Summoner in One Piece

The capture of the iron mine and the swift, decisive justice meted out to Ho Kaku and General Ren sent a powerful message throughout Tonryuu. Hope, long suppressed, began to blossom. Alex, however, knew that true stability wasn't built on single victories, but on sustained growth and the welfare of his people. With the immediate threats contained and the administrative groundwork laid, he initiated a period of intense development and consolidation.

The next three months passed in a whirlwind of activity, a testament to Alex's vision and the tireless efforts of his dedicated companions. Tonryuu City, and the five villages under its influence, began to shed the scars of Ho Kaku's corruption and embrace a new era of prosperity.

Amidst the strategic planning and relentless work, Alex's personal life also found a profound new direction. A quiet, joyous revelation came early in this period when Tsunade, with a radiant smile, informed him that she was pregnant, a consequence of their intimate moments during their time in the distinct reality he had once visited. The news brought a wave of unexpected tenderness and profound happiness to Alex, grounding his responsibilities with a deeply personal future. Recognizing the depth of their bond, Alex and Tsunade, in a private, heartfelt ceremony witnessed by their closest companions – Erza, Kaelen, Olvia, Akane, and Chief Scholar Yuan – exchanged vows, solidifying their partnership not just in battle, but in life.

This period also saw a significant deepening of Alex's bonds with Akane and Erza. Their shared trials, unwavering loyalty, and increasing intimacy blossomed into romantic commitments. Their relationships, built on mutual respect, admiration, and a shared vision for Tonryuu, became another source of strength and personal contentment for Alex. He also fostered a successful and deeply affectionate bond with Olvia, a relationship characterized by profound respect and a growing mutual attachment, though not yet formalized to the same degree as his commitments to Tsunade, Akane, and Erza. With these personal commitments, Alex officially established the Blaze Family, laying the foundation for a new noble lineage in Tonryuu.

The Army Training Barracks, a long-term investment, immediately began to prove its worth. Under the strict guidance of Erza and Kaelen, the existing forces were put through rigorous training, and new recruitment drives were launched across the city and its associated villages. Furthermore, successful expeditions led by Kaelen, Erza, and Akane had discovered unregistered villages and routed bandit hideouts in the surrounding areas. The defeated bandits were offered a choice: convert to loyal soldiers under Alex's rule or face imprisonment. Many chose the former, swelling the ranks with hardened, albeit often unruly, individuals. The barracks' efficiency, further enhanced by Alex's emerging powers, allowed for accelerated training.

A significant development during this period was the rescue of Seki Shou and Koku Shou, two renowned 500-man commanders who had been imprisoned for refusing to cooperate with Ho Kaku's conspiracy. Upon their rescue and witnessing Alex's just rule and care for the citizens, both brothers immediately pledged their fealty, taking Alex as their lord. With Alex's blessing, they established the Shou Family under him, bringing invaluable leadership and loyalty to his burgeoning military.

Before the 3-month Time Skip, Alex's army totaled 872 soldiers:

272 Seasoned Prefecture Soldiers

200 Trained Regulars

400 Newbie Soldiers

After 3 Months of Accelerated Training, Extensive Recruitment, and Conversion of Captured Forces, Alex's army now stands at a formidable total of 5750 soldiers, organized into distinct operational forces:

Field Army (1000 Elite Soldiers): This mobile force, designed for offensive campaigns and rapid deployment, comprises the pinnacle of Alex's forces. The 1/3 reduction in training time, combined with the conversion of experienced bandits and the accelerated progression of his existing formidable troops, allowed for this rapid development.

700 Imperial Sentinels: These are fully trained, highly proficient heavy infantry, skilled with shield, spear, and short sword, boasting heavy armor and vanguard expertise.

300 Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry: These are heavy armored cavalry, renowned for their devastating charges, wielding sword polearms.

Among them, 20 of these Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry have achieved the ultimate, fully mastered Tier 3 training, making them exceptionally formidable units capable of healing through their devastating charges and possessing unparalleled combat prowess.

City Defense & Garrison (4500 soldiers): This force maintains internal order, guards the city walls, and secures strategic points, ensuring Tonryuu's safety.1000 Trained Soldiers: These soldiers demonstrate competence and proficiency in fundamental combat, having progressed from their Newbie status or being drawn from experienced converted bandits.3500 Newbie Soldiers: The bulk of the newly recruited and converted forces, undergoing continuous basic training and forming the core of the city's robust defense.

Patrol Units (250 soldiers): Divided into numerous small groups (50 units of 5 men each), these patrols are drawn from the City Defense's Trained Soldier pool, constantly monitoring the fief's borders and maintaining security in its villages.

