"I'm a rough man, and a pirate infamous for my cruelty. If I were to act as shogun, I imagine all of you would be quite uneasy…"
Kaido paused here—he'd forgotten the next line. Only after Kurosaki Rei quietly reminded him did he continue:
"So I chose my daughter, Yamato, to serve as this country's shogun. She has never gone to sea. She grew up in this land. She is the same as all of you—one of this country's people, with a heart that truly wants Wano to become a better place."
This time, the crowd showed clear agreement.
Over the past few months, Yamato had been constantly interacting with the people. She had a likable appearance, an open and cheerful personality, and had helped secure many tangible benefits for everyone.
No matter how much they might resent the fact that she was the daughter of a pirate, they couldn't help but admit that Yamato was a good shogun—one who had truly fed them and made their lives better by the day.
Now that Kaido mentioned Yamato, the people suddenly realized the father–daughter relationship between them.
If Yamato was such a generous and upright ruler, then her upbringing must have been excellent.
And as the saying went—like father, like child.
Thinking along those lines, had they misunderstood Kaido all this time?
Perhaps Kaido wasn't a cruel, brutal villain after all, but a heroic figure who genuinely cared about his country?
After all, in previous years, Kaido had naturally stood in opposition to the Kozuki clan, the former ruling class of Wano. It was only natural for people to instinctively see Kaido as the "bad guy" and the Kozuki as "righteous."
But when they compared things honestly, many in the crowd remembered that even during the Kozuki era, they'd gone hungry and had no decent homes.
And now?
They were fed, clothed, and about to receive houses of their own.
Seen this way, perhaps Kaido's family truly were the better rulers.
"Over these past months, I've already seen the initial results of her governance,"
Kaido continued.
"At the very least, this country no longer sees people starving to death by the roadside every day."
He went on,
"And it was only after I personally involved myself in governing this country that I truly realized the mistakes made in the past. For example—our factories polluted the environment, rendering much land unable to produce grain, forcing many people to become displaced and hungry."
At these words, the expressions of the people visibly changed.
In their understanding, rulers never admitted fault.
Yet here was Kaido—a Yonko, one of the world's most fearsome pirates—openly admitting that flaws in his factories had caused famine among the people.
To many, this was deeply moving.
Kurosaki Rei, for his part, felt it was rather absurd—but this tactic worked perfectly on the people of Wano.
To put it bluntly, they were easy to manage this way. And that convenience made the transition of Beasts Pirates' rule far smoother.
Regardless of Kaido's original intentions, Kurosaki Rei believed that if Kaido could now give the people a good life, that alone counted as a form of atonement.
"However,"
Kaido continued expressionlessly, mechanically reading the script,
"I have now ordered all factories to undergo rectification. Wastewater will no longer affect your lives. And after that, we will further carry out environmental restoration, making the land better and better."
Below the stage, the people were deeply stirred.
"I hope that through our efforts, this country's future will no longer know hunger—everyone will be fed, every household will have shelter, children will receive education, adults will find work, and the air itself will be filled with happiness and hope."
Kaido recited lines that made him feel vaguely nauseous, telling himself that it was all for his grand ambition.
Even so, he couldn't help but admire Kurosaki Rei's uncanny foresight. He was only repeating prepared words, yet people below were already visibly moved—some even wiping away tears.
Sensing that the atmosphere was just right, Kaido raised his hand and declared boldly:
"In the past, Wano was a closed country. Given the chaos of the New World, isolation was a means of self-preservation. But from today onward, Wano will no longer be closed. We officially open our borders!"
His eyes shone as he swept his gaze across the crowd.
"Do not fear. Any external enemy will be crushed by me. This country—I will protect it!"
The moment his words fell, prearranged plants in the crowd—set up by Kurosaki Rei—began shouting:
"Guardian God—Deva King Kaido!"
"Guardian God—Deva King Kaido!"
Carried by the atmosphere and deliberate momentum, more and more people joined in.
"Guardian God—Deva King Kaido!"
"Guardian God—Deva King Kaido!"
"Guardian God—Deva King Kaido!"
...
At first, the cries were scattered. Soon, they merged into a single roaring wave, surging outward like the tide.
Even Kaido himself was shaken by the scene.
He could clearly feel that the earliest shouts hadn't come from genuine belief—but as the chanting continued, the crowd's expressions grew increasingly fervent, as if they had fully accepted him as the nation's protector.
The cheers lasted more than ten minutes before slowly dying down.
Kaido raised his hand, signaling the people to quiet themselves. A natural smile finally appeared on his face as he walked toward the stack of property deeds on the stage.
"Everyone," he said,
"Wano is just beginning its revival. I dare not claim that everything will be perfect—but let me start by giving you a place to live."
He looked toward the first worker in line.
"Please come up and receive your home."
That worker—who had been lucky enough to be first—was not a plant arranged by Kurosaki Rei. He simply wanted his house so badly that he'd begun lining up at dawn the previous night.
Now, being personally called by Kaido, he was beside himself with excitement.
