The internet was no longer news due to the existence of mobile phones. Electricity, water, and sewerage are the new "three links" policy of Alabasta.
Although Alabasta is extremely large, there are few suitable places to live. In the past, because people were too poor, there was no way to survive in Alabasta. Now that Alabasta is wealthy, why should people remain in such difficult conditions?
According to Ezekiel, the construction of Sky Island significantly resolves this issue.
It will also be useful for attracting people from all over the world to Alabasta, which is Ezekiel's goal.
What is the population of the pirate world?
By rough estimates, not more than two billion people.
Alabasta is already the largest and most populous kingdom in the world, with just over 200 million people. In the world, there are only two hundred countries, most of which are island nations, and those with a large landmass number no more than five.
Ezekiel believes that it wouldn't be difficult to settle hundreds of millions of people on Alabasta's land according to his plan.
In reality, a large number of wealthy and powerful people have already arrived in Alabasta.
Although the current population of Alabasta does not exceed 230 million, at least 15 million people have immigrated.
After all, an average citizen of East Blue can earn 100,000 Belli a month, while the current per capita income in Alabasta is about 300,000 Belli.
The concept of a "factory" emerged in Alabasta and became a very popular term, and the phrase "wage" appeared quite recently.
The enormous demographic growth is the greatest wealth of the country. Ezekiel was well aware of this.
Of course, he shouldn't recklessly increase salaries at will, but due to the powerful forces of the devil fruits, he can save a huge amount of money. Therefore, he can provide citizens with high salaries.
Since the residents of Alabasta have money, they can spend a lot on Taobao, thereby creating financial turnover. Those who do not use Alabasta Royal Mobile phones do not have this advantage.
Unnoticed, the new currency is capturing the Belli market.
Ezekiel wants to surpass the World Government in economics, population, politics, education, and many other aspects beyond military power, to discreetly dismantle this massive phenomenon. The current relationship between Alabasta and the World Government is essentially no different from a cold war state.
In less than two years, millions of people from around the world have flocked to Alabasta. This was happening even under extremely challenging conditions in Alabasta. And if the construction of Sky Island is completed, the influx of population will become more noticeable.
What is noteworthy is that the number of Ezekiel's mobile phone users is growing at an alarming rate. Currently, the number of users exceeds 300 million. And across Alabasta, only Alabasta Royal Mobile phones were used.
...…..
The sun was unbearably scorching.
A man wrapped in a black cloak stepped out of the shuttle station in Alubarna. He immediately felt a wave of heat on his face. He slowly turned his head to look at the shuttle station, feeling a breeze from the air conditioner.
What kind of wind is this?
At this moment, the man heard a voice nearby:
"Hello, would you like a tour guide? My name is Simba, and for just one hundred new dollars, I promise you can discover all of Alubarna!"
He turned to look at the person speaking to him. It was a young man dressed in the special uniform of Alabasta.
"Are you a student?" the man showed his serious and somewhat intimidating face with an ink-black tattoo on it.
But the boy named Simba was not scared at all, which surprised the man a little. After all, he knew how he looked.
"I'm from East Blue, a student of the Alabasta private school. I've been studying here for half a year. My biggest dream is to stay in Alubarna after graduation. I want to work at the Cartography Institute. I'm a big fan of Nami. Uh, am I talking too much? Do you need a guide?"
"My name is Dragon. I don't have the new dollars; will Belli do?"
"In that case, it will be 1,200 Belli, because the World Government keeps printing Belli, and the exchange rate now is 1:12," Simba said with a smile.
Dragon paid 1,200 Belli, and Simba led him into Alubarna.
The first thing he saw was the enormous towering city wall resembling a long strip surrounding the gigantic city, and Dragon squinted his eyes, wondering how long it took to build.
Upon entering Alubarna, Dragon's attention was drawn to the massive buildings here, resembling giant vertical stones. Countless windows at the top indicated that these buildings had numerous rooms. Such buildings were common in the ancient city, now filled with strange mixed styles.
Between the buildings, there was no stone road like in an ordinary wealthy country, but rather a long dark road with strange painted lines. Crowds of people walked on both sides of the road, while smoky carriages raced in the middle. At first glance, the construction here seemed too expensive because the roads were too wide and the buildings too exquisite.
"This road is for carriages and horses. There are sidewalks on both sides. You can cross where the white lines are drawn," Simba explained everything to Dragon.
"Do people live in these buildings?" Dragon asked, glancing at the towering skyscraper.
"Mostly, these are offices for various government agencies and some businesses, but there are people who like living here. Have you been to Alabasta before?" Simba said with a smile.
"I have been here, but now it's completely different," Dragon said with a sigh.
"Of course, only wealthy people live here."
What has this King done to this country? Why have such enormous changes taken place here?
He had only seen one similar country in East Blue... and that's the Goa Kingdom.
A country known in the East Blue as a very beautiful one, but in reality, it's inhabited by poor people whom the King forces to spend a lot of money on building elegant houses, maintaining so-called "elegance and nobility," and even decorating the streets. Those who couldn't afford such costs were expelled from the country and exiled to a massive garbage dump.
Is it the same way in this country?
Recently, Dragon heard that a huge amount of money would be spent on constructing a facility called Heavenly Island. It is said that the goal is solely to improve the country's environment. It seems this King is planning to squander the wealth of the people.
Dragon's expression gradually became more sullen.
In his opinion, even a school-aged child would be forced to work hard to earn money for the King's project.
"Betty, you were wrong about this King."