In front of the shogun's mansion, thousands of people lay unconscious on the ground.
When Yamakaji and Momonga arrived with a squad of Marines, what they saw were the marchers strewn across the plaza.
Of course.
Yamakaji and Momonga were not surprised at all.
This was the power Caelan should possess. The thirty thousand-strong Beast Pirates had collapsed under his hand. How could this ragtag crowd of ten thousand resist his power?
"Send those without moon tattoos on their ankles to the prison quarry in Rabbit Bowl, and have Gecko Moria treat them well."
Caelan gave instructions to the two of them.
The moon tattoo on the ankle was the symbol of the Kozuki Family's samurai.
It was the mark the Kozuki samurai made eighteen years ago while hiding among the people.
Caelan thought this behavior was foolish. If you want to hide, then hide. Why mark yourselves? Wasn't that asking to be found?
"Yes, Commander Caelan."
Yamakaji and Momonga had no objections.
This was a plan they had agreed upon long ago.
Caelan stood quietly, watching as the two officers and the Marines moved the marchers away one by one, leaving only the Kozuki samurai behind.
Half an hour later, six thousand marchers were loaded onto carts. They would spend a week in the Rabbit Bowl quarry prison, where they would repent, then die from exhaustion.
Only the four thousand unconscious Kozuki samurai and the bodies of Momonosuke and the others remained before the shogun's mansion.
The Reality Marble unfolded.
The world shifted, and in the blink of an eye they were moved from the open space before the mansion to a battlefield of yellow sand.
"This is my first time refining a Philosopher's Stone."
Caelan looked at the four thousand samurai and showed a cruel smile.
For these warriors who believed in the spirit of the Kozuki Family, Caelan did not even want to let them work themselves to death in the mines.
Because then they would feel proud of themselves, thinking they had died as glorious warriors, and that was disgusting.
Better to destroy them outright, body and soul.
Magic power surged through Caelan's body, and a massive magic circle appeared beneath the four thousand.
Threads of vitality and soul power were drawn out and condensed by the circle. This was the stripping of the origin of life.
Losing the most essential part of life was a punishment more painful than death by a thousand cuts.
The samurai who had been stunned by Caelan's Conqueror's Haki awoke at this moment.
They looked at Caelan, knowing this man was the source of all their pain.
"Torture me however you like. This is the samurai's glory!"
"For Kozuki Oden!"
"You damned devil, kill us if you dare!"
"Beast! Devil! I am a warrior!"
The samurai howled, faces twisted.
They were tormented, their ideals completely crushed.
At the brink of death, all they could do was curse Caelan, trying to inflict even the slightest harm on him.
Caelan ignored their insults and even clapped in mock encouragement.
In an instant, the shouting samurai fell silent, their senses pushed to the limit.
There were no more curses, only screams of pain and endless pleas for mercy.
Pain, the ultimate pain of soul and body.
They could not faint. The tearing of the soul kept them awake at all times.
They bore all the pain in full consciousness.
It was several times more violent than before, as if they were being chewed alive by a monster and wrung dry like pulp.
In an instant, extreme regret consumed them. They regretted following Kozuki Oden. They regretted becoming enemies of Caelan. They regretted their stubbornness just now.
At this moment, their minds held only three things: regret, pain, and begging for mercy.
"It is not good to be stubborn."
Caelan sighed.
His original intent was to let them savor it longer, but after increasing the intensity, the pain grew and the time shortened.
Three minutes later, the four thousand samurai had been reduced to ash, and only Momonosuke's body remained on the ground.
At the center of the magic circle, a gorgeous ruby the size of a pigeon egg floated quietly.
With a wave of Caelan's hand, the ruby flew into his palm.
Just by holding it, he could feel the potent vitality and soul power within.
No resentment, no impurities, only pure vitality and soul.
It was equivalent to a blank fragment of a Heroic Spirit, usable by anyone.
This alone could extend a person's life by two hundred years, or grant the full strength of an elite vice admiral.
"I can grind this out on my own."
Caelan glanced at it and quickly lost interest.
As a complete existence who understood the Third Magic, he possessed infinite mana and soul. With knowledge, he could mass-produce Philosopher's Stones like this.
Such things had no effect on him or his Heroic Spirits.
But as he looked at the solid ruby, a flash of inspiration crossed Caelan's mind.
"If it is used as the foundation of currency, it would be so stable that no one could shake it."
He muttered to himself.
His evolving system had entered a dormant state, and he did not know if it would still reclaim Berries when it awakened again. Either way, it was better to be prepared.
Also, the World Government currently held the right to mint currency. If he started an economic war with them, it would be difficult to handle.
But as long as he established his own unique monetary system, both problems would be easily solved.
"This Philosopher's Stone in my hand represents two hundred years of life and the power of an elite vice admiral."
"If it is divided into two hundred pieces, each piece would carry one year of lifespan. That would be equivalent to one billion Berries, and one billion of a new currency. It would be a universal equivalent, more valuable than gold."
"As long as there are enough Philosopher's Stones, I can build a currency system based on them."
"And as it happens, I can produce this infinitely, and only I can produce it."
The more Caelan thought, the brighter his eyes became.
Currency was generally backed by a nation's credibility.
The Berry had been supported by the World Government for eight hundred years, making it the most mainstream and authoritative currency in the world.
Money was just paper to the World Government. They could have as much as they wanted. But to other countries, Berries were real material wealth. As long as the World Government wished, it could print countless pieces of paper to harvest all the world's goods.
By exchanging paper for supplies, the World Government profited immensely, while other nations suffered heavy losses.
Caelan had reason to suspect that the tens of billions of Berries spent by the Celestial Dragons were printed by the World Government. The so-called Heavenly Gold could not possibly reach that scale.
Considering that pirate bounties in this world were generally inflated, his guess was very likely correct.
To avoid the chaos that would result from the World Government flooding the world with money when he went to war with them, it was necessary to establish his own monetary system.
The new currency he intended to issue would be based on the Philosopher's Stone and its usable lifespan.
Once such a monetary system was established, it would be unshakably stable.
With this system, he could extract Berries endlessly and harvest the world, just like the World Government.
The World Government would not be able to launch a currency war against him.
On the contrary, they would have to worry about being struck by him.
"Issuing currency is a serious matter, so it is best to discuss it with others first."
Caelan had already decided to issue a new currency. He only needed to think it through a bit more.
Putting the currency issue aside for now, Caelan looked at Momonosuke's body.
Now that everything else was resolved, it was time to settle the doubt in his heart.
Why did Momonosuke, Kin'emon, and the others arrive two years early?
As long as he summoned Kozuki Toki, everything would become clear.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)