"To have the Deva King personally allocate a home to me—what an honor!"
He walked forward unsteadily, nearly stumbling as he reached the stage. Kaido reached out, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and pulled him upright.
The man, terrified by his own clumsiness, feared he might lose his chance at the house. But he quickly realized that not only had the Deva King steadied him, there was no displeasure on his face. Kaido was already reaching toward the stack of deeds.
"I—I truly thank you, Deva King," the worker babbled, tears streaming down his face.
"If not for you, I'd still be starving on the roadside, picking through trash. Now I work at a factory, I can support my family—and today I'm even getting a house. I… I can't express my gratitude in words."
This completely threw Kaido off.
Since going to sea, when had he ever been sincerely thanked by ordinary people?
For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
Only after Kurosaki Rei's quiet prompting did he manage to ask:
"Which factory do you work at?"
"Reporting to the Deva King—I work at Factory No. 107, west of Kuri."
Following Kurosaki Rei's cue, Kaido picked up a deed for a nearby house and handed it to him.
"Write your name. Press your handprint. It's yours."
The worker accepted it with both hands, trembling. Illiterate, he'd only learned how to write his name a few days ago. He scrawled it clumsily, then pressed his handprint.
When the process was complete, he felt as though he were dreaming.
"Work hard,"
Kurosaki Rei said beside him.
"Create a beautiful future of your own."
The worker snapped back to his senses and bowed repeatedly.
"Thank you, Deva King. Thank you, Lord Rei."
Then, not daring to delay those behind him, he descended the stage from the other side.
Seeing the first worker successfully receive his home—and even be encouraged by Kaido and Kurosaki Rei—the crowd's emotions surged once more.
Every worker who followed smoothly received their house. Some even got casual greetings from Kaido, leaving each of them glowing with pride as they stepped down.
By noon, Kurosaki Rei finally had Kaido leave the site.
There were simply too many houses to distribute. If they handled every case this ceremoniously, it would take days.
Kaido's personal involvement that morning was a carefully arranged performance. The real distribution would rely on expanded "service windows" and efficient processing.
Once away from the crowd, Kaido let out a long breath and tugged at the collar of his black haori.
"This outfit is really uncomfortable."
Then he looked at Kurosaki Rei.
"Don't arrange things like this for me again. It's really unpleasant."
Kurosaki Rei glanced at Kaido's face.
That expression doesn't match what you're saying at all.
From the moment Kaido finished with the first worker, the smile on his face had never faded.
The truth was simple: unless someone was truly deranged, being sincerely thanked would make anyone happy.
Even Kaido was no exception.
It was just his personality—he instinctively maintained his authority and refused to admit that he felt good about it.
In short—
He was being tsundere.
"Don't worry,"
Kurosaki Rei said with a smile.
"Now that this has set the tone, I'll just have people spread the word. From here on, you'll be revered as Wano's Guardian Deva King. You'll probably be quite beloved."
"Hmph!"
Kaido snorted.
"I don't need the love of the weak. I only need capable people to work for me, and strong soldiers to join my army."
"Sure, sure. That's fine too,"
Kurosaki Rei chuckled.
"Still, today must've been very hard on you."
He added lightly,
"Wano is now on the right track. From here on, all you need to do is count money."
Only then did Kaido nod in satisfaction.
"Speaking of which… how much do you think my income will increase?"
Kurosaki Rei did a quick calculation.
"Based on the current plan, by the end of this year, monthly income should be about ten times what it used to be."
"What!? That much!?"
Even Kaido was stunned. He'd thought doubling would already be a pleasant surprise—never mind tenfold.
So if this continued…
Wouldn't that mean one year from now would equal ten years of his old earnings?
"And that's just during the development phase,"
Kurosaki Rei continued calmly.
"Once all infrastructure is in place, by the end of next year, a twentyfold increase won't be a problem."
He wasn't humoring Kaido.
Wano's current factory scale was already four times larger than before. Former SMILE factories were being converted, and new ones were under construction. By year's end, the scale would be five to six times its previous size.
Once craftsmen finished training, they'd naturally compete as free workers. Their productivity would be at least double that of the old slave-labor system.
Combined, factory income alone would be ten times higher than before.
As for raw materials—Wano was rich in mineral resources. Kurosaki Rei had also assigned many unskilled, older workers who didn't want to learn new techniques to mining. They were paid enough to feed themselves, though not as well as factory workers.
After all, if skilled and unskilled workers were treated the same, no one would bother studying at the academy—disastrous for long-term talent development.
Under the current foundation, factories would continue to expand. By the end of next year, higher income was inevitable.
Wano's population was enormous.
After taking control, Kurosaki Rei had ordered a new census. Wano's population stood at roughly 80 million.
And how many factories had Kaido built before?
Only a few dozen.
The total number of workers hadn't even reached ten thousand—less than one eight-thousandth of the population.
In other words, Kaido had barely tapped into the nation's labor potential at all.
If developed properly, according to Kurosaki Rei's projections, within a few years Kaido's income would expand to over a hundred times its original level.
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