A week later, I went to Shimotsuki Village to bring the swordsmanship instructor to the island, and Zoro challenged me again, so I tickled him thoroughly. After bringing the instructor, since training in the playground seemed difficult, I also built a dojo building next to the orphanage. Thanks to Hina teaching diligently, the children and employees' physical strength improved, so there was no problem in swordsmanship training.
After a few months, Iceburg contacted me saying the ships were completed. So I teleported to Water 7 to receive the ships.
"Oh~ good. I like them."
The merchant ships were painted harmoniously in white and sky blue, with gold decorations here and there. The overall design was also made quite sleek.
"I'm glad. And since you said merchant ships were attacked by pirates, I added one device."
Following Iceburg's guidance, I went aboard the ship to check the device; to explain simply, it was a device that collected pressure while sailing and provided a temporary boost effect. It wasn't to the extent of flying like the Sunny, but it allowed quick escape from the area when encountering pirates.
"I was worried about pirates, so thank you."
"Hahaha, not at all. We should thank you for placing an order when we had no customers."
"I'll rely on you again next time."
I paid the balance and put all three ships into my inventory. Seeing that, Iceburg was surprised, but since I said it was a Devil Fruit ability, he let it pass. The problem was that there was no one to operate these ships, but since the children at the orphanage were growing up, it seemed possible to operate them within a few years.
Thus, three years passed since I came here. The Merchant's Island steadily grew, and as work increased, it became difficult with just drones, so I made a packaging automation machine. Unlike the satellite, this was somewhat large, and since I tried to save on parts in my inventory, it took time. The precision parts for the machine especially took time because I needed to use [Eyeballing], [Control], [Telekinesis], and [Matter Manipulation] abilities simultaneously, requiring high concentration. It was even more so because I had to make things that could just be bought from the MCU.
Many things happened during the three years; due to the ripple effect of the Merchant's Island, Loguetown's economy grew tremendously. Since it was close, merchants often rested in Loguetown, and to reduce production time on the Merchant's Island, I ordered everything that could be made in the One Piece worldview from Loguetown, so a portion of the profits flowed into Loguetown. And some employees and widows working at the orphanage were all from Loguetown.
Because of that, various problems began to erupt in Loguetown, and rumors spread that Smoker was struggling. Upon hearing that rumor, I chuckled. Now that three years had passed, older children were helping with various tasks. Not all had left; some left to pursue dreams, and some enlisted in the Marines, perhaps due to grudges from pirates. It wasn't only children leaving; new children kept arriving from wherever wars kept breaking out.
Thus, on the island's spare space, a small village for orphanage graduates and employees began to form. Houses were built by commissioning Loguetown, and water, sewage, and electricity facilities were installed by me personally. Saturation would come someday, but for now, there was plenty of space.
"Boss Taejin, we're short on real swords. Sometimes good-quality swords come in from Loguetown, but the rest are said to be unusable."
"Really? I'll go to the Isshin Dojo once."
To be precise, it was the branched Isshin Dojo built on the island. I moved to the dojo.
"Instructor, I heard the quality of swords has declined."
"Yes, please take a look, Boss."
The instructor showed the swords. Checking with [Eyeballing], the quality of the iron in those swords was poor, and the particles were uneven. If they fought pirates with such swords, they would likely break after a few uses.
"Hmm... I see. I'll handle it quickly for you."
Except for the early days when the island was made, we hadn't been attacked by pirates, so I hadn't thought about weapons. Now that orphanage graduates were emerging, I needed to make weapons for them too.
I started making swords by arranging elements uniformly with [Matter Manipulation]. Below the blade, I engraved the character "Jin" (進) stylishly. After swinging it a few times and seeing no issues, I went to the dojo and asked the instructor to check.
"How is it?"
The instructor also swung the sword a few times and checked by flicking the blade with his finger.
"Is there a problem?"
At my words, the instructor finally sheathed the sword and said.
"It's a good sword. Sharp, made of high-quality iron, and the tempering is so uniform with no impurities that it was like playing beautiful music."
I received good praise from the instructor too. I immediately made 50 of the same swords, gave 30 to the dojo, 10 to employees who use swords, and kept 10 for emergencies.
While making them, I also made firearms. Not everyone excelled in swordsmanship and martial arts. So, to give another option, I made them. Firearms in the One Piece worldview were mostly trash. They used flint ignition, lacked rifling, so accuracy was poor. And due to low-quality gunpowder, firepower was weak, and range was pathetic.
