I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 252 Setting sail! Setting sail!

Adachi Ward, Tokyo

"Drones are selling really well,"

Nao adjusted her round-framed glasses and checked the tablet in her hand.

"Orders with prepaid deposits alone are already booked until the second half of next year. I'm considering opening three more production lines."

"Yu, what do you think?"

Setting down her tablet, Nao, whose aura had shifted from that of a class monitor to that of an intellectual secretary, looked at Yu, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, in a posture of 'cultivating immortality'.

"Just follow your plan."

In theory, these drone manufacturing plants belong to You.

However, this 'boss' didn't even glance at it, leaving it all to Nao to handle.

Oh, and Nagisa Ichiyo helped with the management: thanks to her, we got through the initial chaos of the factory handover.

"It's not just drones anymore,"

After getting to know her, Nao had become a qualified executive.

"The production of motorboats is also climbing at an astonishing rate."

Where there is demand, there is a market.

Previously avoided by everyone, the Filipino waters have suddenly become the most popular sea area in the world due to the appearance of the 'Extraordinary Pearl', attracting adventurers and ambitious individuals from countless countries.

But besides opportunities, there are also countless flying demons here.

And no matter how powerful the ships or cannons are, they cannot stop the sea serpents that are 'immune' to modern weapons!
So let's change our thinking.

If I can't beat them, I can at least outrun them, right?
"A regular motorboat can reach speeds of 50-60 knots,"

Nao ran her finger across the tablet in front of her, explaining to Yu, who was focused on her 'training'.

50-60 knots, which is 100-120 km/h; this speed is nothing more than that on a regular highway.

"And special racing jet skis can reach speeds of up to 150 knots."

That translates to 270.3 kilometers per hour—that's terrifying! It's almost as fast as a helicopter!

"Many speedboat manufacturing companies are seeing their assets skyrocket at an insane rate. Should we follow suit?"

Nao consulted Yu again, noting that the prospects of the speedboat manufacturing industry had already attracted many large conglomerates to get involved; if Yu agreed, they wouldn't even need to intervene, as the Kakaiin family's influence would be enough to secure a large slice of the pie.

but--

"No need,"

Yu opened her eyes and rejected Nao's suggestion.

"Motorboats are just a transitional technology; soon 'ground effect vehicles' will become the norm."

The waves in the Pacific Ocean typically range from 0.1 to 3.5 meters high, making it perfectly suitable for ground effect vehicles (GEVs) to operate in this area. Furthermore, a GEV is essentially still an 'airplane': if it encounters strong winds and waves, it can simply pull up and take off.

The reason it relies on 'ground effect' for flight is to evade radar, as well as its large payload capacity and low cost.

In terms of both cost and consumption, ground effect vehicles are much less expensive than normal aircraft.

Unfortunately, it's not durable.
Besides, humans are the most adaptable; if we don't have enough equipment, we can make up for it with technology.

"Perhaps in the future, 'navigators' who specialize in piloting ground effect vehicles and navigating through the waves will also flourish again."

Yu casually mentioned future trends; as the mastermind behind all the extraordinary events, his 'vision' was unmatched by anyone else.

"Moreover, we have another advantage in producing ground effect vehicles: we can easily obtain extraordinary wood from 'White Lord'."

Ground effect vehicles flying close to the sea are inevitably affected by wind and waves. The corrosion from seawater, coupled with the impact during takeoff and landing, has always been a major issue to their lifespan. However, the wood created by 'Hakuzosu' using Wood Release combines the advantages of flexibility, strength, and corrosion resistance, making it a 'dream material' coveted by countless shipbuilding engineers in the island nation.

The timber left over from the Battle of Yokosuka is currently being held tightly by the island nation's navy; losing even a single piece would be more painful than killing their entire family.

But if Yu's forces want it, they can simply ask Hakuzosu to cast a 'spell'.

"A ground effect vehicle?"

Nao thought for a moment,
"Okay, I'll acquire the shipyard and recruit shipwrights right away."

Although money seems to have little use for Yu, Nao is still working hard to expand the 'family's' wealth, partly to prepare for future domination and partly to secure her 'family status'.

Sometimes, you can't simply choose not to compete.

With Yu's strength, if the island nation were to descend into chaos one day, everyone would definitely want to give him extra clothes.

At that time, Nao's wealth will finally have a purpose.
Of course, this was just a scheme in the girl's mind.

"That sea area is really interesting,"

Two fair legs were crossed on the sofa, and Qiong Mei leaned against You, resting her whole body on his shoulder.

