Naruto Online: Hyuga Branch Family? Let's go all out!

Chapter 266 Dragon Arrives

While Ning Yuan was writing his manuscript, Qingzhi, who had just hung up the phone, also received information about Ning Yuan.

Of course, this is just a general overview; the Navy doesn't have the capability to thoroughly investigate someone in just over ten minutes.

"General, here's some information about this reporter."

"Read it to me!" Aokiji lay on the recliner, wearing an eye mask, looking quite lazy.

The clerk next to him ignored it and started reading aloud.

"This reporter, Ning, first appeared in Cocoyasi Village. He claimed he came here specifically after hearing that the Arlong Pirates had been wiped out!" the clerk said. "Later, I also questioned Colonel Rat, who said the reporter was handsome, had fair skin, and impeccable taste in clothing. He also showed no signs of physical exertion or labor, suggesting he might come from a noble family!"

"Nobles, huh!" Aokiji murmured. In the world of One Piece, nobles are not many who are easy to deal with.

Instead of being corrupt, decadent, extravagant, and dissolute, he went and became a pirate?

"Oh, by the way, that reporter also said he's a composer who wrote a song specifically for the Marines!"

"Oh?" Aokiji was taken aback. "Do you have the sheet music?"

"Here it is!" The sheet music has been faxed over by a Den Den Mushi.

Aokiji didn't understand musical scores, but he could read the lyrics.

The feeling of bitter sand blowing against my face

Like a father's expectations and a mother's care, I will never forget them.

As a child, I liked to be alone at the beach.

Roll up your trousers and walk barefoot on the beach.

I always fantasize that there is another world at the end of the ocean.

I always thought that brave marines were the real men.

He always looks like a weak and cowardly person.

When being bullied, I always hear marines say...

He said what's a little pain in the face of wind and rain?

Wipe away your tears, don't be afraid, at least we still have dreams.

"Hmm~~~" Aokiji was somewhat surprised. He had thought that a song written by a nobleman could not be of any quality, but now that he saw the lyrics, they were surprisingly good.

"Did you find someone to sing it? How did it go?" Aokiji asked.

"We haven't done it here yet, but Colonel Rat's group has already had a military band perform it, and the effect was very good!" the clerk said. "According to the feedback there, the marines of the 16th Naval Division quickly learned the song and sang it day and night. Then the song reached the ears of the local people, and they started singing it too!"

"Let's have the main band learn it too!" Aokiji said. "I also want to hear what this song is all about!"

"Yes!" The clerk nodded and continued, "Regarding Ning Yuan's identity, due to time constraints, we haven't reviewed many newspapers. Based on the information we've gathered so far, there hasn't been any news about a person named Zhiyuan in any of the major newspapers in the last two years. Considering his age, this should be his first report!"

"Why bother checking his identity? He's not a pirate!" Aokiji said irritably. "Now that we've confirmed he's a friend, not an enemy, notify all major naval bases. If we encounter him, we can offer some assistance!"

The Navy was aware of the power of journalists, but Morgans was unyielding and difficult to meet in person, so there was nothing they could do.

It's rare for a journalist to show goodwill towards the Navy, so the Navy will definitely respond.

"Yes!" the clerk nodded.

"That's fine!" Aokiji waved his hand. It was already three o'clock in the afternoon, time to go to sleep.

Just as Aokiji lay down, a middle-aged man wearing a dark green hooded trench coat that completely covered his face landed on the Konom Islands.

The Konom Islands are the archipelago to which Cocoyasi Village belongs. There are more than twenty villages and towns on the islands, all of which were once ruled by the Arlong Pirates.

According to normal human thinking, the people in a village or country ruled by pirates must be living in unbearable suffering, a life worse than death.

However, a newspaper column a few days ago raised an interesting point: after pirates took control of the archipelago, although they killed many people who did not obey them, the living standards of the people on the entire archipelago rose year by year under their rule.

This report did not cause much of a stir at sea, and few people even noticed it, because the World Government issued a notice revoking Jinbe's status as a Shichibukai at the same time as this column was published.

However, some news will eventually reach the eyes of those who should pay attention to him.

For example, the Doraga.

Dorlag has an extremely high level of education and has also gained a wealth of experience through years of travel and revolution around the world.

Although the article was short and its content was simple, he still managed to glean a question that the author wanted to raise.

Why is it that villages ruled by pirates are still better off than those ruled by nobles?

This question wasn't what Dragon was concerned about; what he was more concerned about was the person who raised it.

In his view, the journalist had clearly begun to question this aristocratic world, which led him to remark that nobles were inferior to pirates.

However, he was unclear about the underlying logic of the event, so he only raised questions and did not continue writing.

If you get to know someone like that and develop a relationship with them, they could potentially become a member of the revolutionary army!

If it's just about recruiting one person, it's not worth him making a special trip.

But this person is a journalist, a columnist for the World Economic Herald.

If he can join the revolutionary army, wouldn't we have another propaganda channel in this world?

