One Piece: Revenge of the Slaves

The term "pirate economy" wasn't new to Alistair, but each time he mentioned it, the merchants felt its weight. They understood it best; their livelihood depended on pirates. They could sail between islands, but that was basic; it was like a farmer working the land and harvesting in the fall. Ordinary merchants wouldn't be content with just logistics. Logistics was profitable, but the profits from running cargo were different from arbitrage.

Before leaving Mock Town, Alistair summoned all the merchants. They had fulfilled his order a fortnight ago—various ores, machinery, materials, and the most significant item: the modification of a pirate ship from the East Blue.

This ship was slightly larger than the Going Merry, but it could hold fifty people. Fifty people crammed onto the Going Merry would have firepower and manpower, but their combat capability wouldn't match the Straw Hats. Most pirates lacked Devil Fruits, a swordsman like Zoro, or a chef like Sanji; they relied on numbers to increase their fighting strength.

Alistair, upon confiscating pirate ships, had chosen this one, not selling it but giving it to the merchants for modification. Building a ship in 15-20 days was impossible. Modern shipbuilding could, perhaps, build such a wooden ship quickly, but the merchants lacked the capacity; Alistair had to divide the order among five merchant families, requiring collaboration.

This was the unfortunate reality of Mock Town. It lacked talent and technology, offering only pirates, merchants, and cheap services. Its only asset was its location.

"Is my cargo ready?" Alistair asked.

"Yes, sir, awaiting your inspection," the merchants replied humbly and respectfully.

They knew this modified ship would threaten their competition. But regardless of this ship, Alistair had the Shichibukai's backing; they received over 100 million Berries for the modification; forcing Alistair to seek Shichibukai aid would leave them with nothing. Facing a noose, three times the profit was enough to make them forget the danger.

"Excellent. Ace, let's test it," Alistair nodded, turning to his associates.

"This way, please," the merchants led them to the shipyard.

Mock Town only had one port for pirates; even if they wanted to shop or relax in the resort area, they had to dock there. But a large shipyard had been built; although lacking a crane, it could handle 1000-ton ships. The merchants only built it after Alistair's order.

With sufficient funds, the merchants were efficient; in less than twenty days, they'd built the shipyard, hired workers, and modified the ship. Even without further orders, the shipyard was profitable; in a pirate economy, passing ships needed maintenance.

With such a location, the merchants only did small services; their first bucket of gold was hard-earned. In a pirate economy, the Navy was the least popular. If the Navy offered anything, it was deterrence and security. But were they more popular than pirates?

Anyone would know this was impossible; the Navy dreamt of justice, unaware of its unpopularity. Their spending power was low compared to pirates; they had families to support; their only allies were themselves; merchants, if not robbed or killed, sided with pirates. No wonder this was the Great Pirate Era.

They entered the shipyard and saw the modified ship—a typical three-deck galleon. The bottom deck held food and water; the middle deck was for crew; the upper deck held gunpowder and cannons; the bow held the navigator, first mate, and officers' quarters; the stern was the captain's quarters.

It held over fifty people and could sail long distances; the Mayflower, a galleon, crossed the Atlantic to America. That was a 180-ton galleon; this one was around 100 tons, but the stern was modified: two holes were cut; metal propellers replaced the rudder; the rudder was externally mounted behind the propellers.

The ship's design was completely altered. It no longer looked like something from this era.

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