At noon, Shinra asked all of the executives of the Baraque Works to gather together for a meeting, especially since he planned to go on a journey after this, yet he had to say, the physical ability of the people of this world was so strong since after a good enough of a day of resting, they had more or less recovered.
But, strangely enough, they were all in silence and seemed hesitant.
"What's wrong? Are you still not feeling good?"
"....." Everyone.
Could they say that they were all speechless because they saw many red marks on Shinra's neck?!
They weren't so crazy!
They didn't want to die, after all, but at the same time, they couldn't help but look at Robin, who appeared to be radiant and became so beautiful somehow, to which Mr. 2, Bon Clay, or Bentham, raised his hand. "Boss, can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
"How old are you, Boss?"
"...." Everyone.
Shinra frowned, but he thought for a moment, and said, "I should be about to become 17."
"...." Everyone.
Bentham was stunned, then looked at Robin with doubt. "Miss All-Sunday, how old are—"
"Dos Fleur."
All of a sudden, two arms emerged from Bentham's neck, then—
"Clutch!"
Crack!
"IT HURTS! I WON'T ASK! I WON'T ASK! STOOPPPPPPPP!!!"
As Bentham begged and apologized, Robin smiled at everyone and asked, "Do any of you have any questions?"
All of them shook their heads furiously, but Miss Valentine, or Mikita, Miss Doublefinger, or Zala, Miss Goldenweek, or Marianne, glanced at Shinra with a meaningful gaze.
As for Miss Merry Christmas, or Drophy, who showed a flirty gaze at Shinra, when all of them glared at her, she quickly lowered her head!
Mikita, Zala, and Marianne aside, if Drophy dared to seduce Shinra, they all knew that they would die!
Knock! Knock!
"...."
When Shinra knocked on the table quietly, everyone went quiet. "Can I talk now?"
No one said a word, and they lowered their heads, waiting for his judgment.
While they weren't sure what Shinra had done, they knew that he had gained the power of Suna Suna no Mi, and in front of this power, all of them were powerless.
"Look up." Shinra leaned back in his luxurious leather chair, resting his elbow and pressing the tips of his fingers together in a steepling pose. "Let me talk about what we will do from now on."
So, what would they do?"
"First, I will abandon all the plans that cost a lot of money, including the plan to take over this country."
"....."
"Eh?"
Everyone was stunned, then Mr. 3, Galdino, asked speechlessly, "Are you going to give up on taking over this country, Boss?"
"Yes." Shinra nodded. "Frankly, I am not a fan of a desert country, and it is bothersome to stick in just a single country. It would be better for us if we could be mobile, moving to other places when the situation calls for it, moving to a more comfortable country, or do you want this country so much?"
"..."
When they heard Shinra's words, all of them remained silent, for frankly, they also didn't have much affection for this country, and they were insistent on getting it. Also, going to another country might be much better, they thought.
If there was something special about the Arabasta Kingdom, it was the fact that it had one of the largest populations in the world and one of the largest land areas, especially when 99% of the world was filled with water.
"I want a country with four seasons!"
"Isn't it better to have two seasons?"
"Shut up! Let the boss talk first!"
"....."
Shinra rubbed his temple, thinking that he couldn't rely on them, but when he thought that he was about to be disappointed by the low IQ of everyone, Galdino asked, "Boss, before all of that, can you tell us what your goal is?"
"Galdino, right?"
"Ah, yes!"
"You are good." Shinra felt that this man with a funny three-shaped hairstyle was probably the smartest among all of them, thinking to leave most of his business to this guy.
As for the rest, it was just good enough to let them become thugs.
"My goal is simple, and that is to become stronger."
"..."
"...You still want to become stronger, boss?"
"In the Grand Line, I might be strong, but it doesn't mean that I am the strongest, and there are many who can make me run away."
Run away? Not a defeat?
The stupid one might not realize it, but the smartest one realizes the meaning behind his words.
"So, more or less, I will just focus on growing my power and changing the focus of this organization into a pure business."
"Pure business?"
"Well, let's say it is a company now, and you are all my workers."
Workers?
That word was so strange, but Galdino asked with hesitation, "...so we're no longer assassins?"
"It's a bit hard to live without using force in this world, so you might need to fight sometimes depending on how it is, but in the future, when we grow strong enough, and no one can live without us, then we can be like those nobles who enjoy their lives by tax of their subjects, or live peacefully and calmly achieve your dream."
Instead of trying to take over the country, Shinra was more interested in the economy, since controlling an economy, to some extent, meant controlling the country.
He gave the example of a Banana Republic in his previous life, where a private company would take over several countries in South America by controlling their economies.
As for the governments, they didn't matter, since if they tried to interrupt their business, Shinra would support the opponent and create a situation where he would be above them financially, much like how the Daimyo in the world of Naruto became the ruler of the world of Naruto.
"What's wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"No, nothing!"
All of them felt like their tears were about to come out when they heard Shinra's words.
To live peacefully without being afraid, would that be possible in the future?
In this world, one could only either become a civilian who was being oppressed by the ruler or a criminal who was free; the thought of having a stable life without worry didn't exist at all.
Yet, without a doubt, Shinra's strength was powerful, and he would become even stronger in the future, and as they had decided to follow Shinra, they also wanted to be part of his dream!
Shinra wasn't sure what they thought, but he decided to discuss his plans, which involved acquiring many important parts of the lands, especially the ports, markets, and farms. He was accustomed to a business, and Crocodile had a lot of cash, as his business was related to a cash-rich industry, namely usury and the casino.
Still, Shinra sought more than that, and even included a source of water, an oasis, and many water-related areas, acquiring at least half of them, especially in this kingdom.
At the same time, he also felt that the Suna Suna no Mi had another interesting ability that made him wealthy, but before that, he had to uphold his promise with Robin to find the Poneglyph.
Only when everyone heard Shinra's plan to take over many vital areas of this kingdom, causing all the people in this kingdom to fully depend on them, did they wonder whether Shinra really didn't plan to take over this kingdom!
"By the way, help me acquire many books, whatever it is in this area, since I plan to go on a trip tomorrow."
"Huh? A trip? Where are you going, Boss?"
"To become stronger. Just wait for a while."
While they weren't sure how Shinra planned to grow stronger, they nodded and just followed his words, especially—
"Mr. 3, from now on, I will leave the company to you."
"Huh? Me?"
"Yes."
"...can I ask why?" Galdino asked with confusion.
"Because you are the smartest among all of them."
"....." Everyone.
"D-Don't praise me like that, Boss!" However, Galdino appeared so smug and proud, watching everyone, who could only look at him as they ground their teeth.
"At the same time, you are also weak and can be killed easily by everyone when you betray."
"..." Galdino.
"Please watch him over everyone."
"Yes, boss!"
As Galdino saw their malicious smile, he felt a cold sweat, but Shinra knew that now, he could start his trip to get the Batto Batto no Mi, Model: Vampire.