Dressrosa - Outer City District.
Ever since the fall of King Riku and the Donquixote Family's takeover, the once-unified city had been forcibly divided into an inner and outer district. The inner district, the noble quarter, hadn't changed much. Apart from a new wall surrounding it, everything there was even better than before.
But the outer district was a different story. Doflamingo had no pity for the common people. He had seized this country not to be a good king. After the outer district was separated, a large number of residential buildings were forcibly demolished, and rows of factories were built in their place. These factories produced various daily necessities, which were then sold at high prices to the neighboring war-torn countries. The workers in these factories were mostly slaves who required no pay, or extremely cheap laborers from the lower class. These were people who were ignored, or whom no one would bother to pay attention to.
The civilians living in the outer district had to endure the toxic smoke and wastewater from the factories, but their lives were, in fact, more prosperous. However, anyone with a discerning eye knew that this was not a good thing. In a sense, they were all just pigs being raised by Doflamingo. Whenever the factories needed more workers, the rulers only had to say the word, and these civilians would be driven to bankruptcy at a moment's notice, then forcibly thrown into the factories to work until they died.
But the false prosperity masked everything. The wise have always been a tiny minority. The Dressrosa of today, from a distance, exuded a sense of deformed prosperity.
At least, as Law and Drake walked through the city streets, they were quite impressed by the commercial atmosphere.
"There are so many people on the streets."
It was noon, and people were out for a stroll after lunch. The streets were bustling with crowds, a picture of prosperity. Drake also keenly observed that most of the people he saw had a faint smile on their faces. It was a sign of a comfortable life.
"This is completely different from what I imagined." He had expected this to be a very miserable country. Drake had never heard a single positive comment about Doflamingo, not even a small one. The current state of Dressrosa was truly beyond his comprehension. The Donquixote Family had been ruling here for almost ten years. What had happened here all this time?
Law, on the other hand, knew a great deal about it. When he first came here, he had been just as baffled as Drake. It was only after carefully investigating everything that had happened in the past decade that he had a sudden realization: it was all an illusion. The prosperity here was bought with the lives of countless people in the surrounding countries.
"Don't be fooled by appearances," Law said. He knew Drake must have many questions, but the street was not the place to talk. "Let's go. We need to find a place to stay first."
This wasn't Law's first time sneaking into Dressrosa. He hadn't been idle during his two years in the New World. This was one of the main reasons Bellamy had assigned this mission to him.
Following the crowded stream of people, Law led Drake into a small alley. After a series of twists and turns, they arrived in front of an inconspicuous old house.
"This is it. We'll stay here for the time being."
Drake surveyed the surroundings. It was a dead-end alley with no footprints nearby; it seemed to be uninhabited. "This place is good." Not having to stay in an inn meant their risk of exposure was minimized. As a temporary base, a place like this was perfect.
Law opened the door with practiced ease and entered the dilapidated old house. A smell of rotting wood immediately assaulted their nostrils. The place looked like it hadn't been lived in for a long time.
"This used to be the home of an old man who lived alone. After he died, the house was left empty." Law was very familiar with this place; it seemed he had stayed here for a while before.
"Tell me about this city." Drake had no interest in the story of Law and the old man. He clearly wanted to know what was going on with the abnormalities in this city.
"Dressrosa," Law began. "Ever since the Donquixote Family took over nine years ago, they've been constantly stirring up conflicts between the neighboring countries."
Although they were all nominally under Kaido's banner, no one cared about that, not even Kaido himself. As long as they paid enough tribute each year, Kaido couldn't be bothered with their lives and deaths.
"The wars between these countries have been going on for nearly seven years." And even now, there was no sign of them stopping. Doflamingo had made a fortune just by selling arms, not to mention the numerous factories he had opened in the country. The annual profits from these factories were no less than those from selling arms, as the labor costs were practically zero.
The prosperity of Dressrosa was built entirely on the tragedy of other nations.
"Many of the people you saw on the street just now are actually from the upper and middle classes who have fled from other war-torn countries." When war breaks out, these are often the first to run. It's not that the lower classes don't want to run; they simply don't have the chance.
It was only natural that this would happen. The surrounding countries were all at war, while Dressrosa alone was peaceful. Any sane person would think of escaping. Only those who truly loved their country would willingly stay behind.
"I see." Law's explanation made everything clear to Drake. This was something Doflamingo would do. If the Heavenly Yaksha had suddenly become a benevolent ruler, that would have been truly illogical.
"So, by absorbing the elites and assets of other countries, the common people here have become extremely wealthy."
"Yes."
The people here were truly rich. Law had been to many countries, but he had never seen a place where the common people wasted resources more than in Dressrosa. Milk, bread, roasted chicken—if it was a day old, it was immediately thrown into the trash. Fruits and vegetables that were even slightly wilted were discarded without a second thought. Staple foods and clean water were the cheapest commodities here.
One had to remember that in most parts of the world, common people didn't have enough to eat. In Alabasta, which was suffering from a severe drought, water was as valuable as gold. The wastefulness of the people here regarding food and water, Law believed, would be a real eye-opener for Drake.