A chat group for a certain tower warlock

"It's rare to be here again." Yarman took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. "This little place of yours is so comfortable, it's like being soaked in a perfume pool. I feel like I'm being pickled in the fragrance of flowers. By the way, you've been here for so long, have you been pickled in the fragrance yet?"

"..."

"Enough joking around. There's one thing I want to confirm with you." Yarman looked at Im, who was sitting upright in the pavilion, and said seriously, "Do you want me to completely destroy that planet, or cause a mass extinction of its life forms, or simply destroy those who oppose you?"

"...What's the difference between the last two?"

“Well… there is.” Yarman looked at her seriously and said in a solemn tone, “I just sensed that planet. To be honest, apart from the chaotic security situation, its technological level is no less than that of this planet. Vegapunk has obviously sided with the other side.”

"As a friend, I feel it's necessary to remind you that if there's a mass extinction, everything on that planet will be lost, resources will be wasted, and then there's Vegapunk..."

Upon hearing this name, Im's expression changed. She stared intently at Yarman, her tone serene, "Are you suggesting I keep him?"

Yarman carefully considered his words and slowly said, "From a purely rational point of view, I personally suggest that you keep him. His mind is very valuable. Of course, this is just a suggestion."

After listening to his words, Im sat down in her chair and thought for a long time before slowly saying, "Yarman, I definitely can't keep Vegapunk around anymore, but if you want him, I can give him to you as payment for hiring you. After all, I don't have much to give you right now."

"This one……"

Upon hearing Im's words, Yarman did not immediately agree. He did indeed admire Vegapunk's talent, but he did not want Vegapunk to affect his relationship with Im.

"...If you're really willing, I'm willing to accept him as payment, as long as it doesn't affect our friendship."

“Of course not!” Im immediately chimed in. She couldn’t be happier that Yarman would take Vegapunk away. Putting aside how many people in her government had benefited from Vegapunk’s kindness, and what the consequences would be if she killed him, locking up such a talent would already require enormous costs.

After that outsider messed things up, the One Piece world has almost completely lost its original foundation, and she simply doesn't have the resources to keep such a talent locked up anymore.

She's now thinking about where the money for postwar reconstruction will come from, whether she can sell some things to Yarman, or get a loan from Yarman. She's really desperate for money.

"Im? Im?"

"……Um?"

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking about what to sell you so I can earn some money for post-war reconstruction," Im said helplessly. She really hated that stowaway now. Not only did he interrupt the world's good momentum of development, but he also emptied its foundation, leaving her in such a sorry state!

Looking at Im, Yarman jokingly said, "Why don't you work for me? I'll pay you a salary."

"Okay, what kind of work do we need to do?"

"……what?"

"I told you, whatever you need me to do, I'll do it!"

"Anything? Don't be ridiculous, are you asking me to sell myself?"

"...If it were you, I'd sell myself!"

Looking at the serious Im across from him, Yarman was taken aback. He blinked and said in a daze, "I... I was just joking."

"I'm serious!"

"..."×2

"I'm really serious, Yarman, I'm really short of money, really short!"

Looking at the solemn Im across from him, Yarman thought for a moment and slowly said, "Let's talk about this after the war. Then we can invite the Doctor and the three of us can discuss it together."

Upon hearing his words, a hint of disappointment flashed in Im's eyes, but she forced a smile and said, "Okay."

“Let’s talk about how to fight next,” Yarman said, looking at her. “I think you haven’t made a plan yet, and the other planets are in chaos. Are you really ready to counterattack? Or do you want me to handle this alone? That would be a huge loss for the world!”

After listening to his words, Im considered his own strength. He knew he could definitely fight, but the situation was too complicated. If he launched a counterattack at the same time, he might be stretched thin.

We still have to take it one step at a time!

Judging from her expression, Yarman knew that she definitely didn't have a complete plan yet. She probably only had a rough outline in her mind, something like "first wipe out the rebels on our own planet, then wipe out the other three planets, and finally wipe out the enemy's stronghold." She hadn't discussed anything else.

To be honest, if we don't have an absolute advantage in strength to fight such a big battle, playing like this is just courting death!

Chapter 192: Where does the money come from? From the Celestial Dragons!