Even if this column isn't used to promote ideas, it's fine to set up some secret codes in it to convey messages!

"This place is so remote!" After landing, Dragon remarked on the remoteness of the Konom Islands.

Because it's not on a mainstream flight route, information about this place is extremely limited.

The evil dragon has ruled this place for nearly ten years, and Dragon often appears in the East Blue, yet no one has ever heard of this place.

"The organization's intelligence department should also be strengthened!" Dragon said with some guilt. If he had known about the situation here earlier and brought his people to overthrow the evil dragon, wouldn't this place be the most loyal support base for the revolutionary army?

"Housha Town!"

Dorrag glanced at the town gate and then walked into the town.

Dragon has seen many towns like this that are not on the main flight routes.

Such towns often suffer from poverty and lack of resources due to limited access to the outside world.

Correspondingly, pirates rarely make a special detour to plunder such towns, so their safety is relatively guaranteed.

However, the situation in Housha Town was different. Dorag found that the resources here were obviously very abundant. Not only were many fruits and fish that were special to the East China Sea available here, but even some items that were special to the West China Sea, North China Sea, and South China Sea were being sold by merchants.

In addition, Dragon discovered that there were a surprising number of luxury stores in the town of Sha, such as Bailey Clothing, which focuses on the fashion trends of young women and is Nami's favorite. There is a relatively large store in the town.

And business seems to be doing surprisingly well!

It's normal for a region to have one or two luxury stores; after all, even in the poorest places, there are wealthy aristocrats.

But the fact that so many luxury stores are opening here only proves that there are really a lot of wealthy people here!

So, why?

Dora adjusted her hat and then went into Bailey's clothing store.

"Hello!" When the shop assistant saw a customer come in, he was first shocked by Dorrag's height of 2.56 meters, and then he saw that the person was wearing a hood and his face could not be seen.

Could this be some bad guys trying to rob us?

If he robs me, should I resist or just stand by and do nothing?

What if he's not satisfied with just robbing me, and also wants to sexually assault me?

Then Dragon spoke up, "I'd like to ask you some questions, is that alright?"

If you want to know why the Konom Islands are so wealthy, asking the staff at luxury stores is probably the simplest way; they'll definitely know why there are so many rich people here.

"Of course!" the shop assistant said with a sigh of relief.

As long as it's not robbery, I'll answer whatever you ask!

"This archipelago doesn't seem very big, just about twenty towns. Why are there so many luxury stores here?" Dragon asked. "Do you even have any business?"

"Hmm?" The shop assistant immediately became wary. Could this be a competitor who also wants to open a shop here?

But she quickly breathed a sigh of relief, remembering the message from headquarters. The shop assistant's face soon broke into a beaming smile: "You guessed right! The Konomiya Islands may look small, but they're actually full of wealthy people!"

"Tell me more?" Dragon noticed the clerk's delight. Although he didn't know what she was thinking, it didn't stop him from asking further questions.

"This problem actually dates back ten years!" the shopkeeper explained. "Ten years ago, a group of pirates from the Grand Line suddenly occupied this archipelago and then killed everyone in this town!"

"Could it be that the people here divided up the wealth of Housha Town and that's how they got rich?" Dorrag frowned. If that were the case, then it wouldn't be of much reference value.

"Of course not!" The shop assistant shook his head. "They're pirates. How could they leave their wealth to the villagers? They took it all!"

"Why is that?" Dragon asked.

"Of course it's because of those pirates!" the shopkeeper laughed. "The original rulers of the Konom Islands were Earl Konom, who lived in Back Sand Town, but his entire family was killed by the Arlong Pirates, so the Arlong Pirates became the rulers of these islands."

"But what does a pirate crew know about managing a town? They don't collect taxes, they don't set up checkpoints, and they only collect a tiny bit of so-called protection money every year!" The shopkeeper sneered as he said this.

She certainly had the right to scoff, because the protection fee for one person in their shop was no more than the price of a single garment.

"That's all?" Dragon was somewhat surprised; it didn't seem strange at all.

"That's where you're wrong!" the shop assistant laughed. "That count set incredibly high tariffs. Our goods have barely arrived on the ship, haven't even gone on sale yet, and the cost has already doubled out of nowhere. How are we supposed to sell these clothes then?"

"Forehead!"

"Furthermore, the Earl doesn't just collect fees once; he also employs sheriffs, tax collectors, and firefighters—all of whom need to be bribed!"

"In addition, there are local thugs, underworld families, and even some villagers from impoverished rural areas who, led by the village chief, will come to us demanding money! In reality, the costs are enormous!"

"Would the Arlong Pirates care about these things?" Dragon asked.

"Yes, we paid protection money!" the shopkeeper laughed. "Besides, those pirates only respond to kindness, not force. Just say a few nice words, and they'll come running to help. The Arlong Pirates arrived in less than two years, and the village police here no longer dare to bully shopkeepers and ordinary people, the tax collectors don't dare to go out to collect taxes, and those arrogant village chiefs have all been beaten to death!"