"look,"

"Many creatures have appeared that have been named 'Sea Kings'."

"Oh?"

Knowing full well what was going on, Yu looked at the tablet in Qiong's hand with an interested expression.

The above is the latest information transmitted from the 'Kengan Association' intelligence network in the non-Libyan Sea: Money makes the world go round. Under the heavy rewards of the big tycoons, many dog-level martial artists, war correspondents, and mercenaries have flocked to that sea area to fight for the powerful and wealthy in the rear.

"Pfft, this—"

As her gaze swept over the images and text on the tablet, the usually composed You almost choked.

"What the hell is this?"

The image shows a giant ribbonfish.

With large fangs and a ferocious appearance.
That's not the point. The point is his name: King of the Near Seas!

Who named it?

With this design and this name, are we going to find a 'Four Emperors' to grind his teeth?

"Is there a problem?"

Qiong Mei looked completely bewildered.
“I think it’s pretty impressive,”

"However, for someone as strong as a dog, calling himself a king is indeed a bit presumptuous."

Qiong Mei thought she understood Yu's meaning.
"I'll send someone to kill him."

Sora plays with Hongo Hina every day, and has picked up some of her 'decisive' personality; it's common for Kengan to kill people, and she takes life and death lightly. Besides, in Sora's heart, she doesn't really care whether other people live or die, as long as Yu is happy.

"No, no, no, that's too extreme."

"Don't follow Hina's example. Speaking of Hina, I heard she's been burying herself in her studies lately, preparing for her graduation exams?"

When you mention the leader of the "Kengan Association" and the "Human Relief Society," who would have thought that such a prominent figure would still be so dedicated to her studies?

"Yes, Hina is a very serious person."

"Whether it's studying or fighting, you must strive to be number one."

Sora, leaning on Yu's shoulder, was scrolling through her tablet, showing no intention of getting up.

Besides this giant ribbonfish known as the 'King of the Near Seas,' there are also giant sea snakes, giant manatees, and the like.
These animals that consumed the 'extraordinary pearl' all acquired the characteristic of 'enormous size'; while their intelligence soared, they either kept their distance from humans or observed them in secret.

After humans discovered that these 'sea creatures' meant no harm, they began to do everything they could to please them, attempting to recruit and worship these giant sea monsters.

what?
Take them back for research—

Do you really think the 'Sea Kingdom' has no temper?
All the high-ranking officials in all countries knew that America had captured the 'people' of the Sea Kingdom; which prompted Hai Ming to personally take action, and a Category 18 typhoon overturned Yokosuka!
Moreover, humanity's greatest enemy right now is the 'Nine-Tailed Forces'. At this point, to push our only superhuman ally toward the enemy is something even a moron wouldn't do.

If anyone dares to do such a thing, even without the Sea Kingdom lifting a finger, several major powers can capture his entire clan and hand them over to the Sea Kingdom for punishment.

"They're just a bunch of giant monsters anyway."

"Details about ground effect vehicles,"

Nao, who was originally sitting opposite, also stood up and charged towards Yu with the ball.

He got up nonchalantly, despite being attacked from both sides.

"I'm going to discuss the Dao with Master Hakuzo."

"Don't run away!"

“Yu-kun—” Ugh, headache. It’s okay if there are other people around.

If no one else is around, Nao and Sora will be at Yura's mercy! Come quickly and save your master!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Ok?"

On the 'Shinmu' ship in the non-Libin waters, Yuluo, who was about to enter high school, turned her head slightly.

"what happened?"

"No, it's probably just my imagination."

Sporty girl Yura scratched her short hair, looking completely bewildered.

"Regarding those sea kings who ate the 'pearls,' do you need our help to gather them together?"

"Sea Kings" is a term humans use to refer to marine creatures that consume extraordinary pearls: the kings of the sea, and also a flattering way of saying so.

Yura, on behalf of the government, proactively raised this issue with Kani-hime; if the alliance between the two sides were to break down because of those 'Sea Kings,' it would be a great loss.

"Need not,"

The little girl, Kani-hime, shook the hand with the pincers.

"It is their destiny that they ate the pearls and became the people of the sea kingdom."

"What happens next is their fate."

"No need for special treatment."

"Understood,"

Yura nodded. Although Kani-hime said that, humans certainly wouldn't dare to harm these 'Sea Kings' at will.

Even if Crab Princess wasn't lying, who knows if these words represent the opinions of all the extraordinary beings in the Sea Kingdom?