Sitting in a corner of the council hall, Yarman picked up the wine on the table and poured himself a drink. He would occasionally glance at the conference table where opinions were being fiercely exchanged. Im was sitting at the head of the conference table, with World Government civil officials and CP organization on his left and right, as well as World Government Defense Force and loyalist navy on his right and left.

"The situation is a bit too bad, isn't it?" Yarman carefully looked over everyone at the conference table, and finally shook his head with a hint of disgust. Many chairs on the large conference table were empty. He only recognized a few of them: the Five Elders, several generations of admirals in the Navy.

Judging from the aura of these people, most of them are not very good. Taking the level of the CP0 leader as the dividing line, there are only a few people at the whole table who are above the line.

"Just how many people have been lured away by the other side!" Yalman said with some emotion. The number of empty chairs had reached 6%. Excluding those killed by the enemy, those who couldn't come due to stability maintenance needs, and those who resigned or retired, the number of people who betrayed them was actually quite large, probably over 4%.

Of course, among those who betrayed the country, there were those who ran away with the illegal immigrants, those who formed their own resistance team and went it alone, and those who hoped to maintain the current situation so as to take advantage of the chaos.

He poured out the last drop of wine from the bottle, drank it down, wiped his mouth, and put the bottle aside. He had already drunk almost twenty bottles, and the council still hadn't come up with a solution.

"Sir, would you like some more wine?"

“Yes, I’ll have champagne.” Yarman replied without turning his head. The waiter behind him, carrying a tray, bowed slightly, took the empty bottle, turned around and went back to the bar, where he brought out a new bottle of champagne and placed it beside him.

"Thank you."

"...No, you're welcome, sir!"

Glancing at the flustered waiter, Yarman picked up the bottle and poured himself a glass of wine. Holding the glass, he casually waved his hand, "Alright, you can go now. There's no need to be so nervous."

"Yes...yes, sir."

Holding his wine glass, Yarman listened to the meeting with a calm expression. The people opposite him had only just begun to discuss Pirate Earth—no, it should now be called the Supreme Mother Planet—and the work of suppressing the rebellion on the Supreme Mother Planet.

The situation is not much different from the Great Pirate Era. The four seas and the Red Line are in the hands of the World Government, while the New World and the Grand Line are completely controlled by various rebel forces. These rebel forces are basically pirates who were severely punished in the past and went underground, and retired personnel have found new jobs.

After joining the group, Im began to step into the limelight. In order to integrate the world's resources and enter the space age, he severely cracked down on pirates entrenched around the world, especially those entrenched in the Grand Line and the New World. A large number of pirates were captured, imprisoned, or killed.

When the World Government got serious, it was quite powerful. The Four Emperors of the old era were wiped out in just a few years, and the World Government officially took control of the New World. After countless years of chaos, the New World finally came to a state of stability.

However, there were simply too many pirates. Although the World Government wiped out the vast majority, a considerable number of pirates quietly went underground and began to wage guerrilla warfare against the World Government. Among them were many strong individuals, since the weaker ones had all been killed by the World Government.

Faced with these scattered pirates, the World Government really doesn't have a good solution. Pirates who break up into smaller groups are too difficult to wipe out. You never know where they'll come from, and when they do, they just shoot once and run away.

Now, with that stowaway conquering a planet and wreaking havoc on the World Government's management system, the pirates who had been hiding in the shadows, waiting for their chance, have all jumped out. Taking advantage of the momentum, they have reclaimed the New World and the Grand Line, attempting to revive the Great Pirate Era of the past.

The Supreme Mother Planet is not the only planet facing this problem; several other planets are also experiencing it. Ambitious individuals who were previously huddled under the rule of the World Government have all jumped out, causing chaos on their respective planets and attempting to replicate the great feat of the stowaways who carved out a planet.

The sudden arrival of the chaotic era caught the World Government off guard. Under Im's impetus, they had developed too fast and too smoothly in recent years, and their foundation was unstable. When the crisis came, they immediately collapsed.

"Please be aware that we currently only have three starship ports and factories under our control, and we only have twenty-six starships available for use, which is just two starship squadrons!"

