Swoosh!
The warship broke through the final sea of clouds barrier, arriving at ten thousand meters altitude.
What entered everyone's eyes were two islands not far apart.
One was shrouded in mist, with various buildings on it, like a kingdom from a fairy tale.
The other island was more ecological, with dense vegetation above it, more like a primitive island in the sea rather than a Skypiea.
"That ecological island should be the other half of Jaya Island in the legend, the one that was blasted up to the Skypiea," Gion looked at the island beside them.
With Observation Haki, one could sense the densely packed creatures on the island, as well as some humans in primitive tribal form.
The lifestyle of those people was almost the same as the natives of Sentinel Island, seemingly very xenophobic and difficult to communicate with.
However, their overall strength wasn't high; there was no aura that made Gion feel dangerous.
"First sweep the Skypiea, that island can be dealt with later," Rosse gave the order.
That part of Jaya Island in the sky was called Upper Yard on the Skypiea. It was the place where the native Shandians of Jaya Island lived, later mostly occupied by Skypiea natives and called the residence of God.
The other side of the Skypiea was Angel Island, where the Skypiea natives lived, and it was Rosse's primary target.
"No problem!", Gion nodded lightly. A pair of blood wings extended from her back, and with a few flashes she landed on Angel Island.
Buzz!
Only a minute later, a thick layer of blood mist appeared over Angel Island.
This was a domain created by Gion through her fruit ability. The blood of those she killed or injured would be drawn into the domain.
Once the domain was formed, Gion could mobilize the blood at any time and place, unleashing small flying slashes.
It wasn't very effective against strong opponents, but in group battles, it was extremely useful.
"Moa, let's head out too," At this time, the warship had already sailed beside Angel Island. Stella smiled and spoke to Moa.
"Sure, don't worry, I'll protect you," Moa agreed right away, patting her ample chest and making a promise.
This time, she planned to work seriously.
It was Rosse's first time intending to let her lead a team, so she had to do her best to gain more trust.
Under the lead of the two, a large group of people disembarked from the ship onto Angel Island, following the guidance left by Gion, beginning the sweep of Angel Island.
On the ship, only Rosse, Sora, Zephyr, and Reiju remained.
Zephyr was holding Reiju, teasing her, with no intention of participating at all.
He didn't like this kind of unjust invasion, but as long as Rosse didn't slaughter the innocent, he would turn a blind eye.
Facts proved that Rosse rarely oppressed civilians.
Although he caused rivers of blood in the Jaygar District, now the population of Jaygar District exceeded ten million, and everyone had enough to eat and didn't need to worry about safety.
In Zephyr's eyes, that was already a paradise on earth.
Rosse also had no intention of managing Zephyr. For matters like this, he always tacitly handed them over to Gion and wouldn't let Zephyr act.
People who weren't suitable shouldn't do unsuitable things.
Zephyr's personality leaned toward protection. His slaughter of pirates was also due to past grudges.
So toward Zephyr, he would let him focus on protection missions.
As for someone like Sakazuki, Rosse would arrange missions to eliminate pirates, and Sakazuki would be especially proactive, while Rosse could also get involved in some matters.
Someone like Borsalino with a lazy personality, Rosse let him stay in the headquarters to guard and occasionally supervise his colleagues, which also counted as using him properly.
Among the combat power Rosse could control, Gion was the sharp blade he always held in his hand, ready to wield at will.
At the same time, he was willing to spend time sharpening this blade to make it sharper, until she truly became the world's number one swordsman, fulfilling his expectation for Gion.
"What method do you plan to use this time? I observed from a distance just now. On Angel Island the houses are scattered, the number of residents shouldn't be high. It should be a self-sufficient societal model," Sora stood with Rosse at the bow of the ship, holding his arm and speaking softly.
After eating the Brain-Brain Fruit, she often served as Rosse's think tank.
But more often, she still completed scientific research tasks.
There was a simple laboratory on the ship for her to research the cells of the Red Count.
"The Skypiea is currently ruled by the native Skypieans. Their rulers are respected as 'Gods', living in the adjacent Upper Yard, which is the part of Jaya Island blasted into the sky. A 400-year war allowed that place to be occupied by Skypiea natives," Rosse explained.
"You mean, use the Shandians as the breakthrough point?", Sora raised her eyebrows.
She always felt Rosse's thoughts wouldn't be so simple.
Letting the Shandians rise, reaching a balance with the Skypiea natives, this method was indeed good and could achieve control of the whole Skypiea at a lower cost.
But based on what she knew of Rosse, he likely wouldn't use such a time-consuming method.
"No," As expected, Rosse smiled and shook his head, "The Shandians aren't within my consideration. Their way of life is too backward and too stubborn; they're all obstacles to our modernization."
Rosse had always believed in the principle of productivity above all.
Rather than exploiting one million primitives, it was better to exploit ten million modern people.
That's right, he not only wanted to upgrade individual productivity, but also expand the world population.
Most of the pirate world was ocean. The Red Line alone could support tens of billions of people.
As long as the appropriate technology existed, manpower could be maximally developed.
Those being exploited wouldn't need to worry about basic living, and could also enjoy more materials, a win-win situation.
Tribal people like the Shandians who clung to tradition existed all over the world. These people were basically outside Rosse's consideration.
Either gradually integrate under the tide of the times, or be eliminated by the times, there was no third possibility.
After a pause, Rosse looked at Angel Island in front of him and said softly, "What I mean is, since the native Skypieans had 'Gods' from the start, then we'll just replace their 'Gods'."
He was simply redoing what Enel would do in the future.
Moreover, compared to Enel's bandit-style management, he was truly bringing progress and change to the Skypiea.
"The Skypieans will also be xenophobic, right?", Sora frowned slightly and looked up at the bloody domain ahead.
The blood domain was no longer as thin as before, indicating that in the process of Gion's clearing, there was still considerable resistance.
"When they witness the gap in power, they'll make the right choice. I'll become the God of the Skypiea, but I won't directly participate in their rule. I'll select a representative from among them," Rosse smiled.
"Like Vivi?", Sora looked at Rosse oddly.
Replacing the pillar subtly was indeed a good method.
But such things, probably only Rosse could pull off.
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