One Piece: King of the World Chapter 369: Tesoro—Is Crocodile Showing Off to Me?

On Alabasta's throne, Crocodile sat comfortably, a Den Den Mushi in hand, speaking to soone.

"I currently have 700,000 troops at my command.

Once everything stabilizes, that number will grow.

In the end, I should be able to reach a standing force of one million.

But a million troops, all elites—if they remain confined to Alabasta, they'll be useless.

I need to send them out.

These people need to eat. Ships need maintenance. Everything costs money.

Even with Alabasta's resources, I can only sustain them for about two years at most.

And that's after tapping into the wealth the royal family has accumulated over centuries.

Beyond the military, I also need to restore the country's economy.

Alabasta isn't like Dressrosa, it's a massive nation.

Everything costs money!"

Crocodile spoke into the Den Den Mushi, his tone firm.

"Why do I feel like taking Alabasta isn't much of a gain? It sounds like you're just bleeding money," Tesoro complained on the other end.

"You've got nothing but money on your mind, huh?" Crocodile scoffed.

"Alabasta's forces will beco a critical asset when we seize supre power over the World Governnt.

Its influence will spread across dozens of surrounding islands and nations, reinforcing our rule.

If we act quickly, we might even—ah, forget it.

It's pointless explaining finances to you.

Claudius has already approved my plan. You just need to provide the funds.

If you have a problem with it, go talk to him," Crocodile said, clearly annoyed.

Originally, Crocodile took Alabasta as a contingency plan.

If the Marines ultimately sided with the World Governnt, Claudius would still have a military force independent from them.

In that scenario, Alabasta's forces could unite with the Revolutionary Army, escalating into a full-scale war to seize power.

Of course, this was a last resort. The losses would be imnse, and even then, Alabasta's army might not be enough to stand against the Marines.

But Claudius never gambled everything on a single option.

At the ti, he was uncertain about the Marines' final allegiance, so he diversified his strategies, ensuring he wouldn't be left without options.

Now, the best-case scenario had co to pass: the Marines were on their side.

As a result, Alabasta's role had diminished sowhat.

However, its formidable military still provided stable support, helping maintain order in the first half of the Grand Line.

It also gave the new regi an additional powerful force beyond the Marines, ensuring control over many nations.

And if the Marines' battles in the New World beca too overwhelming, Alabasta's military could serve as reinforcents.

Lastly, Alabasta's strategic location at the entrance to the Grand Line made it the perfect place to begin eliminating piracy at its source.

When the ti ca to end the Great Pirate Era, Alabasta could once again prove its worth.

After hearing Crocodile's reasoning, Tesoro sighed heavily and grumbled, "Fine, fine. His Highness approved it, so what else can I say? How much Berries do you need?"

"200 billion Berries—for now. More may be required later.

I'll also need substantial investnts. You should take the lead on that," Crocodile replied calmly.

Tesoro felt a pang in his chest.

200 billion Berries, he could afford it, of course. Compared to his total fortune, it wasn't a staggering amount.

But it still hurt.

As for the investnts, that wasn't a problem.

Alabasta had great potential.

The country had just undergone a regi change, and the initial chaos was settling.

It was the perfect ti to invest, and many people would be interested.

"Fine, fine. I'll send soone over soon," Tesoro grumbled.

"Also, I need to build a lot of shipyards.

You have a broad network, find so good shipbuilders," Crocodile added.

Tesoro gritted his teeth and snapped, "Do you really think I'm your personal assistant?

Why don't you just contact Water 7 directly for this?

Coincidentally, I spoke with Tom recently, he ntioned plans to expand his shipyard operations to other islands.

I think you two would have a lot to discuss."

"Tom wants to open a branch?" Crocodile ignored the complaints and focused on the important part.

"Yes! You brute—your world revolves around fighting and war. You're completely out of touch with the business world," Tesoro scoffed.

He then continued, "With sea train technology continuing to advance, there's been a massive increase in demand.

Water 7 has to undergo so industrial restructuring to expand sea train production.

But they can't just abandon their existing shipbuilding business, right?

So Tom is considering relocating part of his warship production elsewhere.

Water 7 is a small island—its production capacity is already maxed out.

With more funding pouring in, the demand for warships is skyrocketing, and Water 7 alone can't keep up anymore."

Crocodile frowned. "So what does that an? Explain it simply."

Though he ran casinos and had a hand in military manufacturing with Doflamingo, large-scale industrial logistics weren't his expertise.

"To put it simply—Water 7's system can't keep up with Claudius' ambitions.

In the future, His Highness will massively expand Marine developnt.

Water 7 alone won't be enough.

They need a mature military production infrastructure, sothing that you can provide.

That's why moving warship production to Alabasta is the best option.

It'll stimulate Alabasta's economy, create millions of jobs, and—best of all—it gives you the ability to secretly build ships for your own forces.

It's a win-win situation," Tesoro explained.

Crocodile smirked. "So basically, I get to steal Water 7's shipbuilding business? Sounds perfect."

"More or less. Anyway, I don't have ti for your nonsense, I'm busy," Tesoro said impatiently.

"What are you so busy with? The Calm Belt project? Golden City? I heard you were hosting a concert, maybe you're busy writing songs?" Crocodile teased.

Tesoro clicked his tongue. "Don't underestimate . I'm drafting financial plans for His Highness.

Based on this year's World Governnt tax revenue and the economic conditions of over 100 affiliated nations, I'm calculating a reasonable tax reduction policy.

There are also welfare policies to implent, so that once His Highness seizes absolute power, everything can be put into place quickly and smoothly.

And now, you've robbed of 200 billion Berries, which will definitely ss up my budget," Tesoro said, clearly annoyed.

"Is that so? Then I won't bother you.

Besides, I'm busy too—after all, over 40 million people in Alabasta are depending on now.

I am the King of the Desert, after all," Crocodile said smugly.

Then, he hung up the Den Den Mushi.

—

anwhile, in the Golden City, Tesoro stared at the silent Den Den Mushi on his desk.

He rubbed his chin in amusent before glancing at Baccarat, the Goddess of Luck.

"Was it just my imagination, or was that damn crocodile showing off to ?"

Baccarat chuckled and replied, "Master Crocodile has been planning this for years.

Now that he's won a decisive victory, it makes sense that he'd want to boast a little."

"Just as His Highness said… that sand crocodile is such a damn tsundere.

His personality is so twisted," Tesoro said with a smirk.

Then, he turned his attention back to his reports, fully imrsed in calculating the new regi's financial plans.

As he had said—he was really busy.

After all, Claudius had already decided, once everything was in place, Tesoro would beco the Finance Minister of the new world order.

And then, he'd be even busier.

***

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