Charlotte Linlin's words were like a stone cast into a calm lake, creating ripples in the hearts of the village chiefs.
Abolishing worship? Restoring Order? Recruiting manpower and paying Rewards? This... is this really something pirates would do?
The light of hope in Village Chief Mara's eyes grew brighter. She couldn't help but take a step forward and said excitedly:
"Lady Charlotte Linlin! I agree on behalf of our island! Five years ago, it was you and your crew who saved me and my sisters from human traffickers! You are our benefactor!"
The other village chiefs looked at each other upon hearing this. The fear in their eyes as they looked at Charlotte Linlin lessened, replaced by a bit more surprise and curiosity.
Charlotte Linlin glanced at Mara... Hmm~ she couldn't remember her at all.
She nodded slightly to Mara as a greeting and then instructed Mia:
"Mia, you will be responsible for the next steps, coordinating specific matters with the village chiefs.
Ripley, take people to inventory the seized supplies. Prioritize setting aside a portion to solve the most urgent food and medicine shortages on the various islands.
Gölz, continue to clear out any remaining enemies in the sea area to ensure its safety."
"Yes! Captain!" several cadres responded in unison.
A series of clear and precise instructions demonstrated efficient organizational power.
The village chiefs watched as this group of beautiful and capable women began to execute Orders with swiftness and determination; the balance in their hearts began to shift subtly.
Perhaps... this time, what Totto Land welcomed was not another disaster, but an... unprecedented, completely different beginning?
Charlotte Linlin looked at the village chiefs below with their varying expressions, knowing that building trust is not the work of a single day.
But she had confidence that through practical action and a new Order, she would transform this scarred sea area into her ideal vision—
A kingdom belonging to the Heavenly Calamity Pirates, where the people under her rule could also live and work in peace!
...In the following days, the logistics team centered around Mia showed amazing efficiency.
They did not issue Orders crudely; instead, they engaged in deep and meticulous communication with every village chief, learning in detail about each island's population structure, specialty resources, difficulties, and potential advantages.
The team led by Gölz performed a basic distribution of supplies such as grain, Fabric, and medicine seized from various Pirate Crews, prioritizing the basic survival needs of the elderly, weak, women, and children.
When hot food and urgently needed medicine were actually delivered into the hands of those emaciated civilians, many held their bowls with trembling hands, a spark named 'hope' igniting in their eyes for the first time.
Gölz led the combat units, patrolling the Totto Land Sea Area aboard the st. freya and several newly seized pirate ships that had undergone simple repairs.
Like the most seasoned Hunters, they easily weeded out several groups of remnants from former Pirate Crews who tried to hide or cause trouble. Their thunderous methods quickly established authority, and the security of the sea area improved at a visible rate.
A week later, a simple code named the 'Inazuma Interim Management Regulations' was posted in prominent locations on every island. The language of the code was concise and clear, with only a few core articles:
Article 1: Prohibition of private fighting and violence. Any form of private fighting, looting, DMG, or bullying of innocent others is strictly prohibited.
Violators will be severely punished by the Heavenly Calamity Pirates' enforcement team based on the circumstances. Punishments include, but are not limited to, forced labor and deportation. For extremely heinous cases, the penalty is execution by beheading.
Article 2: Encouragement of production and trade. The Heavenly Calamity Pirates will guarantee basic security in the sea area and encourage islands to restore and vigorously develop agriculture, fisheries, and handicrafts, promoting fair trade and the flow of goods between islands.
Article 3: Security guarantee commitment. The Heavenly Calamity Pirates are responsible for resisting foreign invasion and maintaining internal security. All civilians are henceforth no longer required to pay so-called 'protection fees' to any power other than the Heavenly Calamity Pirates.
Article 4: Implementation of fair trade. This article was the most eye-catching.
The code explained in detail that civilians could exchange for 'contribution points' or directly receive Berries as Reward by providing specified materials (such as specific crops, minerals, and handicrafts), participating in public construction (such as road repair, bridge building, and water conservancy), or providing services based on special skills (such as medicine, education, shipbuilding, and forging).
At the same time, the code announced future taxation principles.
"Isn't this... isn't this the same as paying protection fees before?" some conservative villagers whispered privately.
"No! This is completely different!"
Village Chief Mara stood excitedly in the center of the village, explaining loudly to the gathered villagers while tightly clutching a transcription of the code.
"Before, we were like lambs to the slaughter, forced to give up most of the fruits of our labor in exchange for nothing more than the pirates' whim of 'mercy for not killing us'! Our lives and dignity could be stripped away at any moment!"
She took a deep breath and pointed to the details of the code: "But now, the code explicitly states that hurting us is forbidden! Our personal safety has been given a strong commitment!
As for taxes, the code stipulates that in the future, we will pay a certain percentage based on the harvest, set at twenty percent, and it will only be collected from able-bodied young adults. The elderly and children are completely tax-exempt!
Most importantly, this tax will only begin its trial run next year! Right now, we can directly exchange our labor and materials for the things we need!"
Taxation was an absolute necessity. Since manpower and resources were spent to protect and manage this place, maintaining the army and the operation of the administrative system naturally required funds.
Was a twenty percent tax rate high or low? As a transmigrator founding a nation for the first time, Charlotte Linlin had no idea and could only adjust as she went along. However, it was certain that it was far lower than the marrow-sucking tenryubito tribute of the World Government!
Initially, most people remained cautious and observant; fear formed over a long period cannot be eliminated overnight. But there are always those brave enough to seize an opportunity and be the first to eat the Crab.
A small island famous for growing Citrus, led by its old village chief, apprehensively transported the first batch of harvested, highest-quality Citrus to the supply point on the main island.
Mia, who was in charge of the matter, personally led people to inspect and accept the goods, paying the full amount of Berries on the spot according to the standards announced in advance.
The villagers used these Berries to successfully exchange for a batch of urgently needed herbs for treating common diseases and several sharp iron pruning tools.
When the news reached back, the entire island was in an uproar. This meant that for the first time, their hard work had received a positive return from pirates!
Immediately following this, an island with good shipwrights took on the task of repairing a damaged pirate ship.
With some materials and technical guidance provided by the Heavenly Calamity Pirates, they successfully repaired the ship and received a large sum of Berries, which they exchanged for enough food and winter clothing to last the entire island through the coming cold months.
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