Loguetown remained prosperous.
However, behind the prosperity, the local residents began to feel that something was increasingly wrong.
Now, with the rise of tourism and commerce, the residents of Loguetown no longer worried about making money.
On the first day of the grain price increase, they did not take it seriously and could understand why grain prices had soared.
After all, with more tourists and merchant ships, the consumption was already high.
But the grain prices rose three times in a single day.
By evening, grain prices had increased fivefold, and even then, there was no supply despite the high demand.
The residents were shocked to realize that the money they had worked so hard to earn might no longer be enough to support their families. Panic set in, and they immediately rushed to spend their hard-earned savings on buying food.
But now, even having money was not enough to buy food.
Loguetown fell into panic.
"I heard the World Government is imposing a grain embargo on Loguetown."
"I heard pirates are becoming more rampant, severely affecting shipping."
"Nonsense. It's the Revolutionary Army appearing in various kingdoms. Those bastards burned down the farmland that should have been harvested."
"..."
Rumors spread rapidly throughout the town.
The residents spent a fearful night, and early the next morning, they rushed out to buy food.
The Amazon Lily fleet almost monopolized the fish market, but seafood could not replace staple food.
When they arrived at the grain stores, the residents realized they were not the only smart ones.
Long lines had already formed at the doors, causing congestion.
Fortunately, Reddy's deterrent power remained, and no one dared to cut in line or cause chaos.
Before long, the shops opened for business.
"What!"
A middle-aged man, lucky enough to be first in line, was stunned. "The price of flour is fifteen times what it was two days ago?"
The crowd behind him erupted in disbelief. Had grain prices really increased fivefold overnight?
"It's very hard to buy grain now."
The rice shop owner helplessly spread his hands and complained to the bustling crowd.
Upon learning that grain was becoming increasingly scarce outside, the crowd grew restless. However, fearing the law, no one dared to cause disorder.
"I want a hundred pounds of flour. Here's the money!"
As the first person shouted, it sparked a frenzy of panic buying.
Within ten minutes, the rice shop owner again spread his hands and announced that supplies were exhausted for the day. Those who wanted to buy would have to come back early tomorrow.
Customers who failed to buy grain didn't even have time to protest before rushing to the nearest grain store.
But it was useless.
Everyone was horrified to find that even with money in hand, they didn't know where to buy enough food to feed their families.
Grain prices skyrocketed due to panic.
In just half a day, grain prices had risen to thirty times what they were two days ago.
A lean man squeezed out of the crowd, his face dark as he returned to the inn. After closing the door, he cursed angrily, "Stupid trash. I should never have trusted you!"
His true identity was a CP4 agent, assigned by the World Government to control grain prices in Loguetown to recover the ransom money that had been paid out.
Originally, the plan was perfect.
By gradually increasing grain prices like boiling a frog in warm water, even an Emperor of the Sea would be unable to stop the rise.
But he had severely underestimated the greed of these merchants—or rather, the stupidity of the nobles behind them.
It had been agreed that grain would be released in small batches to control the price increase.
However, the greedy merchants completely ignored his advice and began hoarding instead.
The sudden massive grain shortage shattered the psychological layer of the local residents, causing grain prices to soar to an astonishing thirty times the original price in just two days.
Judging by the current situation, prices could easily reach fifty times the original by the end of the day.
As he predicted, by evening, grain prices in Loguetown had risen to a terrifying level—forty times the original price.
Moreover, panic in the town was becoming increasingly evident.
By the next morning, prices would undoubtedly exceed fifty times.
The lean man refused to give up and sought out the merchants in the alliance, trying to persuade them to resume grain sales.
To his utter shock, these merchants promised him face-to-face that they would start selling immediately, only to secretly gather afterward.
"What a joke!"
A fat merchant stomped his feet and cursed. "What does that guy take us for?"
"Tools?"
Someone teased, drawing knowing smiles from the others.
Indeed.
Every single person present was shrewd enough to see that the lean man was merely using them as tools.
But from another perspective, wasn't he also a tool they could exploit?
"Grain prices have only risen fifty times so far!"
The fat merchant's face flushed red with excitement as he shouted, "They need to rise at least a hundred times to make up for the risks we took earlier!"
The others nodded in agreement.
When the lean man first contacted them, none of them had been confident.
After all, they were operating in the territory of an Emperor of the Sea. To say they weren't worried would be a lie.
But the "profit prospects" he described made them forget the risks.
Even before the war in the East Blue began, they had already prepared to make a fortune in Loguetown. Now, they just needed to sharpen their knives a little more and darken their hearts a bit further.
"Tomorrow, I won't release a single grain."
The fat merchant declared his expectations with undisguised greed in his small eyes.
He had bet his entire fortune on this.
At current prices, he had already earned fifty times his original investment.
But that was nothing!
Loguetown had already fallen into complete panic.
As long as they kept their stocks tightly controlled and didn't release a single grain, the panic would only intensify, driving prices even higher.
Faced with such enormous profits, the fat man completely disregarded Reddy, the Emperor of the Sea.
Would he use force?
Most of my grain hasn't even arrived yet!
Try arresting me?
Perfect!
As long as the grain shortage worsened, the residents of Loguetown would grow increasingly panicked, and prices would rise beyond recognition.
Unless Reddy was willing to watch the people of Loguetown starve to death, he would have no choice but to lift restrictions and allow grain merchants like them to enter the market.
The more he thought about it, the more excited the fat man became. He stared intently at one particular merchant.
This merchant was one of the world's largest grain traders, with rumors even linking him to the Celestial Dragons.
Understanding the unspoken message, the man smiled faintly. "I will use my influence to persuade various kingdoms to tighten grain exports."
The others immediately grasped his meaning.
In their view, the only way Reddy could break this deadlock was by personally purchasing grain.
But Reddy was an Emperor of the Sea with a massive bounty. Procuring enough grain would already be difficult.
If the kingdoms imposed even minor restrictions, Reddy would be powerless.
Unless Reddy resorted to stealing grain.
But if he actually did that, they would celebrate with a feast.
Because Loguetown had not yet been declared a pirate territory by the World Government.
If Reddy resorted to stealing grain, the World Government would officially designate Loguetown as a pirate territory.
At that point, it wouldn't just be grain—every commodity entering Loguetown would yield eye-watering profits.
And they could earn it openly, without fear of retaliation from Reddy.
At this thought, everyone grew excited.
Damn, soon they'd be worrying about how to spend all that money.
What a delightful problem!
However, by the next morning, their delightful problem turned into horror.
"What!"
The fat merchant turned pale upon hearing his subordinate's urgent report. "Someone is selling grain at affordable prices without limits?"
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