"Furthermore, we don't have enough ammunition; the remaining amount is only enough for one major battle! Also, this is our home planet, and the damage caused by orbital bombardment by starships is almost irreversible!"

“Fleet Admiral Akainu, you have to understand. The government has neither the money nor the resources to prepare for a naval battle right now.” A World Government official said with a worried look, “We don’t even have the money to repair the shore artillery on the Red Line! Nuclear orbital bombing is at least cheaper, so let’s just consider it the Navy clearing out its inventory.”

"CP has lost most of its tentacles in the New World and is unable to provide real-time intelligence on the rebels. At most, it can only provide bombing coordinates, with an error of about 300 meters."

"...Don't look at me. We don't even have the money to repair our shore artillery. As for starships, let's not even talk about them. We don't even have the energy for interplanetary travel. We can only take off and enter planetary orbit. And don't even mention surface warships. They're all gone."

"But we can't just use orbital bombardment like that! We're running out of ammunition. We've used up all our nuclear weapons; we can't expect to use solid shot in the later battles!"...

[Leytanian profanity]! An entire interstellar fleet has fallen so low as to use solid shot!

Even Yarman couldn't bear to watch anymore; this was too tragic. How did Im fall to such a state?

Sitting at the head of the table, Im watched the arguing crowd and angrily slammed his fist on the table. "Stop arguing! What's all the fuss about? You're still trying to shirk responsibility!"

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent, but no one uttered another word.

Looking at the silent crowd below, a hint of helplessness flashed in Im's eyes. She knew the current situation; the World Government truly had nothing to offer, that was a fact.

"Alright, let's adjourn the meeting for now! We'll discuss it again tomorrow! Five Elders, Lucci, Akainu, you guys stay behind."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Watching the crowd file out, Im sighed helplessly and began looking around aimlessly.

Where can I get money...? Who has the most money...?

Im slowly looked at the Five Elders beside her. She suddenly remembered something. When she was organizing the entire world, there was one group she didn't organize, a group she had kept as a reserve food source...

"It's time to use the food reserves!" A sharp glint flashed in Im's eyes as she looked at the Five Elders beside her. "I remember that some Celestial Dragons seem to have been colluding with the rebels during this period!"

The Five Elders, with their full heads of white curly hair, were taken aback upon hearing this. He immediately understood what Im meant, but... he didn't object. When the world is in trouble, these people have a responsibility to dedicate everything they have!

“Yes, Your Majesty!” The curly-haired Five Elders slowly rose and bowed slightly to her. “Indeed, some Celestial Dragons have been colluding with the rebels. According to the law, these people should be sentenced to death and have their property confiscated!”

“Very good!” Im nodded, looking at the Five Elders with their swords. “Tianyue, you take your men and handle this matter! The proceeds will be handed over to the government treasury and distributed tomorrow!”

"...Yes, Your Majesty!"

Chapter 193: Orbital bombardment is still the most effective!

"Would you like a drink?" Yarman placed a glass in front of Im. At this point, only the two of them remained in the council hall; everyone else had gone to attend to their business.

"Thank you!" Im took the glass, downed the wine in one gulp, and looked at him standing beside her with a bitter smile. "I'm sorry, you must have found this amusing."

"No one could have imagined that an illegal immigrant would come to your world and even take the position of world administrator. It's already quite good that you weren't defeated in an instant," Yarman said frankly. Im's situation was indeed too unexpected, and no one could have done it perfectly.

"Sigh!" Im shook her head and sighed helplessly. "There's still no way. The World Government has nothing. Raiding houses can't solve all the problems. The money from raiding houses is meaningless. The key is resources. Wars are fought over resources, and unfortunately, we don't have any resources!"

"Can we mobilize some resources from the other three planets?"

“One planet has declared independence, and the remaining two planets are too busy to care for themselves and have no resources to spare.” Im leaned back in his chair, a mocking smile on his face. “Now that independent planet is going to join forces with that stowaway, and then we’ll be facing the Resistance Alliance!”

"That planet also has three starship manufacturing bases, an interstellar port, and a complete industrial system. This war is getting increasingly difficult! And after the war, where will we get the money to rebuild?"

As she spoke, Im slowly looked at Yarman beside her. She didn't speak or make any movement, just stared at him quietly, her eyes calm but with a hint of expectation.

