One day, about six months after the Kuja Pirates had been brought under Kanata's banner, Olivia was moving through the Hachinosu fortress with a troubled expression.
The stern look on her face was unusual for her. There was a reason for it, and she was on her way to consult with Kanata.
Hachinosu was always bustling. Familiar and unfamiliar faces bustled about as Olivia made her way to her destination.
She hesitated slightly outside the door, but reminding herself it was important, she steeled herself and knocked timidly, peeking inside.
Kanata appeared to be in the middle of a meeting with her executives, using a White Den Den Mushi connected to a regular Den Den Mushi and a visual Den Den Mushi.
Just as Olivia was about to close the door, thinking it best to come back later, a voice called from inside, "You can come in."
"I know you're in a meeting, and my business isn't urgent. I can come back later..." Olivia replied.
"It will be over soon. Please have a seat on the sofa," Kanata said.
Olivia sat on the sofa for visitors as instructed. Offered a cup of tea, she poured herself one.
They must have been prepared for Kanata to drink during the meeting. Olivia wasn't particularly knowledgeable about tea, but she could tell that the one prepared in Kanata's room was top-notch.
The aroma was distinctly different from the one served in the dining hall. It was probably a tea leaf traded for royalty that Kanata had personally obtained.
Glancing at Kanata, Olivia saw her reviewing documents while listening to reports from the executives.
"Sales in the East Blue are low. Did something happen?" Kanata inquired.
"Yes, it seems the Marines' security maintenance has been more successful than expected. Due to low pirate activity, we haven't been able to secure shipping contracts, and our revenue has fallen short of projections. Furthermore, the "Red Hair Pirates" have been active in the area recently, and other pirates seem to have gone into hiding," the voice from the Den Den Mushi reported.
"Red Hair… Shanks, huh? And Garp frequents that sea. 'Symbol of peace' is a fitting title. Well, considering the circumstances, it can't be helped. It would be more constructive to compensate in other areas." Kanata thought.
"Recently, the Goa Kingdom has requested an increase in the trade volume of luxury goods. What should we do?" another voice asked.
"Those are good customers. They'll pay anything to show off. We can increase the trade volume as requested. Recently, with the collapse of Flevance, they've been eager to find new art pieces," Kanata replied.
Beautiful ceramics using Amber Lead had fetched high prices, but Twilight hadn't dealt in those.
Due to the impact of Amber Lead Syndrome, those pieces were now unobtainable. Many nobles were looking for the next trend, buying various art pieces. They were good customers who would surely be interested in the high-quality goods Twilight collected from all over the world.
Even if they weren't, food and high-quality tea leaves were selling well. Increasing the volume would simply mean more sales.
"Be mindful of the "Red Hair Pirates", but we can leave them alone. They're not the type to attack our ships, and they wouldn't unnecessarily disrupt order," Kanata instructed.
"Yes, understood," the voice replied.
"Anything to report from the West and the South?"
"This is West. Nothing to report."
"It's the South here! The weather has been good recently, and food production has been exceeding demand. Can we process it?"
"You have the authority to decide. We can accept the processed goods, or you can handle it yourselves," Kanata said.
"Thank you! We can probably handle the food, but there's an excess in supply, so the price will likely drop. I think it would be more profitable to send it somewhere else," the voice from the South replied.
"There are wars brewing in the North Blue. If we send it there, the food will fetch high prices," Kanata said.
"This is North. We've received a request to supply weapons to those islands. It would be profitable, but is it alright?"
"We don't deal in weapons. Relay the request to Germa," Kanata said.
Twilight mainly dealt in food and luxury goods. Handling weapons would require factories and a large supply of raw materials.
Manufacturing for personal use was fine, but supplying them to others carried the risk of those weapons falling into the hands of Linlin or Kaido. It could backfire.
They had to limit the supply of weapons.
Relaying the request to Germa, a warmongering nation, would be the best solution. Judge would handle it accordingly. Kanata had no interest in interfering in other people's wars.
"The war hasn't broken out yet, but we're concerned about the deteriorating security," the voice from the North continued.
"Kaie is currently stationed in the North Blue. You can have her escort the fleet. Sukura should be able to handle the Flevance situation. We just need to leave enough troops behind for security," Kanata replied.
"Understood," the voice said.
"Paradise, your report."
"Yes, it's Paradise here. Shipping contracts are generating stable revenue. However, the increase in pirate activity has been causing security concerns on some of the islands we deal with," the voice from Paradise reported.
"We can put pressure on the Marines, but they're slow to act. We can mobilize our troops if necessary, and… Teach is free now."
"…He tends to go overboard. Could we send someone who wouldn't cause as much damage?" the voice from Paradise pleaded.
"Hmm, there's a new group I recently formed, consisting solely of my direct subordinates. We can send them," Kanata said.
She had recruited some skilled warriors from the Kuja Pirates and was personally training them. They were called the "Valkyries."
While still a small group, they were a force to be reckoned with.
And it would be a good opportunity to give Hiyori and Chiyo some practical experience.
…They were an all-female group, so Izo and Kawamatsu, who would surely accompany them, would probably feel out of place. But there was nothing she could do about that.
"How is the development of the Sea Train in Water Seven progressing?" Kanata asked.
"It seems to be nearing completion. But are you sure about supporting this project? They could be considered our competition," the voice from Paradise said.
"The amount of cargo and passengers a single Sea Train can transport is limited. While their technology is impressive, mass production would be difficult. The cost-benefit ratio doesn't work in their favor."
Indeed, the Sea Train, connecting islands, was a convenient invention, but currently, there was only one. Tom's technology was impressive, but technology that was too advanced was difficult to mass produce.
