Everything Belongs to the World Government!

The overwhelming strength of the Navy was one aspect, but in Imu's view, the structure of the World Government itself had considerable issues, and even more significant problems in this regard. Just thinking about it made him somewhat restless.

He casually picked up a bottle of red wine from the coffee table and poured some into a crystal glass, swirling it thoughtfully before taking a sip. Suddenly, he stood up with the glass in hand and slowly walked out of the treehouse.

Perhaps it was a psychological effect, but he felt a bit stifled, so he decided to take a walk outside.

Stepping on the silvery-gray ground, he strolled gently under the vast galaxy of stars, bathed in the bright moonlight, occasionally inhaling the fragrant aroma of the red wine.

The nearby maids, always ready to serve, dared not look around carelessly; they respectfully lowered their heads, hands clasped in front of them.

As he walked, Imu instinctively found himself in front of a plain, unadorned piano that gleamed in pure silver.

This piano had a name, one that Imu had given it three hundred and forty-two years ago: the "Moon God Piano."

He glanced at the full moon in the sky, casually sat on the piano bench, and set the bright red crystal glass aside. His right fingers gently brushed over the black and white keys.

For hundreds of years, his previous incarnation had resided in the deepest part of Mary Geoise, and it wasn't as if he had been idle; after all, he was human and needed to relieve his boredom. He had intermittently engaged with many things, but only two had truly captivated him.

Music and painting.

Comparatively, he had a greater fondness for music.

However, this so-called music had nothing to do with singing; it purely referred to playing instruments. The long passage of time had allowed him to master many instruments, to the point where even calling his proficiency "skilled" would be an understatement.

Among all the instruments, he loved the piano the most! Sitting in front of the "Moon God Piano," memories of past solo performances under the moonlight gradually surfaced in Imu's mind. His long fingers became restless, and he raised both hands, slowly playing one note after another.

As he played, he grew increasingly skilled, his fingers becoming more agile. Initially, he played melodies he often favored, but before long, the tune transformed dramatically, becoming grander, more forceful, and full of vigor. This scene instinctively drew the attention of the maids, who cautiously stole glances.

The piece was called "Giant Fortress," one of Imu's favorite compositions from when he followed the series.

The soul-stirring piano melody plunged him back into contemplation.

The structural departments of the World Government, while appearing somewhat organized, revealed many shortcomings upon closer examination.

In terms of administration, the highest department was the Political Affairs Council, overseen by Topman Warcury Saint. Below the Political Affairs Council were the Administrative Department and the Finance Department.

The Finance Department was responsible for the issuance of Berries, management of banks, and collection of Celestial Tribute, while the Administrative Department had a broader scope, overseeing construction, taxation, auditing, industry, and more.

However, the problem lay in two aspects: first, each department had very few staff members; second, the divisions among departments were overly simplistic, creating a sense of complexity and chaos.

Of course, the notion of "few people" was his perspective, as according to his future plans, the current number of government employees was far from sufficient.

For instance, after this World Conference, the next conference would need to address the reform of Celestial Tribute.

If they wanted to implement a flexible fee system based on the United Nations' previous model, it would be impossible for the member countries to calculate it on their own, as they would need to consider various factors such as a country's population, economy, and industry.

Most countries in the past, as well as the United Nations itself, had financial teams, but the member countries in this world had varying levels of development, with many still stuck in ancient societies. Even a major country like Alabasta struggled to find enough qualified and professional financial talent.

Thus, to implement proportional fees, the World Government would have to shoulder this burden, assessing the actual conditions of each member country, which would require a vast number of professionals from various fields.

Another problem arose: where would these professionals come from? Logically, they should be selected from specialized training schools, but based on what he had observed, the World Government had no educational departments whatsoever.

Most of the member countries had very few schools, and education among the nobility was conducted through private tutors, while the lower-class commoners relied on oral traditions passed down by elderly elders.

In other words, if he wanted a large number of professionals, he would first need to start by building schools. How despairing!

For a moment, the melody under Imu's fingers changed again, now infused with many worries and helpless negative emotions.

In such a situation, if they wanted to reduce the amount of Celestial Tribute and alleviate the pressure on poorer and smaller countries, they could only resort to a blunt, one-size-fits-all approach, lowering the amounts for both large and small nations, rich and poor alike.

But if they did that, the World Government's annual revenue would inevitably plummet, and even with previous reserves, it wouldn't last for long.

So the best approach remained proportional fees: larger and wealthier countries would pay more, while smaller and poorer countries would pay less.

What could be done to solve the talent shortage?

Imu pondered for a long time, yet his fingers continued to play, repeatedly performing "Giant Fortress."

In that moment, an extremely tense atmosphere enveloped the Chamber of the Moon.

Wait!

Suddenly, Imu, who had been keeping his eyes tightly shut, opened them wide. At the same time, an invisible aura erupted from him, causing the half-filled wine glass beside him to tremble, and the rhythm of his playing gradually quickened.

The countries of this world, due to the transportation difficulties between islands, had vastly different levels of development.

But this also meant that among them were not only underdeveloped nations but also advanced ones. Some of these countries resembled the modern era, some had reached contemporary levels, and others even approached futuristic standards.

From ancient times to the future, every period of civilization could be found on this vast sea, which was the most astonishing aspect of it all.

This was another form of completeness, albeit with the organs somewhat disordered.

The North Sea!

That's right, what Imu thought of was it—a region with a significant heavy industry, a city and hospitals with a modern aesthetic.

Such a place could not lack a relatively mature education sector; modernized industries and commerce would certainly require a large number of skilled professionals in technology, medicine, and finance.

In addition, other seas, while relatively fewer, also had islands with higher levels of civilization, such as Loguetown in the East Sea, the City of Water on the Grand Line, and the future nation of Barkimora, among others.

Thus, the World Government could recruit from these countries, even requisitioning the necessary talent from various fields to expand its departments!

The more Imu thought about it, the more excited he became, realizing he had previously fallen into a misunderstanding.

The most suitable management approach for this world was not to develop everything from scratch, but rather to mobilize talent and resources.

Whatever was needed could simply be sourced from where it existed, because this sea had everything; it was just a matter of whether one could find it, whether they would find it, and how to utilize it effectively once found.

For example, if a member country lacked electricity and even the ability to manufacture basic components, being entirely an ancient nation, the conventional wisdom would dictate starting from scratch, which was the usual approach for most time travelers.

But Imu only needed to have someone from another modernized member country send over the required materials, equipment, and talent.

Isn't this also the main reason he valued the Sea Train?

Now, although there was no Sea Train, simply bringing over the needed professionals from various countries by boat would suffice, even if it was a bit more troublesome! What the World Government lacked could be sourced from member countries.

In short, what belonged to the World Government belonged to the World Government, what belonged to member countries also belonged to the World Government, and as for non-member countries, well, they could certainly belong to the World Government too!

Stopping his performance, Imu happily picked up the wine glass beside him and leisurely brought the bright red liquid to his lips.