Feeling uncomfortable under Im's gaze, Yarman turned to the side and said vaguely, "It's alright. The development of the world can't be rushed. We can take our time. Besides, your world has so many good things. I believe that as long as you're willing to give some of them, that will solve everything!"

“Yes, just take out a little bit, but this good stuff needs to be appreciated by someone who knows its value, right?” Im said, following his words, his gaze still fixed on him.

"...Let's talk about this later, let's see how to deal with the rebels." Yarman didn't want to discuss this matter. He didn't want Terra's interests to be harmed because of his own reasons, but he thought that he had already politely declined so many times, so it wouldn't be good to refuse again.

He thought for a moment and then slowly said, "What are the specifications of your starship shells? If possible, perhaps I can have my world produce a batch of military equipment for you to replenish your supplies."

"..."

Im slowly raised her head, her eyes shining as she looked at Yarman. Her hands trembled slightly as she suppressed her excitement and said, "Are you willing to provide us with supplies? I can spend the money!"

“…Yes, that’s right.” Yarman nodded slowly, a little frightened by Im’s gaze, and his tone became very cautious. “As a friend, I am willing to provide you with supplies.”

"That's great!"

Im was instantly relieved. It was good that there were supplies to support them; otherwise, the war could have continued. If there were no supplies, they could have just surrendered and stopped fighting.

Although she has now ordered the confiscation of property to raise money, money is no different from waste paper if it is not converted into actual goods. With Yarman's help, her money finally has a place to be spent and can be turned into goods. Otherwise, she would have nowhere to spend her money!

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but stand up, hug Yarman tightly, and patted his back hard under his astonished gaze. "Thank you so much! Thank you so much!"

Looking at Im who was clinging to him tightly, Yarman leaned awkwardly against her. He was 1.88 meters tall, which was already considered very tall, but in the world of One Piece, anyone was taller than him, and Im was even taller than him, approaching two meters.

Now that Im was holding him, his head was just up to her shoulder, and below that was her chest. This situation made him extremely embarrassed. He didn't know where to put his hands, so he could only put them behind his back.

Gently releasing Yarman, and seeing his embarrassment, Im smiled and said, "This is just between friends, a gesture of friendship. Don't overthink it."

“Okay.” Yarman nodded, standing still and looking at the other person. “What materials do you need? What are the specifications? Give me a list, and I’ll arrange for someone to produce them for you.”

Upon hearing this, Im immediately took out a list and handed it to him, saying, "It's all on here."

"...Were you already prepared for this?"

"Yes."

"...That's quite direct."

“Even if I said no, you wouldn’t believe me, would you?” Im sat back in his chair, relieved. “Since the start of the war, I’ve been taking stock of supplies every day. I know exactly what we need and what we lack. I’ve been thinking about who to buy these supplies from.”

"Then you thought of me, came to me, and finally convinced me."

Yes, that's right.

Looking at Im who took it for granted, Yarman shook his head with a sigh and said earnestly, "I don't know if you're a good leader, but you're definitely a good persuader!"

"...Aren't we all good at persuasion?" Im suddenly retorted, staring intently at the silent Yarman. They were actually the same kind of people, a bunch of lunatics.

Or rather, the entire chat group is actually full of lunatics. After all, this chat group is also known as a patient exchange group, and their world is not a good world. Those who can be selected from it are naturally a group of lunatics. Since they are lunatics, they are capable of anything.

For example, Lin Yi owes six trillion transaction points; Scranton is almost obsessively determined to organize the laws of the world; Dumbledore uses his own body as a starting resource to forcibly build the world's magic network; Tesla transforms himself into a cyborg, with plasma flowing through his veins...

"You're right, we're all good at persuasion."

After a long silence, Yarman suddenly asked, "After all these years, haven't you developed a few relatively good worlds? You understand what I mean, I'm not talking about being good in the usual sense."

Upon hearing his words, Im immediately understood. "It's the Gas Station World, isn't it? Yes, it is!"

“Which of us old folks doesn’t have one or two gas stations? But gas stations have limited fuel; we can’t just keep pumping it all out. We need to ensure sustainable development.”

"You've squeezed them dry."

"For the sake of world development, I went a little overboard."