Luke had not expected to be dealing not with Yamato’s questions, but with Kaido’s test.
By now, how could he not realize that Kaido had most likely been monitoring him and Yamato through some method all along?
Yamato should not have been chatty enough to tell Kaido everything, yet Kaido seemed remarkably familiar with the “reform” that he and Yamato intended to carry out.
Once Luke understood the key point, his headache only worsened. He had originally come up with a few countermeasures that could bluff Yamato, but while Kaido might not understand how to govern a country, he was still a seasoned pirate in his forties or fifties. He was not nearly as easy to fool as Yamato.
And judging by Kaido’s posture, if Luke could not give him a satisfactory answer, Kaido probably would not let the matter go.
After pondering for a moment, Luke raised his head and said, "Governor-General, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
Kaido picked up a jar of sake and took several deep gulps. "Of course I want the truth. We’re only discussing it. I’m not that petty."
Luke felt that Kaido’s words were reasonably credible, so he spoke frankly. "The truth is that the Beasts Pirates’ rule over Wano is terrible. By my estimate, within fifteen years, Wano’s entire social order will completely collapse. The country will cease to function as a country, and the factories under your command will naturally be affected as well. They will no longer be able to operate."
Yamato, standing to the side, was so startled by Luke’s words that her mouth fell open. Is it really that serious? She had never considered such issues before. She had only believed that a hero would come save Wano twelve years from now.
Kaido’s expression darkened at Luke’s words. "Kid, what is your basis for saying that?"
He felt that Wano was doing quite well right now. He had opened factories and even paid wages to those who worked there. He felt that made him a model pirate, at least far better than his business partner, Donquixote Doflamingo. He had heard that Doflamingo exploited the Tontatta to work for him without paying them a single coin.
He called himself this country’s Wise King, and Kaido truly felt that he had done a decent job. In a sense, he really was Wano’s guardian deity. Over the years, Wano’s unemployed population had dropped considerably, all because his factories provided huge numbers of jobs.
"There are many reasons that would lead to such an outcome. I can only analyze them for you one point at a time, Governor-General."
Luke said, "First, I would like to ask: what is Wano’s current food output? How has it changed compared to before you came here? And how well-fed are the people?"
Kaido frowned. He did not get angry, instead thinking seriously for a while before replying, "Wano’s food production has indeed declined year by year, but I do not think that is a problem. The Beasts Pirates conduct foreign trade, and we import a considerable amount of food. According to Maria’s estimates, it is enough to keep this country running."
As he spoke, Kaido glanced at Maria. She was considered one of the smarter members of his crew, so whenever something required thought, he would seek the opinion of Maria, a crewmate close to him.
Of course, the person closest to him was naturally King, but King was not particularly skilled at thinking through things either.
"As the Governor-General says, food prices are not high, and we currently rely on imports,"
Maria, who had previously remained silent while merely pouring sake, spoke up. "According to our calculations, the imported food is enough to keep the country’s people fed. It will not result in a loss of our labor force."
The Beasts Pirates did not do this out of kindness. Mainly, they saw Wano’s people as an important labor resource. If everyone starved to death, no one would be left to work in their factories.
Luke nodded at that. "As the saying goes, food is the first necessity of the people. The fact that you have considered this already puts you ahead of many rulers, Governor-General."
He subtly praised Kaido first, then continued. "But have you considered that even if the total amount of food is sufficient, problems during distribution can still cause famine? Especially since, as far as I know, Wano’s direct ruler is not the Beasts Pirates."
Kaido’s mood had just improved slightly after hearing Luke praise him, but the latter words made him sink into thought. "You mean a great deal of the food sent into Wano is being wasted?"
"You should have figured it out already, Governor-General. You know better than I do what kind of person Kurozumi Orochi is. The Beasts Pirates do import vast quantities of food, and that is without even discussing how it is distributed within the Beasts Pirates or whether any is wasted..."
Luke paused. "Speaking only of the portion the Beasts Pirates give to Wano, less than thirty percent of it probably reaches the citizens in the end."
Kaido fell into thought upon hearing that. Pirates liked to throw parties, after all. The Beasts Pirates frequently held wild feasts, and once they got going, wasting food was commonplace. He did not care much about it.
Deep down, he did not believe wasting food was a good thing. He had often gone hungry as a child and rarely got enough to eat. But he also knew that, as the boss, he could not restrict every trivial matter. If pirates were not free, if they had to be frugal even at a party, could they still be called pirates?
So he did not think food waste within the Beasts Pirates was a serious issue. It was merely a minor matter that caused no real harm.
But the portion intended for Wano that Luke mentioned did make him think.
Kaido naturally did not give Wano an excessive amount of food. After several Beasts Pirates executives discussed it, they estimated an amount roughly sufficient to feed Wano’s population, then handed it over to Kurozumi Orochi.
But what sort of thing was Kurozumi Orochi? He ruled through deliberate cruelty in order to take revenge on Wano’s people, and he himself lived extravagantly. Those food supplies had likely all been swallowed up by Orochi. Saying that thirty percent entered the market was already generous.