They also needed to lay tracks, limiting the expansion of routes. A single train couldn't transport that much cargo or passengers. It wasn't a threat to Twilight's shipping business.
"It's just a route connecting Water Seven and a few surrounding islands. If they increase the number of trains, it might be a different story, but they also need to create a timetable," Kanata explained.
"I… see," the voice replied.
The Paradise executive didn't seem to fully understand the situation.
"The Sea Train is a convenient invention, and it's currently profitable for us. I agreed to support Tom with funds and materials in exchange for a copy of the blueprints, so we can build our own in the future."
"Are we building a Sea Train?" the voice asked.
"It's just a plan. We need to expand the land-based train network in the Rommel Empire first," Kanata said.
The Rommel Empire, located near Hachinosu, had strong ties with Twilight. Land-based trains could be used to transport goods and troops.
As they were developing it as their second base, expanding the transportation network was a priority.
Kanata herself had more expertise in land-based operations, so the project was progressing rapidly.
"Finally, my report on the New World. The economy is stable. We're securing sufficient profits. Linlin, Kaido, and Newgate don't seem to be making any major moves. There's no indication of an impending war. We should be safe for a while."
With Kanata's report, the information-sharing session with the executives concluded, and the meeting ended.
Cutting off the video and audio connections, she took a sip of her tea.
Olivia, who had been waiting patiently, spoke up. "You're always so busy, aren't you?"
"It's just the usual. Sharing information frequently prevents unnecessary problems."
"Is that so? I wouldn't know…"
"It's the same with archeological papers. Having someone review them frequently makes it easier to find mistakes. It's the same principle," Kanata explained.
"I suppose," Olivia replied, unconvinced.
Kanata turned to Olivia. She hadn't expected her to come all the way to her office. She must have had a reason.
Olivia averted her gaze slightly, then spoke. "Actually…"
"I had a fight with Robin," she confessed.
"…That's unusual. I thought you two were close."
"Even families fight."
"I see."
Kanata sipped her tea, seemingly uninterested. She had no memories of her own parents, so she hadn't even tried to recall them.
But if Olivia had come to consult with her, she had to listen. She decided to hear her out.
"You know I went to sea? I was searching for the Road History Poneglyphs," Olivia began.
"Yes, you mentioned you were captured by the Marines," Kanata replied.
"Robin wants to go to sea and search for the Road History Poneglyphs. I told her it was too dangerous, but…"
Olivia had strongly urged Robin to stop, concerned for her daughter's safety.
However, Robin had refused, arguing that Olivia had no right to stop her, considering she had gone to sea herself.
Kanata understood both of their arguments, but she agreed with Robin.
"Children eventually leave the nest. They won't grow if you hold them back. Accept her decision."
"It's not that simple…"
"But it's true that she's not ready to journey on her own. She needs to acquire the knowledge and strength to survive in this sea."
She also needed protection. Searching for the Road History Poneglyphs meant becoming an enemy of the World Government. They could even dispatch the full force of Marine Headquarters.
It was a dangerous endeavor.
While Kanata could assign an escort, having one of her executives accompany Robin would make Twilight vulnerable to the World Government. They had to keep their search for the Road History Poneglyphs a secret.
"I'll teach Robin some self-defense. Once she can protect herself, we can let her leave."
"She could be in danger! How can you just send her away…?"
"Robin is almost fifteen. I was already able to escape from Sengoku at that age."
"Please don't compare her to you."
Olivia's sharp retort made Kanata shrug.
Looking at the clock, Kanata saw it was almost noon. Deciding to continue their conversation over lunch, they left the office and headed for the dining hall.
Kanata usually had her meals delivered to her office, but she occasionally ate in the dining hall. They would prepare a table if she informed them in advance.
The dining hall was noisy, but there was a quieter VIP room in the back. They could have a private conversation there.
"Besides, it's a bit hypocritical for Olivia, who abandoned her child to go to sea, to stop Robin."
"I know I was wrong, but… it was my late husband's wish."
"From what I heard, it sounds like you simply chose the wrong person to entrust her to."
Kanata stopped abruptly.
They were in the hallway leading to the dining hall. Wondering what had happened, Olivia looked ahead, but saw nothing.
Just as she was about to ask Kanata what was wrong–
The wall exploded, and something came flying into the hallway.
"Kyaaa! What's happening?!"
Olivia crouched down in surprise, while Kanata deflected the debris with her hand and looked at the hole in the wall. Someone was peeking through the hole.
There were only a few people who could reach this high level of the Hachinosu fortress.
It was Feiyun.
"Oh, Kanata-san!"
"Feiyun, what's going on?"
"Ehehe, I found someone sneaking around. When I asked him what he was doing, he ran away. He was weaker than I thought, so I just gave him a little tap, and he went flying," Feiyun replied, smiling sheepishly.
Kanata gave her an exasperated look and turned back towards the unconscious man lying on the floor. He was covered in blood, and even Kanata's Observation Haki couldn't detect his "voice."
She didn't know what his intentions were, but Feiyun's Observation Haki, which could sense malicious intent, was even better than hers. It wasn't a mistake.
The man was much larger than Kanata, but she lifted him with one hand and tossed him to Feiyun.
"Junshi should be at the training grounds. Could you have him interrogate the man and extract some information?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Feiyun cheerfully accepted the task, grabbing the man with one hand and walking towards the training grounds.
It was common for Feiyun to find spies, but Kanata wished she would be more careful not to destroy things.
But if she hesitated, the spies would escape, so she didn't say anything.
"…Is she always like that?" Olivia asked.
"Yes, she's dedicated to her work."
"Dedicated… If you're okay with it, then I suppose…"
Olivia trailed off, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately remaining silent.