The reason for such slow development was due to 'Haki' and Devil Fruits. Firearms were completely ineffective against pirates or strong individuals who made a name, so they were weapons used almost only by grunts. Thus, strong individuals using firearms were very few. In a worldview where fists are stronger than bullets, it couldn't be helped.
I made revolver-style pistols with simple operation and good durability for close range and Winchesters for long-range sniping, gave them to employees and orphanage graduates interested in shooting, and trained them. For those who completely switched their weapons to firearms, I personally trained them in [Gun Kata] whenever I had time. Since only I knew this, there was no choice.
After spending a few months like that, I remembered my promise with Luffy and decided to visit Foosha Village after a long time. Upon arriving, I saw Luffy walking with a boy who had freckles on his face and slightly curly black hair. That boy seemed to be Ace.
"Yo~ Luffy!"
When I called, Luffy smiled and greeted me happily.
"Long time no see, bro. When did you arrive?"
"Just arrived. Who's this?"
I knew but pretended not to and asked while looking at Ace.
"This is Ace! He's my sworn brother."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Taejin. A merchant."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ace."
I took out Chupa Chups from my inventory and gave one to each.
"Oh~ this is the candy I ate before."
Ace didn't know what Chupa Chups were and just stared, while Luffy immediately smiled brightly, unwrapped it, and started licking it, so Ace also unwrapped it and put it in his mouth.
"It's tasty."
Ace's expression brightened after tasting the Chupa Chups.
"Hahaha, right?"
Looking closely, Luffy and Ace's clothes were dirty and somewhat torn, so I took out clothes and shoes from my inventory and gave them. I gave them spare clothes I had for orphanage children.
"This is a gift."
Luffy and Ace unfolded the clothes and liked them. I had chosen them considering each one's preferences.
"Wow~ thank you."
"By the way, have you eaten?"
"No, not yet."
"Then let's go to Makino's shop. Business has been good lately, so I've made a lot of money. I'll buy you whatever you want to eat."
"Great!"
We went to Makino's bar. When we entered, Makino recognized me and greeted me happily.
"Oh my! It's been a really long time. Mr. Taejin."
"Nice to see you. Ms. Makino. We've come for a meal. Please make whatever Luffy and Ace want to eat."
"I see. Then I'll show my skills again this time!"
While Makino was cooking, I told Luffy and Ace stories about traveling here and there this time too.
"I want to become a pirate quickly and go on adventures too."
"If you think that, you need to get strong fast. There are many strong people on the sea. There are many dangers, and if you go out clumsily, you're likely to die."
"Shishishi, don't worry about that. I'm training hard."
After eating at Makino's shop like that, I paid the bill including a tip and gifted a barrel of liquor made on the island.
"We enjoyed the meal. When you come to the village, visit again."
"Please come again. Next time, I'll treat you to a free meal."
"Haha~ I must come again then."
We left the bar and rested sitting at a place with a good view of the sea. I gave them ice cream each for dessert.
"Wow~ this is tasty too."
"But where do things keep coming from?"
Ace asked curiously as I kept taking things out from mid-air.
"It's a Devil Fruit ability."
"Luffy also ate a Devil Fruit before and became a rubber human, so it's the same, right?"
"That's right. But each fruit has different abilities. So, Devil Fruits are..."
I briefly explained Devil Fruits to Ace and Luffy.
"So, on the sea, there are many strong people who ate Devil Fruits and have strange abilities?"
"Yes. So if you ever meet them, you must fight without letting your guard down."
Then, the Den Den Mushi in the bag I was carrying rang.
Pururururu
"What's the matter?"
-Boss, the liquor at 'Baratie' has run out.
"I see. Understood."
I stood up, brushing off my pants.
"Now I have work, so I should go. I'll come again next time. If you see Vice Admiral Garp, give him my regards."
"Got it. Thanks for today."
I waved goodbye and went to the shore, teleporting to Baratie.
Baratie was close, and I had come several times to deliver groceries and liquor. I also received much advice from 'Zeff' about good ingredients. Upon arriving, young Sanji was cleaning the deck with a bump on his head.
"Sanji! Nice to see you. Can you cook a little now?"
When I called, he glanced at me once and continued cleaning while speaking.
