Nair ignored Chaka’s outburst.
There was no value in arguing with someone who could not yet see the full picture.
He had no intention of undermining his own people, so he chose to explain his reasoning instead.
“No, Chaka.
The royal family’s wealth is not limitless.
Simply handing out water is a temporary solution.
It is far better to create a system that sustains itself.
With the Sandora River as the core, we can construct a north to south water pipeline, linking all major cities along the route.
Water will flow continuously, supplying the entire kingdom.
When that is completed, Alabasta will no longer suffer from drought.”
He paused briefly.
“I call this project the River of Life.”
The concept was inspired by a large scale water diversion system from his previous life, now adapted to fit the geography of Alabasta.
Chaka’s expression stiffened.
Even imagining such a project sent a shiver through him.
The scale alone was overwhelming.
However, his initial anger did not fade.
Instead, it shifted into doubt.
To him, Nair’s proposal sounded like the ambition of someone too young to fully grasp reality.
“Do you understand what you are suggesting?” Chaka said, his voice heavy.
“The Kingdom of Alabasta has existed for thousands of years, even before the World Government was formed.
Yet in all that time, no ruler has ever accomplished anything like this.
The cost in both wealth and manpower would be beyond what the entire nation could sustain.”
“I understand,” Nair replied without hesitation.
“And you still intend to proceed?”
“Chaka, how much would it require?”
Chaka hesitated, then calculated quickly in his mind.
“At minimum, fifty billion Berries, and more than two hundred thousand workers.”
Nair let out a small laugh.
The number was significant, but not beyond his reach.
“I will allocate one hundred billion Berries, along with three hundred thousand personnel.”
Chaka froze.
“One hundred billion?”
The sheer scale of it left him stunned.
He could not comprehend how such an amount could exist, let alone be controlled by one person.
The royal family had already been forced to sell treasures just to maintain basic operations.
Even if they sold everything within the palace, it would not come close to that figure.
Nair continued without pause.
“The funds will be distributed in ten phases.
The first installment will be five billion Berries.
You will go to the treasury with Pell and collect it immediately.
All remaining forces in the capital, including the Royal Guard and the Super Spot-Billed Duck Troops, are under your command.”
The main army had already been deployed to deal with the Rebel Army, leaving only limited forces within the capital.
Even so, it was enough to begin the project.
Chaka’s voice wavered slightly.
“Do you truly possess this amount of Berries?”
“I can confirm it,” Pell said firmly from the side.
“There is a reason I serve His Majesty without hesitation.
One hundred billion Berries is well within his capability.”
There was a trace of satisfaction in Pell’s tone. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
He still remembered how Chaka had once doubted him, questioning his loyalty and judgment.
Now, reality would speak for itself.
King Cobra had been a great ruler, but in Pell’s eyes, Nair was something else entirely.
A king capable of changing the fate of the kingdom.
With the growing success of the mobile phone network, generating such wealth was no longer an impossible feat.
Chaka said nothing more.
When he later received the first five billion Berries in person, his perception of Nair changed completely.
The doubt in his heart began to fade, replaced by a level of respect that nearly matched what he once held for Cobra.
In his mind, he even began to imagine how Nair, once known as a prodigious prince, had quietly built such immense wealth through extraordinary vision and strategy.
Nair, however, was focused only on results.
From his perspective, Alabasta did not truly lack water.
What it lacked was the means to distribute it efficiently.
Since the problem was rooted in resources and logistics, it could be solved.
He planned to construct an extensive pipeline network centered on the Sandora River, delivering water directly to major cities.
Compared to traditional canals, pipelines offered clear advantages, lower cost, faster construction, easier maintenance, and broader coverage.
Although the kingdom’s territory was vast, Nair was confident it could be done.
The Sandora River itself was the foundation of this plan.
It divided Alabasta into eastern and western regions, stretching all the way to the sea in the south.
Its scale was staggering.
A freshwater river over fifty kilometers wide, the largest of its kind in the world.
Even the greatest rivers from Nair’s previous life could not compare.
While most major rivers reached only a fraction of that width, the Sandora River stood on an entirely different level.
And now, it would become the lifeline of a kingdom.