The rapid advancement, fueled by the regeneration zones and continuous recruitment, transformed Alex's forces into a powerful and loyal army, significantly outclassing the fragmented groups they once faced.

Olvia, now firmly established as Alex's chief administrator and strategist, worked tirelessly, with Chief Scholar Yuan serving as her invaluable subordinate and expert on Tonryuu's history and honest officials. Together, they spearheaded the administrative and economic revitalization. Confiscated wealth from Ho Kaku's network was reinvested directly into the fief. Roads were repaired, neglected irrigation systems in the villages were restored, and the city itself began a significant expansion.

With her sharp mind for business, Olvia identified a lucrative new venture: the production and trade of high-quality alcohol, including various types of wine, beer, vodka, and whiskey. The abundant and consistent farm yields, supercharged by the Vegetation Zones, provided a steady supply of premium ingredients. This alcohol business quickly became a successful enterprise, generating a hefty sum of income for Tonryuu. This significant boost in revenue directly funded the city's expansion, which included fortifying the new outer city areas and establishing a clearer distinction between the older, now "inner city" and the burgeoning "outer city." This expansion also created a larger, more organized market for better trade. A new, restricted section of the outer city was designated for factories, breweries, and warehouses, streamlining production and commerce away from residential areas. New, efficient officials were selected and trained to facilitate easier rules and regulations, ensuring smooth operations.

Furthermore, Alex, through Olvia, initiated a groundbreaking child welfare program to secure Tonryuu's future generations. For every new child born within the fief, families would receive a small financial stipend to assist with their upbringing. Beyond this, Alex announced that if a family, due to hardship or foresight, chose to entrust a child (aged four years or older, provided the child was healthy and demonstrably not mistreated – with severe penalties, including execution, for any family found guilty of mistreatment) to the City Lord, they would receive substantial rewards. For these children, Olvia was tasked with opening dedicated schools and childcare facilities, ensuring they received proper education, nourishment, and care, raising them as loyal and skilled citizens directly under the fief's patronage. This bold initiative quickly garnered immense public support, seen as a truly benevolent act by their new Count.

Alex also utilized his System Points to summon vital new resources. High-quality cavalry horses were summoned, providing superior mounts for his growing Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry, enhancing their speed and impact. Additionally, cattle were summoned for his villages, ensuring a healthier and more robust livestock supply. These summoned beings were of a quality far superior to normal local fauna, and their ownership was directly under Alex, benefiting the entire fief.

Crucially, Alex explored his burgeoning powers of Zone Creation. Cooperating closely with Tsunade, whose understanding of natural energies was profound (and now even more so with her pregnancy providing a unique connection to life force), and drawing upon the immense life force of Katsuya (the giant slug, now a silent, powerful ally), Alex manifested two distinct zones across the entire fief (city and all five villages), and specifically at the mine site:

Strategically placed over the farmlands of all five villages and within suitable areas of the city, these zones supercharged crop production. Fields that once yielded meager harvests now burst with vitality, producing bountiful yields at an unprecedented rate. This significantly boosted food security for the entire fief, making its citizens healthier and more resilient.Regeneration Zones: Established throughout the city and all five villages, as well as specifically at the iron mine site and within the barracks, these zones subtly accelerated natural processes.

At the mine, the ore veins seemed to replenish faster, making extraction more efficient. This increased mining output, in turn, fueled Tonryuu's burgeoning workshops, allowing for the consistent production of higher-quality weapons and armor, significantly upgrading the gear of Alex's expanding military. Within the barracks, the zones aided in the physical recovery and stamina of the soldiers, subtly reducing their training time by approximately one-third. While these boosts were not overtly overpowered, their consistent, subtle enhancement was a game-changer, allowing for faster progression through the unit tiers and a general uplift in the fief's productivity and well-being. This also contributed to the overall health and vitality of the fief's citizens.

With the growth and new operations, Alex formalized the administrative and military leadership:

City Lord: Alex

Governor: Olvia

Advisor (to Governor): Chief Scholar Yuan

Military Head: Erza

Health and Welfare Head: Tsunade

Information Gathering Head: Akane (with Tsunade as an advisor on matters requiring her unique insight)

Guards Commanders (City Guard and Patrols): Kaelen, Seki Shou, and Koku Shou (leading significant divisions within these forces).

The combination of dedicated leadership, a growing, well-trained army, and the subtle, yet powerful, influence of Alex's zone abilities transformed Tonryuu. The city hummed with renewed purpose, the villages thrived, and the people, seeing tangible improvements in their lives, embraced Count Alex as their true protector and benefactor. The fief was no longer just a border territory; it was becoming a bastion of strength and prosperity.