"Cook? I get beaten up every day. More importantly, what brings you today? Here to deliver? Where are the pretty ladies who came last time?"
This guy was already a pervert since childhood. He has little interest in men. I once came for an employee dinner, and he seems to be talking about the employees he saw then. I messed up Sanji's hair and said.
"You brat, when your big brother comes, greet him first."
"Ouch! Stop, it hurts where I got hit!"
"I'll come later with pretty ladies for a meal."
At those words, Sanji showed a bright smile on his face and said.
"Really?"
"Yeah, it's been a while since we had a dinner party."
"You're the best, bro!"
This guy only calls me bro when it suits him. Then Zeff called me from the window.
"Taejin! Customers are making a fuss looking for liquor. Hurry up and deliver."
"Yes, yes, I'm coming."
I entered through the restaurant's back door and took out liquor for the warehouse first; the restaurant employees quickly carried the liquor. Baratie was the shop that bought the most premium liquor in East Blue.
"And also, the meat and vegetables..."
I took out the groceries Zeff ordered. Zeff checked the groceries I took out and said.
"Hmm... as expected, ordering from the Merchant's Island always has good quality and is consistent, making cooking easy."
"All thanks to your advice."
"With just one advice, the quality of delivered ingredients changes, which is good for us too. I wish that brat Sanji would resemble you a bit."
"He's still young."
"What are you talking about? I also learned while getting beaten with a club at that age."
As expected, One Piece is a worldview that throws human rights to the dogs. Zeff handed over the Berries.
"Since I called you urgently, I added a bit more."
"Thank you. And I'm thinking of having an employee dinner party here next month; would that be possible?"
"I see. Wait a moment."
Zeff went outside the warehouse and checked the calendar. Stroking his chin, he thought for a moment, then showed me the calendar and said.
"A group customer canceled a late reservation, so 8 PM on this day is free. Otherwise, you'd have to wait several months."
That day was 15 days later. It was sooner than expected, but there was no choice. It was that popular a restaurant.
"Understood. Let's do that."
Thus, I returned to the Merchant's Island, announced the dinner party date to the employees, and without incident, the day of the party arrived. Hina and the Marines agreed to watch the island temporarily. I took out one of the merchant ships ordered from Water 7, boarded the employees and swordsmanship instructor, and arrived at Baratie. There were few men, and almost all were beauties who had done makeup and dressed up, making the restaurant's interior feel vibrant.
Seeing that, Sanji was already bleeding a little from his nose. After the employees settled down to some extent, I came forward and spoke.
"I dislike long speeches at such gatherings. You've really worked hard for three years. I look forward to working with you in the future."
"Wow~ Boss is the best."
"I love you! Boss!"
With those words, liquor and food started coming out. Sanji slightly approached me and said tearfully.
"Bro, I'm seeing such a beautiful sight for the first time. After I build my cooking skills, can I work on the Merchant's Island?"
"Hahaha, didn't you tell me about 'All Blue' or something last time?"
"Sniff... damn it!"
Then, a beautiful employee watching from the side said to Sanji.
"So you're the funny little chef Boss mentioned. You look cute."
"Yes! I'm Sanji. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you. Chef."
The beautiful employee smiled and extended her hand for a handshake with Sanji; Sanji's face turned red as he shook hands with the beautiful employee.
"Sigh~ Bro, isn't this heaven?"
Then, an adult chef approached and gave Sanji a knuckle sandwich.
Thwack!
"You brat, you need to take orders! I let you work in the hall today because you begged so much, and you're slacking off? Sorry, Boss Taejin."
"Hahaha, not at all. It was fun."
Thus, the adult chef dragged Sanji away. We enjoyed the food, laughed, chatted, had a fun time, and returned to the island. The next day, I prepared special meals and liquor for the Marines as thanks.
Now, five years had passed since I came here. Occasionally catching pirates while delivering and rescuing people being sold, the population of the Merchant's Island increased significantly, and as orphanage graduates increased, the village scale gradually began to grow. Now, we could operate our own security force and one merchant ship. And to improve the employees' skills, I held a martial arts tournament once a year for motivation.
Today, an order came in, so I teleported to the Ilusia Kingdom to deliver, and upon leaving, the kingdom's atmosphere was chaotic. Asking a resident what was happening, they told me that Nico Robin had appeared and that guards and Marines were looking for her.