Chapter 20: Bartholomew Bear's Kingdom!

Chapter 20: Bartholomew Kuma's Kingdom!

Inside the incredibly luxurious Dragon Palace City.

By this time, Colson and the two CP7 members had long since departed.

However, King Neptune and the other high-ranking officials of Fish-Man Island remained in the banquet hall, unable to disperse.

The shock brought by everything that had just transpired had yet to subside within their hearts.

"Incredible, simply incredible. Is this truly the World Government? *That* World Government?"

King Neptune sat upon his massive throne, staring at the grand entrance at the other end of the hall, exclaiming in continuous wonder.

From time to time, he would look down at the two gold-trimmed scrolls in his hands.

"It feels like a dream..."

Queen Otohime stood on the platform, the traces of tears still wet on her face.

The exhaustion brought on by childbirth had been completely swept away.

"With this, the long-cherished wish of our Fish-Man Island for hundreds of years is about to be fulfilled. Our Merfolk and Fish-Men can finally enjoy the sunlight, forests, and land above freely, interacting openly with humans and even other races!"

In her view, although this Fish-Man Island ten thousand meters below the sea was good and sufficiently safe, could it not also be viewed as a massive cage?

"I must prepare thoroughly for this speech at the World Conference. I must convey our Fish-Man Island's desire to integrate into the great family of the world to all the kings!"

Queen Otohime clenched her fists to encourage herself, feeling a fire burning within her heart.

"Ahem."

Just then, the Right Minister standing below the stage deliberately coughed twice to draw the attention of the other three, then said softly, "Your Majesty, Queen, may this humble servant offer a few thoughts?"

"Of course!"

King Neptune agreed without hesitation. He was not the type of ruler who refused to listen to his ministers' advice.

"Regarding this matter, on the surface, the World Government has indeed undergone a massive change, and their sincerity toward our Fish-Man Island is abundant."

As a civil official, the Right Minister's thoughts were more delicate and complex as he slowly articulated his perspective.

"However, I believe it is best not to hold too high expectations for now. Otherwise, if developments do not align with our wishes, the resulting disappointment will be too cruel. After all, that is the World Government..."

His words caused everyone's mood to instantly cool down.

Queen Otohime fell into a silence, slowly sitting back in her seat.

The Right Minister continued.

"Furthermore, although the contents are effective from the signing of the communiqué, I believe concrete actions will only follow after the World Conference concludes."

"Of course, that is contingent upon the agenda being passed smoothly and receiving strong momentum. Otherwise, even if the World Government permits us to land, we wouldn't dare let our citizens go!"

King Neptune nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, we must see the World Government's specific actions hereafter. As for the passing of the agenda..."

"I imagine that since they gave us advance notice, they will also contact other kings. I just don't know which kings they will approach, whether their influence is great enough, or if their numbers are sufficient."

This caused the light in Queen Otohime's eyes to dim slightly, as anxiety and worry began to well up in her heart.

"Besides that, there is another very important matter!" the Right Minister said distressedly.

"Even if everything goes smoothly and the World Government gets serious, and we truly can safely leave Fish-Man Island to live on the sunlit sea, it will still be difficult to migrate our citizens."

"Although every member of our race can breathe and swim at high speeds in the ocean, where will we put the shells, the furniture, the pots and pans? We cannot simply demand that our citizens abandon their worldly possessions, can we?"

Queen Otohime looked at him in confusion.

"Why not let a small portion of the citizens live in the Sabaody Archipelago first? Later, once a suitable island is found to serve as a new Fish-Man Island, we can migrate them bit by bit."

"Moreover, there is no need to abandon this place entirely; some people will always prefer living beneath the sea."

The Right Minister froze, thinking to himself: *True, no one said we had to migrate all citizens at once, unless we encounter a situation in the future where we must abandon Fish-Man Island.*

Indeed.

If no one destroyed the Holy Land... Mary Geoise above... then Fish-Man Island down here truly wouldn't have any problems.

***

Meanwhile.

Just as King Neptune had speculated.

At this moment, the senior councilors of the Administration Department were either en route to target kingdoms or were already in royal palaces conveying the agenda and the attitude of the Five Elders to the kings.

Of course, it was not all kings, but only those whom the Administration Department had researched and investigated as potentially supportive of this agenda.

To put it simply, they were looking for kings who were relatively kind-hearted and maintained a good attitude toward their citizens.

Because only they would sincerely support the passing of the agenda!

For example, the desert kingdom of Alabasta.

However, a major event had recently occurred in that country.

The young Prince Cobra had become king last year.

Therefore, this World Conference in 1498 would be the first time this twenty-six-year-old king participated in a World Conference, making it an event of moderate significance.

In the South Blue, the Sorbet Kingdom.

"Could you repeat those words just now?"

A small giant, nearly seven meters tall, suddenly stood up from his crude throne.

He looked at the man in black below the stage with disbelief, a gold-trimmed scroll gripped in his hand.

"Of course, no problem, your Majesty, the honorable Bartholomew Kuma."

The senior councilor from the World Government's Administration Department showed no impatience; his attitude was extremely respectful and polite.

Although he did not know why the Minister had specifically instructed him to treat this insignificant, impoverished kingdom well, his experience and wisdom from being a high-ranking government official for over a decade prevented him from showing even the slightest negligence or disregard.

"As long as you support the passing of this agenda at this year's World Conference, the annual Heavenly Tribute for the Sorbet Kingdom can be reduced by fifty percent until the next World Conference."

Bartholomew Kuma, who was always gentle and introverted, was perhaps experiencing such utter astonishment for the first time since his birth.

When he first heard it, he suspected his ears were hallucinating.

But hearing it a second time felt even more surreal.

The World Government was actually willing to proactively reduce the amount of Heavenly Tribute?

Such a thing seemed never to have happened in hundreds of years!

The Sorbet Kingdom he managed was already a famously poor nation in the South Blue—or rather, it had actually lived quite well decades ago.

But ever since joining the World Government, the exorbitant annual Heavenly Tribute had sucked the lifeblood out of the country.

It was estimated that in a year or two, they would be completely unable to pay.

When that time came, they would be caught by the Army forces sent by the World Government to build a bridge for a lifetime in the East Blue's Tequila Wolf.

It was at this moment of absolute despair that he had stepped forward!

Relying on his powerful physical constitution and the abilities of the Paw-Paw Fruit, he had successfully plundered seven groups of pirates at sea, seizing enough treasure to pay that year's Heavenly Tribute.

Since then, he had been directly propelled into the position of king by his entire citizenry.

In the years following, he continued this every year—leading his people in farming and fishing while heading out to sea alone to scavenge treasure.

Aside from the Navy, the World Government, and the ships of other kingdoms, he plundered everyone: pirates, slave traders, and any other dark forces.

He had finally managed to temporarily stabilize the kingdom's situation.

However, as his reputation spread, it had become difficult to find ships to plunder in the nearby waters.

The Heavenly Tribute was like a knife hanging over the heads of all his citizens.

But if they only had to pay half, the situation would be entirely different.

"Then, Your Majesty, what is your answer?"

"Of course, I accept! Even without those benefits you mentioned, I will wholeheartedly support such a wonderful agenda!"