One Piece: Revenge of the Slaves

Uproarious shouts filled the air, their meaning unclear. Even the revolutionaries felt a nervous sweat on their palms; they had never seen so much gold before. What an unimaginable sum of money!

The Kuja warriors had already gathered, their presence imposing. While smaller warriors like Dalton and Laffitte were few, the majority were massive, like Marguerite and Sandersonia, their sheer size a powerful deterrent. Their eyes gleamed with avarice as they examined the gold, even picking up some of the ingots to weigh them in their hands.

It was clear that not only the ordinary people, but even the Amazons found it hard to comprehend how so much gold could have been located and transported from Skypiea in a mere three days. The Amazons, attempting to lift a gold ingot with one hand, found their arms straining under the weight. They could only manage to lift it with a noticeable effort, turning the gold over and over in their hands, examining it closely.

Their expressions, combined with the sheer weight of the gold, served as undeniable proof of its authenticity. Despite their covetousness, however, the Revolutionary Army's forces were concentrated here. Just half a month ago, they had swept through Mock Town, eliminating all the pirates. Now, the town's residents and the newly arrived pirates alike dared not make a move, merely watching as the gold was stacked into neat piles of bricks, slowly forming ten glittering mountains.

"Report! Each gold brick weighs 200 kilograms; there are sixty-five bricks per stack; thirty stacks in total; that's 390 tons. The count is complete! Awaiting your inspection, sir!" William, a tall, stout man, stood before Alistair, attempting to flatten his considerable belly as he delivered his report in a booming voice.

This was according to Lafitte, who had arrived earlier. The establishment of a defensive perimeter, while not refusing the townspeople's observation, was part of the plan. Alistair's calculations were always precise; if he had instructed them to do this, there was undoubtedly a reason. Therefore, everyone proceeded as instructed. As everyone faced the 390 tons of gold, their breathing became noticeably shallower.

It was, without a doubt, an extraordinarily large sum of money. The Straw Hats had sold two or three bags of gold from Skypiea as antiques, receiving 300 million Berries. However, the recycling business typically only pays one-tenth of the item's value. This meant the antiques were worth at least 3 billion Berries. The Straw Hats, however, had no bargaining power; they only got 300 million Berries thanks to Nami's skillful negotiation.

Now, even if this gold wasn't valued as antiques, its sheer quantity dwarfed the Straw Hats' haul by several hundred times. This meant the 390 tons of gold were worth far more than 3 billion Berries, easily exceeding 6 billion Berries. Kaido's bounty was only 4.6 billion Berries; 6 billion Berries was enough to cover the bounties of four Emperors!

This was an enormous sum of money, enough to tempt anyone to take desperate risks. No one understood why Alistair had chosen to display this gold so openly, but he would soon reveal his reasons.

"In the near future, we will invest 10 billion Berries in the development of Mock Town. We will use this money to transform Mock Town into a fully modern city!"

"We will commission Galley-La Company to extend the Sea Train to our doorstep. We will recruit a large number of shipwrights from Water 7 at higher wages to establish a pirate ship repair business."

"We will build numerous seaside resorts, luxury shops, auction houses, and trading houses, providing passing pirates with services for selling stolen goods and places to rest."

"We will transform Mock Town from a small town into a huge city. We will make Mock Town prosperous!"

Alistair, surrounded by a throng of people, made his grand pronouncements. His power was absolute; the people of Mock Town couldn't take his gold by force, but they could acquire it through trade and commerce.

Alistair's earlier purchases on Skypiea were a stroke of genius, establishing his impeccable credit. His willingness to pay generously left no room for doubt among the merchants. The new merchants attracted by these existing merchants were completely captivated by this new patron, this god of wealth.

He was even more important to the merchants than the world's most beautiful woman, Boa Hancock. No one paid any attention to the ever-popular Hancock; everyone's eyes were fixed either on the piles of gold or on Alistair, their faces radiating with the golden light of opportunity.

This was the undeniable allure of money; these were the slaves of capital. Personal desires—family, love, even physical pleasures—were insignificant compared to the pursuit of wealth, the accumulation of more and more money.

Alistair was unleashing a terrifying monster; everyone present, except for him, was oblivious to this creature, born from the gold, slowly rising, its influence already palpable in the merchants' eager anticipation.

But what is characteristic socialism? It is about adapting to the specific circumstances, being pragmatic and realistic. When your strength is insufficient, but you wish to swiftly overthrow a feudal system, what should you do? You should, of course, forge alliances with all those who can help you, quickly consolidate your fighting strength and power, and then deliver a decisive blow, striking the feudal empire until it is disoriented. Once it is defeated, you can then divide the spoils and settle accounts.

He didn't mind unleashing the power of capital, only to later use its power to control and subdue those who had been empowered by it, forcing them to kneel and beg for his mercy. And now, Alistair was using the power of this monster to crush another feudal monster. He was the guiding hand of macroeconomic control, never allowing the monster of capital to run wild.

Alistair watched the merchants, their eyes fixed on the gold, and smiled as he walked away, surrounded by the crowd.

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