Dragon was bewildered: "Isn't this doing something wrong? Killing so many people, and things are actually getting better?"

"Isn't that only natural?" The shop assistant looked at Dragon with surprise. "You think those village chiefs only ask us for money? They exploit the villagers even more ruthlessly!"

"Take the village of Cocoyasi next door, for example. Everyone in the village grows oranges, but they only know how to grow them. They don't know where to sell them. All the distribution channels are controlled by the village chief and the village police! And these people dare to buy them for 20 Berries a pound and sell them for 100 Berries a pound. The villagers work hard to grow oranges, but all the money ends up in the pockets of the village chief and the village police!"

Dorrag remained silent.

To be honest, he really didn't know these things.

Although he visited many places, perhaps because of his immense power, his focus was entirely on the great nobles, such as kings.

So much so that when a country has a problem, Dragon often thinks it's the king's fault.

The revolutionary army usually overthrows the king of a country and replaces him with a more popular one.

This was the first time he had ever known that it wasn't just nobles who were committing evil, but also the village chief.

Changing a king is easy; changing a village chief is even easier.

But the problem is, there are only a little over a hundred kings in this world, so what about the village chief?

It's probably going to cost tens of thousands, isn't it?

Tens of thousands of people have all been replaced?

Furthermore, how should the change be made? How should the villages be managed? If the village chiefs are changed, will they listen to themselves or the king?

Dorag felt a little dizzy.

He suddenly realized that something seemed off about his past revolutionary work!

However, he did find out about the Konom Islands.

The arrival of the Arlong Pirates did indeed improve the lives of the people on the Cornomi Islands.

There are several reasons for this:

First: The Arlong Pirates only collect taxes once a year, which greatly reduces the burden on the local people and increases their surplus money.

With more money, business activities will flourish.

Second: The Arlong Pirates killed the nobles and their lackeys, eliminating the intermediate exploitation process.

Third: The Arlong Pirates' protection fees weren't collected for nothing; they really went out of their way when trouble arose, which effectively protected the local business environment and allowed local trade activities to proceed normally.

Low taxes, a safe business environment, and wealthy locals have all contributed to an increase in merchant ships traveling to and from the Konom Islands.

With more merchant ships, there will be more job opportunities. Even just carrying a load at the dock will earn more than growing oranges at home.

And so, under the laissez-faire rule of the Arlong Pirates, the Cornish Islands unexpectedly became a small economic center in a corner of the East Blue.

This place has become a small economic center. How could the economy not be good? How could people's lives not improve?

"So it seems that the rule of the nobility is indeed utterly useless!" Dragon understood all this, and his determination to start a revolution became even stronger.

But at the same time, he felt even more confused.

His previous method was to overthrow a nobleman and replace him with a new one.

But his experience in the Konom Islands has taught him that life without nobles is better than life with nobles!

So what's the current situation?

I didn't even do as well as a pirate?

"Is this just a coincidence, or...?" Dragon was momentarily at a loss.

But I have so many questions in my mind, and I don't know who to ask.

The rest of the revolutionary army?

It's not that they lack ability, but rather that they idolize themselves too much and are too deeply influenced by them, to the point that whatever they say goes, their thinking is consistent, and they basically lack the ability to think independently.

Sabo does have some independent thinking ability, but he's still on the Grand Line and has business to attend to in the East China Sea, so he can't go back anytime soon.

We can't exactly talk on the phone, what if we get eavesdropped on?

"A reporter!" A name suddenly came to Dragon's mind.

Yes, that reporter!

According to the newspaper description, this person had only been in Cocoyasi Village for a day when he realized that the Arlong Pirates' rule was better for the villagers.

This level of sensitivity is too high.

Perhaps he has some understanding?

Moreover, he is not a member of the revolutionary army, so he should have a different way of thinking about things!

Once Dragon understood this, he immediately pushed open the door and stepped out of Bailey's clothes, then transformed into a gust of wind and vanished into the street.

"Huh?" The shop assistant felt like she had just turned around, and when she turned back, the person was gone.

"Wow, he really is a strong person!" The shop assistant was startled, but then suddenly remembered something.

Wearing a hood, he dares not show his face; a true strongman!

Could this person be the legendary leader of the revolutionary army?

As a sales clerk in a luxury store, she certainly has the knowledge and experience to back it up; otherwise, you wouldn't know what to talk about with customers.

Upon realizing they might have encountered Dorrag, the shop assistant, in a moment of excitement, quickly calmed down.

Call the police?

Stop joking, there aren't any police officers in town now.

Moreover, why call the police? What if they mistake you for a member of the revolutionary army and arrest you?

Well, let's just pretend this never happened!

Meanwhile, Dragon had also arrived above Cocoyasi Village and quickly infiltrated a house.

A moment later, Dorrag arrived at the village dock and inquired about some information, eventually obtaining the reporter's destination.

"Roggetown!"

"Perfect timing, I was just about to head to Loguetown!"

(End of this chapter)