One week later.
The journey from the Calm Belt to the 16th Branch took approximately eight days. During this time, the hundred Marines aboard the warship were kept incredibly busy.
They were all working alongside the cooks to produce Sea King jerky. Had they not done so, most of the meat would have spoiled before they even reached the 16th Branch.
Meanwhile, Lucci had been meticulously executing the tasks assigned by Sean, eventually confirming several key points.
First, the effects of this specific Sea King meat were most pronounced during the first consumption. While subsequent servings continued to provide benefits, the gains were not as significant as the initial boost. According to the records from the past eight days, starting from the second dose, the growth obtained was only about 10% to 20% of the first, varying based on the individual's constitution.
However, because it offered a trait of sustainable growth, it still possessed immense strategic value.
As for whether other Sea Kings of this type existed within the Calm Belt, Lucci's report stated that the probability was very low. After all, many people in this world had slain and eaten Sea Kings, yet none had ever reported such a phenomenon.
What he overlooked, however, was a simple fact: this particular Sea King had not been born naturally.
Second, eating multiple portions in a single day yielded no extra benefits. It appeared that the amount of energy a person could digest and absorb daily was limited. Typically, the first meal reached the limit of what a person could absorb for the day; eating a hundred meals would not result in a hundred-fold increase in strength.
Therefore, Lucci suggested in his report that the Marines be given only one portion of the meat per day, with the other two meals remaining standard fare. This strategy would prevent the waste of precious ingredients, and the current stock of Sea King jerky would be enough to feed the Marines of the 16th Branch for half a year.
Finally, there was the estimation.
According to Lucci's calculations, by relying on this jerky, every Marine in the 16th Branch would break the 100 Doriki mark within six months. Those with higher initial Doriki and better physical talent could potentially break 200 Doriki.
One should not underestimate 200 Doriki; that level of strength was essentially on par with a Lieutenant Commander at Headquarters. In other words, in six months, all one hundred Marines under his command would be at the level of company-grade officers, with many even reaching the strength of field-grade officers!
Most importantly, this report only detailed the effects of the Sea King meat and did not account for the results of six months of actual training. This meant the final comprehensive result would likely be even stronger than what the report predicted.
As for whether this would improve a person's innate constitution and make future physical arts training easier, that would require more time to observe.
Lucci's report ended there.
'Good grief, this is actually incredible,' Sean couldn't help but marvel after reading it.
'''
Currently, the only people stationed at the 16th Branch were a squad of Marines sent over by Smoker. Everyone else—from the Branch Chief to the subordinates—had been taken to Headquarters for investigation and trial.
After completing the handover with the garrison squad, Sean set everyone to work. Although a squad was stationed there, there were only a few of them, and they couldn't possibly keep the entire branch spotless. Consequently, over the last six months, most of the 16th Branch had become overgrown with cobwebs. It would take several days of deep cleaning to restore the place.
Of course, the top priority was clearing out a suitable warehouse to store the Sea King jerky. Every Marine was more than happy to help with this; they rolled up their sleeves and got to work with gusto.
While Lucci coordinated the effort, Sean was concerned with a different matter.
"I say, old man Sengoku, there isn't a single Belly in this 16th Branch, let alone anything to eat or drink. Are you trying to starve us to death?"
"What are you rambling about, brat? I've already arranged for the supplies; they should arrive tomorrow. The provisions on your warship should last a few more days. As for the funding, figure it out yourself!"
"What?! You're not giving me a single Belly and telling me to figure it out?" Sean's eyes widened. 'Old man Sengoku, you've gone too far!'
"Sean, let me tell you something. In reality, the annual appropriation from the World Government only covers about thirty percent of the Marine's military expenses."
"Now, where do you think the remaining seventy percent comes from?"
Hearing this, Sean froze.
The World Government's annual funding only covered thirty percent of the Marine's spending? This was something the original story had never mentioned. But Sengoku didn't look like he was lying. So, how was such a massive gap filled?
There was only one logical answer: Pirates!
Indeed, the Marine wiped out countless pirate crews every year. Every time a crew was dismantled, the Marine seized vast amounts of wealth from their ships or bases. Especially for those in the Grand Line, the loot ranged from a few million Belly to hundreds of millions, or even billions. Over the course of a year, these seizures alone constituted a colossal sum of wealth.
At the same time, another question occurred to Sean.
If the Marine hunted pirates too efficiently, causing the pirate population to plummet or completely suppressing the Great Pirate Era... would the Marine then collapse due to funding issues?
If the World Government didn't provide enough money and the pirates—the Marine's primary source of extra income—vanished, the Marine would be forced to downsize. Even if it didn't collapse, they would likely have to cut half their personnel, warships, and bases just to balance the books.
'This was likely designed by the World Government from the very beginning,' Sean realized.
Just as the Five Elders had mentioned in the original story, the balance between the three great powers was the cornerstone of the World Government's rule. By controlling the military budget, the World Government achieved two things: they prevented the Marine from becoming too powerful, and they ensured that if the pirates' strength waned, the Marine would be forced to prune itself to survive.
By preserving the existence of pirates, they forced individual nations to lean on the World Government for protection, while simultaneously keeping the Marine's power in check.
'What a masterful hand they've played!'
However, there was a way to break this deadlock. The easiest method would be to head to the Sky Island and seize the Golden City of Shandora. The gold reserves there were enough to fund the Marine for decades, if not centuries.
In the original story, Luffy and his crew had made 300 million Belly just by selling a few random trinkets they found. A single pillar from that golden bell, based on its depicted size, would be worth hundreds of billions of Belly. As for the entirety of Shandora's gold, the value would likely be measured in trillions of Belly.
Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Sean called Lucci over.
"Lucci, get things organized. Leave half the men at the branch to handle the cleanup and necessary repairs. The rest will set sail with me tomorrow morning!"
"Commodore, do you intend to..."
"As Marines, we're going to hunt pirates, of course. What else would we be doing?"
"Yes, sir! Understood!"
Lucci nodded, not doubting him for a second.
Meanwhile, Sean was calculating which pirates in the East Blue were the most affluent.
And then... perhaps it was time for him to pay a visit to the Zumeida Kingdom?
Strictly speaking, the Campbell family had nothing to do with him—he was, after all, a transmigrator. But he couldn't just let those pieces of trash enjoy the massive fortune that originally belonged to him, could he?
Even if the Five Elders took notice, he had nothing to worry about. After all, the identity of this body... was an undeniable fact, wasn't it?