As soon as the call ended, Luffy leapt from the sofa, his face lit up with joy. Waving his arms enthusiastically, he ran around the living room like a child, completely ignoring any sense of composure.
Like Sengoku, Luffy felt like he'd struck gold.
Although the current production capacity for the computers wasn't immense, it was more than enough to meet the demands of Wano Country and the New World.
From the very beginning, Luffy and Olivia had dreamed of promoting their computers worldwide, expanding their market far beyond Wano. But in the chaotic world of pirates, global shipping posed an immense challenge.
The Grand Line alone was divided by the Red Line, and the two Calm Belts flanked the seas, swarming with Sea Kings. Transporting the Company's products across such terrain was a logistical nightmare.
Luffy and the girls had spent countless hours discussing the issue, and only one name came up as a viable solution: the King of Shipping, Umit.
Umit was one of the underworld emperors of the pirate world, reigning over the global transportation industry. He famously boasted that there was no place in the world his ships couldn't reach.
Of course, that claim was an exaggeration—if he were that capable, he would've already reached Raftel and claimed the One Piece. Still, his dominance in the shipping world was undeniable.
When Olivia reached out to him to discuss transporting their computers, Umit initially expressed interest. But as soon as he learned the goods in question were the wildly popular computers, his tone changed drastically.
Umit demanded a staggering 70% of the profits from every sale. Not content with that, he also wanted a stake in the Company, positioning himself as a co-owner.
Naturally, Olivia refused.
"There's no way I'd agree to something so outrageous!" she raged at Luffy later. "If I accepted, we'd be left with nothing but scraps. We'd be beggars in our own company!"
Umit, however, remained confident. He claimed that without his transportation network, no one else could deliver the products on a global scale. And for the most part, he was right—his infrastructure was unparalleled.
Still, Olivia wouldn't budge. Frustrated and insulted, she hung up on Umit, storming into Luffy's office to vent her anger.
Luffy, equally incensed, vowed to "deal with that bastard" someday. But despite their indignation, the problem remained: without a reliable solution, the company global expansion plans were at a standstill.
Determined to find an alternative, Luffy gathered the girls for another brainstorming session.
It was Robin who provided the breakthrough idea.
"There's no place in the world the Marines can't go," she pointed out simply.
Her words struck Luffy like a bolt of lightning. Of course! The Marines had bases scattered across the Grand Line and the Four Blues, with warships capable of navigating even the most treacherous waters.
Equipped with seastone-lined hulls, Marine ships could traverse the Calm Belts, neutralizing the threat of Sea Kings. Furthermore, as a government-affiliated organization, the Marines enjoyed passage rights in restricted areas.
If the Marines ever shifted their focus to commercial shipping, they could easily monopolize the industry and bankrupt rivals like Umit.
Fueled by this realization, Luffy immediately began plotting his next move.
As luck would have it, the Five Elders had recently slashed the Marine's military budget, leaving Sengoku in dire straits. It was the perfect opportunity for Luffy to strike a deal.
Compared to Umit's extortionate demands, the modest shipping fees Luffy offered Sengoku were practically a gift.
Of course, the numbers Luffy had quoted Sengoku earlier weren't entirely accurate.
The "100,000 Berries production cost" he mentioned was a deliberate exaggeration. Thanks to fully automated production lines, the company actual manufacturing cost for a first-generation computer was less than 30,000 Berries.
Even after accounting for shipping, wages for sales staff, and other expenses, the total cost per unit didn't exceed 50,000 Berries.
By selling each computer for 300,000 Berries, Tenglei netted a jaw-dropping profit of 250,000 Berries per unit. And that was just from the hardware—each game sold separately represented another massive revenue stream.
With these figures in mind, Luffy couldn't help but feel triumphant.
His grin widened as he stood in the middle of the room, fists clenched.
"Expand the army," he declared. "Expand it now!"
He paced back and forth, his mind racing with plans. "The Marine force here will grow to 10,000 soldiers. And I'll add another 2,000 just to serve as the Company's private security."
A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes as he added, "From now on, I'll be the true overlord of this place!"
His excitement was contagious. Picking up the Den Den Mushi, he called Olivia to share the good news.
"Olivia! We did it!" Luffy exclaimed. "The deal with Sengoku is finalized. Start preparing for full-scale production!"
On the other end, Olivia's voice was brimming with excitement. "That's amazing, Luffy! I'll start working on plans for a new factory immediately. We'll double production in no time!"
Luffy smiled but quickly added, "One thing, Olivia—make sure the workers are well compensated. Pay them plenty of overtime. We're not hurting for money anymore, so there's no need to cut corners."
Olivia chuckled. "Got it. No stinginess here."
Hanging up, Luffy flopped onto the sofa, letting out a contented sigh.
==============================================
Support me at [email protected]/goldengaruda and check out more chapter of this or more early access chapter of my other fanfic translation.
New fanfic : Marvel : The God Of Punishment System
=============================================