"Maria, do we have any rough population statistics for Wano over the past two years?"
Kaido asked. His life had been very comfortable since becoming one of the Four Emperors, and with his daughter being so disobedient, he spent every day drinking and drinking some more. He rarely dealt with the country’s affairs, so he truly did not know Wano’s exact situation.
"There have been no statistics for the past two years, but we conducted one three years ago. Compared to five years before that, the population had declined by three percent."
Maria replied, her expression also turning somewhat unnatural. She too had realized that something was wrong.
By all logic, the people of this country loved to have sex and have children. With their pirate crew stationed in Wano, Wano could not be invaded by foreign enemies. The Beasts Pirates themselves could not claim to have never harassed civilians, but they had absolutely never carried out widespread slaughter.
So logically, the population ought to have been growing. Why was it shrinking instead?
Seeing their expressions, Luke felt rather strange inside.
In truth, he had a very clear understanding of his own intelligence. He was absolutely not an especially smart person. But he suddenly realized that in the world of One Piece, as long as he was a normal person, he was already a high-IQ strategist.
Because these people completely lacked common sense and never thought deeply about so many things.
Such an obvious issue as a declining population had appeared years ago. Had they really not noticed that something was wrong?
"So the population is declining because of food shortages?"
Yamato also pondered aloud from the side.
Luke nodded. "Food shortages are the most important reason, and tracing the issue back, the main problem lies in distribution."
"Then I should not hand all the food over to Kurozumi Orochi?"
Kaido frowned. "But I feel like it is not time yet..."
Luke knew what Kaido meant by “not time yet.” Kurozumi Orochi was only a temporary puppet. Once the time was right, Kaido would kill Orochi and rule the country directly.
But Luke was deeply puzzled. Kurozumi Orochi was already a puppet, and his claim to power was illegitimate to begin with, so why was Kaido keeping him around?
Waiting until the time was right? Did he have to wait until Luffy came and sent him flying before the time would finally be right?
"Handing all the food to Kurozumi Orochi is certainly a problem, but before that, there is another thing you have handled poorly, Governor-General."
Luke chose his wording carefully.
"What is it?"
Kaido asked in confusion. Over the course of the conversation, he had unconsciously fallen into Luke’s rhythm.
"You provided too little food. You did not account for the fact that the supply would steadily diminish during distribution—that is, corruption."
Luke pointed out a very practical issue. "Within the Beasts Pirates, no one hoards food for themselves because everyone has enough to eat. But Wano is different. Food itself is a vital asset there. Even if Kurozumi Orochi did not swallow most of it, at least thirty percent would be lost to corruption as it was distributed down through each level."
After hearing this, Kaido slapped the armrest. The entire cave trembled three times, and anger appeared on his face. "They dare embezzle my food!?"
"You underestimate human greed, Governor-General. As it passes down through every layer, each person takes a share. They may even think that if everyone does it, no one can be punished."
Luke smiled. "Of course, that is also because Kurozumi Orochi set such a fine example. The people who follow him naturally will not be any good either. In fact, based on what I have observed among the common people and my own deductions, I believe that of the food transported into Wano by the Beasts Pirates, less than five percent ultimately reaches the market and then the people’s hands."
Luke had asked Yamato about it. Food in Wano sold at very high prices. Under Kurozumi Orochi’s brutal rule, Wano’s people had no free land they could cultivate. Farmers could only keep five percent of their land’s yield, roughly enough to feed a family of several, while all the rest had to be turned over to the national treasury.
Then Kurozumi Orochi would sell that food at high prices, further emptying the people’s pockets.
In reality, even workers employed in Kaido’s factories could only barely support themselves, their wives, and their children on their monthly wages. A family of four could not afford enough food to eat.
The capital city where Kurozumi Orochi lived appeared relatively prosperous only because its inhabitants were either involved in the underworld or belonged to the deeply entrenched forces beneath Orochi. They were themselves beneficiaries of the interest groups, so the people there appeared comparatively wealthy.
But outside the capital, all the other towns were extremely poor. Even the better-off places could only barely afford food.
Simply put, eighty percent of the food was skimmed off between Kaido’s hands and Kurozumi Orochi’s. The remaining twenty percent was carved up layer by layer by Orochi’s subordinates, leaving almost no food to make it out of the capital.
The overwhelming majority of food sold on the market was still grown by Wano’s own people.
Seeing Kaido’s gloomy expression, as though he were considering whether to change the current situation, Luke continued, "Governor-General, do you not think there is a contradiction in the way you rule?"
Kaido snapped back to attention. As he looked at Luke, a strange feeling arose within him, because he suddenly felt as though he understood Yamato a little.
When he had watched the broadcast before and seen Luke questioning Yamato, he had felt overflowing anticipation and immense pleasure. But now that he was the one being questioned, he felt miserable.
"What... contradiction?"
Kaido asked.
"Although you are a pirate, everyone across these seas who knows your legend considers you a great and formidable ruler. And after speaking with you, I understand that you do not want to destroy this country. You want it to produce value for you..."
Luke looked directly into Kaido’s eyes. "Then why would you hand the country over to someone who wants to destroy it?"
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