I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

Even though he has been missing for ten years, the lingering influence of those days remains.

After all, whether the bandit king is dead or alive is still uncertain and there is no conclusion yet.

Anyone else who wants to make a move will have to think twice before acting, given this magnified version of the "Mountain Bandit King's Gaze".

So Kro was quite satisfied and was about to continue working on his draft when he heard a similarly deep and indifferent voice behind him.

"I am coming."

“You shouldn’t have come.” Kro continued, his back to the door.

".....Why?"

“You know the answer.” Chloe smiled faintly.

“This Wanwu Island is like a walled city; those inside want to get out, and those outside want to get in. Since you’re here, we need to make the island’s rules clear beforehand, so that things don’t go wrong and make things awkward for both of us.”

"......"

There was a moment of silence behind him, then a third voice rang out:

"Brother Clooney, I------"

Even close brothers should keep clear accounts; relying on personal relationships won't help...

As Kro was reciting his prepared remarks, he suddenly sensed something was amiss.

How could there be a third voice?

He turned around.

Sieg was standing behind him, casually adjusting his sunglasses and staring at him expressionlessly.

Kro's hand trembled, then he coughed lightly, forcing himself to remain calm, and quickly changed his expression to force a smile.

"West----"

“My name is Wang Rixiong,” Sig corrected.

"So it's Lord Wang Rixiong!" Kro chuckled dryly.

"You just asked why I can't come here? What rules are you trying to establish?" Sieg asked calmly.

Kro paused slightly, then spoke rapidly:

"Because... we are not mentally prepared, not ready for a welcoming ceremony worthy of Lord Wang Rixiong."

Sieg glanced at him, then looked at the huge portrait hanging on the wall.

"What's with this portrait? Take it down, it's bad luck."

The huge portrait is right in front of you as soon as you enter, which is a bit...unusual.

Sieg secretly made a mental note of Kro.

“I remember there was a project with the fishman shipwright Tom to convert the horror ship into a three-masted sailing vessel. Once we converted that world’s largest island ship into a biogas-powered vessel, we’ll send Crow to work there.”

..............

On the top floor of the mansion, Sieg stood in front of the huge transparent floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the bustling city below.

The mansion is not far from the local entertainment district, where you can see the bustling crowds from afar.

Kro stood behind Sig and reported to him on the changes that had taken place over the past ten years.

Initially, Gilman and Kuro established themselves on this commercial island by relying on the tiger skin of the bandit king and attaching themselves to the local entertainment district.

According to Krohlo's original 10,000-word development strategy, "Five-Year Plan and Ten-Year Strategy," he initially relied on newspapers as his sole source of funding, gradually expanding his influence over the next ten years.

Gilman, the Den Den Mushi Fruit user, was in charge of the newspaper, while Kuro was in charge of business expansion... mainly various overt and covert businesses.

On rare occasions when competing with other forces on the island, as a user of the Swamp Gas Fruit, he also had to secretly handle some "dirty work."

As the bandit king's reputation grew, these covert obstacles diminished.

After all, the highest-ranking figures behind other forces are underworld kings like Morgans and the Shipping King. And Moria, the Shichibukai who intervened a few years ago, is not in the same league as the now-legendary Mountain Bandit King.

Even if someone has been missing for ten years, the other party will have to think twice.

In short... with the banner of the Mountain Bandit King and the covert assistance of the local entertainment district, newspaper sales, while not as high as when Sig was the editor-in-chief, were still quite robust. Furthermore, Kuro was a clever man; after adapting to the local rules, he thrived.

Ten years.

The "Shock Department," led by Gilman and Crow, has become one of the dominant forces on the Isle of Everything. Ten years after Sig's disappearance, it has become an equal to the Six Kings and Moria's forces.

After listening, Sieg looked at Kro with a complicated expression, and the latter quickly lowered his head.

When Kro suddenly produced that 10,000-word strategy book, he was so frightened that he had BABY5 burn it on the spot.

But now... Sig knows to some extent that he can never go back to his early days. No matter how low-key he tries to be now, the World Government will not be able to ignore him.

"You mean, the current Shock Department not only has newspapers, but also its own shops and auction houses?" Sig was shocked.

“That’s right, didn’t Boss Sig sell treasure maps at auction before?”

