One by one, the tangible benefits were like warm sunlight, gradually melting the thick ice Frozen in the hearts of the Totto Land civilians.
Doubt and fear began to be replaced by cautious optimism and growing enthusiasm.
Of course, the rapid change in the residents' attitudes was also related to the fact that the Heavenly Calamity Pirates were composed of beautiful and powerful women, which provided a visual and psychological impression completely different from the fierce pirates of the past.
However, this also brought some "sweet troubles"—some young men with budding romantic interests began to find ways to show off and curry favor while the Female Warriors were on patrol or working, leaving Ripley, who was in charge, not knowing whether to laugh or cry... Inside the Tenshukaku, a magnificent ancient Chinese-style building in the center of the main island of Totto Land, which had been named "Thunder God Island" by Charlotte Linlin.
Sitting in the main seat, Charlotte Linlin was rubbing her aching temples, feeling that these few short days of paperwork were more mentally taxing than fighting three hundred rounds with Zephyr.
Gloriosa, lying on the desk piled high with dossiers next to her, also had a look of utter exhaustion and despair.
At this stage, Charlotte Linlin, with her knowledge as a transmigrator, and Gloriosa, who was once the Empress of Nine Snake Island and possessed some governance experience, became the only two in the entire team who could barely handle these complex administrative affairs.
"Linlin~ I'm so tired~" Gloriosa whimpered weakly, her cheek pressed against the cold tabletop.
"Why is establishing a country so troublesome~~"
Although she had once been an Empress, Nine Snake Island was essentially closer to a large, self-sufficient pirate base.
The basic life of the citizens was guaranteed by their own farming and hunting, while other necessary supplies were mainly "collected" by the Kuja Pirates during their outings.
Furthermore, with Nine Snake Island's hundreds of years of history, it had long since formed a unique and stable internal operating system; the routine administrative affairs she needed to handle personally back then were actually not many.
"If you're tired, go take a rest for a while."
Charlotte Linlin's tone was gentle as she extended her huge index finger and lightly flicked Gloriosa's smooth forehead.
The total volume of daily affairs that Charlotte Linlin needed to handle personally at this stage wasn't particularly massive, but every single one required her careful decision.
Her core work at present was to design and build the macro framework of all of Totto Land—including the formulation of laws and regulations, the establishment of a tax system, the determination of future development directions, and so on.
No one here was an expert in modern law or administrative management; everything could only rely on Charlotte Linlin combining her vague memories from her past life with the actual situation of this world to conceive and design from scratch.
She had to observe whether the promulgated regulations had loopholes or execution difficulties, and think about how to balance the interests of all parties to guide this sea area toward stability and prosperity.
Before Totto Land formed a preliminary, complete, and effective governance system, she would likely find it hard to have any leisure time to leave this place.
Since she had decided to establish her own kingdom, she must do her best to create a utopia that met her expectations, where residents could live and work in peace.
"I don't want to~ I want to stay here with Linlin~"
Gloriosa muttered coquettishly, reaching out to hug Charlotte Linlin's finger like a kitten clinging to its owner, happily pressing her cheek against the back of Charlotte Linlin's hand.
After a short while, a slight and steady sound of snoring rang out.
"She really is exhausted."
A flash of pity crossed Charlotte Linlin's eyes as she gently picked up the sleeping Gloriosa and placed her securely on the comfortable large bed prepared for her on one side of the room... As the sun set, other Crew members of the Heavenly Calamity Pirates who had finished their day's work also arrived at the Tenshukaku one after another.
The territory had a prototype, the population census was initially completed, and the various islands had barely regained basic operations.
However, like reefs exposed after the tide recedes, thorny problems surfaced one by one.
"The biggest problems are... defense and governance."
Charlotte Linlin lowered her hand, her tone carrying an unprecedented solemnity.
She couldn't always rely on these six hundred core sisters to constantly guard the hundred thousand residents scattered across thirty-four islands, nor could she do everything herself and handle every trivial matter on every island.
She waved her hand somewhat irritably, as if to dispel the predicament before her.
"We need a standing, loyal, and reliable army dedicated to guarding the peace of Totto Land!
We also need a large number of various professionals who understand governance, are proficient in law, good at economics, and knowledgeable in construction!"
"But training soldiers and cultivating talent both require money and time."
Charlotte Linlin leaned back in her chair, looking at the ceiling that was magnificently decorated but had the air of a nouveau riche, and let out a long sigh.
"Sigh~ I'm being bound by my own sense of morality~"
In this world where the strong eat the weak, it wasn't difficult to rely on absolute force and cruel exploitation to establish a 'country' that only served a few.
But wanting to establish a formal nation that could operate normally in the early stages and wasn't built on the foundation of oppressing the majority of residents was far more complex than imagined.
"You don't know until you try; once you try, you find that establishing a country is truly fucking difficult!"
Charlotte Linlin couldn't help but swear; this was thousands of times more complex than simply conquering with force.
And that was just thinking about military and administration. Immediately afterward, more problems flooded her mind like a tide:
Law! Without rules, there is no Order. Totto Land needed a set of effective laws to restrain behavior and adjudicate disputes.
Was she supposed to rely on the pirate rule of 'whoever has the bigger fist is right'? How would that be any different from the previous pirate rule?
She needed to research and formulate a set of basic laws that aligned with her philosophy, involving fairness, justice, rights, and obligations... Just thinking about it gave her a headache.
Technology! This world didn't only have swords and Devil Fruits. Advanced technology could greatly improve people's livelihoods and enhance military strength.
She didn't dare think about Vegapunk's technology for now, but basic medical, agricultural, shipbuilding, and even weapon technology all needed to be developed and introduced. This again required corresponding scientific research talent and investment... "Aaaah! So annoying!"
Charlotte Linlin grabbed her beautiful long pink hair, feeling as if her brain was about to explode from these myriad complex problems.
She was a woman of action who liked to solve problems with strength and intuition, but this kind of thing that required long-term planning and meticulous layout made her feel tormented.
Gölz, Mia, and the others looked at their Captain rarely showing this kind of near-"breakdown" expression; they wanted to laugh but didn't dare, so they could only try their best to maintain serious expressions.
After a brief moment of irritability, Charlotte Linlin suddenly sat up straight and took a deep breath, her eyes becoming firm again, even carrying a hint of stubborn ruthlessness.
"Forget it!" She slapped the armrest and stood up, "Complaining won't solve any problems!"
She looked around at her companions, her voice decisive:
"The path I chose myself, even if I have to grit my teeth and crawl, I will finish walking it!"
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