Chapter 164: Harvest
The Rocks Pirates returned to Honeycomb Island.
A grand banquet was held for three days and three nights straight.
The island was filled with continuous cheers.
Even the night was enveloped by dazzling lights.
All sorts of alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and delicacies were consumed wildly, transported from all over the New World to Honeycomb Island.
Entire streets of the Red-light district, known for pleasure, were radiating a decadent atmosphere and were completely packed.
Only at this time did Honeycomb Island truly live up to its name as Pirate Paradise.
At the port of Honeycomb Island, the members of the Pluto Pirates were also celebrating, returning to the Farazul to rest when they were tired.
In fact, after the revelry, rest was the norm.
Hades also fell into a long-awaited deep sleep, lying in a Medical Pod, recovering his Energy.
After the revelry, it was time to divide the Wealth.
Rocks generously opened his Treasury, taking out Treasure worth tens of billions of Beli and distributing it among the members of the Rocks Pirates.
Even the Affiliated Pirate Groups could get a share.
As for the truly precious Treasures, they belonged to the Core Cadres.
There weren't too many of these Treasures, but not too few either.
However, as they were picked, they would certainly become fewer.
The good items were definitely picked first.
What was left was for others.
If someone didn't want a Devil Fruit, that was fine; they could choose to receive Treasure worth a billion Beli.
Shiki didn't know what Devil Fruit he took.
However, it seemed he intended to Cultivate That Person, the young Swordsman named Reinhard, who possessed considerable potential and intelligence, and apparently held the identity of an Intelligence Officer, controlling part of the Strength of the Rocks Pirates' Intelligence Organization.
Newgate, as promised, obtained the Supreme Grade Great Sword "Murakumogiri" that he wanted.
Its size was simply perfect for him.
Hades was the first to choose, taking two Top-tier Paramecia Devil Fruits from among the many precious Devil Fruits: the Paramecia Type Psychic Fruit and the Paramecia Type Void Fruit.
Titan, at Hades's request, chose the Mythical Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit: Ice Phoenix Form, a Top-tier Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
Hades, having obtained three Top-tier Devil Fruits, was in a very good mood.
Other Core Cadres also chose Devil Fruits, but more often, compared to Devil Fruits, they preferred to choose Treasure worth a billion Beli.
Those who were already Ability Users didn't need other Abilities, nor did they have the idea of using their hard-earned gains to Cultivate Subordinates.
In the Rocks Pirates, it was enough not to be backstabbed; truly trustworthy Subordinates are too few.
Many Strongmen also didn't want to become unable to swim.
Regardless, quite a few Devil Fruits would flow into the Market.
Besides Top-tier Devil Fruits, there were also relatively precious Devil Fruits and Devil Fruits with more ordinary Abilities.
The classification was quite clear.
Of course, how the preciousness of a Devil Fruit is judged and whether its Ability is powerful is a matter of perspective; it's in the eye of the beholder.
In case of a suitable match, a seemingly ordinary Devil Fruit could also exert effects no weaker than a Top-tier Devil Fruit.
There were even some unknown Devil Fruits, where what Ability one gained was purely a matter of luck.
As the Treasure in his own Treasury decreased and the precious items were taken one by one, Rocks did not feel sad because of it.
Compared to his ultimate goal, the victory in this War made everything he paid worthwhile.
One cannot catch a wolf without sacrificing a child.
The establishment of the Rocks Pirates itself was tied together by Interests, and his own Strength played a crucial Role in it.
Having defeated the World Government, the goal he had set seemed to be getting closer and closer.
However, he knew clearly in his heart that the World Government had not sent out its true Strength.
Once the Marines recovered, coupled with the World Government, there would soon be forces capable of Resistance against the Rocks Pirates again.
The Rocks Pirates needed to become even stronger and required more Monsters.
Nash was still growing, and the new Dragon Race kid from Amos's side looked quite good; his Ability was terrifying, possessing the Potential to become a Core Cadre.
Next, the Rocks Pirates would continue to expand; the entire World was their hunting ground.
After obtaining what they wanted, the Pluto Pirates stayed on Honeycomb Island for a few more days.
Afterwards, they returned to their own territory, Iskandar Island.
Over three years, Iskandar Island seemed unaffected by War and developed vigorously under the protection of the Pluto Pirates.
In recent years, a Fine Wine called "Hero's Sake" spread among the Pirates, diffusing outwards from Iskandar Island.
It quickly became the favorite of the vast majority of Pirates.
The tobacco and alcohol industry is highly profitable.
With the completion of the internal reforms within the Kronos Kingdom, large Tobacco and Alcohol manufacturing factories were established, constantly innovating and supplying the entire World with excellent quality.
The so-called "Hero's Sake" was just one brand among them, primarily marketed towards Pirates.
Iskandar Island acted as the Regent for the Kronos Kingdom's Tobacco and Alcohol business in this Sea Area, attracting a large number of Pirates and outsiders, promoting the Economic Development of the Island.
The booming economy attracted countless Factions who wanted to become Tobacco and Alcohol Regents for the Kronos Kingdom.
Everyone could see that as long as one could become a Regent, it was practically making money effortlessly.
Of course, if it was Plundered, the Losses would be their own.
Therefore, to become a Regent, one needed a certain level of Strength and Background.
The Kronos Kingdom secretly used this to form a network of Interests and establish connections with all Factions, big and small.
During the War between the World Government and the Rocks Pirates, the Kronos Kingdom was developing and growing stronger.
Invisibly, the Influence of the Kronos Kingdom was continuously spreading throughout the World.
Although Hades was on The Great Sea, he was like a helmsman behind the scenes, still controlling the Development direction of the Kronos Kingdom.
Even if Hades sometimes acted on impulse, suddenly thinking of something to Develop.
However, under the powerful Think Tank of the Kronos Kingdom, his ideas were refined and then incorporated into the Development strategy of the Kronos Kingdom.
Possessing the enormous Interests brought by the Arms Trade and the Tobacco and Alcohol Industry, coupled with the Kronos Kingdom's own Cross-Sea Region Maritime Trade and the developing Maritime Industry, the Kronos Kingdom now had no shortage of money.
(end of chapter)