“If you have anything else you want to auction, you can simply hand it over to our own auction house,” Kro said.

Sieg paused slightly.

"Selling them is out of the question... but are the supplies listed on this form even available for purchase?"

Sieg flashed a piece of paper in his hand and handed it to Chloe.

Kro glanced at it briefly:

"There's nothing seriously wrong, but it might not be cheap... I'll have someone go and buy it later."

Wanwu Island has a unique geographical environment, bringing together goods from all over the world, and there are many things you can buy there.

Sig breathed a sigh of relief.

This is the material requirement table for the preparation of Type B telekinetic agent, which is related to the further enhancement of telekinesis.

The expansion of Klose and Gilman was not what he had initially hoped for... but now it seems to have solved his immediate problem.

The Island of Everything has the materials and the space, so he can put the box that Vegapunk left him here and make Type B psychic potions.

“What about Gilman?” Sieg asked again.

"He went to work at the Shock Department building. The operation of the Shock Department's newspaper business requires his Den Den Mushi Fruit ability to oversee it..."

As Kro was explaining, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Kro stopped talking and smiled.

Several of Kro's men entered the room, carrying two long boxes.

Kro opened the boxes, one on the left and one on the right, each containing a straight-bladed longsword. The two longswords were dark blue and seemed to be made of stone rather than steel.

"Lord Wang Rixiong." With his subordinates present, Kro cleverly changed his form of address:

"This is a sea stone sword that the craftsman Erwin commissioned ten years ago. It's finished now, and I've already paid for it."

Kro glanced at the two swords and laughed:

"These two precious swords must have been waiting for your arrival, sir."

Chapter 1033 The Den Den Mushi Has Become a Spirit

Sieg raised his hand, picked up the two Seastone swords, and examined them.

The blade is made of Seastone, but the hilt is made of steel for easy grip by the Devil Fruit user... Of course, this makes no difference to Sigurd.

The craftsman who commissioned these two Seastone swords was named Erwin, the same craftsman who made the hidden blade for Sieg.

Back when he first arrived at the Island of All Things, Sieg had already begun preparing to commission a Seastone Sword, but he never expected that due to the shattered void and the subsequent travel, he wouldn't receive it until ten years later.

Erwin is a craftsman from Wano Country, and like Koushirou's daughter "Kuina," his name has no Wano Country style.

"Why two?" Sieg asked.

“Irwin complained about that too during those years,” Klo began to explain:

"Seastone is a material with extremely high hardness, reportedly as hard as diamond."

"But high hardness does not mean it is suitable for making swords... To this day, no swords or similar artifacts made of sea stone have been found in the world."

"High-purity seastone swords are hard but not brittle. They are like glass swords; they will shatter instantly if they encounter too strong an impact."

Hardness and toughness are two different concepts.

Generally speaking, glass is actually harder than steel, but it is less ductile and cannot withstand impact.

Thin sea stone blades are easily broken, but if used to make thick prison fences, handcuffs, shackles, etc., with a suitable amount of steel mixed in, it's a different story.

"Therefore, after many attempts over the years, only these two Seastone swords can be considered successful."

"One is a high-purity seastone sword, extremely hard but not durable or long-lasting, and can even be considered a consumable."

"One is made of fine steel mixed with sea stone. Its effect on restraining ability users is weaker. It has lower hardness but is also tough, so it can be used as a normal sword."

Kro pointed to the two swords and explained.

The two swords didn't take ten years to forge; it's just that Sieg came ten years later and didn't have time to retrieve them.

Sieg fell into deep thought.

The country of Wano possesses the most advanced seastone processing techniques in the world.

To be precise, it was Wano Country under the oppressive rule of the warmonger Kaido in preparation for "the world's greatest war."

In the original timeline, things like Seastone bullets have already appeared... but Seastone swords are still nowhere to be seen.

Sieg pondered for a moment and said:

"So, during the manufacturing process, he also produced some failed products? Then take those failed products back to me and place a new order with me."

"We'll order a batch of sharp seastone blades; whether they're consumables or not doesn't matter."

“Okay.” Kro nodded and noted it down.

...............

A moment later, Sig, accompanied by Crow, arrived at the local Shock Department building.

This is the newspaper headquarters, and also the initial economic pillar for Crowe, Gilman, and their gang.