but never managed to voice his thoughts.

"Roy is dead," William said directly, observing Nezumi's demeanor.

Nezumi's eyes widened, and he began to breathe excitedly, muttering to himself, "The 16th Branch is mine now..."

Beside him, Gin turned his head away, sneering.

"Even if it isn't now, it soon will be."

William smiled at Nezumi, draped an arm over his shoulder, and led him to the desk. He opened a wooden box containing the head of Bluejam.

Nezumi recoiled slightly in fear, causing William's smile to deepen. "The most important thing now is how you write your report to your superiors. Have you thought about it?"

"No, I was waiting for your news," Lieutenant Commander Nezumi replied honestly. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Captain Roy heard that the Cook Pirates were planning to leave the East Blue for the Grand Line and was unwilling to let them escape his pursuit. He sailed to capture them but was killed in the process," William explained, pointing to the severed head in the box. "The Blue Sapphire Pirates, upon hearing that Roy was absent, invaded the waters under the jurisdiction of the 16th Branch. You, left at the base, led the remaining officers to fight them, capturing and killing the pirate captain Bluejam. What do you think of this story?"

"It needs some polishing," Nezumi mused, stroking his beard, "but the main idea is sound."

The group twisted the truth, shifting the blame onto innocent parties.

After discussing how to frame the story with Nezumi and the others, William handed over the corpses of the key members of the Blue Sapphire Pirates to Nezumi and Gin. He then hurried back to Kalmar City.

He didn't dock in the civilian area but instead disembarked at a simple dock in the slums. The slums of this city had changed little compared to a year ago. Without administrative power, William couldn't deeply influence or change the environment. Without addressing the fundamental issues of the slums, crime couldn't be effectively controlled. When people couldn't survive, they naturally turned to desperate measures.

Even if William eliminated a local gang or other criminal groups, new ones would soon emerge, like weeds that couldn't be eradicated. These people knew of William and his crew's formidable strength, but because they were slightly understaffed, they were more cautious and didn't dare provoke William easily. Compared to previous criminal forces, they seemed much more cunning.

The slums were home to hundreds of thousands of people. Even with the Four Seas Trading Company and other sources of income, William couldn't immediately improve the living conditions here. Over the past year, he had tried to establish welfare institutions in the slums, such as relief centers. Besides winning hearts and spreading his good reputation, the main goal was to shelter some children. Although he had founded several elementary schools in the slums, even with free tuition, local residents didn't voluntarily send their children to school. Filling the schools relied mainly on the sheltered children. Dampier's insight was accurate; without the ability to govern and enforce compulsory education, not to mention the lack of teaching staff, attracting students was a challenge.

However, now that Roy was eliminated, once Nezumi became the captain and the highest commander of the 16th Branch, the naval forces in this sea would fall under his control. The opportunity for him to seize power was approaching.

The population census was essentially preparation for some policies William might implement next.

William and several subordinates traversed the slums. Over the past year, many people there had come to recognize William and his crew. At the entrance of the relief center, a statue of William stood, along with a bust portrait inside. Occasionally, some who had benefited from the relief center would bow to him, while members of various criminal gangs, feeling guilty, dared not look at them.

Upon reaching the steps leading to the civilian area, William sighed as he observed the drainage outlets continuously spewing sewage and filth, then continued forward. The civilian area had changed significantly compared to the slums. Although the walls of the noble district hadn't grown much taller, taxes had been collected extensively. The slum dwellers were destitute, unable to pay taxes, while the nobles, though wealthy, were unwilling to part with their money. Ultimately, the burden fell on the civilians caught in the middle.

As he moved through the city, the streets that once showed signs of prosperity had become desolate. William finally stopped at a mansion located at the boundary between the civilian and noble districts, owned by Dampier.

William dismissed the crew members accompanying him, instructing them to rest in the parlor with the butler. He then followed a servant toward the study.

The servant smiled apologetically at William before knocking on the study door and then opening it.

Upon entering, William was greeted by a spectacular scene. The study occupied more than a quarter of the mansion's area, resembling a large library. In addition to the central bookshelves, the walls, used as bookshelves, were also filled with densely packed books. Several servants wearing gloves and headscarves climbed ladders, carefully cleaning the shelves.

This was Dampier's most prized possession, even more so than his weapon company, which he referred to as the "largest treasure in the East Blue"—his study.

True to its name, it was a room filled with books.

William found it novel when he first visited, but now he was less surprised. He also knew that Dampier had a less conspicuous underground room filled with books that were somewhat frowned upon by the government.

Navigating through the towering bookshelves, William found Dampier at a desk on the far side of the room, head down, writing and sketching.

When William reached the desk and coughed lightly, Dampier looked up, his gray eyes scanning William. He smiled broadly, "Is the matter resolved?"

Dampier waved to the servant behind William, indicating for him to leave, then set down his pen and led William behind the desk.

Behind the desk was a wall disguised as a bookshelf, concealing a hidden door that was difficult to notice. This was Dampier's actual office, where even servants weren't allowed to enter.

The private study was somewhat cluttered, with various items hanging on the walls, including a bird's-eye view of Kalmar City, newspaper clippings about the sea train, and even a small chalkboard.

Written in large characters across the center of the chalkboard was "Population," with several slanted lines pointing to three words: Rural, Immigration, Industry.

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