Towering factories rose from the ground, with streams of adult men pushing carts laden with iron ore, continuously feeding the bustling workshops.
There were no vicious overseers brandishing weapons.
No need to toil day and night quarrying massive stone blocks to build walls for isolation.
Under the scorching sun, giant mushroom-like canopies stretched over the factory entrances, where smiling women of Wano handed out bowls of red bean soup mixed with ice chips to thirsty workers.
Meanwhile, in the vast barren lands surrounding the factory complex, groups of young children laughed and chattered as they carried small bags of plant seeds and tiny shovels.
Under the guidance of elderly folk, they planted the seeds of trees and flowers into the soil.
Not far away, burly men armed to the teeth stood guard, gripping gleaming new firearms with swords and knives at their waists, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
The children occasionally cast envious, longing glances at the weapons and gear of these guards, only to be gently scolded by the elders and reminded to focus on their planting.
Strangely, neither the elderly nor the children showed any fear or resentment toward the armed men.
Factories and workers, armed guards and civilians—coexisted peacefully here.
This was Udon in Wano Country, once a hellish prison where inmates and citizens were forced to mine stone and ore day and night.
"Old Crow, don't load so much. At your age, if it's too much, just shift some to my cart."
On the road leading to the factory, a tall muscular man pushed a cart piled high with iron ore, his bare torso glistening with sweat.
Under the scorching sun, sweat poured incessantly from his body.
Not far behind him, another handcart was being pushed by a half-gray-haired old man.
The old man appeared malnourished, his body thin and withered.
Gasping for breath, he strained to push a load of ore even larger than the burly man's.
"Scram, Ronmoku! Keep your hands off my ore! This load is for my family—For my new house, single-story at that. Once I have a house, hehehe, I'll marry a pretty woman and raise a few chubby sons. Hah!"
The old man paused to catch his breath, cursing under his breath as he wiped the sweat from his face and glared at the blazing sun overhead before resuming his laborious push.
The man named Ronmoku shook his head with a bitter smile, slowing his pace to walk alongside the old man.
"Old Crow, you should really thank the Queen. She's as beautiful as a celestial maiden, yet so benevolent—leading us out of hardship toward a better life."
Ronmoku gazed at the cart brimming with ore and sighed.
"Our wages at the Toto Land Ironworks are now second only to those weapons factory folks. A base pay of one thousand berry, plus Her Majesty's grace—she introduced a piece-rate system for us manual laborers."
"Beyond the daily quota of one ton, every extra ton transported earns another thousand berries. Given the time it takes to haul a pound of iron ore back and forth, we can manage at least three tons a day. That means three thousand daily!"
"Work without rest for a month, and that's ninety thousand berries, plus a full-attendance bonus of ten thousand—100.000 berries total! And the factory provides room and board, with food until we're stuffed. Good heavens, sometimes I wake up feeling like it's all too good to be true, as if I'm still dreaming."
Old Crow cracked a smile, equally moved.
"Aye, days filled with hope for the future—what a blessing. All thanks to Her Majesty, Lord Caesar, and the esteemed members of the Beast God Pirates."
As they spoke, a massive fat man thundered past them, pushing an enormous cart nearly the size of theirs.
The fat man barreled forward with a small mountain of iron ore, swift as a heavy tank, kicking up a cloud of dust that left the two men covered in grime.
"Damn that bastard Yokozuna! Hope he trips and breaks his neck!" Old Crow spat furiously at the retreating figure.
Ronmoku wiped the dust from his face, his eyes brimming with envy.
"That bastard's something else—dozens of trips a day, hauling several tons per trip. Mother of mercy, he earns tens of thousands of berries daily, more than hundreds of thousands a month! That's more than the master craftsmen at the weapons factory."
Old Crow's face also flushed with admiration as he gritted his teeth and pushed harder, breaking into a sprint.
"This old man's gonna earn enough to marry and raise sons like that bastard Yokozuna—no, even stronger! Then I could pull in tens of thousands a day. That bastard—his health is his fortune. Even back when he was living a harsh life, and now as a laborer, he outworks dozens of us combined!"
"Old Crow, take it easy, damn it! Don't throw out your back—slow and steady wins the race!" Ronmoku was terrified by Old Crow and hurriedly followed in his footsteps.
The two soon arrived at the factory entrance, set down the carts they were pushing, and panted as they walked under the shade of an umbrella.
"You must be sweltering, Old Crow, Ronmoku. Here, have a bowl of chilled red bean soup to quench your thirst."
A woman wearing a headscarf and a kimono smiled as she handed them two bowls of red bean soup.
Just as Old Crow was about to take it, he saw Ronmoku shudder and drop to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Y-Your Majesty!"
"What? Her Majesty?"
Old Crow was startled and quickly looked over.
He realized that the plainly dressed woman before him, who looked like an ordinary Wano Country housewife, had an unadorned face that was strikingly beautiful and refined, capable of toppling cities with her charm.
Her gentle, watery eyes made people feel as if bathed in spring breeze, devoid of any haughty queenly demeanor—instead, she was approachable and kind.
"Your Majesty... I-I beg your forgiveness! This old fool is blind! I deserve death thousand times over!"
Old Crow also knelt in terror, his withered body trembling uncontrollably.
"Hey, what are you doing? Get up, get up!"
The woman was none other than Hiyori.
She quickly stepped around the table and reached out to help Old Crow up.
But before her hand could touch him, Old Crow rolled away like a lazy donkey, leaving Hiyori stunned.
Covered in dust, Old Crow scrambled up fearfully.
"Your Majesty mustn't! I'm covered in dirt and sweat—I dare not sully Your Majesty's body!"
Hiyori shook her head with a wry smile and turned to help the burly Ronmoku.
As expected, the man also rolled away, heedless of the dirty, scorching ground, his face alight with excitement and joy.
Under the shade of the umbrella, Ulti fanned herself and yawned.
"See? I told you there was no need to come here. Your presence has completely disrupted everyone's work rhythm."