Moreover, compared to corpses, living sea kings are clearly more valuable.

such as:

Little Bucas Island,
The island is only a little over 100 square kilometers in size.

Most of the area is dense forest, with only one village or town where people make a living by fishing.

"King of the Nearshore!"

"King of the Nearshore!"

"King of the Nearshore!"

A group of children clapped their hands and chased after a giant ribbonfish swimming leisurely in the water from the shore.

These human offspring are truly full of energy.

To waste physical energy meaninglessly
After gaining intelligence, the giant ribbonfish quickly realized that the rhythmic sounds made by humans referred to him.

Although the ribbonfish couldn't understand the meaning of those sounds, what did it matter? A name is just a label, a tag used to identify an 'individual'.
The intelligence that comes with it allows the giant ribbonfish to break free from the monotonous life of eating, sleeping, avoiding predators, and mating. It has begun to think about all sorts of things, and perhaps one day it will even give birth to a 'dream'.

As it pondered, the giant ribbonfish swam around the island.

This is his 'food respawn point,' and he can't let those flying bugs destroy it.

Compared to searching for meager fish and shrimp in the ocean, these giant ribbonfish, having found a secure livelihood, are fed various kinds of fish and shrimp regularly by the 'humans' here, making them reluctant to leave.

that's it,
The two sides have formed a tacit 'symbiotic relationship'.

But this is only temporary. For those with insight, relying on the protection of the 'Sea Kings' only provides them with a temporary safety net.

"We must go to sea!"

In the main hall of the three-story building in the center of the village,

Dozens of strong men carrying weapons stood in a circle.

The speaker was a young man, dressed in simple capri pants and a shirt; his skin was tanned to a bronze color, and his hair was slightly curly. He was the young man who had injured the chimera with a rocket launcher.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our situation is far from safe."

The boy raised his hand and pointed to the map hanging on the wall of the room, which had been covered in red paint.

The island they were on was located not far below the red area: in fact, many of them had fled from the red zone.

"Because of the 'Extraordinary Pearl,' warships and private armed forces from other countries are rushing to this area, but—"

Once these people find the extraordinary pearl, they'll definitely turn around and leave; what do they care about the lives of the local residents?

They're here to make money, not to do good deeds!
"Even if we didn't consume the extraordinary pearls here, those armies..."

Slaughtering an entire village on the spot is not something they can't do.

Amidst the silent observation of the crowd, the boy continued earnestly:

"We can buy weapons from the south."

"But that's not enough. If we want to truly gain a foothold in this sea, we must also compete for the 'Extraordinary Pearl'!"

For a while,
Silence filled the hall.

“Luffy, you should know the value of the extraordinary pearl.”

The serious-looking middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table slowly opened his mouth. He was the militia captain of this village, the leader of these refugees, and also the father of the boy who was giving the speech.

"You should also understand what it takes to obtain these pearls: storms, exhaustion, demons, chimeras, and more."

"Others!"

All of these point to one ending.

death!

"Everyone dies eventually."

The slightly curly-haired boy looked around without any fear.

"Our opponent is the 'Nine-Tailed Force,' which devours nations, humans, and souls."

"It's naive to think that everyone will be safe and sound in the end."

"No matter what you think, I'm going to sea."

The boy's gaze fell on the middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table.

Relying on his male power, he was the crown prince of this village—but this was not what he wanted. Before the extraordinary disaster swept in, he was just the son of a veteran.

If he had stayed on the island, he might have quickly degenerated into a spoiled brat; but now, all he wanted was to protect everyone.

Therefore, he needs strength.

"I'm going to pursue extraordinary power. If I die, it'll just mean one less idiot in the world!"

"If I come back alive, I will lead everyone to fight back!"

???

The boy's words were so powerful that they made the surrounding young men tremble slightly.

"well said!"

"Luffy, we support you!"

"Even if your head falls off, it'll just leave a scar the size of a bowl. What's there to be afraid of!"

"This sea area is quite large. Without us, how far can you go by yourself?"

Once things settle down, not everyone has the courage to actively face danger; most ordinary people would rather bury their heads in the sand and pretend they can't see anything.

But that doesn’t mean ordinary people are unaware of the crisis, nor does it mean they don’t admire or aspire to become 'heroes'.

Just like the boy in front of me!
"Good, he's truly my son."

The serious-looking middle-aged man stood up, stepped forward, and patted the boy on the shoulder.

"Go ahead,"

"Go do what you want to do."

"A real man should go out to sea and fight!"

(End of this chapter)