The banquet proceeded under Sora's hosting.
Rosse wasn't good at socializing at banquets, but Sora excelled at it; with her attentive hosting, everyone felt very comfortable.
Of course, many people still had their own little thoughts.
Moa, who had been standing behind Rosse the whole time ready to pour him drinks, felt her heart clog up in her throat.
She had known Rosse's power was great and that his subordinates were terrifyingly strong.
But she really hadn't expected it to be this extreme.
A banquet to entertain one's own people, fine, having Fleet Admiral Sakazuki attend was one thing; after all, who didn't know Rosse controlled the Marine.
'But what the hell are Sommers, Saintess Vanessa, and Kaido doing here?'
'Isn't Kaido supposed to be a war prisoner used as an experiment? Why is he qualified to attend the banquet?'
Just then, Sora smiled and pointed to Kaido as she introduced him to everyone, "I'm sure everyone recognizes this man. Former member of the Rocks Pirates, the great pirate who once ruled the New World, Kaido. From today on, all dispute matters for the Employment Association will be handled by him."
Hearing that, everyone couldn't help but look toward Kaido.
Especially Moa, she was a little stunned.
'Isn't that surrender? Kaido, where's your backbone?'
More and more of Rosse's people showed up; their Revolutionary Army and pirate numbers kept shrinking.
If it weren't for Sengoku and the others standing on their own, giving Moa a sliver of hope, she thought she might as well give up.
The others reacted much the same way. Representatives from the member nations looked at Kaido more kindly, while the World Government and Marine people looked at him with more amusement.
Handing disputes to a famed great pirate to handle, that's giving the member nations real weight.
"What exactly do you intend to accomplish with the Employment Association, Family Head?", Saturn Saint looked up, eyes on Rosse who sat in the main seat.
Today he had taken a lower seat and had already, by recognizing Rosse as Family Head, shown his stance to the others.
The entire Jaygarcia family did not shine because of him as one of the Five Elders, but prospered because of Rosse.
"The current fixed model doesn't sufficiently motivate ordinary people. The purpose of the Employment Association is to increase enthusiasm, give everyone a chance," Rosse said with a smile.
"Insufficient? Weren't parts of some member nations' factories and fields already treating slaves like consumables? How is that low efficiency?", Sommers Saint asked, puzzled.
He was one of the more peripheral figures, only linked up with Rosse after the Holy Land incident.
One could say his family hadn't declined under Bitter Saint thanks to Rosse's support behind the scenes.
So at today's banquet, he wanted to show off; after all, he was a newly appointed Five Elder and still a farming war god.
"Sora, you have the data, right?", Rosse looked to Sora. If he wanted to verify, numbers would be more convincing.
He hadn't specifically memorized those figures, but Sora had them.
"We do," Sora smiled at Sommers Saint and explained:
"Since the Employment Association was established, taking the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue as an example: industrial output increased by 53%, agricultural newly cultivated arable land expanded by 31%. In fisheries, not only can they fully meet the food needs of everyone in the Goa Kingdom, they even have a surplus for external trade."
"Increased that much? What was Goa Kingdom like before?", Sommers Saint was momentarily stunned.
"Exactly as you said, slavery and oppression. All land belonged to nobles; every catch had taxes. Industrial output couldn't even guarantee three meals a day, let alone wages," Sora said with a smile.
"Although ordinary people didn't own land or have pay, nobles would threaten their lives. With life threats hanging over them, would they dare slack off?"
Saint Sommers frowned. He had recently become a Five Elder and been forced to shift from a man of arms to a civil official.
Starting to encounter these things made his head ache.
Thankfully the World Government didn't need to take responsibility for member nations' agriculture; as an agricultural war god he only needed to set tax policy so member nations could supply the Holy Land, then his task was done.
"Threatening lives does have an effect, but it's not omnipotent. When people can't even eat enough, they think only of slacking and surviving. Even with daily whippings, efficiency can't rise," Sora shook her head slightly.
"So what method did you use?", Kaido couldn't help but ask, oppression was his method. When they mined Seastone in Wano, he used that approach.
"Naturally, we used incentive mechanisms. Take Seastone mining in Wano as an example: because Seastone is difficult to extract, we set a base wage of 10,000 Berries," Sora explained.
"10,000? That doesn't sound like much for those who can extract Seastone," Kaido frowned.
"Of course it doesn't," Sora smiled, "But if one person mines more than ten units in a day, for every extra unit we pay an additional 100,000 Berries."
"100,000 Berries? They'd actually work for that? Before, each person averaged at most ten units."
Because he ran his own territory, Kaido was well aware of those figures.
"Now the average reaches 17 units per person, and although the quality isn't as good as yours was, the quantity has increased," Sora said with a smile.
"No way! Just from those incentives?", Kaido glared, thinking the data must be wrong.
He had people whipped to death and still couldn't compare to such meager bribes?
Yes, just that small extra.
The World Government pays 1,000,000 Berries per unit for Seastone. With Wano's total Seastone supply and the World Government's consumption, even after twenty years it might not be depleted.
If each person digs 17 units daily, the cost is only 710,000 Berries, but each person actually generates 7,000,000 in extra value, netting over 6,000,000 in profit.
Kaido could still do the simple math.
Moreover, there was no worry about loyalty; if enemies came, those people would likely be the first to resist.
Just the routine management costs plus manpower loss would exceed 700,000 per person per day.
After all, a miner under Kaido's employ, if lost at sea, carries a bounty in the millions. The Marine's assessment and the world's valuation of such people.
Losing one is losing millions.
If these people occasionally caused trouble, Kaido's losses would multiply.
So offering profit ended up being more lucrative than forcing people with life-or-death threats?
Kaido was baffled, beginning to doubt all his past experiences.
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